Within Christendom teaching was an occupation within the religious community for centuries. Up to the Reformation, in the first half of the sixteenth century, very few teachers were not members of the clergy or of convents. The vast majority of teachers were men. This tradition was transferred to the West Indian colonies when schools were first established in this region in the seventeenth century. This inference is largely supported by anecdotal references in historical records. It was not until the Latrobe Reports of 1837 and 1838, following emancipation, that there was a comprehensive report and quantitative data concerning the gender of elementary school teachers in the Commonwealth Caribbean.