Stamford School

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Stamford School is an English public school in the market town of Stamford, Lincolnshire. It was founded in 1532 by a local man, William Radcliffe, with the encouragement of Lady Margaret Beaufort, mother of Henry VII, though there is evidence to suggest that it has existed from the beginning of the fourteenth century. As a Roman Catholic chantry school, it fell foul of the Protestant reformers and was only saved from destruction under the Chantries Act of Edward VI by the personal intervention of Sir William Cecil (later Lord Burghley) who worked in the service of Edward Seymour, Duke of Somerset and who secured a specific Act of Parliament ensuring its survival. Apart from the chantries of Oxford and Cambridge universities, only those of Eton, Winchester, Berkhamsted, St Albans and Stamford schools survived.

Teaching is believed to have begun in the magnificent Corpus Christi chapel of Stamford's twelfth century church of St Mary, but by 1566 was taking place in the remaining portion of the demolished St Paul's Church, which was originally built no later than 1152. This building continued in use as a school room until the 20th century when it was extended and, in 1930 returned to use as a chapel. Some thirty years later a musicologically interesting nineteenth century Gray and Davidson pipe organ was installed although, regrettably, this was removed in the 1990s and replaced with an electronic substitute. Over the centuries, the school has built or absorbed 17th, 18th and 19th century buildings, besides the site of a further demolished medieval church (Holy Trinity/St Stephen's) and remains of the hall of Brasenose College built by the sessionists from the University of Oxford in the 14th century.

The right of appointment of the school's Master, a position hotly contested in past centuries on account of the post's disproportionately large salary, was shared between the Mayor of Stamford and the Master of St John's College, Cambridge. This arrangement continues to be reflected in the fact that both Stamford Town Council and St John's College have nominees on the school's governing body.

Front of Stamford School House
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Front of Stamford School House

Stamford School has a sister school, Stamford High School, which was founded in 1877. In recent years, the two have been united under the leadership of a single principal as the Stamford Endowed Schools. This organisation now comprises Stamford Junior School, a co-educational establishment for pupils aged between 2 and 11 years, Stamford School for boys aged 11-18, and Stamford High School catering for girls of the same age group. Sixth Form teaching is carried out jointly between Stamford School and Stamford High School.

Stamford School has four senior (Y10-Y13) houses. These are called Brazenose (sic), Radcliffe, Ancaster and Exeter. There are also two boarding houses called Byard, for boys aged 11 to 14, and Browne, which houses boys aged 14 to 18. The four junior (Y7-Y9) houses are Cecil (feeder house to Exeter), Willoughby (feeder house to Ancaster), St. Paul’s (feeder house to Radcliffe) and St Peter’s (feeder house to Brazenose).

The house names, which date back over half a century, reflect various aspects of the school's history. Brazenose and Radcliffe traditionally housed town boys, while Ancaster and Exeter accommodated boys who lived north and south respectively of the River Welland. While this used to be the case however, this is no longer so. Since September 2005 the houses have been selected randomly, or as some suspect deliberately, to ensure an even distribution of sportsmen, musicians and academics.

Additional boarding houses within the Stamford Endowed Schools are St. Michaels (Junior school boys and girls), Welland (Girls from the age of 14 to 17 ), and Park (Girls sixth form accommodation, 17-18).


Contents

[edit] Uniform

All boys wear black or charcoal-grey trousers and a school blazer, which is navy blue. The school's emblem is a stork sitting on a wool sack displayed over the motto + me spede meaning Christ me Spede, derived from the armorial bearings of medieval wool merchant William Browne. It is worn on the breast pocket of the blazer. Most boys wear a maroon crest, although school prefects wear a white one. House prefects, in the lower school, wear a maroon crest with a maroon ribbon attached to the top of the pocket. Blue crests are worn by fifth-form prefects. Badges, awarded for extensive house activity are worn usually on the left lapel. Boys can be seen wearing an array of different school ties. Every boy receives his tie specific to his house upon joining to school, but may be awarded others as a mark of his achievements through the school. These include House Colours, Representative Colours, and Full and Half School Colours. Stamford School Club ties are worn on Saturdays by boys representing the school in the day's fixtures.

[edit] Traditions

An ancient school tradition is called 'Kissing the Old Man', a ceremony in which new boys were to kiss a worn stone head above the chapel's west door, to the (probably ironical) applause of the whole school.

The Head Boy traditionally enjoyed a number of privileges, although it is unsure whether there is documentary evidence to support them. He was, for example, the only boy allowed to grow a beard, or smoke a pipe in lessons.

