Royal Grammar School Worcester

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Royal Grammar School Worcester
Rgswoldlogo.jpeg
Motto Respice et Prospice
'Remember the Past and Look to the Future'
Established ante 1291 - 2007 merger
Type Private coeducational secondary
Founder Bishop Bosel
Location Worcester, UK

This article is about the former school (1291-2007). For the current school (2007- ), see RGS Worcester.

The Royal Grammar School Worcester was an independent school in Worcester, United Kingdom; founded before 1291 it was one of the oldest British independent schools.

In September 2007, it merged with The Alice Ottley School (the neighbouring independent girls' school) to form the RGS Worcester and The Alice Ottley School, which is now known as RGS Worcester

The school turned coeducational at the end of 2002, having previously been boys only.

The school was a day-school, which until 1992 accepted boarders, who resided in Whiteladies house, a building that is rumoured to contain hidden treasure from Charles I, when he sought refuge there during the Civil War.[1]

The merger with The Alice Ottley School was announced In December 2006. Mr Andy Rattue, the headmaster of RGS Worcester at the time, became headmaster of the new school when it started.

Contents

[edit] History

The School was originally founded as a secular monastic school in Worcester around 685 by Bishop Bosel[citation needed]. It was located outside the monastic precincts (as with the The King's School, Canterbury) and catered for the relatives of monks and children intending to go into the monastery. The first written reference to the school appears in 1265 when the Bishop of Worcester, Walter de Cantelupe, sent four chaplains into the city to teach.[2]

Conclusive evidence appears in 1291 when an argument was settled by Bishop Godfrey Giffard regarding who owned the wax from the candles used at the feast of St Swithun. It was decided that the Scholars of the Worcester School owned the wax, and the Rector of Saint Nicholas Church had to rely on the generosity of the scholars in order to get candle wax. The headmaster is mentioned as Stephen of London. The letter dated December 1291 is in the County Records Office in Worcester.

The next headmaster was appointed in 1312 as Hugh of Northampton as recorded in the Bishop's register for that year. He was appointed personally by the Bishop of Worcester, Archbishop of Canterbury, Lord Chancellor Walter Reynolds. The school continued to exist under the control of the city guilds through the centuries with various records of headmasters being appointed, again listed in the registers of the bishops of Worcester. One in particular was 'Sir Richard (Chaplain)', who was dismissed by the bishop of Worcester, Philip Morgan, in 1422 for taking money from the scholars for his own use. He was replaced the same year by Sir John Bredel. Sir Richard Pynnington was appointed in 1485 and is known to have given money to the Archbishop of Canterbury's fund[citation needed], showing the strong connection of the school with the church.

[edit] Rival schools

In 1501 an attempt was made at establishing a rival school in the city, but the Bishop of Worcester at the time, Sylvestre de Giglis, passed a law that stated any person who set up a school in the city or monastic precincts would be excommunicated. Thus all rivals ceased to exist, and the headmaster of that said school, Hugh Cratford MA, was created headmaster of the City School in 1504.[3]

In 1541, however, Henry VIII founded a new school in Worcester;[4] The King's School Worcester was based on the former site of the Royal Grammar School and became a rival school, with the rivalry manifesting itself in sports fixtures between the two schools.

[edit] Royal charters

After a petition by some notable citizens of Worcester to endow the school permanently, the school was given a Royal Charter by Queen Elizabeth I in 1561 and a governing body known as the Six Masters was set up, which remains as the governing body of the new RGS Worcester school today. Amongst famous Six masters are John Wall, Earl Beauchamp and Sir Anthony Lechemere.[2]

The Six Masters acquired much land for the school including its current site bought in 1562, the Pitchcroft fields, now used as the city racecourse, and land in Herefordshire still owned by the school. The 1906 Charity Commission survey also recorded a number of Pubs in Worcester which still exist today.[1]

A second Royal Charter was granted in 1843 by Queen Victoria, and the title of 'Royal' was conferred in 1869.[5]

[edit] School houses

A school tie showing that the pupil is in Wylde.

The house system was introduced in 1899 by the then headmaster Frederick Arthur Hillard. Initially six houses were established, and membership of houses was based on the place of residence of each boy. The original houses were: Boarders, Barbourne, City, St. John's, County A, and County B. In 1909 the house system was changed to reflect the increasing number of boys in the school, and the difficulty of allocating pupils on the basis of where they lived. The six houses created in 1909 were: School House, for boarders, (which, due to common usage, changed to Whiteladies, as this was the building in which the boarders lived); Temple (after Henry Temple, headmaster 1850s); Tudor (after Elizabeth I); Woolfe (after Richard Woolfe, benefactor 1877 ); Wylde (after Thomas Wylde, benefactor 1558); and Yewle (after Robert Yewle, Six Master 1561).In 1963 two additional houses were created by the then headmaster Godfrey Brown, namely Langley (after William Langley, Six Master 1561) and Moore (after John Moore, benefactor 1626).[1]

Every pupil in the school is a member of a House, with members of the same family always being in the same house. Pupils wear different ties to represent which house they are in, with the basic tie design being the same for all pupils (a navy blue tie with a repeated crown motif) but with different coloured stripes to represent the house. In house sports events pupils wear different coloured socks to indicate which house they are in (this colour being the same as the colour of the tie stripe).

A table summarising house information
House Year of foundation Named after
Langley 1963 William Langley
Moore 1963 John Moore
Temple 1909 Henry Temple
Tudor 1909 Elizabeth I
Woolfe 1909 Richard Woolfe
Yewle 1909 Richard Yewle
Whiteladies 1909 The school's boarding house
Wylde 1909 Thomas Wylde

The colours that represent each house are as follows: Langley is represented by Salmon Pink; Moore by Red (although as the original beneficiaries of Moore's scholarship to the school had to wear "blue coats of ancient cut" the colour, perhaps, ought to be blue[1]); Temple by Green; Tudor by Purple; Whiteladies by White, but on the socks for sports by Black; Woolfe by Orange; Wylde by a Light Blue; and Yewle by Yellow.

The school held a yearly house championship, Decided by events a range of events throughout the school year in which all eight houses competed, with the winners of each event being awarded eight points, the second placed house seven, down to the losing house one point. The house championship was traditionally called the 'Cock House' (or Cock House Cup Competition[1]) competition, its name deriving from that of the Cock. The original cup that was competed for is one which was presented to the school in 1902 by the Old Elizabethans' Association; in modern times competition is for a cup which was introduced in 1978.[1]

[edit] Notable patrons

[edit] Past pupils

Famous Old Boys of the school or Worcester Old Elizabethans (more complete list here), include (in alphabetical order)

[edit] Rivalry

The King's School, Worcester

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ a b c d e f Wheeler, A R. Royal Grammar School Worcester, 1950 to 1991 with retrospect to 1291, Royal Grammar School Worcester, 1991. ISBN 0-9516775-0-0
  2. ^ a b Follet, F. V. History of the Worcester Royal Grammar School, Ebenezer Bayliss, Trinity Press, 1950.
  3. ^ Leach, A. F. Schools of Mediaeval England,Methuen Young Books, 1969. ISBN 0-416-13360-6.
  4. ^ Craze, M. King's School, Worcester: 1541-1971., Ebenezer Baylis and Son, 1972
  5. ^ Leach, A. F. Victoria County Histories: Worcestershire Vol IV- Schools, 1914.

[edit] External links

Coordinates: 52°12′01″N 2°13′27″W / 52.200415°N 2.224227°W / 52.200415; -2.224227

[edit] See also

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