Gresham's School
Encyclopedia
Gresham’s School is an independent
coeducational boarding school
in Holt
in North Norfolk
, England
, a member of the HMC
.
The school was founded in 1555 by Sir John Gresham
as a free grammar school
for forty boys, following King Henry VIII
's dissolution
of the Augustinian
priory
at Beeston Regis
. The founder left the school's endowments in the hands of the Worshipful Company of Fishmongers
of the City of London
, who are still the school's trustees.
In the 1890s, an increase in the rental income of property in the City of London
led to a major expansion of the school, which built many new buildings on land it owned on the eastern edge of Holt, including several new boarding
houses
as well as new teaching buildings, library, and chapel.
Gresham's began to admit girls in the mid 1970s and is now fully co-educational. As well as its senior school, it operates a preparatory
and a pre-preparatory school, the latter now in the Old School House, the original senior school. Altogether, the three schools teach about eight hundred children.
was founded by Sir John Gresham
by letters patent
of 1555, during the reign of Queen Mary I
. For its home he gave the school his manor house
at Holt, which he had bought in 1546 from his elder brother Sir William Gresham.
The founding of Gresham's was connected to King Henry VIII
's suppression of the Priory
of Augustinian canons
at Beeston Regis
in June 1539. The priory, established in 1216, had operated a school which John Gresham and his brothers probably attended, but the school came to an end with the priory, leaving no provision for education in the vicinity of Holt.
The new school opened and was granted a Royal Charter
in 1562. By the letters patent of 1555, the school was called in full 'The Free Grammar School of Sir John Gresham, knight, citizen and alderman of London'. The founder endowed Gresham's generously, placing its property in trust with the Worshipful Company of Fishmongers
of London
, and full estate records dating from the school's foundation are held at the Guildhall Library
. Sir John Gresham's endowments included his freehold property in Holt and Letheringsett
, his wood and land called Prior's Grove, his manors
of Pereers and Holt Hales, "with all and singular to the same belonging, situate in Holt, Sherington
, Letheringsett, Bodham
, Kelling
e, Wayborne, Semlingham, Stodrye, Bantrye, and West Wickham, in the said county of Norfolk", and also tenements called 'The White Hind' and 'The Peacock' in the parish of St Giles's Without, Cripplegate
, in the City of London
. Close links with the Fishmongers' Company continue to this day.
By his Will of 1601, Leonard Smith, a fishmonger of London, left £120 and all his goods to establish a fellowship at Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge
, and in 1604 'Mr Smith's Fellowship' was confirmed by the College, with the provision that "scholars from the Grammar School of Holt, in Norfolk" were to have preference.
The School Library contains the Foundation Library, a collection of books and manuscripts provided at the school's establishment in 1555 and later.
On Christmas Day 1650, the Reverend Thomas Cooper, MA
, a former usher of Gresham's, was hanged for his part in a Royalist rebellion on behalf of Charles II
. His body was left hanging on a gibbet in Holt
's Market Place.
For three hundred and fifty years, the School was based in what is now called the Old School House, or "Osh", the former manor house
of Holt
overlooking the Market Place in the town centre. In 1708, the school escaped a major fire which destroyed most of the rest of the mediaeval town of Holt
. This resulted in most of the buildings now to be seen in the town centre belonging to the eighteenth century.
In 1729, the Fishmongers' Company presented the school with "...a valuable and useful library, not only of the best editions of the Classics and Lexicographers, but also with some books of Antiquities, Chronology, and Geography, together with a suitable pair of globes". By the eighteenth century, references to fish were hard to find in the court minutes of the Fishmongers' Company, and the company's main business had become managing its extensive property and administering its charities and trusts, such as the school at Holt and St Peter's Hospital, an almshouse at Newington
in Surrey
.
For the period 1704 to 1750, the Rev. Charles Linnell has analysed the 'Status of fathers of boys at Holt Grammar School' in his Gresham's School History and Register (1955): "Sons of gentlemen
10%, clergy
30%, professional men 5%, tradesmen 20%, plebeian 15%, unknown 20%".
One of the school's 18th century heads was John Holmes
, appointed at the age of twenty-seven, a prolific writer of educational textbooks who led the school between 1730 and his death in 1760.
In the 19th century, boys were strictly required to attend services at the Holt parish church, and in November 1815 a boy called Charles Loynes was "expelled for non-attendance at church".
In 1823, the expenditure of the Fishmongers' Company on the school was £367, of which £158 10s was for the Master's salary, allowances and gratuities, £80 for the Usher's salary, board and lodging, £52 11s 6d for repairs, £22 12s 6d for taxes, £15 15s 6d for poor rates, £12 10s for coals, £9 13s 4d for two-thirds of the cost of the school books, and £6 6s for a School Feast which took place in June.
In 1836, 'The Wardens and Commonalty of the Art and Mystery of Fishmongers of the City of London' held an insurance policy for 'Other property or occupiers: Free Grammar School Holt Norfolk (Rev Benn. Pulleyn)' with the Sun Fire Office.
In his History of the Twelve Great Livery Companies of London (1836), William Herbert says of the school: Herbert also notes that the officers of the court of the Fishmongers' Company include "a steward of the Holt free school, in Norfolk".
John William Burgon, in The Life and Times of Sir Thomas Gresham (1839), after listing the estates with which Sir John Gresham endowed the school, says
Burgon goes on, however, to add
The Old School was rebuilt and converted in 1859.
In 1880, a Commission was appointed to enquire into the City of London Livery Companies. When it published its first reports in 1881 the following formed part of a 'Supplementary Statement on behalf of the Fishmongers' Company' included in Volume 1:
In the early 1900s, under an ambitious headmaster called George Howson
(who had moved to Gresham's from Uppingham
), the school expanded onto a new campus of some 200 acre (0.809372 km²) at the eastern edge of the town, while keeping the Old School House as one of its houses. When Howson arrived at Gresham's, he found it in numbers much as it had been when founded in 1555: in 1900 there were only forty Holt Scholars, plus seven boarders.
The New School (by the architect Sir John Simpson
) was opened by Field Marshal Sir Evelyn Wood on 30 September 1903. This consisted of School House (renamed Howson's in 1919) and the Main Building, including Big School. Woodlands was acquired and opened as a new house in 1905, the school's first swimming pool was opened in 1907, and Farfield was built in 1911. The School Chapel was completed in 1916, during the Great War
, during which one hundred Old Greshamians were killed.
Gresham's was one of the first schools in England to abolish corporal punishment. In March 1921 the school's headmaster, J. R. Eccles, commenting to The Times
, "condemned corporal punishment of any kind".
The Thatched Buildings, the gift of the head master, were opened by Sir Arthur Shipley
in February 1921.
In 1923, Sir Harry Brittain
asked Edward Wood
, President of the Board of Education in the House of Commons
"whether he will explain why Gresham's school, Holt, was admitted to the benefits of the Superannuation Act although it is an endowed school, owning all its buildings and supported by a wealthy city company?"
A new school library, designed by the architect Alan E. Munby, was opened in 1931 by Field Marshal Lord Milne
.
In the 1930s, there were three categories of scholarship in the senior school: Holt A scholarships gave complete exemption from fees, County Scholarships were worth £
100 a year, and Fishmongers' Company Open Scholarships were worth £50 a year.
The school was evacuated to Newquay
in Cornwall
during the Second World War, between June 1940 and March 1944.
Martin Burgess
's memories of Gresham's during the freezing months of January to March 1947, the coldest British winter on record, are quoted at length in I Will Plant Me a Tree (2002). Not only was the winter icy cold, but because of fuel-shortages the school was unheated. Burgess recalls that "Periods were held in full overcoats and scarves and gloves. If it happened now the School would be closed, but such a step was not even thought of then. In any case, the roads were blocked... One day the School was called out to dig out a farm, or was it a small village? Hurrah! No periods! In the afternoon everyone prayed there would be periods, it was so cold. A man had died."
Under the long headship of Logie Bruce Lockhart
(1955–1982), there was a further period of change and expansion. Kenywn a new Junior School House was built and opened in 1958. The bridge over the Cromer Road was opened in 1962, and was initiated after the tragic death of Kirsty, LBL's daughter, while crossing Cromer Road in front of Howson's. Tallis, a new boys' house named after John Tallis, Master of the school for more than thirty tears in the first half of the seventeenth century, was built and opened in 1963 as were the Biology classrooms and music rooms. Oakeley became the first girls' house in 1971, when girls were first admitted to the Sixth Form only. The school became fully co-educational in the 1970s.
There are now four boarding houses for boys and three for girls (see "Houses" section below), as well as a wide range of buildings. These include Big School, the School Chapel, the Auden Theatre, the Cairns Centre, the School Library, the Music Centre, the Central Block, the Thatched Classrooms, the Reith Laboratories, the Biology Building, the Armoury, and others.
In February, 2005, Gresham's School's 450th anniversary was marked by a service at Norwich Cathedral
attended by the school's Patron, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
and 1,500 past and present Greshamians. In July, 2005, the Eastern Daily Press
called it "a school which changed the world."
When Philip John, formerly head of King William's College
, arrived to take over the head mastership in September 2008, the Tatler Schools Guide commented "It will be interesting to observe the impact of mathematician Philip John."
OG groups include the main OG Club, open to all former pupils, which publishes a magazine and has almost four thousand members; the OG Golf
Society, the OG Cricket
Team, the OG Rifle Establishment
(OGRE) which has its own residence at Bisley
, and the OG Masonic Lodge
. The Lodge was formed in January 1939.
Most Gresham's students are boarders and live in one of the school's seven houses
. Four of these are for boys: Howson's (1903), Woodlands (1905), Farfield
(1911), and Tallis (1961). Three houses are for girls: Oakeley (1971), Edinburgh (1984), and Britten (1992).
Edinburgh was opened by Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
, the school's Patron, after whom it is named. Britten is an extension of the former school Sanatorium
.
Each house has a house-master or house-mistress and a house-tutor and matron. There are house teams for team sports, as well as other house activities, such as evening prayers, "prep", and dramatic productions. Most houses are around seventy strong.
