Eastman's Royal Naval Academy, originally in
Southsea
Southsea is a seaside resort and a geographic area of Portsmouth, Portsea Island in England. Southsea is located 1.8 miles (2.8 km) to the south of Portsmouth's inner city-centre. Southsea is not a separate town as all of Portsea Island's s ...
and later at
Winchester, both in
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
, was a
preparatory school. Between 1855 and 1923 it was known primarily as a school that prepared boys for entry to the
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...
. Thereafter, it was renamed Eastman's Preparatory School and continued until the 1940s. According to
Jonathan Betts
Jonathan Betts Order of the British Empire, MBE (born January 1955) is Curator Emeritus at the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, Royal Observatory (National Maritime Museum), Greenwich, a horological scholar and author, and an expert on the first marin ...
, it was "considered one of the top schools for boys intended for the Navy".
History
The introduction in 1838 of an entrance examination for the Royal Navy, although initially an undemanding test for most, encouraged the development of specialised educational establishments, of which Eastman's Royal Naval Academy was one. Despite its name, the Academy had no formal association with the Navy. It was founded by Thomas Eastman, a retired naval instructor, in 1851, and in 1854 had moved into a purpose-built building on South Parade, Southsea, England. There it catered primarily for
boarders but did take some day-boys.
When Eastman died in 1860 he was succeeded by one of the teaching staff, Dr George E. Spickernell (-1901), who a year later married Eastman's widow, Sarah, and continued as headmaster until 1885.
The school was advertising itself in ''
The Lancet
''The Lancet'' is a weekly peer-reviewed general medical journal and one of the oldest of its kind. It is also the world's highest-impact academic journal. It was founded in England in 1823.
The journal publishes original research articles, ...
'' in 1870, saying that it took boys from the age of nine, offered supervised bathing and boating, and had both a gymnasium and a
fives court. It claimed that over 900 pupils had gone on to careers in the armed services. There was a distinct nautical bent to the curriculum which, aside from teaching subjects such as
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
,
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Greece
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group.
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family.
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
and
English literature, included instruction in the tying of knots, carpentry and the rudiments of navigation. The proximity of the school to the sea was also exploited, especially when naval ships were present.
It had relocated to Winchester by 1898. It was among those that became accredited by the
Admiralty
Admiralty most often refers to:
*Admiralty, Hong Kong
*Admiralty (United Kingdom), military department in command of the Royal Navy from 1707 to 1964
*The rank of admiral
*Admiralty law
Admiralty can also refer to:
Buildings
* Admiralty, Traf ...
as examination centres for entrance to the Royal Navy, although the decision to single out a handful of schools in this way led to a successful protest from the Association of Preparatory School Headmasters in 1901. The Association considered the selection of a few was unfair to the remainder.
According to Hugh Owen, the school was known as Eastman's Preparatory School for Boys from 1911;
another source says that it was in 1923 that the then joint headmasters, Thomas Gilderdale and Donald Mercer, turned it into a general school known by that name.
[Eastman's Preparatory School, Southsea](_blank)
/ref> The school closed during World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
; between 1946-1954, prior to being demolished, the buildings at Southsea were used as a boarding house for Portsmouth Grammar School
The Portsmouth Grammar School is a co-educational independent day school in Portsmouth, England, located in the historic part of Portsmouth. It was founded in 1732 as a boys' school and is located on Portsmouth High Street.
History
In 1732, ...
.
Thomas Eastman's son, Thomas Eastman junior, had taught at the school in 1872, around the time that he was attending or due to attend the University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209 and granted a royal charter by Henry III in 1231, Cambridge is the world's third oldest surviving university and one of its most pr ...
, and was on the staff from 1876. In 1881, he opened his own school at Wallington, Hampshire
Wallington is a village in Hampshire, part of the borough of Fareham. It is situated between Portsmouth and Southampton near where the River Wallington enters Portsmouth Harbour.
The name Wallington probably means 'settlement of the Welsh' (or ...
, also called Eastman's Royal Naval Academy. In 1886, this school was moved to Stubbington
Stubbington is a village which is located between Southampton and Portsmouth, in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. It is within the borough of Fareham.
History
Both Stubbington and neighbouring Crofton were mentioned in ...
and in 1894 moved again to Northwood Park (former home of Philip Vanderbyl
Philip Vanderbyl (28 April 1827 – 16 May 1892) was a qualified doctor, merchant and a Liberal politician.
Biography
Vanderbyl was the son of P. V. Vanderbyl of the Cape of Good Hope. He trained as a doctor at the University of Edinburgh obt ...
