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A preceptress was a female teacher or instructor. This title is derived from the word "precept." Several preceptresses worked at the Orleans County Grammar School.
The contract signed by Alexander Twilight in Aug 1844 specifically stipulated that he “procure a suitable female teacher to teach the ornamental branches of the French language.” His failure to meet this provision of the contract for two consecutive terms caused much anger among board members. Unfortunately, very little information on the school’s female teachers has survived to the present. Many of them may have gone on to marry, leaving their jobs for the work of running a home and raising a family. Only brief glimpses of female teachers appear in the school catalogs, advertisements and financial records.
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