Stanbridge Earls
Encyclopedia
Stanbridge Earls School, (known as Stanbridge Earls) near Romsey
, Hampshire
is an independent public school
for boys and girls aged 10–19.
The school owns 40 acres (161,874.4 m²) of land including three lakes. The main building is a Tudor
manor house which now contains the reception, maths department and 13th century chapel
. It is a Grade II* listed building. The school has many facilities including a sports hall, an indoor swimming pool and an accelerated learning centre.
Since the early 1960s Stanbridge Earls has been at the forefront of teaching and helping pupils with Dyslexia
, Dyscalculia
and Dyspraxia
.
The name ‘Stanbridge’ is believed to have derived from ‘Stone Bridge’ a crossing over the River Test
, used as a route to a Saxon palace near Andover. One of the first references to the site was made by King Alfred’s tutor. He wrote that Alfred’s father, King Æthelwulf ‘was dead and buried at a place called Stomrugam’ in around AD 857.
Stanbridge Earls, became a Nunnery in the year 907 AD, along with Romsey Abbey
. Nuns, led by Elflaeda, daughter of Edward the Elder, son of Alfred the Great, founded a community — at his direction — in what was then a small village. Later, King Edgar refounded the nunnery, circa 960 AD, as a Benedictine house under the rule of St. Ethelflaeda whose devotional acts included chanting psalms while standing naked in the cold water of the River Test.
At some time in the 18th century, a skeleton, thought to be that of King Æthelwulf, was lifted from under the stone floor of the present chapel and reburied in Winchester Cathedral
, along with bones of other Saxon Kings that are now contained in mortuary chests.
An unnamed manor, thought to be Stanbridge, is described in the Domesday Book
. It was confiscated from a Saxon thane, Chief Cheping, who may have been killed at the Battle of Hastings
and given to one of William the Conqueror’s most famous generals, Sir Ralph de Mortimer
.
The ‘Manor
of Staunbridge’ is recorded in the Book of Fees
of 1244 as being owned by the Mortimer
family. In 1245 it was sold in two lots and the manor was bought by Richard de Havering.
In 1362, Thomas Kenne inherited property from his parents, including Stanbridge Earls. The estate consisted of a large, rectangular, timber framed hall house, a water mill and about 26 acres (105,218.4 m²) of land.
By 1450, the original estate had been split into three separate estates, Stanbridge Earls, Ranvilles and Ervilles. They were purchased and reunited by John Kirkby
. The estate became wealthy and the son, William, ‘married well’ and bought more land.
The Kirkbys owned Stanbridge Earls until it was taken from them in 1652 because they had supported King Charles I
during the English Civil War
. By then, the estate consisted of ‘…sixteen Messuage
(houses with outbuildings and land), four cottages, twenty barns, two water mills and one dove house in Stanbridge, Romsey, Roke, Michelmarsh and Awbridge and also free fishing in the River Test
.’ Its new owner, Roger Gollop, was a Parliamentarian and magistrate of Southampton.
The estate was passed down the family until it was sold to John Fifield in 1703. An eccentric relative, John Fifield, inherited it in 1748. He refused to let any timber be felled on any of the properties and he regarded repairs to the house as useless extravagance. The building fell into disrepair, roofs collapsed, joists and beams rotted.
Fifield’s son, yet another John, set about rebuilding the house after he inherited it. His son-in-law, Charles Hall, took over the estates until he committed suicide at Stanbridge Earls in 1870. In the following year, Florence Nightingale
’s father, William, bought Stanbridge. The property passed to another daughter, Lady Verney who sold it to Sir Basil Montogomery in 1895. Like previous owners, Sir Basil added new sections including two three-storey wings at either end. The house was sold to Henry Hansard in 1905. He commissioned the stained glass coats-of-arms in the present staff common room.
Charles Greenway, perhaps the most flamboyant of Stanbridge’s owners, bought Stanbridge in 1917. In 1927 he was made a Lord after he founded the Anglo-Persian Oil Company
and the title Baron Greenway
of Stanbridge Earls has stayed in the family. His grandson Ambrose Greenway the 4th Baron of Stanbridge Earls, is one of only 92 hereditary peers allowed to hold their seats in the House of Lords
. Charles Greenway was a great host, held many banquets and parties in the house and employed nine house staff, seven gardeners and a chauffeur. The next owner added luxurious bathrooms and entertained on a grand scale but went bankrupt.