), near Winchester. This coincided with a change of name to Northwood Park Naval College Northwood may refer to:
Places Australia
*Northwood, New South Wales
*Northwood, Victoria
Canada
* Northwood, Thunder Bay, Ontario, a neighbourhood in the city of Thunder Bay
United Kingdom
* Northwood, Derbyshire, a location in the U.K. ...
, which later became Eastman and Salter Private School before he closed it in 1913. The Northwood buildings were then sold to Clayesmore School
Clayesmore School is an independent school for boys and girls, aged 2 – 18 years, in the village of Iwerne Minster, Dorset, England. It is both a day and boarding school and is a member of The Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference (H ...
.
Notable alumni
According to Owen
Among those alumni were:
* Captain Augustus Agar
Commodore Augustus Willington Shelton Agar, (4 January 1890 – 30 December 1968) was a Royal Navy officer in both the First and the Second World Wars. He was a recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry in the face of th ...
, VC, DSO
* Admiral Sir Robert Burnett
Admiral Sir Robert Lindsay Burnett, (22 July 1887 – 2 July 1959) was an officer in the Royal Navy.
Naval career
Educated at Eastman's Royal Naval Academy and Bedford School, Burnett joined the Royal Navy in 1902. He served on the China St ...
, GBE, KCB, CStJ
The Order of St John, short for Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem (french: l'ordre très vénérable de l'Hôpital de Saint-Jean de Jérusalem) and also known as St John International, is a British royal order of c ...
, DSO
* Major Cecil Cameron
Major Cecil Aylmer Cameron (17 September 1883 – 19 August 1924) was a British Army officer and spymaster and also a central figure of a notable fraud trial of 1911.
The son of Colonel Aylmer Cameron VC, he was educated at Eastman's Royal Nava ...
, CBE
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations,
and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...
, DSO
* Sir C. Preston Colvin
* Charles Vandeleur Creagh Charles Vandeleur Creagh (4 October 1842 – 18 September 1917) was Governor of North Borneo from 1888 to 1895.
Career
Creagh was educated at the Royal Naval School, New Cross and Eastman’s Royal Naval Academy at Southsea. He was a barrister ...
, CMG
* Vice Admiral Sir William Rooke Creswell
Vice Admiral Sir William Rooke Creswell, (20 July 1852 – 20 April 1933) was an Australian naval officer, commonly considered to be the 'father' of the Royal Australian Navy.
Early life and family
Creswell was born in Gibraltar, son of Ed ...
* Sydney Dickens, naval officer and son of the novelist Charles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian e ...
* Vice-Admiral Sir Percy Douglas
Vice-Admiral Sir Henry Percy Douglas (1 November 1876 – 4 November 1939) was a British naval officer who specialised in surveying and was Hydrographer of the Navy.
Career
Henry Percy Douglas was educated at Eastman's Royal Naval Academy, So ...
, KCB CMG FRGS
The Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers), often shortened to RGS, is a learned society and professional body for geography based in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical scien ...
FRAS FRAS may refer to:
* Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society
(Whatever shines should be observed)
, predecessor =
, successor =
, formation =
, founder =
, extinction =
, merger ...
AICE
* Admiral Sir Martin Dunbar-Nasmith
Admiral Sir Martin Eric Dunbar-Nasmith, (1 April 1883 – 29 June 1965) was a Royal Navy officer and a recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth force ...
, VC KCB KCMG KCMG may refer to
* KC Motorgroup, based in Hong Kong, China
* Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George, British honour
* KCMG-LP, radio station in New Mexico, USA
* KCMG, callsign 1997-2001 of Los Angeles radio station KKLQ (FM) ...
* Admiral of the Fleet Sir Charles Forbes, GCB, DSO
* Field Marshal John French, 1st Earl of Ypres, KP, GCB, OM, GCVO
The Royal Victorian Order (french: Ordre royal de Victoria) is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the British monarch, Canadian monarch, Australian monarch, or ...
, KCMG KCMG may refer to
* KC Motorgroup, based in Hong Kong, China
* Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George, British honour
* KCMG-LP, radio station in New Mexico, USA
* KCMG, callsign 1997-2001 of Los Angeles radio station KKLQ (FM) ...
, ADC
ADC may refer to:
Science and medicine
* ADC (gene), a human gene
* AIDS dementia complex, neurological disorder associated with HIV and AIDS
* Allyl diglycol carbonate or CR-39, a polymer
* Antibody-drug conjugate, a type of anticancer treatm ...
, PC
* Lieutenant Commander Rupert Gould
Rupert Thomas Gould (16 November 1890 – 5 October 1948) was a lieutenant-commander in the British Royal Navy noted for his contributions to horology (the science and study of timekeeping devices). He was also an author and radio personality.
