Sherborne School

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Coordinates: 50°56′49″N 2°31′05″W / 50.947°N 2.518°W / 50.947; -2.518

Sherborne School
Dorset sherbone school.jpg
Motto Dieu et mon droit
(God and my right)
Established 1550
Type Independent school
Religion Anglican
Headmaster Christopher Davis
Chairman of the Governors Professor Richard Hodder-Williams
Founder St Aldhelm
Location Sherborne
Dorset
DT9 3AP
England
DfE URN 113918
Students 598
Gender Boys
Ages 13–18
Houses 8
Colours

Royal Blue & Gold

         
Former pupils Old Shirburnians
Website www.sherborne.org

Sherborne School is a British independent school for boys, located in the town of Sherborne in north-west Dorset, England. It is one of the original member schools of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference.

The Good Schools Guide called the school a "Strong, traditional public school in delightful setting," adding that it provides "An invigorating, intellectually sound and multi-faceted environment'. However, it warns that the school is "not always gentle."[1]

Contents

[edit] History

Some historians have speculated that a school must have existed in Sherborne since the 3rd century A.D.; however, there is no evidential basis for this. The school's definite origins date back to the eighth century, when a tradition of education in Sherborne was begun by St Aldhelm. According to legend, Alfred the Great was one of the school's early pupils. The school was then linked with the Benedictine Abbey in the town. The earliest Master known about was Thomas Copeland in 1437. After the Dissolution of the monasteries, Edward VI refounded the School in 1550 as King Edward's school, a free grammar school for local boys. The present School, which has gone through various changes of fortune since the Protestant Reformation (and no doubt before), stands on land which once belonged to the Monastery. The Library, Chapel and Headmaster's rooms, which adjoin the Abbey Church, are modifications of its original monastic buildings.

The school stood in for Brookfield School in the 1969 film Goodbye, Mr. Chips (the original 1939 version of the story was filmed at Repton School in Derbyshire), and many boys served as extras in the production. Alec Waugh's Fernhurst in The Loom of Youth is undoubtedly drawn from the author's experiences at Sherborne in the early 1900s.

In 2005, Sherborne School was one of fifty of the country's leading independent schools which were found guilty of running an illegal price-fixing cartel which had allowed them to drive up fees for thousands of parents.[2] Each school was required to pay a nominal penalty of £10,000 and all agreed to make ex-gratia payments totalling three million pounds into a trust designed to benefit pupils who attended the schools during the period in respect of which fee information was shared.[3] However, Mrs Jean Scott, the head of the Independent Schools Council, said that independent schools had always been exempt from anti-cartel rules applied to business, were following a long-established procedure in sharing the information with each other, and that they were unaware of the change to the law (on which they had not been consulted). She wrote to John Vickers, the OFT director-general, saying, "They are not a group of businessmen meeting behind closed doors to fix the price of their products to the disadvantage of the consumer. They are schools that have quite openly continued to follow a long-established practice because they were unaware that the law had changed."[4]

[edit] Qatar branch

In March 2009, it was announced that a replica of the school would be built in Doha, Qatar, with the first academic year starting in September 2009 and the development being completed by 2012.[5]

[edit] Houses

House Colours
Rugby kit (black and magenta thin hooped jersey; navy-blue shorts; and light blue socks).
School House
(black & magenta)
Rugby kit (black and purple thin hooped jersey; navy-blue shorts; and light blue socks).
Abbey House
(black & purple)
Rugby kit (black and yellow thin hooped jersey; navy-blue shorts; and light blue socks).
The Green
(black & yellow)
Rugby kit (black and light-blue thin hooped jersey; navy-blue shorts; and light blue socks).
Harper House
(black & light-blue)
Rugby kit (red and blue thin hooped jersey; navy-blue shorts; and light blue socks).
Wallace House
(blue & red)
Rugby kit (black and red thin hooped jersey; navy-blue shorts; and light blue socks).
Abbeylands
(black & red)
Rugby kit (black and dark-blue thin hooped jersey; navy-blue shorts; and light blue socks).
Lyon House
(black & dark-blue)
Rugby kit (black and green thin hooped jersey; navy-blue shorts; and light blue socks).
The Digby
(black & green)
Rugby kit (black and white thin hooped jersey; navy-blue shorts; and light blue socks).
Westcott House
(defunct)
(black & white)

Sherborne School is composed of eight houses, where the pupils (invariably referred to as 'boys') live and work when not in lessons. The names of the houses, and their distinctive letter, used in certain circumstances as an abbreviation are:

  • School House (a) (location: Abbey Road)
  • Abbey House (b) (location: Abbey Road)
  • The Green (c) (location: Hospital Lane)
  • Harper House (d) (location: Hound Street)
  • Wallace House (e) (formerly Elmdene, location: South Street)
  • Abbeylands (f) (location: Abbey Road)
  • Lyon House (g) (location: Richmond Road)
  • The Digby (m) (location: Digby Road)

Until 1999 there was another house, Westcott (h) (location: Horsecastles Lane). These houses also compete against each other in various sporting, educational and musical competitions.