Senior boys and girls may be appointed as house prefects. Some of those are then chosen as school prefects, and one in each house as House Captain.
The Old School House was previously the whole school, then from 1905 to 1936 the Junior House, then from 1936 to 1993 a boarding house of the Senior School and is now the home of the Gresham's pre-preparatory school.
and a Pre-Preparatory School in 1984, both on their own sites at Holt
, with their own heads and staff. Like the Senior School, both are fully co-educational.
The Preparatory school has over two hundred children between the ages of eight and thirteen and takes full and weekly boarders as well as day pupils. Many continue into the Senior School. The school's Kenwyn House was once a house of the Senior School called Bengal Lodge.
The Pre-Preparatory School is housed in the Old School House and is a day school for one hundred boys and girls between the ages of three and eight.
The school also has its own entrance examination for candidates from maintained schools.
at A-level pupils choose three or four subjects, and most combinations are possible.
The school has been an International Baccalaureate World School (IB code 003433), offering the IB Diploma Programme, since February 2007.
The aim of the school is to give a good all-round education and to prepare pupils for university entry and for other careers, such as the armed forces. Most Greshamians move on to top British universities, such as Oxford
, Cambridge
, Warwick
, St Andrews
, Bristol
, Durham and Edinburgh
.
, Michaelmas
(early September to mid December), Lent
(early January to the Easter
holiday) and Summer
(the Easter holiday to mid July). In the middle of each term there is a half-term holiday, usually a week long. For boarders, there are also other home weekends.
The academic year begins with the Michaelmas term
and ends with the Summer term
, so starts at the end of the summer holiday.
Apart from its sports grounds for cricket
, rugby football
, hockey
, and soccer, the school has its own indoor swimming pool
, squash
, tennis
and badminton
courts, gymnasium and extensive school woods. It owns a boat-house at Barton Broad
and a shooting lodge at Bisley
, as well as a shooting range at the school.
The principal school sports for boys are rugby (Michaelmas Term), hockey (Lent Term), and cricket (Summer Term). There is a wide range of other school sports, including tennis, badminton, soccer, squash, golf
, martial arts
, swimming
, riding
, sailing
, cross-country running, shooting
and canoeing
. As an alternative to formal sports, Gresham's students may take part in 'School Works', chiefly forestry activities in the woodland attached to the main school campus.
An Old Greshamian, Richard Leman
, was a member of the gold-medal winning British hockey squad at the 1988 Summer Olympics
and of the bronze-medal winning team at the 1984 Summer Olympics
. Another OG, Gawain Briars
, was the British number one squash player and now heads the world Professional Squash Association
. Brother and sister Ralph
and Natasha Firman
are both racing drivers, and Natasha was the winner of the inaugural Formula Woman
championship in 2004. Giles Baring
and Andrew Corran
were first-class cricketers, while international rugby footballers include Andy Mulligan
(Ireland
and the British and Irish Lions
, Ben and Nick Youngs
(England
). In rifle-shooting, Gresham's has been one of the top ten schools in England for about sixty years, and Glyn Barnett
won a shooting Gold Medal in the 2006 Commonwealth Games
at Melbourne
. In the field of winter sports, the 11th Earl of Northesk
took an Olympic medal for toboganning (then called 'skeleton') in 1928. Notable mountaineers have included Tom Bourdillon
, Percy Wyn-Harris
, Peter Lloyd
and Matthew Dickinson
.
foundation, but the school is open to all denominations and religions. Services are a focal point of the School's life, with a morning assembly in Chapel on four mornings of the week. Pupils not in the Sixth form have an extra morning in chapel, whilst the sixth form have another tutor period (Thursday morning). All years have a tutor period on Wednesday. The Saturday morning service is a choral practice, and Holy Communion
may be taken on Sundays. There are also formal prayers in most boarding houses in the evenings.
Non-Anglicans are excused communion services on Sundays, and Roman Catholics attend mass on Sunday at the church of Our Lady and St Joseph in Sheringham
.
If wished, boys and girls may be prepared at the School for Confirmation into the Church of England
, which is usually conducted by the Bishop of Norwich
or one of his suffragan Bishops.
The school was designated as having a Church of England
religious character by the Designation of Schools Having a Religious Character (Independent Schools) (England) Order 2004 (No 72).
The tune called Woodlands, the usual setting for the hymn Lift Up Your Hearts!
, was composed for the school in 1916 by Walter Greatorex
, a Gresham's master, who succeeded another composer, Geoffrey Shaw, as the school's Director of Music.
A new school chapel, by the Scottish architect Maxwell Ayrton
, was built between 1912 and 1916, and is now a listed building. The foundation stone of the chapel was laid by the chairman of governors, Sir Edward Busk, on 8 June 1912. The Chapel bell, cast in Whitechapel
in 1915, is inscribed with the words Ring in the Christ that is to be, Donum Dedit J. R. E.. The last words stand for "the gift of J. R. Eccles" (at the time second master, later headmaster), while the first eight are the last line of Alfred, Lord Tennyson's poem Ring Out, Wild Bells
(1850). The Gresham family motto
, Fiat voluntas tua ('Thy will be done') appears on the chapel's main door.
Old Greshamians include several bishops, David Hand
, Archbishop of Papua New Guinea, and John Bradburne
, a candidate for canonization
.
North Norfolk Divers, a branch of the British Sub-Aqua Club, is based at the school.
A school play is produced at the end of every Summer Term, and each house also produces a play once a year. There are also many visits to concerts, plays and other outside events.
In 1922, W. H. Auden
played the Shrew in The Taming of the Shrew
and in 1925 he played
Caliban
in The Tempest
.
, who took part in the capture of Cádiz
in 1596, to Tom Wintringham
, commander of the British Battalion
of the International Brigades
in the Spanish Civil War
, and General Sir Robert Bray, Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe.
Before the Second World War, the school had an Officers Training Corps
. During the 1940s, OTCs in British schools were renamed 'Junior Training Corps', and the school's JTC was amalgamated into the Combined Cadet Force
in April, 1948, which continues to provide military training.
The CCF's Army section
is now associated with the 1st Battalion of the Royal Anglian Regiment
(previously with the Royal Norfolk Regiment
, to 1959, and the 1st East Anglian Regiment
, 1959 to 1964) and has some 270 students as cadets. About another 130 are in the CCF's Air
section, and training takes place on one afternoon of each week. Activities include shooting, expeditions, combat manoeuvres, ambush and continuity drills, signals training, orienteering, climbing, kayaking, line-laying, first aid and lifesaving, motor mechanics, and hovercraft construction.
A Biennial Review of the Gresham's School CCF Contingent was carried out on 10 May 2006 by General Sir Richard Dannatt KCB CBE MC, Commander-in-Chief Land Command and Chief of the General Staff designate.
s are available, giving a reduction in school fees. These include Open Academic Scholarships, Music, Art and Drama Scholarships, Lockhart Academic Scholarships, Edinburgh Scholarships, Fishmongers' Company Open Scholarships and Fishmongers' Art Scholarships, Sports Scholarships and All Rounder Scholarships. There is also an award called the 450th Anniversary Boarding Award.
Examinations for Academic Scholarships are held every November for admission the following September, while Scholarships in Music, Sport, Art, and Drama are awarded on the basis of interviews and practical work.
Sixth Form Scholarships for Sport, Music, Art, and academic distinction are awarded in December for the two years beginning the following September and are open to external and internal candidates.
The maximum value of a Scholarship
is half of the school's fees, but the value may be increased by a bursary
in cases of financial need.
Roughly one in four Gresham's pupils hold a scholarship, and about one in eight receive a bursary for financial need.
In September 2005, Gresham's was one of the leading British schools (including Ampleforth
, Eton
, Charterhouse
, Harrow
, Haileybury, Marlborough
, Rugby
, Shrewsbury
, Stowe
, Wellington
and Winchester
) which were considered by the Office of Fair Trading
to be operating a fee-fixing cartel in breach of the Competition Act 1998
. All of the schools were ordered to abandon the practice of exchanging information on their planned fees.
More than half of the school's Governing Body represent the Worshipful Company of Fishmongers
, who have been the school's trustees since 1555. The Chairman of Governors (currently Mr A.N.G. Duckworth-Chad
, D.L.
, a Norfolk landowner) is always a past or present Prime Warden of the Fishmongers' Company
. A previous Chairman was the late Admiral Earl Cairns
, after whom the school's Cairns Centre is named. The present Prime Warden, Sir Richard Carew Pole, is also a governor.
The governing body includes a representative of Cambridge University
, currently Lady Perry of Southwark
, and one of Norfolk County Council
, and it also seeks to include some distinguished Old Greshamians.
The Clerk of the Fishmongers' Company also acts as Clerk to the Governing Body, and its meetings are held at Fishmongers' Hall in the City of London
.
The Grasshopper is used as the badge of several Gresham's School clubs, and a long-established school periodical is called The Grasshopper. The green insect appears as the crest above the school's coat of arms, commemorating the Founder, Sir John Gresham
, whose family crest it was. The Gresham Grasshopper is also used by Gresham College
and can be seen as the weathervane on the Royal Exchange
in the City of London
, founded in 1565 by Gresham
's nephew Sir Thomas Gresham
, and the similar weathervane on the Faneuil Hall
in Boston
, Massachusetts
, which is modelled on the Royal Exchange's. The first Royal Exchange was profusely decorated with grasshoppers.
According to an ancient legend of the Greshams, the founder of the family, Roger de Gresham, was a foundling abandoned as a new-born baby in long grass in North Norfolk
in the 13th century and found there by a woman whose attention was drawn to the child by a grasshopper. A beautiful story, it is more likely that the grasshopper is simply an heraldic
rebus
on the name Gresham, with gres being a Middle English form of grass (Old English
grœs).
In the system of English heraldry, the grasshopper is said to represent wisdom and nobility.
in the City of London
holds the following Gresham's School records:
The Norfolk Record Office also holds some Gresham's accessions, including a bundle of correspondence relating to the school from 1799 to 1810 between the Fishmongers' Company and Adey & Repton, including copies of statutes.
