By the end of 19th century, there were three times as many Adult School members in Leeds than there were Friends. Over the period 1886 to 1901, the total membership of the five schools in Leeds (based at Burley Road, Carlton Hill, Great Wilson Street, Pontefract Lane and Woodhouse Carr) increased 21% from 585 to 709 members. This is accounted for by the fact that the schools in Burley Road and Woodhouse Carr opened in 1885 and 1887 respectively, both with 100s of members, and a new junior class of 96 members was also started. The Adult School based at the principal Friends Meeting in Leeds, Carlton Hill, peaked at 266 members in 1884/5, and was weakened by the establishment of successful branch schools. In 1896 a Central Committee was formed, on the initiative of Carlton Hill, to bring together the various Adult Schools in Leeds. The committee's main work was to organise United Quarterly Meetings, with each school reporting on attendances and events, followed by a talk on a special subject. The first such meeting was held in September 1896 and was addressed by Arthur Priestman on the Labour Bureau proposed by the Yorkshire District of the Friends First Day School Association. In 1903 a decision was made to form a Leeds and District Adult School Sub Union, on undenominational lines, in an attempt to reinvigorate the movement. United Quarterly Meetings seem to have ended around 1906 due to lack of interest amongst scholars.
From the guide to the Records of Leeds Friends Adult Schools Central Committee, 1896-1906, (GB 206 Leeds University Library)