In 1942, during the Second World War, Stanbridge Earls became the first ‘Flak Shack’ - a rest and relaxation home for American Air Force Officers. Roke Manor
served a similar function and together the bases were known as Station 503.
In the same year, the estate was broken into lots and auctioned. Walter Hutchinson bought the house and approximately 60 acres (242,811.6 m²).
On Hutchinson’s death in 1950, a Mr Beisley bought ‘…the particularly desirable and extremely valuable historic residence and agricultural estate of nearly 426 acres with an attractive 17th century residence of great charm and character and beautifully situated in timbered grounds with two lodges.’
Stanbridge Earls became a school founded by a charitable trust in 1952 and opened on 15 September with eight pupils. Initially the curriculum focused on Drama, Music and the Arts.
The school has an enviable reputation, in line with its mission statement, for building confidence and achieving success, often with pupils who have struggled with other forms of education. Most of these pupils receive small group or individual tuition from highly qualified staff in the Accelerated Learning Centre (ALC) or the Mathematics Learning Centre (MLC). The Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCO
) is assisted by staff specialising in occupational therapy and by speech and language therapists.
Class sizes are small, with not normally more than ten pupils. Pupils follow a mainstream Key Stage 3
curriculum in Years 7 and 8. Thereafter, they have the opportunity to select from a wider choice of subjects at GCSE and A level. Spanish is the primary modern language. In addition to the traditional subjects, pupils can select vocational subjects such as Home Economics, Fashion, Media Studies, and Motor Mechanics. Since the school has CISCO Academy certification, many pupils gain practical experience and valuable qualifications in ICT. Results in public examinations, however modest, are among the greatest rewards for staff at Stanbridge. While many sixth formers transfer to university, a significant number go to colleges of Further Education or directly into employment.
The school has close links with the Council for the Registration of Schools Teaching Dyslexic Pupils (CReSTeD), and it hosts courses for the principal of Learning Works. It belongs to the Boarding Schools Association (BSA), and the Headmaster is a member of the Society of Headmasters and Headmistresses of Independent Schools (SHMIS). In 2010 the school is launching an assistive technology programme in partnership with Kellogg College, University of Oxford
.
Thomas was the first Headmaster of Stanbridge from 1952 until he retired in 1959. From 1961 until the 1990s he ran the Ellen Terry Barn Theatre
in Smallhythe
, Kent
.
Gould was a long serving Headmaster giving 25 years of leadership to the school. He lived in North Lodge with his wife, Erica and daughters, Lorraine, Jenny and Frances. He was an Anglican Lay preacher.
Link retired in August 2010. His successor is Peter Trythall, formerly employed at Bolitho School in Penzance
. He is married with four children. He was educated at The King's School, Canterbury
and at the University of Stirling
, where he read History and Politics.
In Years 7 & 8 pupils have their own Junior School Housemaster or Housemistress.
Upon entering the Senior School (Years 9 - 13) pupils join one of four Houses, A, B, C or D, each with its own Housemaster/mistress. In the 1950s and 1960s the houses were named after their Housemasters although this was gradually replaced by the letters A, B, C and D.
Each Housemaster/mistress has responsibility for, and organises, a team of Tutors. Tutors have between two and ten pupils in their tutor groups. Every morning Tutors meet with their tutees for registration. Regular tutor meetings are also a feature of the pastoral provision.
Housemasters/mistresses lead house meetings and the Headmaster leads assemblies for individual year groups and the entire school.
House membership is identified by a distinctive coloured tie.
In its website the school claims that, "The Wyverns' Society is dedicated to keeping in touch with all former pupils of Stanbridge Earls School". The Wyverns' Society page of the website includes links to school photographs from 1984–2000. There are several hundred former pupils on the Wyverns' mailing list.
Throughout the year there are meetings and sports matches at the school.
A magazine, Voice, edited by staff and pupils, is produced regularly. The most recent edition of Voice was published in the summer of 2009. The magazine features school news and as well as contributions from, and news of, Wyverns.
Since the 1960s there have been a variety of events, some hosted at the school and others in London. 'Pub nights' in the 1960s and early 1970s attracted small, informal, London based gatherings. An annual Wyverns' Dinner in London featured for many years and in the 1980s and 1990s there were reunions called gaudies
hosted at the school.
The most recent Wyverns' Dinner was held at the East India Club
in St James' Square, London in 1994. Over thirty Wyverns were present. Headmaster, Howard Moxon, Deputy Headmaster, John Abraham and former member of the Common Room, John Bain attended. The guest speaker was the very popular former Headmaster, Dick Gould, who was accompanied by his wife, Erica.
