Ladycross was a Catholic

Catholic school

Catholic schools are maintained parochial schools or education ministries of the Catholic Church. the Church operates the world's largest non-governmental school system...

 preparatory school

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...

 based in Seaford

Seaford, East Sussex

Seaford is a coastal town in the county of East Sussex, on the south coast of England. Lying east of Newhaven and Brighton and west of Eastbourne, it is the largest town in Lewes district, with a population of about 23,000....

, East Sussex

East Sussex

East Sussex is a county in South East England. It is bordered by the counties of Kent, Surrey and West Sussex, and to the south by the English Channel.-History:...

, overlooking the downs with trenches which led up to the cliffs. Founded in 1891, more than 2,000 pupils attended it before its closure in 1977.

History

In 1941 the school was temporarily evacuated to Salperton Park, Gloucestershire. After the sale of the school by the Ropers (the founding family) in the 1950s, the school was owned by a Birmingham stockbroker and classicist called Michael Feeny.

Notable former pupils

Among the pupils was David Auldjo Jamieson

David Auldjo Jamieson

Major David Auldjo Jamieson VC, CVO was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces....

, who won the Victoria Cross

Victoria Cross

The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....

. The children of the actor Richard Harris

Richard Harris

Richard St John Harris was an Irish actor, singer-songwriter, theatrical producer, film director and writer....

 attended the school, so did Charles Sturridge (film dir/prod). Also pupils were members of the Dutch Brenninkmeijer family

Brenninkmeijer family

Brenninkmeijer is a German-Dutch family. Two members of the Brenninkmeijer family founded C&A, an international chain of clothing stores.- History :...

, founders of the C&A

C&A

C&A is an international chain of fashion retail clothing stores, with its European head offices in Vilvoorde , Belgium and Düsseldorf, Germany...

 retail empire; children of the Wates family, owners of the construction company Wates Group

Wates Group

The Wates Group is one of the UK’s largest family-owned construction services and development companies.-History:Established by Edward Wates in 1897, the Company expanded into speculative housebuilding and general contracting in the 1920s and 1930s. During World War II it was involved in building...

; Simon

Simon Elwes

Lt. Col. Simon Edmund Vincent Paul Elwes, better known as Simon Elwes, RP, RA, KM was a British war artist and society portrait painter whose patrons included kings, queens, statesmen, sportsmen, prominent social figures and many members of Britain's Royal Family...

, Dominick and Richard Elwes; John Addington-Sidmouth; Tremayne Rodd-Rennell

Tremayne Rodd, 3rd Baron Rennell

John Adrian Tremayne Rodd, 3rd Baron Rennell was a Scottish rugby union player. He succeeded his uncle as 3rd Baron Rennell in 1978, and sat on the Conservative Party benches in the House of Lords.-Early years:...

; An important foreign colony studied there, mostly from the French aristocracy : duc de Brissac, duc de Mac Mahon, duc Decazes, duc de La Rochefoucauld-Doudeauville, duca d'Aosta.

School life

The school motto was "Vox vocis sonat, vox exempli tonat" (also a school anthem which roughly translates as "The voice of the voice sounds, the voice of example thunders"). A yearbook called The Red Book provided a summary of annual sports and academic achievements, photos, stories and news, from and for parents and old boys.

Daily mass in a small but charming Chapel, was optional but spiritual cleanliness was upheld by substituting morning mass for cold showers (a wake-up call for mass preceded general wake-up by 15 minutes).

External links

• Ladycross School 1891-1977