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...
coeducational boarding school
Boarding school
A boarding school is a school where some or all pupils study and live during the school year with their fellow students and possibly teachers and/or administrators. The word 'boarding' is used in the sense of "bed and board," i.e., lodging and meals...
in Holt
Holt, Norfolk
Holt is a market town and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. The town is north of the city of Norwich, west of Cromer and east of King's Lynn. The town is on the route of the A148 King's Lynn to Cromer road. The nearest railway station is in the town of Sheringham where access to the...
in North Norfolk
North Norfolk
North Norfolk is a local government district in Norfolk, United Kingdom. Its council is based in Cromer. The council headquarters can be found approximately out of the town of Cromer on the Holt Road.-History:...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, a member of the HMC
Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference
The Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference is an association of the headmasters or headmistressess of 243 leading day and boarding independent schools in the United Kingdom, Crown Dependencies and the Republic of Ireland...
.
The school was founded in 1555 by Sir John Gresham
John Gresham
Sir John Gresham was an English merchant, courtier and financier who worked for King Henry VIII of England, Cardinal Wolsey and Thomas Cromwell. He was Lord Mayor of London and founded Gresham's School.-Life:...
as a free grammar school
Grammar school
A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and some other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching classical languages but more recently an academically-oriented secondary school.The original purpose of mediaeval...
for forty boys, following King Henry VIII
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
's dissolution
Dissolution of the Monasteries
The Dissolution of the Monasteries, sometimes referred to as the Suppression of the Monasteries, was the set of administrative and legal processes between 1536 and 1541 by which Henry VIII disbanded monasteries, priories, convents and friaries in England, Wales and Ireland; appropriated their...
of the Augustinian
Augustinians
The term Augustinians, named after Saint Augustine of Hippo , applies to two separate and unrelated types of Catholic religious orders:...
priory
Priory
A priory is a house of men or women under religious vows that is headed by a prior or prioress. Priories may be houses of mendicant friars or religious sisters , or monasteries of monks or nuns .The Benedictines and their offshoots , the Premonstratensians, and the...
at Beeston Regis
Beeston Regis
Beeston Regis is a village and civil parish in the North Norfolk district of Norfolk, England. It is about a mile east of Sheringham, Norfolk and near the coast. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 1,091...
. The founder left the school's endowments in the hands of the Worshipful Company of Fishmongers
Worshipful Company of Fishmongers
The Worshipful Company of Fishmongers is one of the 108 Livery Companies of the City of London, being a guild of the sellers of fish and seafood in the City...
of the City of London
City of London
The City of London is a small area within Greater London, England. It is the historic core of London around which the modern conurbation grew and has held city status since time immemorial. The City’s boundaries have remained almost unchanged since the Middle Ages, and it is now only a tiny part of...
, who are still the school's trustees.
In the 1890s, an increase in the rental income of property in the City of London
City of London
The City of London is a small area within Greater London, England. It is the historic core of London around which the modern conurbation grew and has held city status since time immemorial. The City’s boundaries have remained almost unchanged since the Middle Ages, and it is now only a tiny part of...
led to a major expansion of the school, which built many new buildings on land it owned on the eastern edge of Holt, including several new boarding
Boarding school
A boarding school is a school where some or all pupils study and live during the school year with their fellow students and possibly teachers and/or administrators. The word 'boarding' is used in the sense of "bed and board," i.e., lodging and meals...
houses
House system
The house system is a traditional feature of British schools, and schools in the Commonwealth. Historically, it was associated with established public schools, where a 'house' refers to a boarding house or dormitory of a boarding school...
as well as new teaching buildings, library, and chapel.
Gresham's began to admit girls in the mid 1970s and is now fully co-educational. As well as its senior school, it operates a preparatory
Preparatory school (UK)
In English language usage in the former British Empire, the present-day Commonwealth, a preparatory school is an independent school preparing children up to the age of eleven or thirteen for entry into fee-paying, secondary independent schools, some of which are known as public schools...
and a pre-preparatory school, the latter now in the Old School House, the original senior school. Altogether, the three schools teach about eight hundred children.
History
The School
Gresham's School at HoltHolt, Norfolk
Holt is a market town and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. The town is north of the city of Norwich, west of Cromer and east of King's Lynn. The town is on the route of the A148 King's Lynn to Cromer road. The nearest railway station is in the town of Sheringham where access to the...
was founded by Sir John Gresham
John Gresham
Sir John Gresham was an English merchant, courtier and financier who worked for King Henry VIII of England, Cardinal Wolsey and Thomas Cromwell. He was Lord Mayor of London and founded Gresham's School.-Life:...
by letters patent
Letters patent
Letters patent are a type of legal instrument in the form of a published written order issued by a monarch or president, generally granting an office, right, monopoly, title, or status to a person or corporation...
of 1555, during the reign of Queen Mary I
Mary I of England
Mary I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from July 1553 until her death.She was the only surviving child born of the ill-fated marriage of Henry VIII and his first wife Catherine of Aragon. Her younger half-brother, Edward VI, succeeded Henry in 1547...
. For its home he gave the school his manor house
Manor house
A manor house is a country house that historically formed the administrative centre of a manor, the lowest unit of territorial organisation in the feudal system in Europe. The term is applied to country houses that belonged to the gentry and other grand stately homes...
at Holt, which he had bought in 1546 from his elder brother Sir William Gresham.
The founding of Gresham's was connected to King Henry VIII
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
's suppression of the Priory
Priory
A priory is a house of men or women under religious vows that is headed by a prior or prioress. Priories may be houses of mendicant friars or religious sisters , or monasteries of monks or nuns .The Benedictines and their offshoots , the Premonstratensians, and the...
of Augustinian canons
Augustinians
The term Augustinians, named after Saint Augustine of Hippo , applies to two separate and unrelated types of Catholic religious orders:...
at Beeston Regis
Beeston Regis
Beeston Regis is a village and civil parish in the North Norfolk district of Norfolk, England. It is about a mile east of Sheringham, Norfolk and near the coast. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 1,091...
in June 1539. The priory, established in 1216, had operated a school which John Gresham and his brothers probably attended, but the school came to an end with the priory, leaving no provision for education in the vicinity of Holt.
The new school opened and was granted a Royal Charter
Royal Charter
A royal charter is a formal document issued by a monarch as letters patent, granting a right or power to an individual or a body corporate. They were, and are still, used to establish significant organizations such as cities or universities. Charters should be distinguished from warrants and...
in 1562. By the letters patent of 1555, the school was called in full 'The Free Grammar School of Sir John Gresham, knight, citizen and alderman of London'. The founder endowed Gresham's generously, placing its property in trust with the Worshipful Company of Fishmongers
Worshipful Company of Fishmongers
The Worshipful Company of Fishmongers is one of the 108 Livery Companies of the City of London, being a guild of the sellers of fish and seafood in the City...
of London
City of London
The City of London is a small area within Greater London, England. It is the historic core of London around which the modern conurbation grew and has held city status since time immemorial. The City’s boundaries have remained almost unchanged since the Middle Ages, and it is now only a tiny part of...
, and full estate records dating from the school's foundation are held at the Guildhall Library
Guildhall Library
The Guildhall Library is administered by the Corporation of London, the government of the City of London, which is the historical heart of London, England. It was founded in the 1420s under the terms of the will of Lord Mayor Dick Whittington...
. Sir John Gresham's endowments included his freehold property in Holt and Letheringsett
Letheringsett
Letheringsett is a village in the English county of Norfolk. It forms part of the civil parish of Letheringsett with Glanford, along with the hamlet of Glandford. The village straddles the A148 King’s Lynn to Cromer road. Letheringsett is 1.2 miles west of Holt, 32.2 west north east of King’s Lynn...
, his wood and land called Prior's Grove, his manors
Manorialism
Manorialism, an essential element of feudal society, was the organizing principle of rural economy that originated in the villa system of the Late Roman Empire, was widely practiced in medieval western and parts of central Europe, and was slowly replaced by the advent of a money-based market...
of Pereers and Holt Hales, "with all and singular to the same belonging, situate in Holt, Sherington
Sharrington
Sharrington is a village within the civil parish of Brinton in the English county of Norfolk.. The village is laid out on the southern edge of the A148, 3.5 miles west of Holt. The village is 10 miles east north east of the town of Fakenham, 13.4 miles west south west of Cromer and 124 miles north...
, Letheringsett, Bodham
Bodham
Bodham is a civil parish in the English county of Norfolk.The village is 27.2 miles north north west of Norwich, 6.4 miles west of Cromer and 131 miles north north east of London. The village lies 3.1 miles south west of the nearest town of Sheringham.The nearest railway station is at Sheringham...
, Kelling
Kelling
Kelling is a village and a civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. The village is west of Cromer, north of Norwich and north-east of London. The village straddles the A149 Coast road between Kings Lynn and Great Yarmouth...
e, Wayborne, Semlingham, Stodrye, Bantrye, and West Wickham, in the said county of Norfolk", and also tenements called 'The White Hind' and 'The Peacock' in the parish of St Giles's Without, Cripplegate
Cripplegate
Cripplegate was a city gate in the London Wall and a name for the region of the City of London outside the gate. The area was almost entirely destroyed by bombing in World War II and today is the site of the Barbican Estate and Barbican Centre...
, in the City of London
City of London
The City of London is a small area within Greater London, England. It is the historic core of London around which the modern conurbation grew and has held city status since time immemorial. The City’s boundaries have remained almost unchanged since the Middle Ages, and it is now only a tiny part of...
. Close links with the Fishmongers' Company continue to this day.
By his Will of 1601, Leonard Smith, a fishmonger of London, left £120 and all his goods to establish a fellowship at Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge
Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge
Sidney Sussex College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in England.The college was founded in 1596 and named after its foundress, Frances Sidney, Countess of Sussex. It was from its inception an avowedly Puritan foundation: some good and godlie moniment for the mainteynance...
, and in 1604 'Mr Smith's Fellowship' was confirmed by the College, with the provision that "scholars from the Grammar School of Holt, in Norfolk" were to have preference.
