Fagging
Encyclopedia
Fagging was a traditional educational practice in British boarding private schools
(nearly all "public schools" in the English sense) and also many other boarding schools, whereby younger pupils were required to act as personal servants to the most senior boys. While domestic servants were common in family households, the custom reflected household task distribution and taught pupils about service from both ends of the relationship. Under school rules, fagging might entail harsh discipline and corporal punishment when those were standard practices.
Fagging was sometimes associated with sexual abuse at the hands of these older boys.
The practice of personal fagging faded away during the 1970s and 1980s, but to some degree has been maintained in former colonies or has been replaced by systems which require junior boys to do tasks for the benefit of the general school community. In England, the word "fag" became slang for a wearisome chore. It was also a punishment for younger children.
, headmaster of Rugby
from 1828 to 1841, defined fagging as the power given by the supreme authorities of the school to the Sixth Form, to be exercised by them over younger boys. Senior pupils were given both power over and responsibility for the behaviour of younger boys, thus creating a progressive social structure in the house, while teaching both parties something of service, a concept particularly highly valued in Victorian education and society. Fagging was a fully established system at St Pauls, Eton
and Winchester
in the 16th century, and may well date back to the Medieval discipline of the monasteries which founded most of the great public schools.
During the 19th century, almost all British public schools had a fagging system, and the numerous new boarding schools founded for the children of the British Empire generally adopted the system as a natural reflection of society.
Fagging carried with it well-defined rights and duties on both sides. The senior, sometimes called fag-master, was the protector of his fags and responsible for their good conduct. In cases of any problem outside the classroom, such as bullying or injustice, a junior boy's recourse was to him, not to a form-master or housemaster, and, except in the gravest cases, all incidents were dealt with by the fag-master on his own responsibility (perhaps in consultation with other fagmasters or prefects) and without report to masters.
The duties undertaken by fags, the time taken, and their general treatment, varied widely. Each school had its own tradition. Until circa 1900 a fag's duties included such humble tasks as blacking boots, brushing clothes and cooking breakfasts, and there was no limit as to hours. Later, fagging was restricted to such light tasks as running errands, bringing tea to the masters' study and fagging at cricket or football. At many schools, fag-masters were expected to reward their fags for their efforts at the end of term by giving a monetary 'fag tip'. The 1911 Britannica details an evolution of the role at Eton college
. Roald Dahl
relates in his autobiography being told, as a fag, to warm toilet seat
s for older boys at Repton
. Stephen Fry
describes a practice akin to fagging used as punishment. Examples of fagging feature in Nick Crichton Maitland's autobiography, Julian Mitchell
's play Another Country
(1981), C. S. Lewis
's book Surprised by Joy, and Lindsay Anderson
's film If.... (1968).
During the late 20th century, fagging fell out of use together with domestic household servants and "batmen" (the military equivalent of fags), as attitudes to boarding education and child development changed. Despite the reluctance of senior boys who had served their time and expected to enjoy the benefits of the system, between the 1960s and 1980s fagging was abolished at most major public schools, and is now believed to be obsolete in Great Britain. Nevertheless, official or unofficial relics of fagging are still quite common in some of the leading British public schools. The practice has survived as a colonial legacy in some parts of South Asia and Southern Africa, in combination with or shortened in time to hazing
(as a rite of passage
), under the name of ragging
.
Independent school (UK)
An independent school is a school that is not financed through the taxation system by local or national government and is instead funded by private sources, predominantly in the form of tuition charges, gifts and long-term charitable endowments, and so is not subject to the conditions imposed by...
(nearly all "public schools" in the English sense) and also many other boarding schools, whereby younger pupils were required to act as personal servants to the most senior boys. While domestic servants were common in family households, the custom reflected household task distribution and taught pupils about service from both ends of the relationship. Under school rules, fagging might entail harsh discipline and corporal punishment when those were standard practices.
Fagging was sometimes associated with sexual abuse at the hands of these older boys.
The practice of personal fagging faded away during the 1970s and 1980s, but to some degree has been maintained in former colonies or has been replaced by systems which require junior boys to do tasks for the benefit of the general school community. In England, the word "fag" became slang for a wearisome chore. It was also a punishment for younger children.
History
Fagging originated as a structure for maintaining order in boarding houses, when schoolmasters' authority was practically limited to the classroom. Dr. Thomas ArnoldThomas Arnold
Dr Thomas Arnold was a British educator and historian. Arnold was an early supporter of the Broad Church Anglican movement...
