Royal Masonic School
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| Motto | Circumornate ut simultudo templi 'To be as the polished cornerstones of the temple' |
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| Established | 1788 |
| Type | Independent Girls school |
| Founder | Bartholomew Ruspini |
| Students | c.700 |
| Grades | 1 - 13 |
| Location | Rickmansworth, UK |
| Colours | Navy, blue and yellow |
| Website | [1] |
The Royal Masonic School for Girls is an independent school in Rickmansworth, England with both day and boarding pupils. The school was instituted in 1788, with the aim of maintaining the daughters of indigent Freemasons, unable through death, illness or incapacitation to support their families. Today the school accepts the children of both masons and non-masons.
It began in 1789 with fifteen pupils and a Matron in Somers Place, East London. During its history, the school has moved premises 3 times, twice within London and finally in 1934 to Rickmansworth in Hertfordshire, where it still is today.
MOTTO: Circumornatae ut similitudo templi - To be as the polished cornerstones of the temple.[1]
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[edit] In the beginning
In 1788 Bartholomew Ruspini and nine fellow Freemasons met to discuss plans for establishing a charitable institution for the daughters of Masons who had fallen on hard times or whose death had meant hardship for their families.
On the 14th of May 1788, a committee met at the Freemasons' Tavern in Great Queen Street to thrash out the details of the proposed institution. An advertisement for the position of Matron was put in the papers and the committee set about finding a suitable premises from which their charity could operate. The house at Sommers Place East was a suggestion from Dr de Valangin, and was taken in October at rent of £35 pa to house 15 children. The property has since disappeared but was between the present day Euston and St Pancras stations, approximately where the British library is today.
The original advertisement for the Matron read as follows:
ROYAL CUMBERLAND FREE MASON SCHOOL
Little Chelsea
Wanted a Matron to reside in the House and instruct the Children in Reading, Writing, Housewifery, and every necessary use of the Needle. She must be of the Established Religion of the Church of England. A middle Aged, Well Educated Single Woman will be preferred. Proposals in writing to be sent to the Secretary, 121, Pall Mall.
Twenty replies were received of which 5 were shortlisted. The decision was arrived at by means of ballot and Mrs Ann Le Clerc was duly elected. She is referred to in the minutes of the meeting as a governess and her address is given as 11 Wells Street, Marylebone. The term Mrs was used for single and married women alike so it is unknown as to whether she was married or not.
On the 5th of January 1789, the children met at Ruspini's house and walked in procession to the house. The ceremonial procession was reported in the Morning post (later to become absorbed by the Daily Telegraph) and the Daily Advertiser on Saturday the 10th of January. The names of the children were listed with their birth and baptismal records.
Right Now Mrs Rose is head misstress of the school and it is running very well we have recently changed the uniform and now it is a posh royal blue.
- Harriet Ann Vinet - 17/04/1782
- Sarah Jane Sitgraves - 23/01/1780
- Ann Kane - 27/11/1780
- Margaret Burgess - 08/08/1781
- Catherine Charlotte Baes - 12/07/1783
- Sophia Riches - 14/04/1780
- Mary Ann Ruscoe - 16/07/1780
- Mary Ann Fiske - 16/10/1782
- Frances Sansum - 25/12/1780
- Sheila Proctor - 20/01/1779
- Mary Ann Wolveridge - 05/11/1779
- Charlotte Richardson - 01/04/1781
- Sophia Kewney - 29/01/1780
- Ann Martin - 17/07/1781
- Elizabeth Lowe - 21/08/1782
Of the 15, Charlotte Richardson was removed from the school by her parents within a couple of months. She was replaced by Charlotte Hatton. Also Mary Bagley had petitioned for a place at the school, but had been rejected having been found to be too old. The governors however decided to keep her on as an assistant servant, getting maintenance, clothing and her education in return.
Although called a school, the institution was not what we might call a school until the mid nineteenth century. In its early stages it was more of an orphanage, although many of the girls had at least one parent living. At the end of their school life girls were either returned to their family or supporters (known as Friends) or apprenticed and supported until they could establish themselves.
The children could be from any part of the United Kingdom and had to be between the ages of 6 and 9. They had to be the daughters of freemasons and were required to be in good health, having already had smallpox or cowpox and "be free from infirmity of deformity." It is known however that Frances Sansum from the first 15 had only one leg.
[edit] Location, Location, Location
[edit] St George's Fields
Although Ruspini and his fellow freemasons had intended the school to be a permanent establishment, even they had no idea how successful it would be. The house originally intended for 15 girls, a matron and a maid soon became too small with the addition of 5 new pupils at the end of the first year and a further five after that. By 1790 discussion of finding a bigger site had begun. It was decided that a new building would be built.
The place for the new school was St George's Fields, that is today 28 Westminster Bridge Road.
