A cache of early 19th century school books and teaching aids recalling an extraordinary Georgian and his pupil will be sold by Mallams Abingdon on March 12.

The unique consignment, offered as part of House & Garden sale, has come for sale from the family of James Vale, a student at Pocock’s Academy in Bristol in the 1830s.

George Pocock (1774-1843) opened his academy in Prospect Place, Bristol, with the intention of turning boys into young businessmen, while pursuing a parallel career as an inventor.

His invention of a spanking machine, used for punishing multiple miscreants at the same time, also proved short-lived as too did an inflatable globe designed for educational purposes.

The 78cm blow-up globe included in this sale is a remarkable survivor, not least because it has been annotated by a student named James Vale.

Offered along with other items as one lot, this small window on education in the first half of the 19th century, is expected to fetch £300-500.