[edit] Slang

Stamford School has its own slang, much of which refers to the school buildings and their history:

  • The Art Shack: the art department's building on St Paul's Street, formerly known as The Church Lad's Club. The term 'Art Shack' derived from an earlier building. Of wooden construction and since demolished, this building was situated within an area (which also formerly included the similarly termed 'Woodwork Shack') on the north side of the school hall, re-developed in the 1960's. The new Art Shack, divided into two floors in the 1980s, more recently received a bequest in the will of OS Richard Harris; thus being redeveloped to become the Richard Harris Arts Centre (2005).
  • The Blue Book: A diary formerly issued each term to all pupils, containing lists of events and fixtures, as well as a list of the names of all staff and every boy in the school. Now replaced by the Red Book which, while containing the same information, also includes Stamford Junior School and Stamford High School.
  • Big School: a block of classrooms in which boys in the Lower IV, Upper IV and Fifth Form were traditionally taught. This building, where mixed Sixth Form teaching currently takes place, was subsequently renamed 'Beaufort', in honour of Lady Margaret Beaufort, above.
  • The Dell: the play area for Lower School children - now has a new DT Block situated on half of it.
  • The Old Gym: a large Victorian room, now used as a thoroughfare and entrance to the Chapel, which used to be the gymnasium.
  • The Tin Can: The aluminium-clad top floor of the science laboratories, that resembles a tin can. As an end-of-year prank one year, boys made a cardboard tin opener and placed it on the building.
  • The Old Man: As mentioned above, the stone head, believed to be of St Paul, which looks out from above the West Door of the Chapel.
  • Shell Yard, a small courtyard behind Byard House where in distant times the 'shell form ' (the youngest boys) were located.
  • The O.B's: The medical centre, so called because the building once housed a public house called 'The O'Brien's Arms'.
  • Matron: The medical centre.
  • The Burghley Run: An annual run in which boys and girls run a cross-country course around the extensive grounds of nearby Burghley Park. The race has never been cancelled due to inclement weather or sudden injuries, and to avoid the run appears to be a point of competition amongst some students. It is incorporated into the house system, with points being awarded to each house depending on the collective success of their house.

[edit] Songs

Stamford School has a number of school songs that are sung in the chapel or at assemblies in the school hall. Besides the perennial favourite Jerusalem, the more formal songs are the Latin 'Carmen Stamfordiense', written by a Victorian Headmaster, Dr D.J.J. Barnard, and the more generic Dulce Domum. Barnard's 'Carmen' runs:

Musa vocat; quemque talem
 Fas audire monitum
 Et praebere se vocalem
 Nunc si nunquam iterum:
 Inter nos qui nunc cantamus
 Floreat concordia
 Teque semper efferamus
 Laudibus, Stamfordia!

Surgat vox totius chori
 (Procul hinc silentium)
 Nostro bono fundatori
 Principi burgensium:
 Quater summis hic potitus
 Senior honoribus
 Scholam nostram, non oblitus,
 Dedit junioribus.

Quod est bonum, quod decorum
 Nos colamus strenui,
 Nec inculti simus morum,
 Fortes et ingenui:
 Timor Dei, regis honos
 Impleant praecordia;
 Filios sic alens bonos
 Floreat Stamfordia!

In the early years of the 20th century, however, one of the masters, A.W.S Cowie, who later served as Second Lieutenant in the Lincolnshire Regiment and was killed at the Battle of the Somme, composed a more light-hearted song. This piece, sung to the tune of The Vicar of Bray became increasingly popular and was gradually adopted as, in effect, the school song. It runs:

In Father Time's remoter days
 By strange coincidences,
 Noah built the ark, and someone else
 Schola Stamfordiensis
 And fools be they that do suppose
 This is exaggeration,
 For nobody our founder knows
 Or date of our foundation.

(Chorus)

For we maintain, as age in wine
 Improves its excellences
 Rare virtue fills in every line
 Schola Stamfordiensis.

Yet age has brought us no decay
 And though our School's a small one,
 We still succeed in learning here
 That life and duty's all one.
 Some of our sons all men may find
 High in the lists of Glory -
 Recording Angel, keep, we pray,
 Our humbler heroes' story.

(Chorus)

Mens sana we develop here
 By things like Greek and Science;
 And corpus sanum by our games
 Of skill and self-reliance:
 Whilst over Brain and Hand alike
 Stands Discipline, physician
 To purify and train the Heart
 In its correct position.

(Chorus)

Then keep it up! While England's schools
 Uphold their reputation,
 Old England has no cause to fear
 A canine destination.
 Let shivering rogues lament the times
 And future consequences
 We shall not fear, Dum Floreat
Schola Stamfordiensis!

And despite both the identity of the founder and date of the foundation being subsequently established beyond any doubt, the song continues to endure.


[edit] YouTube Scandal

In December of 2006 a video was discovered on video sharing website YouTube which appeared to show Robert Thomas, the deputy head boy, issuing a volley of insults against senior teaching staff most notably the Head of Sixth Form a Mr. G. P. Brown. The story was broken by an anonymous journalist, known only as Mr. X, who identified the location of said video. It was published by a user called 'samwaudby', believed to be a rogue prefect, and entitled "Robert being funny: Talking about the people at Stamford School." The most shocking part of the video, which has been transcribed below, has been edited in the public interest. However, those of a sensitive disposition, or with poor dental hygiene should be aware of its scandalous content.

