Royal Grammar School Worcester

The Royal Grammar School Worcester (also known as RGS Worcester or RGSW) is a 2–18 mixed, independent day school and sixth form in Worcester, Worcestershire, England. Founded before 1291, it is one of the oldest British independent day schools.

Royal Grammar School Worcester
Address
Upper Tything

Worcester
,
Worcestershire
,
WR1 1HP

England
Coordinates52.2004°N 2.2242°W / 52.2004; -2.2242
Information
Other names
  • RGS Worcester
  • RGSW
  • RGSAO (2007–2009)
TypeIndependent day school
MottoLatin: Respice et Prospice
(Remember the Past and Look to the Future)
Established685 (685)
FounderBishop Bosel
Local authorityWorcestershire County Council
Department for Education URN117038 Tables
HeadmasterJohn Pitt[1]
GenderMixed
Age range2–18
Enrolment1,272 (Across all of the family of schools in 2019)[2]
Capacity2,182[2]
Houses
  •      Whiteladies
  •      Elgar
  •      Ottley
  •      Wylde
Colour(s)Green, blue, white             
AlumniOld Elizabethans
Websitewww.rgsw.org.uk

In September 2007, it merged with the neighbouring Alice Ottley School and was briefly known as RGS Worcester and the Alice Ottley School (RGSAO) before reverting to its original name, although the school began accepting girls in 2003 prior to the merger. The school now consists of the main senior school and two preparatory campuses known as RGS Springfield (previously of Alice Ottley School)[3] and RGS The Grange (opened 1996).[4]

Until 1992 it accepted boarders who resided in Whiteladies House, a building that is rumoured to contain hidden treasure from Charles I from when he sought refuge there during the Civil War.[5] It is now a day school.

Tracing its origins back to the 7th century, it is the sixth oldest school in the world.

History

The school was founded as a secular monastic school in Worcester in around 685 by Bishop Bosel.[6] This makes it the 6th oldest school in the world. It was located outside the monastic precincts (as with 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 Cantilupe, sent four chaplains into the city to teach.[7]

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 it, 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, showing the strong connection of the school with the church.

Rival schools

In 1501 an attempt was made at establishing a rival school in the city, but the Bishop of Worcester at the time, Silvestro de' Gigli, 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.[8]

In 1541, however, Henry VIII founded a new school in Worcester;[9] 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. The rivalry continues to this day. The sporting fixtures regularly attract thousands of spectators with RGS currently holding the modus cup (rugby), Superball (netball) and challenge cup (football).

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, Charles William Dyson Perrins and Anthony Lechemere.[7]

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.[5]

A second Royal Charter was granted in 1843 by Queen Victoria, and the title of 'Royal' was conferred in 1869.[10]

Houses

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).[5]

The current houses are:

HouseColour
Whiteladies    
Elgar    
Ottley    
Wylde    

The school held a yearly house championship, decided by a range of events throughout the school year in which all six 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[5]) 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.[5]

Connections

The school is a member of the 'Monmouth Group', a collection of schools similar in aims and membership to that of the Eton Group. The school is also a member of the HMC.

As of 2019, the school is officially partnered with Dodderhill Independent Girls School, now known as RGS Dodderhill.[11]

Land and buildings

Many of the current buildings were paid for Charles William Dyson Perrins, who was an Old Boy and a member of the school's governing body. Perrins Hall was named after his father James Dyson Perrins, owner of Lea and Perrins Worcestershire Sauce, who went to the school, the basement of Perrins Hall contains a rifle range, which was added in 1914.[5]

Flagge Meadow

Flagge Meadow (pronounced Flag) was first levelled and used for cricket in 1886.[5] The first recorded match to be held there was in 1939, when the school played Merton College, Oxford.[12] The ground has also played host to several Second XI fixtures for the Worcestershire Second XI in the Second XI Championship and Second XI Trophy.[13][14] In 2007, the ground held a single List-A match for Worcestershire when they played Sri Lanka A.[15] Each year in the summer term cricket is played at Flagge Meadow.

In the Alice Ottley Building, formerly the main school building for the Alice Ottley School, there are two more halls: Cobham Hall and Main Hall. Main Hall is the school's dining hall, with views over a lawn and a stained glass window commemorating Miss Margaret Spurling, headmistress of the Alice Ottley School from 1912 to 1934.

Other land

Flagge Meadow is located nearby at the back of the school, next to the Worcester and Birmingham Canal. St. Oswald's, the school's second playing field, is located further down the canal and is mainly used for athletics, football and rounders.

School's halls
Front of the Clock Block.

