Figure 1.--Christ's Hospital was founded in London in 1552 and operated there for four centuries. Here we see the Christ's School student at their new site in Horsham. |
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There are several different hospital schools in England. Many date back to middle ages and are still opperating. We have some limited information on the different schools. Perhaps the best known is Christ's Hospital in London. There are, however, several other hospital schools. Christ's Hospital has since moved to Horsham where it was united with the associated girls' school..
Christ's hospital in London is England's best known hospital/blue coat school. The school is an independent boarding school and charitable foundation founded by Edward VI in 1552 for "poor and needy" children. The School now accepts boys and girls from all walks of life and from all parts of the country. Families do not need to be well off to come to Christ's Hospital and preference is given to families in need. Currently, 40 percent of the School's 800 pupils received a free boarding education. Children usually enter at age 11 (into year 7) or at 6th form. A pupil at the school writes, "In your section on uniforms, you mention early charity schools as pioneers of the uniform. I happen to attend one of these schools. We are the original and the only enduring example. We still wear our "Housey" uniform and are referred to as the Bluecoat school. In 1985 on the reunification of our boys and girls schools, a complimentary uniform was designed for the girls who had not had a uniform early on. We have slightly differing combinations for different occasions and in many cases our own words to describe them. The uniform has changed over the centauries since our foundation 451 years ago." [Strong]
A reader tells us that the Christs Hospital School, Ipswich was active in 1859. We have no information about the school at this time.
The hospital scools are not all English. The Kings Hospital School in Dublin was founded in 1669 on Queen Street in Dublin Ireland. One of the oldest boarding schools in Ireland, The King’s Hospital was founded in 1669 as The Hospital and Free School of King Charles ll and was based in Dublin’s Queen Street for its first century before moving in 1783 to the noted Georgian building in Blackhall Place which now houses the Incorporated Law Society. The school moved to its present site in
Palmerstown in 1970. HBC has few details, but believe that the boys initially wore blue tunics (coats). The current uniform is a typical modern English/Irish school uniform.
The Lincoln Christ's Hospital School traces its origins to the 11th century, althouth the hospital/blue coat school from which it is named was estanlished in the 17th centutry. Lincoln Christ's Hospital School is both a very old school and a fairly recent one. In its present form it was established in 1974 with the coming together o together of four existing Lincoln schools:- Lincoln School, a boys' grammar school with a history reaching back to 1090 A.D.: Lincoln Christ's Hospital Girls' High School founded in 1893: St Giles Secondary Modern School for boys and Myle Cross Secondary Modern School for girls, both with a history beginning in 1933. A fifth school, Lincoln Christ's Hospital, known as the Bluecoat School, begun in 1612 and closed in 1883, also continues to make an important contribution not only to the name of the
present school but to its foundation endowment fund which provide it with its Voluntary Aided status and its Governors with a degree of independence in the conduct of its affairs. Lincoln Christ's
Hospital School is now a co-educational, comprehensive secondary school. It is one of the largest schools in Lincolnshire with 1163 on roll in 1990 including 230 in its 6th Form.
Oldswinford Hospital School near Stourbridge was founded in 1667 by Thomas Foley. Originally founded as a school for underprivileged boys, it is now a private boarding school. The first eight pupils did not arrived until 1670, perhaps the date when the building known as 'Founders' was completed. Thomas Foley of Witley Court near Kidderminster made a considerable fortune in the manufacture of iron goods, so that by the time of the Restoration of the Monarchy in 1660, he was reputed to be earning £5000 a year. He was influenced by a sermon dedicated to him by Richard Baxter, a famous local preacher, who persuaded him that a good way to use his wealth was to found a school for poor boys. He established this in Oldswinford, paid for the buildings and attended to the running of the school until his death in 1677. Under the terms of his will, the school received the whole Manor of Pedmore, the parish adjacent to Oldswinford, and lands and property at Meriden (Warwickshire), Seighford (Staffordshire), Oldswinford and Dudley. He also left £2000 to be invested in further land, and this was bought at Rowley Regis and Stone in Staffordshire. The rent ncome from the lands (about £650 a year in the 17th century) was more than sufficient for the expenses of the school, and until the end of World War IIevery boy who attended the school was educated entirely free of charge as a boarder. Thomas Foley decided that his school should be for 60 boys from 'poor but honest homes', and that the age of entry should be between the ages of seven and eleven. A document in Thomas Foley's hand states that the boys were to be taught their catechism, to read, write and to cast accounts. They therefore had a very basic education, but one that was related to the work they would do when they left the school at 14 years to be apprenticed. Of the 60 boys, 46 were chosen from particular parishes nominated by Thomas Foley.
The Queen Elizabeth Hospital School in Bristol is a thriving independent school for boys aged 11 to 18. It was founde over 400 years. John Carr, a Bristol merchant whant who died in 1586, provided in his will for the establishment in Bristol of a bluecoat school on the lines of Christ's Hospital, already flourishing in London. The School's charter was granted by Queen Elizabeth I in 1590 and specifically charged it with "the education of poor children and orphans". This special and continuing responsibility is still maintained by the School's emphasis on pastoral care and by the use of its endowment income to provide a large number of day and boarding assisted places for those whose parents' means are limited. The School opened in 1590 and for years was know locally as the City school. It continued through various vicissitudes as a boarding school until 1920 when day boys were first admitted. In 1945 it became a two-form entry grammar school on the direct grant list of the then
Ministry of Education. The Government decided in 1975 to end the direct grant, and the School is now fully independent, with 470 day boys and 70 boarders. In 1984 Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II graciously agreed to become the School's Patron, a fitting prelude to the commemoration in 1990 of its 400th anniversary.
The Royal Hospital School at Ipswich in Suffolk is one of England's newest hospital schools. It was founded nearly 300 years ago as part of the Crown charity, Greenwich Hospital, to educate the sons of seafarers. The only newer hospital schools are those created for girls in the 19th century. The Royal Hospital School is the largest HMC co-educational full boarding school in East Anglia. The school moved to its present magnificent 200 acre site on the banks of the River Stour at Holbrook in Suffolk in 1933 and its original buildings house the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich. The School now takes boys and girls in the age range 11-18 from all backgrounds but still gives priority of entry to the children and grandchildren of seafarers, who are also eligible for income assessed fees. The students once wore sailor suits, but now wear a normal English school uniform. They are, however, still issued sailor suits which they wear on specified days and special occasions. The Royal Hospital School has a notable choir which performs in destinctibe choral robes with sailor suit styling.
Strong, Amaryllis. E-mail message, November 13, 2003.
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