The school hosted a reunion for 1960s Wyverns in September 2009, 1960s Wyverns in May 2010 and 1970s Wyverns in May 2011. Wyverns' Day was held at the school on Saturday 12th February 2011.
Mr Peter Bragg, former pupil and Head Boy (1964), is the chairman of the Wyverns' Society. Mr C F (Chris) Rowney, Housemaster of 'A' House, replaced Mr P C (Paul) Pellatt as the secretary of the Wyverns' Society.
LINCS activities were masterminded by Charlton and, later, jointly with Dr Chris Reynolds, a chemistry teacher and housemaster. A popular challenge was the 'night operation' or 'night op' where blindfolded and disorientated participants were taken from school and abandoned, in small groups, in the New Forest
with the challenge of finding their way 'back to base'. Negotiating complex night time obstacle courses; zip-line
descents across the Top Lake and an annual Speech Day display for parents and visitors, in which an ambitious and entertaining quasi-military scenario was played out, were all imaginative examples of the LINCS provision.
A memorable event, in 1970, was a sponsored walk of 80 miles (128.7 km) to raise funds for the purchase of an extended wheelbase Land Rover
for LINCS activities. One pupil, David Tennant (the House Captain of 'D' House) completed the entire course.
LINCS was extended, in the late 1960s, through the rental of farmhouse called Celmi ('concealed place'), near Tywyn
, in north west Wales
. This was used for residential weekend and holiday activities. The remoteness of the location in the Snowdonia National Park with its stunning scenery including the nearby mountain, Cader Idris enhanced and enriched the LINCS experience. Rock climbing, abseiling
, navigating disused slate mines, walking, camping and swimming were included in the repertoire of outdoor activities.
This ran in parallel with the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme, Gold Level standard. Pupils taking part in LINCS had to agree not to collect their Duke of Edinburgh medals as the ethos of LINCS was to appreciate personal achievement, not public glorification.
has been seen in various places. One sighting saw him walk through the chapel wall.
There is a tunnel that runs from Main House leading to The Duke's Head , a pub near the school. It has been suggested that it was created by the Kirkby's during the Civil War along with several Priest Holes
to protect them from the Parliamentarians
.
Charles Hall, a former owner of the house, shot himself. Walter Hutchinson 'a well known publisher' also killed himself by taking an overdose of sleeping pills.
There is a story that a girl hanged herself from an oak tree that is now known as Sadie’s Corner.
A horse drawn coach lost control and crashed into the Top Lake and was never seen again.
Stanbridge used to have a large wooden Buddhist temple in the grounds known as the 'Burmese Temple' erected without the use of any nails, but by interlocking hinges. It had been bought from the Great Exhibition and re-erected near the Bottom Lake but was burnt down by a pupil in 1983, who was then expelled.
Romsey
Romsey is a small market town in the county of Hampshire, England.It is 8 miles northwest of Southampton and 11 miles southwest of Winchester, neighbouring the village of North Baddesley...
, Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
is an independent public school
Public School (UK)
A public school, in common British usage, is a school that is neither administered nor financed by the state or from taxpayer contributions, and is instead funded by a combination of endowments, tuition fees and charitable contributions, usually existing as a non profit-making charitable trust...
for boys and girls aged 10–19.
The school owns 40 acres (161,874.4 m²) of land including three lakes. The main building is a Tudor
Tudor style architecture
The Tudor architectural style is the final development of medieval architecture during the Tudor period and even beyond, for conservative college patrons...
manor house which now contains the reception, maths department and 13th century chapel
Chapel
A chapel is a building used by Christians as a place of fellowship and worship. It may be part of a larger structure or complex, such as a church, college, hospital, palace, prison or funeral home, located on board a military or commercial ship, or it may be an entirely free-standing building,...
. It is a Grade II* listed building. The school has many facilities including a sports hall, an indoor swimming pool and an accelerated learning centre.
Since the early 1960s Stanbridge Earls has been at the forefront of teaching and helping pupils with Dyslexia
Dyslexia
Dyslexia is a very broad term defining a learning disability that impairs a person's fluency or comprehension accuracy in being able to read, and which can manifest itself as a difficulty with phonological awareness, phonological decoding, orthographic coding, auditory short-term memory, or rapid...