The School Library contains the Foundation Library, a collection of books and manuscripts provided at the school's establishment in 1555 and later.
On Christmas Day 1650, the Reverend Thomas Cooper, MA
Master of Arts (Oxbridge)
In the Universities of Oxford, Cambridge and Dublin, Bachelors of Arts of these universities are admitted to the degree of Master of Arts or Master in Arts on application after six or seven years' seniority as members of the university .There is no examination or study required for the degree...
, a former usher of Gresham's, was hanged for his part in a Royalist rebellion on behalf of Charles II
Charles II of England
Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...
. His body was left hanging on a gibbet in Holt
Holt, Norfolk
Holt is a market town and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. The town is north of the city of Norwich, west of Cromer and east of King's Lynn. The town is on the route of the A148 King's Lynn to Cromer road. The nearest railway station is in the town of Sheringham where access to the...
's Market Place.
For three hundred and fifty years, the School was based in what is now called the Old School House, or "Osh", the former manor house
Manor house
A manor house is a country house that historically formed the administrative centre of a manor, the lowest unit of territorial organisation in the feudal system in Europe. The term is applied to country houses that belonged to the gentry and other grand stately homes...
of Holt
Holt, Norfolk
Holt is a market town and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. The town is north of the city of Norwich, west of Cromer and east of King's Lynn. The town is on the route of the A148 King's Lynn to Cromer road. The nearest railway station is in the town of Sheringham where access to the...
overlooking the Market Place in the town centre. In 1708, the school escaped a major fire which destroyed most of the rest of the mediaeval town of Holt
Holt, Norfolk
Holt is a market town and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. The town is north of the city of Norwich, west of Cromer and east of King's Lynn. The town is on the route of the A148 King's Lynn to Cromer road. The nearest railway station is in the town of Sheringham where access to the...
. This resulted in most of the buildings now to be seen in the town centre belonging to the eighteenth century.
In 1729, the Fishmongers' Company presented the school with "...a valuable and useful library, not only of the best editions of the Classics and Lexicographers, but also with some books of Antiquities, Chronology, and Geography, together with a suitable pair of globes". By the eighteenth century, references to fish were hard to find in the court minutes of the Fishmongers' Company, and the company's main business had become managing its extensive property and administering its charities and trusts, such as the school at Holt and St Peter's Hospital, an almshouse at Newington
Newington, London
Newington is a district of London, England, and part of the London Borough of Southwark. It was an ancient parish and the site of the early administration of the county of Surrey...
in Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
.
For the period 1704 to 1750, the Rev. Charles Linnell has analysed the 'Status of fathers of boys at Holt Grammar School' in his Gresham's School History and Register (1955): "Sons of gentlemen
Gentleman
The term gentleman , in its original and strict signification, denoted a well-educated man of good family and distinction, analogous to the Latin generosus...
10%, clergy
Clergy
Clergy is the generic term used to describe the formal religious leadership within a given religion. A clergyman, churchman or cleric is a member of the clergy, especially one who is a priest, preacher, pastor, or other religious professional....
30%, professional men 5%, tradesmen 20%, plebeian 15%, unknown 20%".
One of the school's 18th century heads was John Holmes
John Holmes (schoolmaster)
John Holmes , was an 18th century schoolmaster and writer on education, Master of Gresham's School in Norfolk.-Life:Holmes is described in a 1729 broadsheet of his Latin verses as ex schola Holtensis....
, appointed at the age of twenty-seven, a prolific writer of educational textbooks who led the school between 1730 and his death in 1760.
In the 19th century, boys were strictly required to attend services at the Holt parish church, and in November 1815 a boy called Charles Loynes was "expelled for non-attendance at church".
In 1823, the expenditure of the Fishmongers' Company on the school was £367, of which £158 10s was for the Master's salary, allowances and gratuities, £80 for the Usher's salary, board and lodging, £52 11s 6d for repairs, £22 12s 6d for taxes, £15 15s 6d for poor rates, £12 10s for coals, £9 13s 4d for two-thirds of the cost of the school books, and £6 6s for a School Feast which took place in June.
In 1836, 'The Wardens and Commonalty of the Art and Mystery of Fishmongers of the City of London' held an insurance policy for 'Other property or occupiers: Free Grammar School Holt Norfolk (Rev Benn. Pulleyn)' with the Sun Fire Office.
In his History of the Twelve Great Livery Companies of London (1836), William Herbert says of the school: Herbert also notes that the officers of the court of the Fishmongers' Company include "a steward of the Holt free school, in Norfolk".
John William Burgon, in The Life and Times of Sir Thomas Gresham (1839), after listing the estates with which Sir John Gresham endowed the school, says
Burgon goes on, however, to add
In 1880, a Commission was appointed to enquire into the City of London Livery Companies. When it published its first reports in 1881 the following formed part of a 'Supplementary Statement on behalf of the Fishmongers' Company' included in Volume 1:
In the early 1900s, under an ambitious headmaster called George Howson
George Howson
George William Saul Howson MA was an English educationalist and writer, reforming headmaster of Gresham's School from 1900 to 1919.-Early life:...
(who had moved to Gresham's from Uppingham
Uppingham 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...
), the school expanded onto a new campus of some 200 acre (0.809372 km²) at the eastern edge of the town, while keeping the Old School House as one of its houses. When Howson arrived at Gresham's, he found it in numbers much as it had been when founded in 1555: in 1900 there were only forty Holt Scholars, plus seven boarders.
The New School (by the architect Sir John Simpson
John William Simpson (architect)
Sir John William Simpson KBE, FRIBA was an English architect and was President of the Royal Institute of British Architects from 1919 to 1921.- Background and early life :...
) was opened by Field Marshal Sir Evelyn Wood on 30 September 1903. This consisted of School House (renamed Howson's in 1919) and the Main Building, including Big School. Woodlands was acquired and opened as a new house in 1905, the school's first swimming pool was opened in 1907, and Farfield was built in 1911. The School Chapel was completed in 1916, during the Great War
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, during which one hundred Old Greshamians were killed.
Gresham's was one of the first schools in England to abolish corporal punishment. In March 1921 the school's headmaster, J. R. Eccles, commenting to 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...
, "condemned corporal punishment of any kind".
The Thatched Buildings, the gift of the head master, were opened by Sir Arthur Shipley
Arthur Shipley
Sir Arthur Everett Shipley GBE FRS was an English zoologist and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge....
in February 1921.
In 1923, Sir Harry Brittain
Harry Brittain
Sir Henry Ernest Brittain, KBE was a British journalist and Conservative politician.Harry Brittain, as he was known, was born at Ranmoor, Sheffield, and was the son of W. H. Brittain...
asked Edward Wood
E. F. L. Wood, 1st Earl of Halifax
Edward Frederick Lindley Wood, 1st Earl of Halifax, , known as The Lord Irwin from 1925 until 1934 and as The Viscount Halifax from 1934 until 1944, was one of the most senior British Conservative politicians of the 1930s, during which he held several senior ministerial posts, most notably as...
, President of the Board of Education in the House of Commons
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
"whether he will explain why Gresham's school, Holt, was admitted to the benefits of the Superannuation Act although it is an endowed school, owning all its buildings and supported by a wealthy city company?"
A new school library, designed by the architect Alan E. Munby, was opened in 1931 by Field Marshal Lord Milne
George Milne, 1st Baron Milne
Field Marshal George Francis Milne, 1st Baron Milne, GCB, GCMG, DSO , was a British military commander who served as Chief of the Imperial General Staff from 1926 to 1933.-Army career:...
.
In the 1930s, there were three categories of scholarship in the senior school: Holt A scholarships gave complete exemption from fees, County Scholarships were worth £
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
100 a year, and Fishmongers' Company Open Scholarships were worth £50 a year.
The school was evacuated to Newquay
Newquay
Newquay is a town, civil parish, seaside resort and fishing port in Cornwall, England. It is situated on the North Atlantic coast of Cornwall approximately west of Bodmin and north of Truro....
in Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
during the Second World War, between June 1940 and March 1944.
Martin Burgess
Martin Burgess
Edward Martin Burgess FSA FBHI, born 21 November 1931, known as Martin Burgess, is an English horologist and master clockmaker.-Early life:Burgess was educated at Gresham's School, Holt, between 1944 and 1949, where he was a member of Farfield...
's memories of Gresham's during the freezing months of January to March 1947, the coldest British winter on record, are quoted at length in I Will Plant Me a Tree (2002). Not only was the winter icy cold, but because of fuel-shortages the school was unheated. Burgess recalls that "Periods were held in full overcoats and scarves and gloves. If it happened now the School would be closed, but such a step was not even thought of then. In any case, the roads were blocked... One day the School was called out to dig out a farm, or was it a small village? Hurrah! No periods! In the afternoon everyone prayed there would be periods, it was so cold. A man had died."
Under the long headship of Logie Bruce Lockhart
Logie Bruce Lockhart
Logie Bruce Lockhart MA , is a British writer and journalist, formerly a Scottish international rugby union footballer and headmaster of Gresham's School.-Background:...
(1955–1982), there was a further period of change and expansion. Kenywn a new Junior School House was built and opened in 1958. The bridge over the Cromer Road was opened in 1962, and was initiated after the tragic death of Kirsty, LBL's daughter, while crossing Cromer Road in front of Howson's. Tallis, a new boys' house named after John Tallis, Master of the school for more than thirty tears in the first half of the seventeenth century, was built and opened in 1963 as were the Biology classrooms and music rooms. Oakeley became the first girls' house in 1971, when girls were first admitted to the Sixth Form only. The school became fully co-educational in the 1970s.
There are now four boarding houses for boys and three for girls (see "Houses" section below), as well as a wide range of buildings. These include Big School, the School Chapel, the Auden Theatre, the Cairns Centre, the School Library, the Music Centre, the Central Block, the Thatched Classrooms, the Reith Laboratories, the Biology Building, the Armoury, and others.
