George Martin Stephen
Encyclopedia
George Martin Stephen, PhD (born 1949) was, until 1 January 2011, High Master (headmaster) of St Paul's School in London, and is an author
. He is described as "one of Britain's highest profile heads".
, an independent school
in the small town of Uppingham
in Rutland
, followed by the University of Leeds
in West Yorkshire
, where he obtained his BA degree, and the University of Sheffield
(in South Yorkshire
), where he obtained a PhD
.
, an independent school in Cambridge
, then High Master of Manchester Grammar School
, an independent school in Manchester
. In the past he has served as chairman of The Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference, a group of 250 independent schools. In 2004 he moved from Manchester to St Paul's. Stephen suffered a stroke towards the end of 2005, and wrote about his experiences in a work titled "Diary of a Stroke".
On 29 June 2010, he announced his decision to stand down as High Master of St Paul's during August 2011. In the days following his announcement, The Times
reported that there had been an "apparent confrontation" with governors over Stephen's ability to raise funds for St Paul's School's redevelopment. This claim was rebutted by the school in a letter sent to The Times, in which the chairman of the governors stated there was "no lack of confidence in [Stephen's] fundraising abilities", but rather Stephen had chosen not to seek renewal of his contract in 2011 to allow a new head to provide continuity of oversight throughout the multimillion-pound redevelopment. In November 2010 he announced that he was to take sabbatical leave from 1 January 2011 until July 2011, when his tenure as High Master was due to end. He is succeeded by Professor Mark Bailey, who agreed to "give some of his time" to St Paul's for the first half of 2011.
and James I
. He writes under the name of "Martin Stephen".
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
. He is described as "one of Britain's highest profile heads".
Education
Stephen was educated at Uppingham SchoolUppingham School
Uppingham School is a co-educational independent school of the English public school tradition, situated in the small town of Uppingham in Rutland, England...
, an independent school
Independent school
An independent school is a school that is independent in its finances and governance; it is not dependent upon national or local government for financing its operations, nor reliant on taxpayer contributions, and is instead funded by a combination of tuition charges, gifts, and in some cases the...
in the small town of Uppingham
Uppingham
Disambiguation: "Uppingham" is the colloquial name for Uppingham SchoolUppingham is a market town in the county of Rutland in the East Midlands of England, located on the A47 between Leicester and Peterborough, about 6 miles south of the county town, Oakham.- History :A little over a mile to the...
in Rutland
Rutland
Rutland is a landlocked county in central England, bounded on the west and north by Leicestershire, northeast by Lincolnshire and southeast by Peterborough and Northamptonshire....
, followed by the University of Leeds
University of Leeds
The University of Leeds is a British Redbrick university located in the city of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England...
in West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England with a population of 2.2 million. West Yorkshire came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972....
, where he obtained his BA degree, and the University of Sheffield
University of Sheffield
The University of Sheffield is a research university based in the city of Sheffield in South Yorkshire, England. It is one of the original 'red brick' universities and is a member of the Russell Group of leading research intensive universities...
(in South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire is a metropolitan county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It has a population of 1.29 million. It consists of four metropolitan boroughs: Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham, and City of Sheffield...
), where he obtained a PhD
PHD
PHD may refer to:*Ph.D., a doctorate of philosophy*Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*PHD finger, a protein sequence*PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company*PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
.
Career
From university, Stephen moved into teaching, becoming headmaster of The Perse SchoolThe Perse School
The Perse Upper School is an independent secondary co-educational day school in Cambridge, England. The school was founded in 1615 by Dr Stephen Perse, a Fellow of Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge, and has existed on several different sites in the city before its present home on Hills...
, an independent school in Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
, then High Master of Manchester Grammar School
Manchester Grammar School
The Manchester Grammar School is the largest independent day school for boys in the UK . It is based in Manchester, England...
, an independent school in Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
. In the past he has served as chairman of The Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference, a group of 250 independent schools. In 2004 he moved from Manchester to St Paul's. Stephen suffered a stroke towards the end of 2005, and wrote about his experiences in a work titled "Diary of a Stroke".
On 29 June 2010, he announced his decision to stand down as High Master of St Paul's during August 2011. In the days following his announcement, The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
reported that there had been an "apparent confrontation" with governors over Stephen's ability to raise funds for St Paul's School's redevelopment. This claim was rebutted by the school in a letter sent to The Times, in which the chairman of the governors stated there was "no lack of confidence in [Stephen's] fundraising abilities", but rather Stephen had chosen not to seek renewal of his contract in 2011 to allow a new head to provide continuity of oversight throughout the multimillion-pound redevelopment. In November 2010 he announced that he was to take sabbatical leave from 1 January 2011 until July 2011, when his tenure as High Master was due to end. He is succeeded by Professor Mark Bailey, who agreed to "give some of his time" to St Paul's for the first half of 2011.
As an author
Stephen is an author of several academic titles on English literature, modern naval history and war poetry. The four Henry Gresham novels are crime thrillers set in the London and Cambridge of Elizabeth IElizabeth I of England
Elizabeth I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called The Virgin Queen, Gloriana, or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty...
and James I
James I of England
James VI and I was King of Scots as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the English and Scottish crowns on 24 March 1603...
. He writes under the name of "Martin Stephen".
Selected works
- Never Such Innocence: Poems of the First World War (ISBN 978-0460873505)
- The Desperate Remedy: Henry Gresham and the Gunpowder Plot (ISBN 0316859702)
- The Galleon's Grave: Henry Gresham and the Spanish Armada (ISBN 0316726699)
- The Conscience of the King: Henry Gresham and the Shakespeare Conspiracy (ISBN 0316860026)
- Rebel Heart: Henry Gresham and the Earl of Essex (ISBN 978-0316726702)