The Old School buildings were built in 1868 on a site owned by the school since 1562.[5] The Main Hall, Eld Hall and adjoining buildings were designed by A E Perkins in the Gothic style. It is three bays long with a central lantern. A life-size statue of Elizabeth I by R L Boulton stands above the central window.[16]

The Perrins Hall was built in 1914 to the plans of Alfred Hill Parker (an Old Boy) in a Jacobethan style with an Oriel Window on the staircase end and balcony looking over the hall. The interior is panelled with fitted bookcases (which make up the Dowty Library[5]) and a plastered ceiling. Two war memorials for the two World Wars are housed in the hall and a life-size portrait of Charles William Dyson Perrins hangs opposite the fireplace. Portraits of the 20th-century headmasters hang below. The school organ is in this building, and is played regularly at assemblies.

The Clock Block is connected to the Perrins Hall and was built in 1927, and had extension work carried out in 1967 to link it to the Science Block. It has a bell tower and clock above the entrance. The clock is made of Cotswold Limestone, and is surmounted by the carved head of Old Father Time.[5] To commemorate the millennium a stained glass window was commissioned and installed over the main entrance to the Clock Block.

Other buildings
Long walk with the science block in the distance. The small school crest in the foreground features the three Black Pears.

The science buildings were built in 1922 and opened by the Duke and Duchess of York (later King George VI and Queen Elizabeth).[5] The science buildings were subsequently refurbished in 1996 and thereafter re-opened by Michael Portillo. The science block features at one end of a long path which comes from the main quad of the school, which is the location of Perrins Hall and the Main block. This long path is known as Long Walk.

Whiteladies House, built in the 17th century, was traditionally the Headmaster's house and stands opposite Clock Block across the gardens. Its West wall was part of the Whiteladies Priory chapel built in 1255.[8] Its name derives from the white habit that is worn by Cistercian nuns, who were based at a Nunnery, which was adjacent to Whiteladies.[5]

The school's library, with the old roof structure visible

Other buildings include Priory House (17th Century), Pullinger House (1980s), Gordon House (after Adam Lindsay Gordon OE) and Stephen Hall (1961, opened by Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother on her second visit to the school).[5]

The most recent building work to a school building took place on the school's Performing Arts Centre. The Performing Arts Centre (formerly a gymasium), was extended to create three spaces: Studio 1 downstairs, Studio 2 upstairs, and the Godfrey Brown Theatre. An entrance was added to the back of the building and a car park was opened. This project cost the school £2.8 million.

The school's library was refurbished in 2001, and was renamed the Philip Sawyer Library (after the former Chairman of the Governors). It was opened by the then Poet Laureate Andrew Motion. The library is situated above Eld Hall, and features a high vaulted roof structure.

Notable patrons
  • Bishop Godfrey Giffard (1240–1306) Bishop of Worcester and Lord Chancellor of England.
  • Bishop Walter Reynolds (d.1327) Archbishop of Canterbury and Lord Chancellor of England.
  • Hugh Latimer (1470–1555) Bishop of Worcester and Protestant Martyr.
  • C.W. Dyson Perrins Chairman Royal Worcester Porcelain and collector.
  • Queen Elizabeth I
  • Queen Victoria
  • Godfrey Brown Headmaster 1950–78,Olympic Gold Medallist.

Notable alumni

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

See also

References
  1. "Headmaster's Welcome". Royal Grammar School Worcester. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
  2. "Royal Grammar School Worcester". Get information about schools. GOV.UK. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
  3. RGS Springfield – History
  4. RGS The Grange – History
  5. Wheeler, A R. Royal Grammar School Worcester, 1950 to 1991 with retrospect to 1291, Royal Grammar School Worcester, 1991. ISBN 0-9516775-0-0
  6. "History". RGS Worcester. 2017. Retrieved 30 December 2017.
  7. Follet, F. V. History of the Worcester Royal Grammar School, Ebenezer Bayliss, Trinity Press, 1950.
  8. Leach, A. F. Schools of Mediaeval England,Methuen Young Books, 1969. ISBN 0-416-13360-6.
  9. Craze, M. King's School, Worcester: 1541–1971., Ebenezer Baylis and Son, 1972
  10. Leach, A. F. Victoria County Histories: Worcestershire Vol IV- Schools, 1914.
  11. "Dodderhill – RGS – The benefits of our new partnership with RGS Worcester". project-future.co.uk. Retrieved 26 September 2019.
  12. Other matches played on Flagge Meadow
  13. Second XI Championship Matches played on Flagge Meadow
  14. Second XI Trophy Matches played on Flagge Meadow
  15. List-A Matches played on Flagge Meadow
  16. Pevsner, N. Buildings of England: Worcestershire, Yale University Press, 2002. ISBN 0-300-09660-7.
  17. "Arr signs on at Sixways". Worcester News. 19 January 2012. Retrieved 14 February 2012.
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