, Dyscalculia
Dyscalculia
Dyscalculia is a specific learning disability involving innate difficulty in learning or comprehending simple arithmetic. It is akin to dyslexia and includes difficulty in understanding numbers, learning how to manipulate numbers, learning maths facts, and a number of other related symptoms...
and Dyspraxia
Dyspraxia
Developmental dyspraxia is a motor learning difficulty that can affect planning of movements and co-ordination as a result of brain messages not being accurately transmitted to the body...
.
History
River Test
The River Test is a river in Hampshire, England. The river has a total length of 40 miles and it flows through downland from its source near Ashe, 10 km to the west of Basingstoke , to the sea at the head of Southampton Water...
, used as a route to a Saxon palace near Andover. One of the first references to the site was made by King Alfred’s tutor. He wrote that Alfred’s father, King Æthelwulf ‘was dead and buried at a place called Stomrugam’ in around AD 857.
Stanbridge Earls, became a Nunnery in the year 907 AD, along with Romsey Abbey
Romsey Abbey
Romsey Abbey is a parish church of the Church of England in Romsey, a market town in Hampshire, England. Until the dissolution it was the church of a Benedictine nunnery.-Background:...
. Nuns, led by Elflaeda, daughter of Edward the Elder, son of Alfred the Great, founded a community — at his direction — in what was then a small village. Later, King Edgar refounded the nunnery, circa 960 AD, as a Benedictine house under the rule of St. Ethelflaeda whose devotional acts included chanting psalms while standing naked in the cold water of the River Test.
At some time in the 18th century, a skeleton, thought to be that of King Æthelwulf, was lifted from under the stone floor of the present chapel and reburied in Winchester Cathedral
Winchester Cathedral
Winchester Cathedral at Winchester in Hampshire is one of the largest cathedrals in England, with the longest nave and overall length of any Gothic cathedral in Europe...
, along with bones of other Saxon Kings that are now contained in mortuary chests.
An unnamed manor, thought to be Stanbridge, is described in the Domesday Book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
. It was confiscated from a Saxon thane, Chief Cheping, who may have been killed at the Battle of Hastings
Battle of Hastings
The Battle of Hastings occurred on 14 October 1066 during the Norman conquest of England, between the Norman-French army of Duke William II of Normandy and the English army under King Harold II...
and given to one of William the Conqueror’s most famous generals, Sir Ralph de Mortimer
Ralph de Mortimer
Ranulph or Ralph de Mortimer was the second son of Roger de Mortimer and Isabel de Ferrers of Wigmore Castle in Herefordshire...
.
The ‘Manor
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 Staunbridge’ is recorded in the Book of Fees
Book of Fees
The Book of Fees is the colloquial title of a modern edition, transcript, rearrangement and enhancement of the mediaeval Liber Feodorum , being a listing of feudal landholdings or "fees/fiefs", compiled in about 1302, but from earlier records, for the use of the English Exchequer...
of 1244 as being owned by the Mortimer
Mortimer
Mortimer is a popular English name, used both as a surname and a given name.- Norman origins :The origin of the name is almost certainly Norman, but the details are disputed....
family. In 1245 it was sold in two lots and the manor was bought by Richard de Havering.
In 1362, Thomas Kenne inherited property from his parents, including Stanbridge Earls. The estate consisted of a large, rectangular, timber framed hall house, a water mill and about 26 acres (105,218.4 m²) of land.
By 1450, the original estate had been split into three separate estates, Stanbridge Earls, Ranvilles and Ervilles. They were purchased and reunited by John Kirkby
John Kirkby
John Kirkby was an English ecclesiastic and statesman.-Life:Kirkby first appears in the historical record in the chancery during the reign of King Henry III of England...
. The estate became wealthy and the son, William, ‘married well’ and bought more land.
Charles I of England
Charles I was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England, attempting to obtain royal revenue whilst Parliament sought to curb his Royal prerogative which Charles...
during the English Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
. By then, the estate consisted of ‘…sixteen Messuage
Messuage
In law, the term messuage equates to a dwelling-house and includes outbuildings, orchard, curtilage or court-yard and garden. At one time messuage supposedly had a more extensive meaning than that conveyed by the words house or site, but such distinction no longer survives.A capital messuage is the...
(houses with outbuildings and land), four cottages, twenty barns, two water mills and one dove house in Stanbridge, Romsey, Roke, Michelmarsh and Awbridge and also free fishing in the River Test
River Test
The River Test is a river in Hampshire, England. The river has a total length of 40 miles and it flows through downland from its source near Ashe, 10 km to the west of Basingstoke , to the sea at the head of Southampton Water...