In February, 2005, Gresham's School's 450th anniversary was marked by a service at Norwich Cathedral
Norwich Cathedral
Norwich Cathedral is a cathedral located in Norwich, Norfolk, dedicated to the Holy and Undivided Trinity. Formerly a Catholic church, it has belonged to the Church of England since the English Reformation....
attended by the school's Patron, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh is the husband of Elizabeth II. He is the United Kingdom's longest-serving consort and the oldest serving spouse of a reigning British monarch....
and 1,500 past and present Greshamians. In July, 2005, the Eastern Daily Press
Eastern Daily Press
The Eastern Daily Press, commonly referred to as the EDP, is a regional newspaper covering Norfolk, and northern parts of Suffolk and eastern Cambridgeshire, and is published daily in Norwich, UK....
called it "a school which changed the world."
When Philip John, formerly head of King William's College
King William's College
King William's College is a leading world International Baccalaureate HMC independent school for ages 3 to 18, situated near Castletown on the Isle of Man...
, arrived to take over the head mastership in September 2008, the Tatler Schools Guide commented "It will be interesting to observe the impact of mathematician Philip John."
Headmasters
See List of Masters of Gresham's School.Old Greshamians
See List of Old Greshamians and Category:Old Greshamians.OG groups include the main OG Club, open to all former pupils, which publishes a magazine and has almost four thousand members; the OG Golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
Society, the OG Cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
Team, the OG Rifle Establishment
Shooting ranges in the United Kingdom
Shooting ranges in the United Kingdom have become increasingly restricted in recent years, and shooting has become a minority interest sport, although Home Office figures suggest a resurgence recently - London Rifle Clubs :...
(OGRE) which has its own residence at Bisley
Bisley, Surrey
Bisley is a large village in Surrey, England, which is notable for rifle shooting. Bisley's immediate neighbours are West End, Chobham and Knaphill.- History :...
, and the OG Masonic Lodge
Freemasonry
Freemasonry is a fraternal organisation that arose from obscure origins in the late 16th to early 17th century. Freemasonry now exists in various forms all over the world, with a membership estimated at around six million, including approximately 150,000 under the jurisdictions of the Grand Lodge...
. The Lodge was formed in January 1939.
Houses
House system
The house system is a traditional feature of British schools, and schools in the Commonwealth. Historically, it was associated with established public schools, where a 'house' refers to a boarding house or dormitory of a boarding school...
. Four of these are for boys: Howson's (1903), Woodlands (1905), Farfield
Farfield
Farfield is one of the seven boarding houses at Gresham's, an English public school at Holt, Norfolk. It was opened in 1911, as part of a surge of renewal and expansion at Gresham's led by George Howson, and the first housemaster and boys were transferred there from a smaller house called Bengal...
(1911), and Tallis (1961). Three houses are for girls: Oakeley (1971), Edinburgh (1984), and Britten (1992).
Edinburgh was opened by Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh is the husband of Elizabeth II. He is the United Kingdom's longest-serving consort and the oldest serving spouse of a reigning British monarch....
, the school's Patron, after whom it is named. Britten is an extension of the former school Sanatorium
Sanatorium
A sanatorium is a medical facility for long-term illness, most typically associated with treatment of tuberculosis before antibiotics...
.
Each house has a house-master or house-mistress and a house-tutor and matron. There are house teams for team sports, as well as other house activities, such as evening prayers, "prep", and dramatic productions. Most houses are around seventy strong.
Senior boys and girls may be appointed as house prefects. Some of those are then chosen as school prefects, and one in each house as House Captain.
The Old School House was previously the whole school, then from 1905 to 1936 the Junior House, then from 1936 to 1993 a boarding house of the Senior School and is now the home of the Gresham's pre-preparatory school.
Junior Schools
The former Junior School of Gresham's was reorganized into a Preparatory SchoolPreparatory school (UK)
In English language usage in the former British Empire, the present-day Commonwealth, a preparatory school is an independent school preparing children up to the age of eleven or thirteen for entry into fee-paying, secondary independent schools, some of which are known as public schools...
and a Pre-Preparatory School in 1984, both on their own sites at Holt
Holt, Norfolk
Holt is a market town and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. The town is north of the city of Norwich, west of Cromer and east of King's Lynn. The town is on the route of the A148 King's Lynn to Cromer road. The nearest railway station is in the town of Sheringham where access to the...
, with their own heads and staff. Like the Senior School, both are fully co-educational.
The Preparatory school has over two hundred children between the ages of eight and thirteen and takes full and weekly boarders as well as day pupils. Many continue into the Senior School. The school's Kenwyn House was once a house of the Senior School called Bengal Lodge.
The Pre-Preparatory School is housed in the Old School House and is a day school for one hundred boys and girls between the ages of three and eight.
Admission to the school
In most cases, admission to the senior school of Gresham's depends on success at the Common Entrance Examination, usually taken between the ages of eleven and thirteen. Common Entrance has three compulsory core subjects, English, Maths and Science, and other papers can be chosen from French, German, Spanish, Latin, Greek, Geography, History, and Religious Studies.The school also has its own entrance examination for candidates from maintained schools.
Curriculum
The school teaches most subjects of the mainstream humanistic curriculum. While only limited choices between courses need to be made for GCSE, in the Sixth formSixth form
In the education systems of England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, and of Commonwealth West Indian countries such as Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Belize, Jamaica and Malta, the sixth form is the final two years of secondary education, where students, usually sixteen to eighteen years of age,...
at A-level pupils choose three or four subjects, and most combinations are possible.
- Classical CivilizationClassicsClassics is the branch of the Humanities comprising the languages, literature, philosophy, history, art, archaeology and other culture of the ancient Mediterranean world ; especially Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome during Classical Antiquity Classics (sometimes encompassing Classical Studies or...
, LatinLatinLatin 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 GreekGreek languageGreek 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;... - Modern Languages: FrenchFrench languageFrench is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, GermanGerman languageGerman is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
, RussianRussian languageRussian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
, SpanishSpanish languageSpanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
, ItalianItalian languageItalian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
, and JapaneseJapanese languageis a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an... - English languageEnglish languageEnglish is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
and literatureEnglish literatureEnglish literature is the literature written in the English language, including literature composed in English by writers not necessarily from England; for example, Robert Burns was Scottish, James Joyce was Irish, Joseph Conrad was Polish, Dylan Thomas was Welsh, Edgar Allan Poe was American, J.... - MathematicsMathematicsMathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
- PhysicsPhysicsPhysics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
, ChemistryChemistryChemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....
, BiologyBiologyBiology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines... - ElectronicsElectronicsElectronics is the branch of science, engineering and technology that deals with electrical circuits involving active electrical components such as vacuum tubes, transistors, diodes and integrated circuits, and associated passive interconnection technologies...
, ComputingComputingComputing is usually defined as the activity of using and improving computer hardware and software. It is the computer-specific part of information technology...
, Graphical Communication, DesignDesignDesign as a noun informally refers to a plan or convention for the construction of an object or a system while “to design” refers to making this plan...
& TechnologyTechnologyTechnology is the making, usage, and knowledge of tools, machines, techniques, crafts, systems or methods of organization in order to solve a problem or perform a specific function. It can also refer to the collection of such tools, machinery, and procedures. The word technology comes ;... - HistoryHistoryHistory is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
, GeographyGeographyGeography is the science that studies the lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena of Earth. A literal translation would be "to describe or write about the Earth". The first person to use the word "geography" was Eratosthenes...
, PoliticsPoliticsPolitics is a process by which groups of people make collective decisions. The term is generally applied to the art or science of running governmental or state affairs, including behavior within civil governments, but also applies to institutions, fields, and special interest groups such as the...
, EconomicsEconomicsEconomics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
, Business StudiesBusiness studiesBusiness studies is an academic subject taught at higher level in Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, India, Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe and the United Kingdom, as well as at university level in many countries... - Religious StudiesReligious studiesReligious studies is the academic field of multi-disciplinary, secular study of religious beliefs, behaviors, and institutions. It describes, compares, interprets, and explains religion, emphasizing systematic, historically based, and cross-cultural perspectives.While theology attempts to...
- ArtArtArt is the product or process of deliberately arranging items in a way that influences and affects one or more of the senses, emotions, and intellect....
, Theatre Studies, MusicMusicMusic is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
The school has been an International Baccalaureate World School (IB code 003433), offering the IB Diploma Programme, since February 2007.
The aim of the school is to give a good all-round education and to prepare pupils for university entry and for other careers, such as the armed forces. Most Greshamians move on to top British universities, such as Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
, Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
, Warwick
University of Warwick
The University of Warwick is a public research university located in Coventry, United Kingdom...
, St Andrews
University of St Andrews
The University of St Andrews, informally referred to as "St Andrews", is the oldest university in Scotland and the third oldest in the English-speaking world after Oxford and Cambridge. The university is situated in the town of St Andrews, Fife, on the east coast of Scotland. It was founded between...
, Bristol
University of Bristol
The University of Bristol is a public research university located in Bristol, United Kingdom. One of the so-called "red brick" universities, it received its Royal Charter in 1909, although its predecessor institution, University College, Bristol, had been in existence since 1876.The University is...
, Durham and Edinburgh
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
.
School terms
The school's year is divided into three termsAcademic term
An academic term is a division of an academic year, the time during which a school, college or university holds classes. These divisions may be called terms...
, Michaelmas
Michaelmas term
Michaelmas term is the first academic term of the academic years of the following British and Irish universities:*University of Cambridge*University of Oxford*University of St...
(early September to mid December), Lent
Lent term
Lent term is the name of the spring academic term at the following British universities:*University of Cambridge*Kings College London*London School of Economics and Political Science*Exeter University*University of Lancaster...
(early January to the Easter
Easter
Easter is the central feast in the Christian liturgical year. According to the Canonical gospels, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. His resurrection is celebrated on Easter Day or Easter Sunday...
holiday) and Summer
Summer term
Summer term is the name of the summer academic term at many British schools and universities and elsewhere in the world.In the UK, 'Summer term' runs from the Easter holiday until the end of the academic year in June or July, and thus corresponds to the Easter term at Cambridge University, and...
(the Easter holiday to mid July). In the middle of each term there is a half-term holiday, usually a week long. For boarders, there are also other home weekends.
