Arthur Francis Leach
Encyclopedia
Arthur Francis Leach was an English historian who wrote a number of books on the development of education in England.
He has been called "the father of the history of education in England".
He was educated at Winchester College
and at Oxford University, where he obtained a first in Classics.
He won the Stanhope essay prize
in 1872, and from 1874 to 1881 was a fellow of All Souls College
.
He studied law, and became a barrister of the Middle Temple
in 1876.
In 1884, Leach became an assistant charity commissioner.
He was asked to investigate the histories of the Chichester
Prebendal School
and the Southwell
grammar school.
He found that, contrary to common belief, there had been many such schools in the medieval period that were independent of the monasteries, founded long before the independent schools of the Renaissance
and Reformation
such as Winchester and Eton College
. The exploration of this subject became his life study, and he published many books on his findings while continuing to work at the Charity Commission
, where he rose to a senior position before his death in 1915.
had not been the great patrons of English education.
Between 1894 and 1915 Leach published nine books on the history of education based on examination of a vast amount of material from the British Museum
, the Public Record Office
and local archives. His approach laid the foundation for modern research into the subject. However, he was somewhat slapdash about dates, opinionated and inclined to ignore aspects that did not interest him, which undermined his reputation as a serious scholar.
He downplayed the real contributions of the monastic schools, overestimated the role of the chantry schools and failed to explore the curriculae of the non-monastic schools despite availability of material on the subject.
Leach had an eye for beauty. Several of his works related to Beverley Minster
in Yorkshire, of which he said there is no more beautiful building in England. He said it "dominates the landscape with an impressiveness of grandeur that the mother-church of York cannot surpass".
His main focus was on schools of the 16th century or earlier.
He did publish an article on 18th century schools in the Encyclopædia Britannica
, but it was dismissive.
He said "Never probably since the 9th century was the condition of the public schools of England worse than in the years 1750 to 1840."
He thought that the fundamental goal of a school in meeting its obligations as a charitable trust was to teach Latin
and Greek
, and was strongly opposed to non-classical teaching.
Leach pointed out that the history of education differs from the history of opinions about what education should be, and is more than a collection of biographies of prominent teachers.
A modern scholar has said that his The Schools of Medieval England published in 1915, the year of his death, "formed the basis for all subsequent work on medieval and Reformation schooling until the publication of Nicholas Orme
.s English Schools in the Middle Ages in 1973". However, the same scholar goes on to say that his claims "were not always sufficiently supported by his sources".
He has been called "the father of the history of education in England".
Life
Leach was born in 1851, the son of Thomas Leach, barrister.He was educated at Winchester College
Winchester College
Winchester College is an independent school for boys in the British public school tradition, situated in Winchester, Hampshire, the former capital of England. It has existed in its present location for over 600 years and claims the longest unbroken history of any school in England...
and at Oxford University, where he obtained a first in Classics.
He won the Stanhope essay prize
Stanhope essay prize
The Stanhope essay prize was an undergraduate history essay prize created at Balliol College, Oxford by Philip Henry Stanhope, 5th Earl Stanhope in 1855.Notable winners include*Arthur Francis Leach * Charles Harding Firth , British historian...
in 1872, and from 1874 to 1881 was a fellow of All Souls College
All Souls College, Oxford
The Warden and the College of the Souls of all Faithful People deceased in the University of Oxford or All Souls College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England....
.
He studied law, and became a barrister of the Middle Temple
Middle Temple
The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, commonly known as Middle Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court exclusively entitled to call their members to the English Bar as barristers; the others being the Inner Temple, Gray's Inn and Lincoln's Inn...
in 1876.
In 1884, Leach became an assistant charity commissioner.
He was asked to investigate the histories of the Chichester
Chichester
Chichester is a cathedral city in West Sussex, within the historic County of Sussex, South-East England. It has a long history as a settlement; its Roman past and its subsequent importance in Anglo-Saxon times are only its beginnings...
Prebendal School
Prebendal School
The Prebendal School is a private preparatory school in Chichester, situated opposite Chichester Cathedral. It is a boarding and day school with roughly 150 pupils including the choristers of the cathedral choir. Most students go on to English public schools such as Winchester, Westminster, Eton,...
and the Southwell
Southwell, Nottinghamshire
Southwell is a town in Nottinghamshire, England, best known as the site of Southwell Minster, the seat of the Church of England diocese that covers Nottinghamshire...
grammar school.
He found that, contrary to common belief, there had been many such schools in the medieval period that were independent of the monasteries, founded long before the independent schools of the Renaissance
Renaissance
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
and Reformation
Reformation
- Movements :* Protestant Reformation, an attempt by Martin Luther to reform the Roman Catholic Church that resulted in a schism, and grew into a wider movement...
such as Winchester and Eton College
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
. The exploration of this subject became his life study, and he published many books on his findings while continuing to work at the Charity Commission
Charity Commission
The Charity Commission for England and Wales is the non-ministerial government department that regulates registered charities in England and Wales....
, where he rose to a senior position before his death in 1915.
Work
Leach's main theses were that English schools had much greater antiquity than had been thought, and that the TudorsTudor dynasty
The Tudor dynasty or House of Tudor was a European royal house of Welsh origin that ruled the Kingdom of England and its realms, including the Lordship of Ireland, later the Kingdom of Ireland, from 1485 until 1603. Its first monarch was Henry Tudor, a descendant through his mother of a legitimised...
had not been the great patrons of English education.
Between 1894 and 1915 Leach published nine books on the history of education based on examination of a vast amount of material from the British Museum
British Museum
The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...
, the Public Record Office
Public Record Office
The Public Record Office of the United Kingdom is one of the three organisations that make up the National Archives...
and local archives. His approach laid the foundation for modern research into the subject. However, he was somewhat slapdash about dates, opinionated and inclined to ignore aspects that did not interest him, which undermined his reputation as a serious scholar.
He downplayed the real contributions of the monastic schools, overestimated the role of the chantry schools and failed to explore the curriculae of the non-monastic schools despite availability of material on the subject.
Leach had an eye for beauty. Several of his works related to Beverley Minster
Beverley Minster
Beverley Minster, in Beverley, East Riding of Yorkshire is a parish church in the Church of England. It is said to be the largest parish church in the UK....
in Yorkshire, of which he said there is no more beautiful building in England. He said it "dominates the landscape with an impressiveness of grandeur that the mother-church of York cannot surpass".
His main focus was on schools of the 16th century or earlier.
He did publish an article on 18th century schools in the Encyclopædia Britannica
Encyclopædia Britannica
The Encyclopædia Britannica , published by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., is a general knowledge English-language encyclopaedia that is available in print, as a DVD, and on the Internet. It is written and continuously updated by about 100 full-time editors and more than 4,000 expert...
, but it was dismissive.
He said "Never probably since the 9th century was the condition of the public schools of England worse than in the years 1750 to 1840."
He thought that the fundamental goal of a school in meeting its obligations as a charitable trust was to teach Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
and Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
, and was strongly opposed to non-classical teaching.
Leach pointed out that the history of education differs from the history of opinions about what education should be, and is more than a collection of biographies of prominent teachers.
A modern scholar has said that his The Schools of Medieval England published in 1915, the year of his death, "formed the basis for all subsequent work on medieval and Reformation schooling until the publication of Nicholas Orme
Nicholas Orme
Nicholas Orme is a British historian specialising in the Middle Ages and Tudor period, specialising in the history of children, and ecclesiastical history, with a particular interest in South West England....
.s English Schools in the Middle Ages in 1973". However, the same scholar goes on to say that his claims "were not always sufficiently supported by his sources".