.’ Its new owner, Roger Gollop, was a Parliamentarian and magistrate of Southampton.
The estate was passed down the family until it was sold to John Fifield in 1703. An eccentric relative, John Fifield, inherited it in 1748. He refused to let any timber be felled on any of the properties and he regarded repairs to the house as useless extravagance. The building fell into disrepair, roofs collapsed, joists and beams rotted.
Fifield’s son, yet another John, set about rebuilding the house after he inherited it. His son-in-law, Charles Hall, took over the estates until he committed suicide at Stanbridge Earls in 1870. In the following year, Florence Nightingale
Florence Nightingale
Florence Nightingale OM, RRC was a celebrated English nurse, writer and statistician. She came to prominence for her pioneering work in nursing during the Crimean War, where she tended to wounded soldiers. She was dubbed "The Lady with the Lamp" after her habit of making rounds at night...
’s father, William, bought Stanbridge. The property passed to another daughter, Lady Verney who sold it to Sir Basil Montogomery in 1895. Like previous owners, Sir Basil added new sections including two three-storey wings at either end. The house was sold to Henry Hansard in 1905. He commissioned the stained glass coats-of-arms in the present staff common room.
Charles Greenway, perhaps the most flamboyant of Stanbridge’s owners, bought Stanbridge in 1917. In 1927 he was made a Lord after he founded the Anglo-Persian Oil Company
Anglo-Persian Oil Company
The Anglo-Persian Oil Company was founded in 1908 following the discovery of a large oil field in Masjed Soleiman, Iran. It was the first company to extract petroleum from the Middle East...
and the title Baron Greenway
Baron Greenway
Baron Greenway, of Stanbridge Earls in the County of Southampton, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1927 for Sir Charles Greenway, 1st Baronet, one of the founders of the Anglo-Persian Oil Company. He had already been created a Baronet, of Wenhaston in the County of...
of Stanbridge Earls has stayed in the family. His grandson Ambrose Greenway the 4th Baron of Stanbridge Earls, is one of only 92 hereditary peers allowed to hold their seats in the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
. Charles Greenway was a great host, held many banquets and parties in the house and employed nine house staff, seven gardeners and a chauffeur. The next owner added luxurious bathrooms and entertained on a grand scale but went bankrupt.
Roke Manor
Roke Manor is the name of the 17th century manor house approximately 2 km north-west of Romsey in Hampshire, England. The house and grounds are currently owned by Roke Manor Research Limited.- History :...
served a similar function and together the bases were known as Station 503.
In the same year, the estate was broken into lots and auctioned. Walter Hutchinson bought the house and approximately 60 acres (242,811.6 m²).
On Hutchinson’s death in 1950, a Mr Beisley bought ‘…the particularly desirable and extremely valuable historic residence and agricultural estate of nearly 426 acres with an attractive 17th century residence of great charm and character and beautifully situated in timbered grounds with two lodges.’
Stanbridge Earls became a school founded by a charitable trust in 1952 and opened on 15 September with eight pupils. Initially the curriculum focused on Drama, Music and the Arts.
Ethos and Curriculum
Stanbridge Earls is a small independent boarding and day school for boys and girls with a teacher to pupil ratio of around 1 to 6. It was founded for boys who had found larger boarding schools restrictive but gradually the school attracted pupils who had learning difficulties, often undetected and frequently misunderstood, and it has continued to specialise in this area with great success. Currently the school has about 185 pupils on roll, three-quarters of them boarders. It has a thriving sixth form. Although the school started to admit girls in the late 1970s about 80% of pupils are boys, reflecting the greater incidence of special needs among boys. In the late 1980s the school recruited, for the first time, pupils into Years 7 & 8. Pupils are drawn from across a wide social spectrum. Approximately sixty pupils are funded by local authorities.The school has an enviable reputation, in line with its mission statement, for building confidence and achieving success, often with pupils who have struggled with other forms of education. Most of these pupils receive small group or individual tuition from highly qualified staff in the Accelerated Learning Centre (ALC) or the Mathematics Learning Centre (MLC). The Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCO
Sênco
-See also:*List of towns and villages in Tibet...
) is assisted by staff specialising in occupational therapy and by speech and language therapists.