The academic year begins with the Michaelmas term
Michaelmas term
Michaelmas term is the first academic term of the academic years of the following British and Irish universities:*University of Cambridge*University of Oxford*University of St...
and ends with the Summer term
Summer term
Summer term is the name of the summer academic term at many British schools and universities and elsewhere in the world.In the UK, 'Summer term' runs from the Easter holiday until the end of the academic year in June or July, and thus corresponds to the Easter term at Cambridge University, and...
, so starts at the end of the summer holiday.
Discipline
Misbehaving students are given punishments ranging from RLP (Red lined paper, generally copying out of a textbook), EP (Extra Period, happening at lunchtimes on Mondays and Fridays) to permanent exclusion. Sanctions for smoking result in a fine and a letter home to parents/guardians.School sports
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
, rugby football
Rugby football
Rugby football is a style of football named after Rugby School in the United Kingdom. It is seen most prominently in two current sports, rugby league and rugby union.-History:...
, hockey
Hockey
Hockey is a family of sports in which two teams play against each other by trying to maneuver a ball or a puck into the opponent's goal using a hockey stick.-Etymology:...
, and soccer, the school has its own indoor swimming pool
Swimming (sport)
Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native...
, squash
Squash (sport)
Squash is a high-speed racquet sport played by two players in a four-walled court with a small, hollow rubber ball...
, tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
and badminton
Badminton
Badminton is a racquet sport played by either two opposing players or two opposing pairs , who take positions on opposite halves of a rectangular court that is divided by a net. Players score points by striking a shuttlecock with their racquet so that it passes over the net and lands in their...
courts, gymnasium and extensive school woods. It owns a boat-house at Barton Broad
Barton Broad
Barton Broad lies within The Broads in Norfolk, the United Kingdom. The broad is situated to the south and east of the village of Barton Turf, and is within the parish of Barton Turf....
and a shooting lodge at Bisley
Bisley, Surrey
Bisley is a large village in Surrey, England, which is notable for rifle shooting. Bisley's immediate neighbours are West End, Chobham and Knaphill.- History :...
, as well as a shooting range at the school.
The principal school sports for boys are rugby (Michaelmas Term), hockey (Lent Term), and cricket (Summer Term). There is a wide range of other school sports, including tennis, badminton, soccer, squash, golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
, martial arts
Martial arts
Martial arts are extensive systems of codified practices and traditions of combat, practiced for a variety of reasons, including self-defense, competition, physical health and fitness, as well as mental and spiritual development....
, swimming
Swimming (sport)
Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native...
, riding
Equestrianism
Equestrianism more often known as riding, horseback riding or horse riding refers to the skill of riding, driving, or vaulting with horses...
, sailing
Sailing
Sailing is the propulsion of a vehicle and the control of its movement with large foils called sails. By changing the rigging, rudder, and sometimes the keel or centre board, a sailor manages the force of the wind on the sails in order to move the boat relative to its surrounding medium and...
, cross-country running, shooting
Shooting
Shooting is the act or process of firing rifles, shotguns or other projectile weapons such as bows or crossbows. Even the firing of artillery, rockets and missiles can be called shooting. A person who specializes in shooting is a marksman...
and canoeing
Canoeing
Canoeing is an outdoor activity that involves a special kind of canoe.Open canoes may be 'poled' , sailed, 'lined and tracked' or even 'gunnel-bobbed'....
. As an alternative to formal sports, Gresham's students may take part in 'School Works', chiefly forestry activities in the woodland attached to the main school campus.
An Old Greshamian, Richard Leman
Richard Leman
Richard Alexander Leman is a former field hockey player, who was a member of the gold medal winning British squad at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul...
, was a member of the gold-medal winning British hockey squad at the 1988 Summer Olympics
1988 Summer Olympics
The 1988 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad, were an all international multi-sport events celebrated from September 17 to October 2, 1988 in Seoul, South Korea. They were the second summer Olympic Games to be held in Asia and the first since the 1964 Summer Olympics...
and of the bronze-medal winning team at the 1984 Summer Olympics
1984 Summer Olympics
The 1984 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held in Los Angeles, California, United States in 1984...
. Another OG, Gawain Briars
Gawain Briars
Gawain Peter Briars is a sportsman and lawyer in the United Kingdom. In the world of squash, he has won several major international titles and now serves as Executive Director of the Professional Squash Association.-Career:...
, was the British number one squash player and now heads the world Professional Squash Association
Professional Squash Association
The Professional Squash Association is the governing body for the men's professional squash circuit. The body operates in a similar fashion to the ATP for tennis. The PSA World Tour involves over 100 tournaments annually all over the globe...
. Brother and sister Ralph
Ralph Firman
Ralph David Firman Jr. is an English-born racing driver who races under Irish citizenship and an Irish-issued racing licence. Earlier in his career he raced under a British licence...
and Natasha Firman
Natasha Firman
Natasha Firman is an English racing driver and was the winner of the inaugural Formula Woman championship in 2004. On the way to that victory, she achieved two wins and four third places out of seven races...
are both racing drivers, and Natasha was the winner of the inaugural Formula Woman
Formula Woman
Formula Woman, officially known as the Privilege Insurance Formula Woman Championship, was a female-only one make racing series started in 2004 in the UK...
championship in 2004. Giles Baring
Giles Baring
Amyas Evelyn Giles Baring , known as Giles Baring, was a first-class English cricketer between the years 1930 and 1946.-Background:...
and Andrew Corran
Andrew Corran
Andrew John Corran was a first-class English cricketer. After starting his career at Gresham's School, Holt, and at Oxford University , he moved to Nottinghamshire, for whom he played between 1961 and 1965...
were first-class cricketers, while international rugby footballers include Andy Mulligan
Andy Mulligan
Andrew Armstrong Mulligan, was born on 4 February 1936 et Kasauli, a small cantonment town in Solan district in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh, and died on 24 February 2001...
(Ireland
Ireland national rugby union team
The Ireland national rugby union team represents the island of Ireland in rugby union. The team competes annually in the Six Nations Championship and every four years in the Rugby World Cup, where they reached the quarter-final stage in all but two competitions The Ireland national rugby union...
and the British and Irish Lions
British and Irish Lions
The British and Irish Lions is a rugby union team made up of players from England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales...
, Ben and Nick Youngs
Nick Youngs
Nicholas Gerald Youngs is a former English rugby union footballer who played for Leicester Tigers and England, at scrum-half, gaining six England caps in 1983-1984...
(England
England national rugby union team
The England national rugby union team represents England in rugby union. They compete in the annual Six Nations Championship with France, Ireland, Scotland, Italy, and Wales. They have won this championship on 26 occasions, 12 times winning the Grand Slam, making them the most successful team in...
). In rifle-shooting, Gresham's has been one of the top ten schools in England for about sixty years, and Glyn Barnett
Glyn Barnett
Glyn Cawley Daer Barnett , is a British international rifleman who won a shooting Gold Medal at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne.-Early life:...
won a shooting Gold Medal in the 2006 Commonwealth Games
2006 Commonwealth Games
The 2006 Commonwealth Games were held in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia between 15 March and 26 March 2006. It was the largest sporting event to be staged in Melbourne, eclipsing the 1956 Summer Olympics in terms of the number of teams competing, athletes competing, and events being held.The site...
at Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
. In the field of winter sports, the 11th Earl of Northesk
David Carnegie, 11th Earl of Northesk
David Ludovic George Hopetoun Carnegie, 11th Earl of Northesk , elected a Scottish representative peer, was also an Olympic medallist....
took an Olympic medal for toboganning (then called 'skeleton') in 1928. Notable mountaineers have included Tom Bourdillon
Tom Bourdillon
Thomas Duncan Bourdillon, known as Tom Bourdillon , was an English mountaineer, a member of the team which made the first ascent of Mount Everest in 1953....
, Percy Wyn-Harris
Percy Wyn-Harris
Sir Percy Wyn-Harris, KCMG, MBE, KStJ was an English mountaineer, political administrator, and yachtsman...
, Peter Lloyd
Peter Lloyd (mountaineer)
Peter Lloyd CBE , was a mountaineer and engineer, a President of the Alpine Club.-Education:...
and Matthew Dickinson
Matt Dickinson
Matt Dickinson is a film-maker and writer who is best known for his best selling novels and his documentary work for National Geographic Television, Discovery Channel and the BBC...
.
Religion
Gresham's is a Church of EnglandChurch of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
foundation, but the school is open to all denominations and religions. Services are a focal point of the School's life, with a morning assembly in Chapel on four mornings of the week. Pupils not in the Sixth form have an extra morning in chapel, whilst the sixth form have another tutor period (Thursday morning). All years have a tutor period on Wednesday. The Saturday morning service is a choral practice, and Holy Communion
Eucharist
The Eucharist , also called Holy Communion, the Sacrament of the Altar, the Blessed Sacrament, the Lord's Supper, and other names, is a Christian sacrament or ordinance...
may be taken on Sundays. There are also formal prayers in most boarding houses in the evenings.
Non-Anglicans are excused communion services on Sundays, and Roman Catholics attend mass on Sunday at the church of Our Lady and St Joseph in Sheringham
Sheringham
Sheringham is a seaside town in Norfolk, England, west of Cromer.The motto of the town, granted in 1953 to the Sheringham Urban District Council, is Mare Ditat Pinusque Decorat, Latin for "The sea enriches and the pine adorns"....
.
If wished, boys and girls may be prepared at the School for Confirmation into the Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
, which is usually conducted by the Bishop of Norwich
Bishop of Norwich
The Bishop of Norwich is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Norwich in the Province of Canterbury.The diocese covers most of the County of Norfolk and part of Suffolk. The see is in the City of Norwich where the seat is located at the Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided...
or one of his suffragan Bishops.
The school was designated as having a Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
religious character by the Designation of Schools Having a Religious Character (Independent Schools) (England) Order 2004 (No 72).
The tune called Woodlands, the usual setting for the hymn Lift Up Your Hearts!
Lift Up Your Hearts!
