Sunday Schools flourished in the 19th century and first decades of the 20th. The Sunday School movement was particularly strong in the Methodist Church and Sunday School teaching was seen as an important facet of church life.

Lipson Hancock, son of Captain Hancock the overseer of the Moonta Mines, developed a system of Sunday School instruction which, at the time, was recognised throughout the world. Lipson published guidelines - largely based on his examination of American models - catering for children from as young as 3 years old up to young adults.

Hancock is sometimes credited with beginning kindergarten teaching in South Australian Sunday Schools - possibly the first in Australia.

The Moonta Mines Methodist Church was the largest Methodist church outside of Adelaide and had the largest Sunday School in the country districts.

Hancock, H. Lipson (Henry Lipson), 1867-1935

Hancock, Henry Richard, 1836-1919

Moonta Mines Methodist Church

Moonta Mines Methodist Sunday School

'A model Sunday School,' People's weekly, 21 April 1916, p. 3 

'Development of the Sunday School,' People's weekly, 8 February 1913, p. 2 

Earnshaw, Beverley. Fanned into flame: the spread of the Sunday School in Australia, Sydney: Board of Education, Diocese of Sydney, c1980

Hancock, H Lipson. Modern methods in Sunday-school work, Adelaide: Methodist Book Depot, 1916

Laqueur, Thomas Walter. Religion and respectability: Sunday schools and working class culture, 1780-1850, New Haven: Yale University Press, 1976

McArthur, Malcolm. Where's the platform?: slices from the history of South Australian Methodist Christian education 1904-1984, Black Forest, S. Aust.: Historical Society of the Uniting Church in South Australia, 2004

Robinson, Mandie. Cap'n 'ancock: ruler of Australia's little Cornwall, Adelaide: Rigby, 1978

SA Memory Religion in South Australia

Moonta Mines State Heritage Area