Newcome's School was a fashionable boys' school in Hackney, then to the east of London, founded in the early 18th century. A number of prominent Whig families sent their sons there. The school closed in 1815, and the buildings were gutted in 1820. In 1825 the London Orphan Asylum opened on the site. Today the Clapton Girls' Academy is located here.

History

Newcome's school was established in the early 18th century. During the 18th century and early 19th century, Hackney was home to schools of all kinds, including a number of significant

dissenting academies The dissenting academies were schools, colleges and seminaries (often institutions with aspects of all three) run by English Dissenters, that is, Protestants who did not conform to the Church of England. They formed a significant part of educatio ...

. It was considered a healthy area, close to London and with easy access in all weathers via the Old North Road. Many prominent Whig families sent their sons to the school, resulting in a large number of Members of Parliament having received their education there. Dr. Henry Newcome, who gave the school its name, was noted for Whig political principles, and the school stayed in the family for three generations, to 1803. The family descended from Henry Newcome, a prominent nonconformist minister in Manchester. His third son Peter was an Anglican priest, and the father of the Henry Newcome who gave the school its name. Distinguished pupils included

Augustus FitzRoy, 3rd Duke of Grafton Augustus Henry FitzRoy, 3rd Duke of Grafton (28 September 173514 March 1811), styled Earl of Euston between 1747 and 1757, was a British Whig statesman of the Georgian era. He is one of a handful of dukes who have served as Prime Minister of t ...

, Prime Minister from 1768 to 1770, and two

Founding Fathers of the United States The Founding Fathers of the United States, often simply referred to as the Founding Fathers or the Founders, were a group of late-18th-century American Revolution, American revolutionary leaders who United Colonies, united the Thirteen Colon ...

(Middleton and Nelson). The school closed in 1815, and the building was knocked down in 1820. In 1825 the London Orphan Asylum opened on the site. The ''History of Parliament'' (1820–1832) comments that, even after its closure, the school could count nine Members of Parliament educated there in the period. It sent 42 pupils to

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any ...

. Today the Clapton Girls' Academy is located on the site.

Drama

Newcome's School was noted for a series of dramatic productions. In some case a

prologue A prologue or prolog (from Ancient Greek πρόλογος ''prólogos'', from πρό ''pró'', "before" and λόγος ''lógos'', "speech") is an opening to a story that establishes the context and gives background details, often some earlier st ...

epilogue An epilogue or epilog (from Greek ἐπίλογος ''epílogos'', "conclusion" from ἐπί ''epi'', "in addition" and λόγος ''logos'', "word") is a piece of writing at the end of a work of literature, usually used to bring closure to the ...

was written specially. The school was one of a group that acted as preparatory schools to

Westminster School Westminster School is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school in Westminster, London, England, in the precincts of Westminster Abbey. It descends from a charity school founded by Westminster Benedictines before the Norman Conquest, as do ...

; the dramatic tradition imitated Westminster's, with the difference that plays were in English (rather than Latin). One of the contributors of prologues was

David Garrick David Garrick (19 February 1716 – 20 January 1779) was an English actor, playwright, Actor-manager, theatre manager and producer who influenced nearly all aspects of European theatrical practice throughout the 18th century, and was a pupil a ...

. The custom of giving a play every three years was also taken over from the Elizabethan statutes of Westminster School. It ended about 1800. * 1720s A prologue and epilogue to ''

Tamerlane Timur, also known as Tamerlane (1320s17/18 February 1405), was a Turco-Mongol tradition, Turco-Mongol conqueror who founded the Timurid Empire in and around modern-day Afghanistan, Iran, and Central Asia, becoming the first ruler of the Timuri ...

'' by Nicholas Rowe were written by

Richard Steele Sir Richard Steele ( – 1 September 1729) was an Anglo-Irish writer, playwright and politician best known as the co-founder of the magazine ''The Spectator (1711), The Spectator'' alongside his close friend Joseph Addison. Early life Steel ...

, it is thought for use by the school. * '' The Siege of Damascus'' by John Hughes, with John Hoadly and Charles Plumptre * 1748 '' Henry IV Part I'', epilogue written by John Hoadly. * About 1761. ''

Andria Andria (; Barese: ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in the Apulia region of Southern Italy. It is an agricultural and service center, producing wine, olives and almonds. It is the fourth-largest municipality in the Apulia region (behind ...

'' by

Terence Publius Terentius Afer (; – ), better known in English as Terence (), was a playwright during the Roman Republic. He was the author of six Roman comedy, comedies based on Greek comedy, Greek originals by Menander or Apollodorus of Carystus. A ...

, prologue by Garrick. * 1764 ''Siege of Damascus'' (revival), prologue by John Hoadly * 1777, ''Henry IV Part I'', epilogue by George Keate. * 1783 ''

King Lear ''The Tragedy of King Lear'', often shortened to ''King Lear'', is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare. It is loosely based on the mythological Leir of Britain. King Lear, in preparation for his old age, divides his ...

'' * 1802 ''

Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (12 or 13 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC) was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in Caesar's civil wa ...

'', epilogue written. Other plays known to have been given by the performance of ''Andria'' were Shakespeare's ''King John'' and ''Macbeth''.

Staff

James Greenwood was usher (assistant head teacher) under Benjamin Morland, then leaving to set up his own academy. George Budd taught art there. William Coleridge, elder brother of

Samuel Taylor Coleridge Samuel Taylor Coleridge ( ; 21 October 177225 July 1834) was an English poet, literary critic, philosopher, and theologian who was a founder of the Romantic Movement in England and a member of the Lake Poets with his friend William Wordsworth ...