Lift up your hearts! is an English hymn written in 1881 by H. Montagu Butler. The words echo the English translation of the Sursum corda, a part of the communion liturgy in Christian churches.-Music:...
, was composed for the school in 1916 by Walter Greatorex
Walter Greatorex
Walter Greatorex was an English composer and musician. He is probably best remembered for his hymn tune Woodlands which has been used with hymns such as Henry Montagu Butler's Lift Up Your Hearts! and Timothy Dudley-Smith's Tell Out, my Soul.-Education:Born in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, the son...
, a Gresham's master, who succeeded another composer, Geoffrey Shaw, as the school's Director of Music.
A new school chapel, by the Scottish architect Maxwell Ayrton
Maxwell Ayrton
Ormrod Maxwell Ayrton FRIBA , known as Maxwell Ayrton, was a Scottish architect. He spent most of his adult life working in London and designed houses, public buildings, and bridges.- Career :...
, was built between 1912 and 1916, and is now a listed building. The foundation stone of the chapel was laid by the chairman of governors, Sir Edward Busk, on 8 June 1912. The Chapel bell, cast in Whitechapel
Whitechapel
Whitechapel is a built-up inner city district in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, London, England. It is located east of Charing Cross and roughly bounded by the Bishopsgate thoroughfare on the west, Fashion Street on the north, Brady Street and Cavell Street on the east and The Highway on the...
in 1915, is inscribed with the words Ring in the Christ that is to be, Donum Dedit J. R. E.. The last words stand for "the gift of J. R. Eccles" (at the time second master, later headmaster), while the first eight are the last line of Alfred, Lord Tennyson's poem Ring Out, Wild Bells
Ring Out, Wild Bells
"Ring Out, Wild Bells" is a poem by Alfred, Lord Tennyson. Published in 1850, the year he was appointed Poet Laureate, it forms part of In Memoriam, Tennyson's elegy to Arthur Henry Hallam, his sister's fiancé who died at the age of twenty-two....
(1850). The Gresham family motto
Motto
A motto is a phrase meant to formally summarize the general motivation or intention of a social group or organization. A motto may be in any language, but Latin is the most used. The local language is usual in the mottoes of governments...
, Fiat voluntas tua ('Thy will be done') appears on the chapel's main door.
Old Greshamians include several bishops, David Hand
David Hand
Grand Chief the Most Reverend Geoffrey David Hand KBE GCL was the first Anglican Archbishop of Papua New Guinea.-Childhood and education:...
, Archbishop of Papua New Guinea, and John Bradburne
John Bradburne
John Randal Bradburne MC was a lay member of the Order of St Francis, a poet, warden of the Mutemwa leper colony at Mutoko. He was killed by guerrillas and is a candidate for canonization.-Background:Bradburne's father was an Anglican clergyman and he had two brothers and two sisters...
, a candidate for canonization
Canonization
Canonization is the act by which a Christian church declares a deceased person to be a saint, upon which declaration the person is included in the canon, or list, of recognized saints. Originally, individuals were recognized as saints without any formal process...
.
Out of school activities
There is a School Orchestra, a School Choir, a Duke of Edinburgh's Award Scheme (more than five hundred Gold Awards have been achieved since its inception in 1972), and a large number of school clubs, such as the Debating Society, the Natural History Society, the Sailing Club, the Kayak Club and the Chess Club.North Norfolk Divers, a branch of the British Sub-Aqua Club, is based at the school.
A school play is produced at the end of every Summer Term, and each house also produces a play once a year. There are also many visits to concerts, plays and other outside events.
In 1922, W. H. Auden
W. H. Auden
Wystan Hugh Auden , who published as W. H. Auden, was an Anglo-American poet,The first definition of "Anglo-American" in the OED is: "Of, belonging to, or involving both England and America." See also the definition "English in origin or birth, American by settlement or citizenship" in See also...
played the Shrew in The Taming of the Shrew
The Taming of the Shrew
The Taming of the Shrew is a comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1590 and 1591.The play begins with a framing device, often referred to as the Induction, in which a mischievous nobleman tricks a drunken tinker named Sly into believing he is actually a nobleman himself...
and in 1925 he played
Caliban
Caliban
Caliban is a character in William Shakespeare's play The Tempest.Caliban may also refer to:* Caliban , a moon of Uranus* Caliban , a metalcore band from Germany* Caliban , an acoustic Celtic folk duo...
in The Tempest
The Tempest
The Tempest is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1610–11, and thought by many critics to be the last play that Shakespeare wrote alone. It is set on a remote island, where Prospero, the exiled Duke of Milan, plots to restore his daughter Miranda to her rightful place,...
.
Combined Cadet Force
Gresham's has a long military tradition, from Sir Christopher HeydonChristopher Heydon
Sir Christopher Heydon was an English soldier, Member of Parliament, and writer on astrology.-Background:Born in Surrey, Heydon was the eldest son of Sir William Heydon of Baconsthorpe, Norfolk, and his wife Anne, daughter of Sir William Woodhouse of Hickling, Norfolk...
, who took part in the capture of Cádiz
Cádiz
Cadiz is a city and port in southwestern Spain. It is the capital of the homonymous province, one of eight which make up the autonomous community of Andalusia....
in 1596, to Tom Wintringham
Tom Wintringham
Thomas Henry Wintringham was a British soldier, military historian, journalist, poet, Marxist, politician and author. He was an important figure in the formation of the Home Guard during World War II and was one of the founders of the Common Wealth Party.-Early life:Tom Wintringham was born 1898...
, commander of the British Battalion
British Battalion
The British Battalion was the 16th battalion of the International Brigades during the Spanish Civil War.- Early volunteers :A number of British volunteers, including Tom Wintringham and Nat Cohen, arrived in Spain during August-September 1936 and formed the Tom Mann Centuria - a rifle company in...
of the International Brigades
International Brigades
The International Brigades were military units made up of volunteers from different countries, who traveled to Spain to defend the Second Spanish Republic in the Spanish Civil War between 1936 and 1939....
in the Spanish Civil War
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
, and General Sir Robert Bray, Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe.
Before the Second World War, the school had an Officers Training Corps
Officers Training Corps
The Officer Training Corps is a part of the British Army which provides military leadership training to students at UK universities...
. During the 1940s, OTCs in British schools were renamed 'Junior Training Corps', and the school's JTC was amalgamated into the Combined Cadet Force
Combined Cadet Force
The Combined Cadet Force is a Ministry of Defence sponsored youth organisation in the United Kingdom. Its aim is to "provide a disciplined organisation in a school so that pupils may develop powers of leadership by means of training to promote the qualities of responsibility, self reliance,...
in April, 1948, which continues to provide military training.
The CCF's Army section
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
is now associated with the 1st Battalion of the Royal Anglian Regiment
Royal Anglian Regiment
The Royal Anglian Regiment is an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Queen's Division.The regiment was formed on 1 September 1964 as the first of the new large infantry regiments, through the amalgamation of the four regiments of the East Anglian Brigade.* 1st Battalion from the...
(previously with the Royal Norfolk Regiment
Royal Norfolk Regiment
The Royal Norfolk Regiment, originally formed as the Norfolk Regiment, was an infantry regiment of the British Army. The Norfolk Regiment was created on 1 July 1881 as the county regiment of Norfolk...
, to 1959, and the 1st East Anglian Regiment
1st East Anglian Regiment
The 1st East Anglian Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Army.As a result of defence cuts implemented in the late 1950s, the 1st Battalion, The Royal Norfolk Regiment and the 1st Battalion, The Suffolk Regiment amalgamated on 29 August 1959 to form the 1st Battalion, 1st East Anglian...
, 1959 to 1964) and has some 270 students as cadets. About another 130 are in the CCF's Air
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
section, and training takes place on one afternoon of each week. Activities include shooting, expeditions, combat manoeuvres, ambush and continuity drills, signals training, orienteering, climbing, kayaking, line-laying, first aid and lifesaving, motor mechanics, and hovercraft construction.
A Biennial Review of the Gresham's School CCF Contingent was carried out on 10 May 2006 by General Sir Richard Dannatt KCB CBE MC, Commander-in-Chief Land Command and Chief of the General Staff designate.
Scholarships
ScholarshipScholarship
A scholarship is an award of financial aid for a student to further education. Scholarships are awarded on various criteria usually reflecting the values and purposes of the donor or founder of the award.-Types:...
s are available, giving a reduction in school fees. These include Open Academic Scholarships, Music, Art and Drama Scholarships, Lockhart Academic Scholarships, Edinburgh Scholarships, Fishmongers' Company Open Scholarships and Fishmongers' Art Scholarships, Sports Scholarships and All Rounder Scholarships. There is also an award called the 450th Anniversary Boarding Award.
Examinations for Academic Scholarships are held every November for admission the following September, while Scholarships in Music, Sport, Art, and Drama are awarded on the basis of interviews and practical work.
Sixth Form Scholarships for Sport, Music, Art, and academic distinction are awarded in December for the two years beginning the following September and are open to external and internal candidates.
The maximum value of a Scholarship
Scholarship
A scholarship is an award of financial aid for a student to further education. Scholarships are awarded on various criteria usually reflecting the values and purposes of the donor or founder of the award.-Types:...
is half of the school's fees, but the value may be increased by a bursary
Bursary
A bursary is strictly an office for a bursar and his or her staff in a school or college.In modern English usage, the term has become synonymous with "bursary award", a monetary award made by an institution to an individual or a group to assist the development of their education.According to The...
in cases of financial need.
Roughly one in four Gresham's pupils hold a scholarship, and about one in eight receive a bursary for financial need.
Fees
The school's annual fees for the academic year 2009–10 are:- Senior School boarders: £24,885
- Senior School non-boarders: £19,110
- Preparatory School boarders: £18,150
- Preparatory School non-boarders: £13,800
- Pre-preparatory School Year 3: £7,635
- Pre-preparatory School Year 2: £7,245
- Pre-preparatory School Year 1: £6,885
In September 2005, Gresham's was one of the leading British schools (including Ampleforth
Ampleforth College
Ampleforth College in North Yorkshire, England, is the largest Roman Catholic co-educational boarding independent school in the United Kingdom. It opened in 1802, as a boys' school, and is run by the Benedictine monks and lay staff of Ampleforth Abbey...