Robert Thomas: ….and Mr. Geoffrey [Expletive deleted] Brown. Yeah there's a man! Don't we all hate him?

(Laughter from crowd off camera)

RT: What's going on with his teeth I’d like to know? Look like they've been gnawed by woodlice over countless centuries. Like he's been studying the peasant’s revolt - on work experience to become a peasant and thus assume the position of one! What else don't we like at the Stamford Endowed School, oooo Mrs. Patience, she's a bitch. Who else?

SW: Mr. Burns! (Shouted from off camera - believed to be the voice ‘rogue prefect’ Sam Waudby)

RT: Mr. Burns, yes but he went to Cambridge...

SW: Yeah but he didn't choose you as head boy…

RT: No he didn't! What a [Expletive deleted]!"

At the point of writing there has been little reaction to story. Mr. X, the anonymous journalist who first broke the story, believes this is far from the end. He was overheard saying: "This is the biggest story I’ve broken in my life. The deputy-head dishing out insults left, right and centre. It's a shame I have to publish anonymously but I'm afraid of recrimination. This has really rocked the status-quo!" Most analysts believe that only time will tell what the consequences of this outrageous outburst will be.


[edit] YouTube Scandal Part Two

The YouTube scandal deepened when Mr.X, by now a well established journalist, revealed further shocking footage of debauchery by Robert Thomas. Many believe that this may be the end for the beleaguered deputy-head boy. Like many before him, including Kate Moss (though the parallels end there), a promising career may have been cut short by the evil of cocaine. In the video Mr. Thomas is shown shoveling huge quantities of the Class A drug up his nose.

The street-value of the cocaine shown on the video has been estimated by Lincolnshire police to be between £1,000,000 and £11,000,000. Which, according to Richard P D Crompton (the Deputy Chief Constable) is "rather a lot for personal use." A close source of Mr.X has claimed the video is shocking not just because of the quantity of narcotics consumed but also the off-hand fashion in which the matter is treated by those in the video. For example, the opening words of Robert Thomas before he plunges his head into the vile-powder are "right...hear I go." Beside him stands notorious drug-dealer Toby Lewis, egging his junkie-friend, gives advice on technique such as "you don't lick it."

Public reaction to the growing crisis has so far been muted. According to one outraged pupil it was "like a scene from Scarface. Some said he'd grown wild since he failed to become head boy, I didn't realize how wild until now. Sort your life out you crazy smack-head."


[edit] Old School Tie

All boys who attend Stamford School are entitled, when they leave, to wear the Old Stamfordian tie. This rather startling item of neckware is striped in three colours, each of which represents the boys' houses that existed in the early part of the 20th century: Maroon (School House), Navy (Town House), and Green (Country House).

[edit] Distinguished alumni (Old Stamfordians)

Stamford School is alma mater to many distinguished alumni, a small number of whom actually have their own Wikipedia entry. They include:


[edit] Politics

  • Sir Norman Jude, Minister of State, South Australia

[edit] Law

[edit] Music

  • Julian Wastall, composer
  • Kieran Wade, recording artist with The Contrast.

[edit] Literature & the Arts

  • Torben Betts, playwright
  • Dr Jack Dominian, psychiatrist, author and broadcaster
  • Inspector Morse the fictional character, is described as an Old Stamfordian
  • Dr Graham Webster, historian

[edit] The Armed Forces

  • Major-General K.J. Drewienkiewicz, CB, CMG.
  • Major-General R. E. J. Gerrard-Wright, CB, CBE, DL

[edit] Academia & The Church

  • Edward Miles Hare, Pali scholar and translator of Buddhist texts
  • P. J. Lamb, Principal and Canon, St John's College, York

[edit] Industry

  • T. B. Baldwin, OBE
  • L.G. Dawson, Chairman, Division of Advanced Engineering (Aeronautics and Aerospace), Rolls Royce
  • Dr W. R. Hare Chairman, Reckitt & Coleman Ltd.
  • G. F. Murphy, Director, Imperial Chemical Industries.
  • A. J. Turner, Head of financial policy at C.B.I.
  • G. F. Whitby, I.C.I.

[edit] Sport

  • F. H. Gilman, trainer, owner and breeder of Grittar, 1982 Grand National winner
  • S. D. Hodgkinson, England Rugby
  • A. J. Hudson, England hockey
  • Mark James, Golf. Captain Europe Ryder Cup team, 1999.

[edit] Distinguished former schoolmasters

[edit] Further Reading

The History of Stamford School by B.L. Deed, OBE TD

[edit] External links

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org../../../s/t/a/Stamford_School_1de3.html"