[edit] Sport

[edit] Rugby

The traditional winter game is rugby football, played in the Michaelmas term. Sherborne was one of the first four schools in the country to adopt the code of rules that originated at Rugby School. In October 2010, the 1st XV took part in a tournament at Durham School dubbed the 'Veterrimi IV' or 'oldest four', along with Durham School, Cheltenham College and Rugby School itself. The school plays many of the other top public schools in the south of England. Rivals on the circuit include Marlborough College, Radley and Wellington College. In 1991 a pupil at the school, Robert Hands, wrote 'A History of Rugby Football at Sherborne School' which set out in detail the intimate relationship the school has had with the game for over a century.

[edit] Cricket

Cricket remains the major Summer sport, although boys can choose Tennis or Athletics. The 1st XI plays on the Upper ground, and in recent years has been successful. In 2007 they reached the final of the Independent Schools' national twenty20 competition, narrowly losing to Dulwich.[6] There are senior cricket tours every two to three years, with recent destinations including Sri Lanka (2004), South Africa (2007) and Australia (2009). The school has also sent pre-season 'Development Squads' featuring younger boys to India (2009) and Sri Lanka (2011).

[edit] Grounds

Sherborne School cricket ground

The school's cricket ground – the Upper – is usually used by the 1st XI cricket team. The ground was first used in 1870, when Sherborne School played Clifton College.[7] The ground is also one of the venues used by Dorset for their home fixtures. Dorset played their first match on the ground in the 1902 Minor Counties Championship against Devon. From 1902 to 1997, the ground played host to 69 Minor Counties Championship matches, with the final Championship match involving Dorset coming in 1997 when they played Herefordshire.[8] In addition, the ground has hosted 13 MCCA Knockout Trophy matches, the last of which was in 2008, when Dorset played Buckinghamshire.[9]

The ground has also played host to a single List A match, when Dorset played Bedfordshire in the 1968 Gillette Cup.[10]

On 30 May 2010, Dorset played Somerset, which included international players such as Marcus Trescothick and Craig Kieswetter in a friendly Twenty20 fixture on the ground. On the 27 May 2011, the Upper hosted Dorset against Gloucestershire.[11]

[edit] Pursuits and societies

There is a wide variety of pursuits and societies that boys can partake in while at the school. Boys are encouraged to be as active in these as they are able.

[edit] CCF

The school has a committed Combined Cadet Force. Boys can join in their second year, and are allocated to one of the services- Army, Navy or Royal Marines. Regular field trips are held, including an annual weekend on Salisbury plain.

[edit] Music

In 2010 the departing headmaster Simon Eliot opened a new music school featuring state of the art performing, recording and practising facilities. Music is incredibly popular at the school, and there is a diverse range of ensembles. Perhaps the most popular aspect of Sherborne music is the Rock Society, or 'RocSoc', which lays on concerts every term. The biggest of these is the 'Concert in the Courts', held in the opening weekends of the summer term, which is open to all members of the school and its sister school Sherborne Girls, and neighbouring schools.

[edit] Drama

There are a number of productions every year, from house plays to the biennial School Musical in the BSR. Each house puts on a play every two years, and these are usually fairly short and comic in nature. There is a school play every year and usually a junior production in the Summer term. In recent years, the school has also sent small performances to the Edinburgh Fringe festival. The heart of Shirburnian drama is the Powell Theatre on Abbey Road, which hosts all but the biggest productions. Musicals of the recent past include 'Les Miserables' and 'Grease'.

[edit] Publications

The school's main publication is known as The Shirburnian, and is published once a year. This acts as a record for the enterprises of boys and also comments on the state of affairs both of the school and the changing world it is surrounded by. There is also a boy-run periodical called The Black & White which offers more strident views on events of school life, as well as gently mocking staff and fellow students.

[edit] School song ("Carmen Scirburnense")

Olim fuit monachorum
Schola nostra sedes;
Puer regius illorum
Fecit nos heredes;
Hoc in posteros amoris
Grande dedit signum;
Sonet ergo Fundatoris
Nomen laude dignum;
Vivat Rex Eduardus Sextus!
Vivat!

Ubi preces iterabant
Senes cucullati,
Tecta stant ut olim stabant,
Mores quam mutati!
Pro silentio senili
Fit ubique iocus;
Ludo semper puerili
Totus fervet locus.
Vivat Rex Eduardus Sextus!
Vivat! Vivat! Vivat!

Sanam mentem, corpus sanum
Nobis alunt rura;
Habilem dat pila manum,
Durat follis crura;
Pisces, ubi sinit aestas,
Aemulamur nando;
Philomelae voces maestas
Vincimus cantando.
Vivat Rex Eduardus Sextus!
Vivat! Vivat! Vivat!

