This article explores whether private adventure and dame schools were anything more than "nurseries of ignorance" in nineteenth-century Wales. It traces the origins, development and make-up of these small schools, through an analysis of educational reports, biographical material, census returns and other sources. Private adventure schools have been subjected to strong criticism, most notably in the 1847 report on the state of education in Wales. The article considers why this was so. While falling short of expectations held by inspectors, civil servants and other middle-class social commentators, the article contends that private adventure schools had much to offer working-class communities set against state-funded and regulated schools. The article concludes by exploring the demise of private adventure schools post 1870, against a backdrop of increasing state control over elementary school provision.