Class sizes are small, with not normally more than ten pupils. Pupils follow a mainstream Key Stage 3
Key Stage 3
Key Stage 3 is the legal term for the three years of schooling in maintained schools in England and Wales normally known as Year 7, Year 8 and Year 9, when pupils are aged between 11 and 14...
curriculum in Years 7 and 8. Thereafter, they have the opportunity to select from a wider choice of subjects at GCSE and A level. Spanish is the primary modern language. In addition to the traditional subjects, pupils can select vocational subjects such as Home Economics, Fashion, Media Studies, and Motor Mechanics. Since the school has CISCO Academy certification, many pupils gain practical experience and valuable qualifications in ICT. Results in public examinations, however modest, are among the greatest rewards for staff at Stanbridge. While many sixth formers transfer to university, a significant number go to colleges of Further Education or directly into employment.
The school has close links with the Council for the Registration of Schools Teaching Dyslexic Pupils (CReSTeD), and it hosts courses for the principal of Learning Works. It belongs to the Boarding Schools Association (BSA), and the Headmaster is a member of the Society of Headmasters and Headmistresses of Independent Schools (SHMIS). In 2010 the school is launching an assistive technology programme in partnership with Kellogg College, University of 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...
.
Headmasters
- 1952 - 1959: Anthony Thomas
- 1959 - 1959: Arnold Jones (Acting Headmaster)
- 1959 - 1984: Richard (Dick) Gould
- 1984 - 2000: Howard Moxon
- 2000 - 2004: Nicholas Hall
- 2004 - 2005: Geoffrey (Geoff) Link (Acting Headmaster)
- 2005 - 2010: Geoffrey (Geoff) Link
- 2010 - .........: Peter Trythall
Thomas was the first Headmaster of Stanbridge from 1952 until he retired in 1959. From 1961 until the 1990s he ran the Ellen Terry Barn Theatre
Ellen Terry
Dame Ellen Terry, GBE was an English stage actress who became the leading Shakespearean actress in Britain. Among the members of her famous family is her great nephew, John Gielgud....
in Smallhythe
Small Hythe
Small Hythe is a hamlet near Tenterden in Kent, England.It stood on a branch of the Rother estuary and was a busy shipbuilding port in the 15th century, before the silting up and draining of the Romney Marshes....
, Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
.
Gould was a long serving Headmaster giving 25 years of leadership to the school. He lived in North Lodge with his wife, Erica and daughters, Lorraine, Jenny and Frances. He was an Anglican Lay preacher.
Link retired in August 2010. His successor is Peter Trythall, formerly employed at Bolitho School in Penzance
Penzance
Penzance is a town, civil parish, and port in Cornwall, England, in the United Kingdom. It is the most westerly major town in Cornwall and is approximately 75 miles west of Plymouth and 300 miles west-southwest of London...
. He is married with four children. He was educated at The King's School, Canterbury
The King's School, Canterbury
The King's School is a British co-educational independent school for both day and boarding pupils in the historic English cathedral city of Canterbury in Kent. It is a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference and the Eton Group....
and at the University of Stirling
University of Stirling
The University of Stirling is a campus university founded by Royal charter in 1967, on the Airthrey Estate in Stirling, Scotland.-History and campus development:...
, where he read History and Politics.
Pastoral Care and Houses
The school has a multi-layered system of pastoral care.In Years 7 & 8 pupils have their own Junior School Housemaster or Housemistress.
Upon entering the Senior School (Years 9 - 13) pupils join one of four Houses, A, B, C or D, each with its own Housemaster/mistress. In the 1950s and 1960s the houses were named after their Housemasters although this was gradually replaced by the letters A, B, C and D.
Each Housemaster/mistress has responsibility for, and organises, a team of Tutors. Tutors have between two and ten pupils in their tutor groups. Every morning Tutors meet with their tutees for registration. Regular tutor meetings are also a feature of the pastoral provision.
Housemasters/mistresses lead house meetings and the Headmaster leads assemblies for individual year groups and the entire school.
House membership is identified by a distinctive coloured tie.
- A House - Red
- B House - Light blue
- C House - Yellow
- D House - Navy blue
The Wyverns' Society
Former pupils or 'old boys', before the school admitted girls in the late 1970s, are members of the alumni society.In its website the school claims that, "The Wyverns' Society is dedicated to keeping in touch with all former pupils of Stanbridge Earls School". The Wyverns' Society page of the website includes links to school photographs from 1984–2000. There are several hundred former pupils on the Wyverns' mailing list.
Throughout the year there are meetings and sports matches at the school.
A magazine, Voice, edited by staff and pupils, is produced regularly. The most recent edition of Voice was published in the summer of 2009. The magazine features school news and as well as contributions from, and news of, Wyverns.