Studiorum vice tali
Roborantur mores;
Musa cultu liberali
Spinis miscet flores.
Semen insecuta seges
Messes reddit certas;
Legibus finita leges
Temperat libertas.
Vivat Rex Eduardus Sextus!
Vivat! Vivat! Vivat!

Ergo dum verenda mole
Cana perstat aedes,
Dum recenti gaudet prole
Monachorum sedes,
Stimulet certamen ludi,
Suadeat laboris,
In sigillo sculptum rudi
Nomen Fundatoris.
Vivat Rex Eduardus Sextus!
Vivat!

The song is of five verses, but the first and the last (referred to as the 'Carmen Saeculare') are the two printed each term in the School's 'Blue Book' diary and are nowadays sung at the end of whole school assemblies at the end of term (known as "lists") where prize-winners will receive prizes and various announcements will be made. A Classical Greek version of the song was composed along with this one, but it is never used.

[edit] Headmasters

  • 2010– Christopher Davis
  • 2000–2010 Simon Flowerdew Eliot
  • 1988–2000 Peter Herbert Lapping
  • 1974–1988 Robert Donnelly Macnaghten
  • 1970–1974 David Ackfield Emms
  • 1950–1970 Robert William Powell
  • 1934–1950 Very Rev Alexander Ross Wallace
  • 1928–1933 Charles Lovell Fletcher Boughey
  • 1909–1927 Novell Charles Smith
  • 1892–1909 Rev Frederick Brooke Westcott
  • 1877–1892 Rev Edward Mallet Young
  • 1850–1877 Hugo Daniel Harper
  • 1845–1850 Charles Thomas Penrose
  • 1823–1845 Rev Ralph Lyon
  • 1790–1823 Rev John Cutler
  • 1766–1790 Rev Nathaniel Bristed
  • 1751–1766 Rev Joseph Hill
  • 1743–1751 Rev Thomas Paget
  • 1733–1743 Rev John Gaylard
  • 1720–1733 Rev Benjamin Wilding
  • 1695–1720 Rev George Gerard
  • 1683–1694 Rev Thomas Curgenven
  • 1670–1683 Joseph Goodenough
  • 1663–1670 Rev Joseph Allen
  • 1653–1663 Rev William Birstall
  • 1641–1653 Ralph Balch
  • 1639–1641 Richard Newman
  • 1603–1639 George Grove
  • 1601–1603 Rev John Geare
  • 1581–1601 William Wood
  • 1575–1581 Rev Thomas Seward
  • 1565–1573 John Hancock
  • 1565-1565 John Delabere
  • 1563–1565 William Wolverton
  • 1561-1561 Thomas Parvys
  • 1560–1561 Francis Myddelton
  • 1553- Thomas Coke
  • 1449- Gibson
  • 1437- Thomas Copeland

[edit] Old Shirburnians

 This article's list of alumni may not follow Wikipedia's verifiability or notability policies. Please improve this article by removing names that do not have independent reliable sources cited within this article showing they are notable and alumni or by incorporating the relevant publications into the body of the article through appropriate citations. (February 2012)
See also: Category:Old Shirburnians

[edit] Academia

[edit] Military

[edit] Intelligence

[edit] Diplomacy and colonial administration

[edit] Notable clergymen

[edit] The arts etc.

[edit] Broadcasting

[edit] Politics

[edit] Sport

[edit] Other

[edit] Victoria Cross holders

Five Old Shirburnians have been awarded the Victoria Cross, to whom a memorial plaque was commissioned, the unveiling of which took place in the School Chapel on 19 September 2004.[13]

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ http://goodschoolsguide.co.uk/school/sherborne-school.html
  2. ^ Halpin, Tony (10 November 2005). "Independent schools face huge fines over cartel to fix fees". The Times (London). http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/education/article588559.ece. Retrieved 23 May 2010. 
  3. ^ http://www.oft.gov.uk/news/press/2006/182-06
  4. ^ "Private schools send papers to fee-fixing inquiry". The Daily Telegraph (London). 1 March 2004. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/1455730/Private-schools-send-papers-to-fee-fixing-inquiry.html. Retrieved 15 March 2011. 
  5. ^ "BBC Online: Public school replica for Qatar". BBC. 6 March 2009. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/dorset/7928144.stm. Retrieved 6 March 2009. 
  6. ^ http://www.schoolscricketonline.co.uk/?page_id=152
  7. ^ Sherborne School v Clifton College, 1870
  8. ^ Minor Counties Championship Matches played on Sherborne School
  9. ^ Minor Counties Trophy Matches played on Sherborne School
  10. ^ List A Matches played on Sherborne School
  11. ^ http://www.dorsetcricketboard.co.uk/node/46
  12. ^ 'LYS, Rev. Francis John' in Who Was Who (OUP)
  13. ^ Old Shirburnian Editorial Team, (2004), The OS Record, pages 20–21 , (Shelleys The Printers, Sherborne)

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