James Tate (headmaster)
James Tate (11 June 1771-1843) was the headmaster of Richmond School and canon of St Paul's Cathedral, London.[1] He was born in Richmond, North Yorkshire on 11 June 1771, the only surviving son of Thomas Tate, a working maltster originally from Berwick upon Tweed, and his wife, Dinah Cumstone, who came from a family of small farmers in Swaledale.[2]
Having attended two private schools, in May 1779, Tate entered Richmond School.[3] Whilst there, the headmaster Reverend Anthony Temple recognised his talent, and in 1784 found him a job as amanuensis to the rector of Richmond Francis Blackburne.[4] Enjoying access to Blackburne's library acted as a stimulus for Tate, who with Temple's help obtained a sizarship at Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge.[5]
Tate was appointed headmaster of Richmond School on 27 September 1796, the fulfilment of a childhood ambition.[6] Tate was responsible for transforming Richmond School into one of the leading classical schools of its day, and the leading Whig school, attracting boys from throughout the country, at a rate of 100 guineas a year.[7][8][9] Between 1812 and 1833 six pupils a year on average proceeded to university. 21 of them became fellows, 13 of them at Trinity College, Cambridge.[10] They became so "successful, admired and feared" whilst at Cambridge that they earned the title of ‘Tate's invincibles’.[11][12] Their number included George Peacock, Richard Sheepshanks, Marcus Beresford and James Raine.[13] Another pupil was Herbert Knowles.[14] Tate rejected corporal punishment for his pupils, and refused to rule by fear, but instead inspired in them a love of learning.
Tate was a widely respected classical scholar. Robert Surtees, the Durham antiquary, recalled a night spent with him quoting from The Iliad, and Sydney Smith, who by chance travelled in the same coach as Tate, declared to a friend that Tate was "a man dripping with Greek".[15] The Times printed a glowing obituary, noting that "as a teacher of classical learning, none of his contemporaries were more successful".[16]
References
- ^ http://www.northyorks.gov.uk/CHttpHandler.ashx?id=450&p=0
- ^ William Carr, ‘Tate, James (1771–1843)’, rev. M. C. Curthoys, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004 accessed 7 May 2011
- ^ William Carr, ‘Tate, James (1771–1843)’, rev. M. C. Curthoys, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004 accessed 21 May 2011
- ^ William Carr, ‘Tate, James (1771–1843)’, rev. M. C. Curthoys, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004 accessed 7 May 2011
- ^ http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=0UzBgODcWGQC&pg=PA21&lpg=PA21&dq=%22james+tate%22+%22richmond+school%22&source=bl&ots=SdtnlNvwlg&sig=FCLZO_3BTYe2CQ2ve3NUHJwKegQ&hl=en&ei=RqbFTbaeD9GJhQfz-YSEBA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=8&ved=0CEsQ6AEwBw#v=onepage&q=%22james%20tate%22%20%22richmond%20school%22&f=false
- ^ http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=0UzBgODcWGQC&pg=PA21&lpg=PA21&dq=%22james+tate%22+%22richmond+school%22&source=bl&ots=SdtnlNvwlg&sig=FCLZO_3BTYe2CQ2ve3NUHJwKegQ&hl=en&ei=RqbFTbaeD9GJhQfz-YSEBA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=8&ved=0CEsQ6AEwBw#v=onepage&q=%22james%20tate%22%20%22richmond%20school%22&f=false
- ^ http://www.oxforddnb.com.ezproxy.lib.le.ac.uk/view/article/26985?docPos=1
- ^ http://fretwell.kangaweb.com.au/pdfs/Edward%20Kay.pdf
- ^ http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=q32qOWG6zosC&pg=PA412&dq=%22james+tate%22+%22richmond%22&hl=en&ei=jrLFTaGlH9Gp8QPutOH2Bw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CDYQ6AEwAjgU#v=onepage&q=%22james%20tate%22%20%22richmond%22&f=false
- ^ http://www.richmond.org/guide/history.html
- ^ William Carr, ‘Tate, James (1771–1843)’, rev. M. C. Curthoys, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004 accessed 7 May 2011
- ^ http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=-ceokQFlLM8C&pg=PA103&dq=%22tate's+invincibles%22&hl=en&ei=XbHFTab1LMiW8QOX8tH2Bw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCsQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=%22tate's%20invincibles%22&f=false
- ^ Memoir of Augustus De Morgan: With Selections from His Letters By Sophia Elizabeth De Morgan, Augustus De Morgan, p104
- ^ Richard Garnett, ‘Knowles, Herbert (1798–1817)’, rev. John D. Haigh, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004 accessed 21 May 2011
- ^ William Carr, ‘Tate, James (1771–1843)’, rev. M. C. Curthoys, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004 accessed 7 May 2011
- ^ http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=bLIEAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA351&dq=%22james+tate%22+%22richmond%22&hl=en&ei=w7TFTde4NpG28QO30_X2Bw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=9&ved=0CE0Q6AEwCDge#v=onepage&q=%22james%20tate%22%20%22richmond%22&f=false
External links
- William Carr, ‘Tate, James (1771–1843)’, rev. M. C. Curthoys, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004 accessed 7 May 2011
| Persondata |
| Name |
Tate, James |
| Alternative names |
|
| Short description |
|
| Date of birth |
11 June 1771 |
| Place of birth |
Richmond, North Yorkshire, UK |
| Date of death |
2 September 1843 |
| Place of death |
Clifton, Bristol |