[edit] Clapham J
St Johns hill, Battersea rise was the schools 3rd location although there seems to have been some confusion as to whether the school was in Battersea, Clapham, Wandsworth or Putney when its address was written down. The girls however referred to it as Clapham J. In 1853 when the site was purchased it was because of its wide open aspect and country air, not that that could be said for the area today. The school however was still expanding and in 1918, the junior girls moved to a new junior school in Weybridge Surrey.
[edit] Rickmansworth Park
By June 1926 the school was again ready to move. A site in Rickmansworth standing in 204 acres of land with a mansion (although reports suggest this was in a state of disrepair.) To ensure that the site would be suitable for many years to come a lot of thought was but into the design of the new school buildings, and the following recommendations were made:
- the buildings should be appropriate for 400 girls
- the boarding houses should house 50 girls each with each dormitory sleeping 16
- classrooms should be suitable for classes of 30
- there could be a central dining room capable of seating all 400 at one time
- that a gymnasium, swimming bath and chapel were required.
[edit] The Weybridge Girls
Originally RMS Rickmansworth was just for the senior girls (aged 12 and above) but in 1973 it was decided that RMS Weybridge where the junior school was, would move to join their older sisters, forming the combined site that it is today.[2]
[edit] History
[edit] Food and Clothing
We understand far more about nutrition now than was understood when the school began. A diet table was drawn up for the girls that was partly transcribed from other charities and partly based on the observations of Mr Boys, a governor and surgeon. The diet allowed a ration of 2 and 1\2 pounds of meat per child per week. Below shows the menu for breakfast, dinner and supper.
Sunday - Rice milk - Roast beef, vegetables, bread and beer - Bread, butter and beer
Monday - Water Gruel - Suet pudding and beer - Bread, cheese and beer
Tuesday - Milk Porridge - Boiled mutton, vegetables, bread and beer - Broth and bread
Wednesday - Rice Milk - Suet puddings, potatoes bread and beer - Bread, butter and beer
Thursday - Water Gruel - Boiled beef, vegetables, bread and beer - Broth and bread
Friday - Milk Porridge - Rice puddings and beer - Bread, cheese and beer
Saturday - Rice and milk - Boiled beef, vegetables, bread and beer - Broth and bread
Drinking water at the time did not exist and beer was the standard for adults and children alike, although generally speaking children had their ale watered down. In December 1846 however, after persistent requests from the matron, the children were given tea or coffee with bread and butter for their supper as opposed to cheese and beer, even though tea and coffee were luxuries unheard of in a school.
[edit] The war years
[edit] WWI
Unlike the Second World War, much of what went on was away from home and life at the school continued pretty much as normal. Two exceptions include an incident in 1917 where the school was damaged by anti-aircraft fire, and 1919 when the girls gave up their prizes on prize day so that the money could be given to charity.
[edit] WWII
In order to protect the girls from the expected aerial bombardment, an air raid shelter had been dug out. This was behind the boarding house formerly known as Ruspini and now known as Alexandra. The shelter was commonly referred to as the trenches, and consisted of underground tunnels that zig-zagged with a room at intervals for boiling a kettle or dispensing medicines. The tunnels were lined with benches 13 inches wide and each girl was allocated a place she must find in a raid. They were all kept together in houses and each section was given a name such as Ruspini Row, Atholl Square, Cumberland Place and Moira Mansions. The girls themselves wanted to play their part and formed their own land army, tending the kitchen gardens at the school to provide fruit and vegetables and helping out with domestic duties. They also adopted 3 ships, but most notably the Ocean Courier. The girls knitted socks, gloves and other items which were sent to the ship at Christmas. In return, captain Crastion, the ship's captain sent the school 36 pounds of toffee. The captain visited the school and he and his ship also took part in the action on D-Day, carrying men and munitions.
[edit] Headmasters & Mistresses
- Sarah Louisa Davis - Head Governess - 1861 - 1896
- Emily Redgrave - Head Governess - 1896 - ????
- Elizabeth Hutchinson - Head Governess
- Florence Mason - matron and headmistress of the junior school - 1915 - 1935
- Bertha Dean - 1915 - 1938
- Mary Calway - 1938 - 1940
- Audrey E Fryer - 1941 - 1959
- Una Jessie Campbell - 1959 - 1972
- Miss Thompson - 1972-1980
- David Curtis - 1980 - 1991
- Irene Andrews - 1991 - 2001
- Diana Rose 2001 - present
[edit] Film and TV
The school has been used as a filming location on a number of occasions for Films and TV, including, Indiana Jones "Raiders of the Lost Ark" [2] Supergirl and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade[3]. Others include the children's TV series "The Demon Headmaster", "Inspector Morse" [4].
[edit] RMS Traditions
[edit] The School Badge
At each side of the design are two pillars. These represent the entrance to the “Temple not made with hands” of which we are ourselves the stones. The black and white tessellated pavement represents joy and sorrow, adversity and prosperity interwoven. In the centre is a five pointed star it is not known why it is there particularly but it has been thought to typify the 5 senses which are needed for learning. At the bottom of the new badge, and centre of the old badge is the “smooth Ashlar”. When a stone is prepared for builders it is first chiselled into a rough cube, known as a rough Ashlar. It is then the task of the more skilled craftsmen to form it into a “smooth Ashlar” that is fit to take its place in the walls of the temple. Finally the badge is bounded by a circle representing eternity.
