attempts to supplement the parish system included sunday schools. originally begun in the 1780s by town councils, they were adopted by all religious denominations in the nineteenth century. the movement peaked in the 1890s. by 1890 the baptists had more sunday schools than churches and were teaching over 10,000 children. in 1895, 50,000 teachers were working within the church of scotland in these schools and 60 per cent of children aged 5–15 in glasgow were enrolled on their books. from the 1830s and 1840s there were also mission schools, ragged schools, bible societies and improvement classes, open to members of all forms of protestantism and particularly aimed at the growing urban working classes. the ragged school movement attempted to provide free education to destitute children. the ideas were taken up in aberdeen where sheriff william watson founded the house of industry and refuge, and they were championed by scottish minister thomas guthrie who wrote "plea for ragged schools" (1847), after which they rapidly spread across britain.