Since the 1960s there have been a variety of events, some hosted at the school and others in London. 'Pub nights' in the 1960s and early 1970s attracted small, informal, London based gatherings. An annual Wyverns' Dinner in London featured for many years and in the 1980s and 1990s there were reunions called gaudies
Gaudiès
Gaudiès is a commune in the Ariège department in southwestern France.-Population:-References:*...
hosted at the school.
The most recent Wyverns' Dinner was held at the East India Club
East India Club
The East India, Devonshire, Sports and Public Schools' Club, usually known as the East India Club, is a gentlemen's club founded in 1849 and situated at 16 St. James's Square in London...
in St James' Square, London in 1994. Over thirty Wyverns were present. Headmaster, Howard Moxon, Deputy Headmaster, John Abraham and former member of the Common Room, John Bain attended. The guest speaker was the very popular former Headmaster, Dick Gould, who was accompanied by his wife, Erica.
The school hosted a reunion for 1960s Wyverns in September 2009, 1960s Wyverns in May 2010 and 1970s Wyverns in May 2011. Wyverns' Day was held at the school on Saturday 12th February 2011.
Mr Peter Bragg, former pupil and Head Boy (1964), is the chairman of the Wyverns' Society. Mr C F (Chris) Rowney, Housemaster of 'A' House, replaced Mr P C (Paul) Pellatt as the secretary of the Wyverns' Society.
Adventure Training
In the 1960s Geography teacher and 'C' Housemaster, David Charlton, instigated his own brand of adventure training called LINCS. This was an acronym for Leadership, INitiative, Co-operation & Sagacity and included challenging physical and mental tasks with an emphasis on individual success, self sufficiency, perseverance and team building. Unlike many team sports, LINCS was totally inclusive and pupils, irrespective of their sporting and academic talents, participated in a wide range of activities often exceeding their own expectations.LINCS activities were masterminded by Charlton and, later, jointly with Dr Chris Reynolds, a chemistry teacher and housemaster. A popular challenge was the 'night operation' or 'night op' where blindfolded and disorientated participants were taken from school and abandoned, in small groups, in the New Forest
New Forest
The New Forest is an area of southern England which includes the largest remaining tracts of unenclosed pasture land, heathland and forest in the heavily-populated south east of England. It covers south-west Hampshire and extends into south-east Wiltshire....
with the challenge of finding their way 'back to base'. Negotiating complex night time obstacle courses; zip-line
Zip-line
A zip-line consists of a pulley suspended on a cable mounted on an incline...
descents across the Top Lake and an annual Speech Day display for parents and visitors, in which an ambitious and entertaining quasi-military scenario was played out, were all imaginative examples of the LINCS provision.
A memorable event, in 1970, was a sponsored walk of 80 miles (128.7 km) to raise funds for the purchase of an extended wheelbase Land Rover
Land Rover
Land Rover is a British car manufacturer with its headquarters in Gaydon, Warwickshire, United Kingdom which specialises in four-wheel-drive vehicles. It is owned by the Indian company Tata Motors, forming part of their Jaguar Land Rover group...
for LINCS activities. One pupil, David Tennant (the House Captain of 'D' House) completed the entire course.
LINCS was extended, in the late 1960s, through the rental of farmhouse called Celmi ('concealed place'), near Tywyn
Tywyn
Tywyn is a town and seaside resort on the Cardigan Bay coast of southern Gwynedd , in north Wales. The name derives from the Welsh tywyn and the town is sometimes referred to as Tywyn Meirionnydd...
, in north west Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. This was used for residential weekend and holiday activities. The remoteness of the location in the Snowdonia National Park with its stunning scenery including the nearby mountain, Cader Idris enhanced and enriched the LINCS experience. Rock climbing, abseiling
Abseiling
Abseiling , rappelling in American English, is the controlled descent down a rock face using a rope; climbers use this technique when a cliff or slope is too steep and/or dangerous to descend without protection.- Slang terms :...
, navigating disused slate mines, walking, camping and swimming were included in the repertoire of outdoor activities.
This ran in parallel with the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme, Gold Level standard. Pupils taking part in LINCS had to agree not to collect their Duke of Edinburgh medals as the ethos of LINCS was to appreciate personal achievement, not public glorification.