...
* Frederick Hervey, 4th Marquess of Bristol
* Commander Loftus William Jones VC
* Joseph Kenworthy, 10th Baron Strabolgi
Joseph Montague Kenworthy, 10th Baron Strabolgi (7 March 1886 – 8 October 1953), was a Liberal and then a Labour Party Member of Parliament in the United Kingdom.
Education and naval service
Strabolgi was born at Leamington in Warwickshire an ...
* Admiral Sir Geoffrey Layton
Admiral Sir Geoffrey Layton, (20 April 1884 – 4 September 1964) was a Royal Navy officer. He was in command of the submarine when, under attack from German vessels, it ran aground off the Danish coast during the First World War. Despite this ...
, GBE, KCB, KCMG KCMG may refer to
* KC Motorgroup, based in Hong Kong, China
* Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George, British honour
* KCMG-LP, radio station in New Mexico, USA
* KCMG, callsign 1997-2001 of Los Angeles radio station KKLQ (FM) ...
, DSO
* Admiral Sir Albert Hastings Markham
Admiral Sir Albert Hastings Markham (11 November 1841 – 28 October 1918) was a British explorer, author, and officer in the Royal Navy. In 1903 he was invested as a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath. He is also remembered for desig ...
, KCB
* Admiral of the Fleet Sir William May, GCB GCVO
The Royal Victorian Order (french: Ordre royal de Victoria) is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the British monarch, Canadian monarch, Australian monarch, or ...
* Admiral Sir Harry Rawson
Admiral Sir Harry Holdsworth Rawson, (5 November 1843 – 3 November 1910) was a senior officer in the Royal Navy. He is chiefly remembered for overseeing the Benin Expedition of 1897, a British punitive expedition against the Kingdom of Benin ...
, GCB GCMG
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George IV, Prince of Wales, while he was acting as prince regent for his father, King George III.
It is named in honour ...
* Vice-Admiral Sir Charles Royds, KBE CMG ADC
ADC may refer to:
Science and medicine
* ADC (gene), a human gene
* AIDS dementia complex, neurological disorder associated with HIV and AIDS
* Allyl diglycol carbonate or CR-39, a polymer
* Antibody-drug conjugate, a type of anticancer treatm ...
FRGS
The Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers), often shortened to RGS, is a learned society and professional body for geography based in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical scien ...
* Admiral Sir Percy Royds
Admiral Sir Percy Molyneux Rawson Royds CB CMG ADC (5 April 1874 – 25 March 1955) was a British admiral and politician.
Naval career
Royds was born in Rochdale, the son of Ernest Royds and the older brother of Charles Royds, also later a ...
, CB CMG ADC
ADC may refer to:
Science and medicine
* ADC (gene), a human gene
* AIDS dementia complex, neurological disorder associated with HIV and AIDS
* Allyl diglycol carbonate or CR-39, a polymer
* Antibody-drug conjugate, a type of anticancer treatm ...
* Admiral Sir Percy Scott
Admiral Sir Percy Moreton Scott, 1st Baronet, (10 July 1853 – 18 October 1924) was a British Royal Navy officer and a pioneer in modern naval gunnery. During his career he proved to be an engineer and problem solver of some considerable f ...
* Admiral of the Fleet Sir Edward Hobart Seymour
Admiral of the Fleet Sir Edward Hobart Seymour, (30 April 1840 – 2 March 1929) was a Royal Navy officer. As a junior officer he served in the Black Sea during the Crimean War. He then took part in the sinking of the war-junks, the Battle of ...
*Robert Scot Skirving
Robert Scot Skirving (1859 – 1956) was a physician and surgeon in Australia. He was born in the United Kingdom. The University of Sydney named the Scot Skirving Prize (for Medicine and Surgery) in his honour.
Life
He was born on 18 December 18 ...
, surgeon
See also
* Stubbington House School
Stubbington House School was founded in 1841 as a boys' preparatory school, originally located in the Hampshire village of Stubbington, around from the Solent. Stubbington House School was known by the sobriquet "the cradle of the Navy". The sc ...
* Burney's Academy
Dr. Burney's Academy, founded 1791 by William Burney
(1762 – December 1832), was a preparatory school or "crammer" in Gosport, Hampshire, England, whose aim was to prepare young men for the Royal Navy's entrance examinations and a naval c ...
References
Notes
Citations
{{Authority control
Educational institutions established in 1851
Defunct schools in Hampshire
Preparatory schools in Hampshire
Preparatory schools associated with the Royal Navy
1851 establishments in England