, headmaster of Rugby
Rugby School
Rugby School is a co-educational day and boarding school located in the town of Rugby, Warwickshire, England. It is one of the oldest independent schools in Britain.-History:...
from 1828 to 1841, defined fagging as the power given by the supreme authorities of the school to the Sixth Form, to be exercised by them over younger boys. Senior pupils were given both power over and responsibility for the behaviour of younger boys, thus creating a progressive social structure in the house, while teaching both parties something of service, a concept particularly highly valued in Victorian education and society. Fagging was a fully established system at St Pauls, Eton
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"....
and Winchester
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...
in the 16th century, and may well date back to the Medieval discipline of the monasteries which founded most of the great public schools.
During the 19th century, almost all British public schools had a fagging system, and the numerous new boarding schools founded for the children of the British Empire generally adopted the system as a natural reflection of society.
Fagging carried with it well-defined rights and duties on both sides. The senior, sometimes called fag-master, was the protector of his fags and responsible for their good conduct. In cases of any problem outside the classroom, such as bullying or injustice, a junior boy's recourse was to him, not to a form-master or housemaster, and, except in the gravest cases, all incidents were dealt with by the fag-master on his own responsibility (perhaps in consultation with other fagmasters or prefects) and without report to masters.
The duties undertaken by fags, the time taken, and their general treatment, varied widely. Each school had its own tradition. Until circa 1900 a fag's duties included such humble tasks as blacking boots, brushing clothes and cooking breakfasts, and there was no limit as to hours. Later, fagging was restricted to such light tasks as running errands, bringing tea to the masters' study and fagging at cricket or football. At many schools, fag-masters were expected to reward their fags for their efforts at the end of term by giving a monetary 'fag tip'. The 1911 Britannica details an evolution of the role at 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"....
. Roald Dahl
Roald Dahl
Roald Dahl was a British novelist, short story writer, fighter pilot and screenwriter.Born in Wales to Norwegian parents, he served in the Royal Air Force during the Second World War, in which he became a flying ace and intelligence agent, rising to the rank of Wing Commander...
relates in his autobiography being told, as a fag, to warm toilet seat
Toilet seat
A toilet seat is a hinged unit consisting of seat and lid which is bolted onto a toilet bowl for a flush toilet. A toilet seat consists of the seat itself, which may be contoured for the user to sit on, and the lid, which covers the toilet when it is not in use.If the toilet is located in a home...
s for older boys at Repton
Repton School
Repton School, founded in 1557, is a co-educational English independent school for both day and boarding pupils, in the British public school tradition, located in the village of Repton, in Derbyshire, in the Midlands area of England...
. Stephen Fry
Stephen Fry
Stephen John Fry is an English actor, screenwriter, author, playwright, journalist, poet, comedian, television presenter and film director, and a director of Norwich City Football Club. He first came to attention in the 1981 Cambridge Footlights Revue presentation "The Cellar Tapes", which also...
describes a practice akin to fagging used as punishment. Examples of fagging feature in Nick Crichton Maitland's autobiography, Julian Mitchell
Julian Mitchell
Julian Mitchell FRSL , full name Charles Julian Humphrey Mitchell, is an English playwright, screenwriter and occasional novelist...
's play Another Country
Another Country (play)
Another Country is a play written by English playwright Julian Mitchell that premiered in 1981 at the Greenwich Theatre in south-east London and later transferred to the West End in March 1982. In the summer of 2000 the play was revived at The Oxford Playhouse. From 4 September 2000 until 28...
(1981), C. S. Lewis
C. S. Lewis
Clive Staples Lewis , commonly referred to as C. S. Lewis and known to his friends and family as "Jack", was a novelist, academic, medievalist, literary critic, essayist, lay theologian and Christian apologist from Belfast, Ireland...
's book Surprised by Joy, and Lindsay Anderson
Lindsay Anderson
Lindsay Gordon Anderson was an Indian-born, British feature film, theatre and documentary director, film critic, and leading light of the Free Cinema movement and the British New Wave...
's film If.... (1968).
During the late 20th century, fagging fell out of use together with domestic household servants and "batmen" (the military equivalent of fags), as attitudes to boarding education and child development changed. Despite the reluctance of senior boys who had served their time and expected to enjoy the benefits of the system, between the 1960s and 1980s fagging was abolished at most major public schools, and is now believed to be obsolete in Great Britain. Nevertheless, official or unofficial relics of fagging are still quite common in some of the leading British public schools. The practice has survived as a colonial legacy in some parts of South Asia and Southern Africa, in combination with or shortened in time to hazing
Hazing
Hazing is a term used to describe various ritual and other activities involving harassment, abuse or humiliation used as a way of initiating a person into a group....
(as a rite of passage
Rite of passage
A rite of passage is a ritual event that marks a person's progress from one status to another. It is a universal phenomenon which can show anthropologists what social hierarchies, values and beliefs are important in specific cultures....
), under the name of ragging
Ragging
Ragging is a practice in educational institutions in India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka that involves existing students baiting or bullying new students. It is similar to the American phenomenon of hazing. It often takes a malignant form wherein the newcomers may be subjected to psychological or...
.