Myths and Stories
The Main House is haunted by several ghosts. King Æthelwulf, who was buried in the chapel, has been sighted by many pupils. Before Stanbridge was built there was a monastery on the site. The ghost of a monkMonk
A monk is a person who practices religious asceticism, living either alone or with any number of monks, while always maintaining some degree of physical separation from those not sharing the same purpose...
has been seen in various places. One sighting saw him walk through the chapel wall.
There is a tunnel that runs from Main House leading to The Duke's Head , a pub near the school. It has been suggested that it was created by the Kirkby's during the Civil War along with several Priest Holes
Priest hole
"Priest hole" is the term given to hiding places for priests built into many of the principal Catholic houses of England during the period when Catholics were persecuted by law in England, from the beginning of the reign of Queen Elizabeth I in 1558....
to protect them from the Parliamentarians
Roundhead
"Roundhead" was the nickname given to the supporters of the Parliament during the English Civil War. Also known as Parliamentarians, they fought against King Charles I and his supporters, the Cavaliers , who claimed absolute power and the divine right of kings...
.
Charles Hall, a former owner of the house, shot himself. Walter Hutchinson 'a well known publisher' also killed himself by taking an overdose of sleeping pills.
There is a story that a girl hanged herself from an oak tree that is now known as Sadie’s Corner.
A horse drawn coach lost control and crashed into the Top Lake and was never seen again.
Stanbridge used to have a large wooden Buddhist temple in the grounds known as the 'Burmese Temple' erected without the use of any nails, but by interlocking hinges. It had been bought from the Great Exhibition and re-erected near the Bottom Lake but was burnt down by a pupil in 1983, who was then expelled.
Notable former pupils
- Tom Hart DykeTom Hart Dyke-External links:*...
- (Horticulturist, Plant Hunter and Designer of the World Garden of Plants) - Marquis of Granby, David Manners, 11th Duke of RutlandDavid Manners, 11th Duke of RutlandDavid Charles Robert Manners, 11th Duke of Rutland is a British peer and landowner. He was born the elder son of the 10th Duke of Rutland by his second wife, the former Frances Sweeney...
(Antiques) - Christopher NeameChristopher NeameChristopher Neame is an English actor.-Education:Neame was educated at The King's School, Canterbury, an independent school in Canterbury in Kent.-Life and career:...
(ActorActorAn actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
) - Guy RitchieGuy RitchieGuy Stuart Ritchie is an English screenwriter and film maker who directed Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Snatch, Revolver, RocknRolla and Sherlock Holmes.-Early life:...
(Film DirectorFilm directorA film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
and ex-husband of MadonnaMadonna (entertainer)Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
) - Marc SindenMarc SindenMarc Sinden is an English theatre producer, documentary director and actor. His father is the actor Sir Donald Sinden.-Theatre:...
(ActorActorAn actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
and West End Theatre ProducerWest End theatre producerA West End theatre producer is a theatre producer who causes theatrical productions to be presented in one or more of the 41 West End theatres of London, as defined by the governing body of West End producers, The Society of London Theatre.Not to be confused with a Regional theatre producer who...
) - Jeremy GilleyJeremy GilleyJeremy Gilley is an English actor, filmmaker and founder of the charity Peace One Day.-Early life:Born in 1969, Gilley spent his early years in Southampton, England. He joined the Royal Shakespeare Company at 17.-Career:...
(ActorActorAn actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
and Peace ActivistPeace One DayPeace One Day was founded by British documentary filmmaker and actor Jeremy Gilley in September 1999. The charity promotes the idea of one day a year free of conflict and war, one day of a global truce regardless of all kinds of conflict. The UN had already declared the third Tuesday of September...
)
See also
- Roke ManorRoke ManorRoke Manor is the name of the 17th century manor house approximately 2 km north-west of Romsey in Hampshire, England. The house and grounds are currently owned by Roke Manor Research Limited.- History :...
- Public schoolPublic School (UK)A public school, in common British usage, is a school that is neither administered nor financed by the state or from taxpayer contributions, and is instead funded by a combination of endowments, tuition fees and charitable contributions, usually existing as a non profit-making charitable trust...
- Baron GreenwayBaron GreenwayBaron Greenway, of Stanbridge Earls in the County of Southampton, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1927 for Sir Charles Greenway, 1st Baronet, one of the founders of the Anglo-Persian Oil Company. He had already been created a Baronet, of Wenhaston in the County of...
- Peerage of the United KingdomPeerage of the United KingdomThe Peerage of the United Kingdom comprises most peerages created in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland after the Act of Union in 1801, when it replaced the Peerage of Great Britain...