History of education in England that reading comprehension acquired through Bible study could be transferred to secular studies. Raikes used his newspaper to publicize the schools and bore most of the cost in the early years. The movement began in July 1780 in the home of a Mrs. Meredith. Only boys attended, and she heard the lessons of the older boys who coached the younger. Later, girls also attended. Within two years, several schools opened in and around Gloucester. Raikes published an account on 3 November 1783 of Sunday School in his paper, and later word of the work spread through the "Gentleman's Magazine", and
Robert Raikes (1765–1837) Wilkinson of Welton House. They lived in Essex until 1805 after which moving to Welton House, Welton, East Riding of Yorkshire. In Yorkshire William established a bank in Kingston upon Hull. Robert Raikes built a beautiful Georgian mausoleum, "Raikes Mausoleum" for himself and his family in 1818; his father had also constructed a mausoleum in London. He and Anne Williamson had two sons Thomas (b.1790) and Robert (b. 1801), and two daughters Martha (d.1797) and Anne-Louisa. His grandson through his son Thomas established a Tractarian church at Treberfydd. He died in 1837. The mausoleum was built in 1818 for Robert