At the top of the old badge are the letters R.M.I.G standing for Royal Masonic Institution for girls. On the new badge is the school motto, Circumornate ut simultudo temple, which is the Vulgate version (The Latin version translated by St. Jerome about 385 AD from the original Hebrew) of a phrase from Psalm 144 v.12 “That our daughters may be as the polished corners of the temple”
[edit] School Drill
The school drill is akin to something expected on an army parade ground. Some of it originates in Swedish Drill, and some is based on calisthenics. When exercising began to be incorporated into girls' education there were no trained women P.E. teachers, so drilling was under the guidance of an Army drill instructor. The marching, counter marching and arm stretches were considered the only exercise suitable for a young lady.
Described originally as callisthenics, exercises and marching no one is entirely sure when school drill began. In an extract from the school magazine Machio in 1962, school drill is purported to be a hundred years old. There is a reference to it is an account of prize day 1876 although it is not referred to as drill.
It was performed to music on a piano, later 2 grand pianos and consisted of 180 girls ( the number of degrees in a semicircle). In 1980 the music was recorded and the spoken commands gave way to a whistle. The girls learn their positions (based on their height, and thus changing from year to year and needing to be re-learned) and move in time to the music from one point to the next. The end of the performance is marked by the girls producing the Masonic emblem of set square and compass, and the point, the smallest child in the performance marching forward alone to complete the symbol.
[edit] Duo and Trio
Duo and Trio are a tradition upheld at prize day. 8 pianos in a row are played by either 2 (duo) or 3 (trio) girls simultaneously.
[edit] Ashlar
The Ashlar is the silver badge that all RMS girls strive to achieve by the end of Year 11. The award of the Ashlar shows that a girl has been recognised for her contribution to school life, her sense of personal responsibility and her responsibility to others. RMS girls wear their Ashlar badge with great pride.
The school motto comes from Psalm 144, “That our daughters may be as the polished cornerstones of the Temple.” When a stone for the Temple was prepared by the builders, it was first chiselled into a rough cube, known as a rough Ashlar. I t was then the task of the more skilled craftsmen to form it into a smooth Ashlar, fit to take its place in the walls of the Temple.
[edit] Interesting Facts
The Royal Masonic School For Girls occupies a site of 315 acres, 176 acres of which was once Rickmansworth Deer Park. It is a haven to a wide variety of flora and fauna, almost an island of tranquillity within the M25 There are two Dells, over 40’ deep, in which the herd of fallow deer, that were on the estate when it was a Deer Park, used to be wintered. The Dells were originally dug for the limestone that was used as road bottoming. Over the years the site has been used for a variety of filming including two Indiana Jones films, Inspector Morse, Supergirl and many more T.V. programmes including Eastenders
[edit] RMS Today
[edit] Curriculum
The school follows the UK national curriculum with students taking their GCSE'S at age 16 and A-Levels at 18. Subjects taught include:
- Mathematics
- English Language
- English Literature
- Physics
- Chemistry
- Biology
- History
- Geography
- French
- German
- Spanish
- Latin
- Classics
- Art
- Textiles
- Technology
- Home Economics
- Drama
- Performance Studies
- I.T.
- P.S.E (Personal and Social Education)
- P.E
- Religious Studies
- Music
- Applied Business
- Government and Politics
- Health and Social
[edit] Extracurricular activities
- The Duke of Edinburgh's Award
- Girl Guides
- Young Enterprise
- Orchestra
- Choir
- Speech and Drama
- Dancing
- Music
- Fencing
[edit] Religion
Although girls of any religion are invited to attend, the school is based upon the Church of England and girls attend chapel assemblies each Monday and every other Wednesday. A Chapel service is also held on Sundays for the boarders.
[edit] The Old Girls Prayer
Bless oh Lord we pray thee, all who having here been trained in thy faith and fear, have now gone forth to do their duty in the world. Grant them thy grace that may remember the lessons that they have here been taught, and may never fall away from thy service, but bravely fighting against sin, the world and the devil, may continue faithful unto death and so at length receive the crown of life, Through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.
The words originally read "manfully fighting against sin" but were changed to "bravely fighting against sin".
[edit] Notable Alumnae
- Amelia Warner, actress
- Wendy Richard, actress
[edit] External links
- video A short film about a mother, terrified by her daughters imaginary friends. She seeks help at a Psychiatrist only to unravel the truth of her own life. Filmed at RMS by some students.
- Extracts from Barbara Kelland's Book
[edit] References
- ^ Lorna Cowburn. "Polished Cornerstones, A history of the Royal Masonic School for Girls 1788-2000", Raithby, Lawrence & Company Ltd.
- ^ Barbara Kelland. "This Time Next Week: the engaging story of a little girl, brought up in the care of the Freemasons, before and during World War II", Epona Publishing (21 July 2005).