, 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"....
, Charterhouse
Charterhouse School
Charterhouse School, originally The Hospital of King James and Thomas Sutton in Charterhouse, or more simply Charterhouse or House, is an English collegiate independent boarding school situated at Godalming in Surrey.Founded by Thomas Sutton in London in 1611 on the site of the old Carthusian...
, Harrow
Harrow School
Harrow School, commonly known simply as "Harrow", is an English independent school for boys situated in the town of Harrow, in north-west London.. The school is of worldwide renown. There is some evidence that there has been a school on the site since 1243 but the Harrow School we know today was...
, Haileybury, Marlborough
Marlborough College
Marlborough College is a British co-educational independent school for day and boarding pupils, located in Marlborough, Wiltshire.Founded in 1843 for the education of the sons of Church of England clergy, the school now accepts both boys and girls of all beliefs. Currently there are just over 800...
, 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:...
, Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury School
Shrewsbury School is a co-educational independent school for pupils aged 13 to 18, founded by Royal Charter in 1552. The present campus to which the school moved in 1882 is located on the banks of the River Severn in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England...
, Stowe
Stowe School
Stowe School is an independent school in Stowe, Buckinghamshire. It was founded on 11 May 1923 by J. F. Roxburgh, initially with 99 male pupils. It is a member of the Rugby Group and Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference. The school is also a member of the G20 Schools Group...
, Wellington
Wellington College, Berkshire
-Former pupils:Notable former pupils include historian P. J. Marshall, architect Sir Nicholas Grimshaw, impressionist Rory Bremner, Adolphus Cambridge, 1st Marquess of Cambridge, author Sebastian Faulks, language school pioneer John Haycraft, political journalist Robin Oakley, actor Sir Christopher...
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...
) which were considered by the Office of Fair Trading
Office of Fair Trading
The Office of Fair Trading is a not-for-profit and non-ministerial government department of the United Kingdom, established by the Fair Trading Act 1973, which enforces both consumer protection and competition law, acting as the UK's economic regulator...
to be operating a fee-fixing cartel in breach of the Competition Act 1998
Competition Act 1998
The Competition Act 1998 is the current major source of competition policy in the UK along with Enterprise Act 2002. The act provides an updated framework for identifying and dealing with restrictive business practices and abuse of a dominant market position....
. All of the schools were ordered to abandon the practice of exchanging information on their planned fees.
Governing body
More than half of the school's Governing Body represent the Worshipful Company of Fishmongers
Worshipful Company of Fishmongers
The Worshipful Company of Fishmongers is one of the 108 Livery Companies of the City of London, being a guild of the sellers of fish and seafood in the City...
, who have been the school's trustees since 1555. The Chairman of Governors (currently Mr A.N.G. Duckworth-Chad
Anthony Duckworth-Chad
Anthony Nicholas George Duckworth-Chad OBE DL , of Pynkney Hall, near King's Lynn, Norfolk, England, is a landowner, City of London business man, and a senior county officer for Norfolk.-Education :...
, D.L.
Deputy Lieutenant
In the United Kingdom, a Deputy Lieutenant is one of several deputies to the Lord Lieutenant of a lieutenancy area; an English ceremonial county, Welsh preserved county, Scottish lieutenancy area, or Northern Irish county borough or county....
, a Norfolk landowner) is always a past or present Prime Warden of the Fishmongers' Company
Worshipful Company of Fishmongers
The Worshipful Company of Fishmongers is one of the 108 Livery Companies of the City of London, being a guild of the sellers of fish and seafood in the City...
. A previous Chairman was the late Admiral Earl Cairns
David Cairns, 5th Earl Cairns
Rear-Admiral David Charles Cairns, 5th Earl Cairns GCVO CB , was Marshal of the Diplomatic Corps in the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom from 1962 to 1971....
, after whom the school's Cairns Centre is named. The present Prime Warden, Sir Richard Carew Pole, is also a governor.
The governing body includes a representative of Cambridge University
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
, currently Lady Perry of Southwark
Pauline Perry, Baroness Perry of Southwark
Pauline Perry, Baroness Perry of Southwark is an educationalist, a Conservative politician and a member of the British House of Lords. She was Chief Inspector of Schools in England....
, and one of Norfolk County Council
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
, and it also seeks to include some distinguished Old Greshamians.
The Clerk of the Fishmongers' Company also acts as Clerk to the Governing Body, and its meetings are held at Fishmongers' Hall in the City of London
City of London
The City of London is a small area within Greater London, England. It is the historic core of London around which the modern conurbation grew and has held city status since time immemorial. The City’s boundaries have remained almost unchanged since the Middle Ages, and it is now only a tiny part of...
.
The Grasshopper
John Gresham
Sir John Gresham was an English merchant, courtier and financier who worked for King Henry VIII of England, Cardinal Wolsey and Thomas Cromwell. He was Lord Mayor of London and founded Gresham's School.-Life:...
, whose family crest it was. The Gresham Grasshopper is also used by Gresham College
Gresham College
Gresham College is an institution of higher learning located at Barnard's Inn Hall off Holborn in central London, England. It was founded in 1597 under the will of Sir Thomas Gresham and today it hosts over 140 free public lectures every year within the City of London.-History:Sir Thomas Gresham,...
and can be seen as the weathervane on the Royal Exchange
Royal Exchange (London)
The Royal Exchange in the City of London was founded in 1565 by Sir Thomas Gresham to act as a centre of commerce for the city. The site was provided by the City of London Corporation and the Worshipful Company of Mercers, and is trapezoidal, flanked by the converging streets of Cornhill and...
in the City of London
City of London
The City of London is a small area within Greater London, England. It is the historic core of London around which the modern conurbation grew and has held city status since time immemorial. The City’s boundaries have remained almost unchanged since the Middle Ages, and it is now only a tiny part of...
, founded in 1565 by Gresham
John Gresham
Sir John Gresham was an English merchant, courtier and financier who worked for King Henry VIII of England, Cardinal Wolsey and Thomas Cromwell. He was Lord Mayor of London and founded Gresham's School.-Life:...
's nephew Sir Thomas Gresham
Thomas Gresham
Sir Thomas Gresham was an English merchant and financier who worked for King Edward VI of England and for Edward's half-sisters, Queens Mary I and Elizabeth I.-Family and childhood:...
, and the similar weathervane on the Faneuil Hall
Faneuil Hall
Faneuil Hall , located near the waterfront and today's Government Center, in Boston, Massachusetts, has been a marketplace and a meeting hall since 1742. It was the site of several speeches by Samuel Adams, James Otis, and others encouraging independence from Great Britain, and is now part of...
in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, which is modelled on the Royal Exchange's. The first Royal Exchange was profusely decorated with grasshoppers.
According to an ancient legend of the Greshams, the founder of the family, Roger de Gresham, was a foundling abandoned as a new-born baby in long grass in North Norfolk
North Norfolk
North Norfolk is a local government district in Norfolk, United Kingdom. Its council is based in Cromer. The council headquarters can be found approximately out of the town of Cromer on the Holt Road.-History:...
in the 13th century and found there by a woman whose attention was drawn to the child by a grasshopper. A beautiful story, it is more likely that the grasshopper is simply an heraldic
Heraldry
Heraldry is the profession, study, or art of creating, granting, and blazoning arms and ruling on questions of rank or protocol, as exercised by an officer of arms. Heraldry comes from Anglo-Norman herald, from the Germanic compound harja-waldaz, "army commander"...
rebus
Rebus
A rebus is an allusional device that uses pictures to represent words or parts of words. It was a favourite form of heraldic expression used in the Middle Ages to denote surnames, for example in its basic form 3 salmon fish to denote the name "Salmon"...
on the name Gresham, with gres being a Middle English form of grass (Old English
Old English language
Old English or Anglo-Saxon is an early form of the English language that was spoken and written by the Anglo-Saxons and their descendants in parts of what are now England and southeastern Scotland between at least the mid-5th century and the mid-12th century...
grœs).
In the system of English heraldry, the grasshopper is said to represent wisdom and nobility.
Development and external relations
During the celebrations of the school's 450th year in 2005, the establishment was announced of a Foundation to focus on encouraging legacies and donations for scholarships, bursaries and specific major projects. A Director of Development and External Relations has since been appointed, as part of a programme of reaching out to Old Greshamians, and gatherings are planned around the UK and overseas.Archives
The Manuscripts Section of the Guildhall LibraryGuildhall Library
The Guildhall Library is administered by the Corporation of London, the government of the City of London, which is the historical heart of London, England. It was founded in the 1420s under the terms of the will of Lord Mayor Dick Whittington...
in the City of London
City of London
The City of London is a small area within Greater London, England. It is the historic core of London around which the modern conurbation grew and has held city status since time immemorial. The City’s boundaries have remained almost unchanged since the Middle Ages, and it is now only a tiny part of...
holds the following Gresham's School records:
- Estates records 1547-1904
- Administrative records 1633-1901
- Admissions Register 1729-1857
- Prize List 1846-1891
The Norfolk Record Office also holds some Gresham's accessions, including a bundle of correspondence relating to the school from 1799 to 1810 between the Fishmongers' Company and Adey & Repton, including copies of statutes.
See also
- FarfieldFarfieldFarfield is one of the seven boarding houses at Gresham's, an English public school at Holt, Norfolk. It was opened in 1911, as part of a surge of renewal and expansion at Gresham's led by George Howson, and the first housemaster and boys were transferred there from a smaller house called Bengal...
- List of Masters of Gresham's School
- List of Old Greshamians
- Old Greshamians
External links
- Gresham's School online - Official site
- ISI Inspection Report on Gresham’s School, 2004
- Photograph of late 16th century brass plates on Old School House at flickr.com
- The Auden Theatre, Gresham's School
- Auden Theatre & school location map
- Gallery of old Gresham's photographs at greshams.com
- Gresham's at art-e-mail.com
- Map of Holt
- Woodlands House (Gresham's) online