, taught at the school in the 1780s.

Head Masters

* Benjamin Morland, F.R.S., who became High Master of

St Paul's School, London St Paul's School is a Selective school, selective Private schools in the United Kingdom, independent day school (with limited boarding school, boarding) for boys aged 13–18, founded in 1509 by John Colet and located on a 43-acre site by Rive ...

in 1721. * Henry Newcome, LL.D. (baptised 1689, died 1756). He was educated at St Paul's School and

Emmanuel College, Cambridge Emmanuel College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college was founded in 1584 by Sir Walter Mildmay, Chancellor of the Exchequer to Elizabeth I. The site on which the college sits was once a priory for Dominican mo ...

. Newcome's doctoral degree is not placed by Venn, but he certainly used it and was known as "Dr. Newcome". He married Morland's daughter Lydia in 1714, and took over the school. His second wife was Anne Yalden. * 1756 Peter Newcome, son of Henry Newcome. * Henry Newcome, half-brother of Peter. * Richard Newcome, son of Henry, to 1803. * Charles Thomas Heathcote, head from 1805. He had been a Fellow of

and assistant master of

Charterhouse School Charterhouse is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school (English independent boarding school for pupils aged 13–18) in Godalming, Surrey, England. Founded by Thomas Sutton in 1611 on the site of the old Carthusian monastery in Charter ...

; he was vicar of Rodmersham and then Little Wigborough. In his time it was known as Hackney School.

Pupils

* George Augustus Addison * Charles Bosanquet * Charles John Brandling * Montagu Burgoyne * Stratford Canning. *

Henry Cavendish Henry Cavendish ( ; 10 October 1731 – 24 February 1810) was an English experimental and theoretical chemist and physicist. He is noted for his discovery of hydrogen, which he termed "inflammable air". He described the density of inflammable a ...

* Lord John Cavendish * Richard Muilman Trench Chiswell * William Clubbe * Sir William Congreve, 2nd Baronet * Thomas Creevey * William Dade * Charles Feake * Sir George Ralph Fetherston, 3rd Baronet of Ardagh *

Augustus Henry FitzRoy, 3rd Duke of Grafton Augustus Henry FitzRoy, 3rd Duke of Grafton (28 September 173514 March 1811), styled Earl of Euston between 1747 and 1757, was a British Whig statesman of the Georgian era. He is one of a handful of dukes who have served as prime minister. H ...

and Lord Charles FitzRoy * Sir Gilbert Heathcote, 4th Baronet *

Frederick Hervey, 4th Earl of Bristol Frederick Augustus Hervey, 4th Earl of Bristol, (1 August 1730 – 8 July 1803), was an 18th-century Church of England, Anglican prelate. Elected Bishop of Cloyne in 1767 and Translation (ecclesiastical), translated to the see of Derry in 1 ...

Benjamin Hoadly Benjamin Hoadly (14 November 167617 April 1761) was an English clergyman, who was successively Bishop of Bangor, of Hereford, of Salisbury, and finally of Winchester. He is best known as the initiator of the Bangorian Controversy. Life ...

* John Hoadly * Sir Claudius Hunter, 1st Baronet * James Jurin the younger * James Winter Lake *

Aylmer Bourke Lambert Aylmer Bourke Lambert (2 February 1761 – 10 January 1842) was a British botanist, one of the first fellows of the Linnean Society. Early life Aylmer Bourke Lambert was born at Bath, England, Bath, England on 2 February 1761, the son of E ...

; the curriculum in his time has been described as "undemanding". * Crisp Molineux * Ralph Leycester * John Luther * Peter Newcome * Henry Handley Norris * John Ord * Sir Hugh Owen, 5th Baronet * John Pardoe * Peter Payne *

Richard Pennant, 1st Baron Penrhyn Richard Pennant, 1st Baron Penrhyn (1737 – 21 January 1808) was a British politician who represented Petersfield and Liverpool in the House of Commons of Great Britain from 1761 to 1790. He was the owner of Penrhyn Castle, an estate on the ou ...

* Louis Hayes Petit. * James Plumptre * Robert Plumptre * John Rushout, 2nd Baron Northwick * Sir Lumley Skeffington, 2nd Baronet *

Hans Sloane Sir Hans Sloane, 1st Baronet, (16 April 1660 – 11 January 1753), was an Irish physician, naturalist, and collector. He had a collection of 71,000 items which he bequeathed to the British nation, thus providing the foundation of the British ...

Oliver St John Sir Oliver St John (; c. 1598 – 31 December 1673) was an English barrister, judge and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1640-53. He supported the Parliamentary cause in the English Civil War. Early life St John was the son o ...

* Matthew St Quintin * Sir William St Quintin, 4th Baronet * Henry Taylor * Benjamin Vaughan * William Vaughan * Charles Western, 1st Baron Western * Edward Charles Whinyates * The brothers Charles Yorke, Joseph Yorke, 1st Baron Dover,

Philip Yorke, 2nd Earl of Hardwicke Philip Yorke, 2nd Earl of Hardwicke, Privy Council of the United Kingdom, PC, Fellow of the Royal Society, FRS (9 March 1720 – 16 May 1790), styled Viscount Royston between 1754 and 1764, was a British politician and writer. Life The eldest ...

, James Yorke, and John Yorke. Their father

Philip Yorke, 1st Earl of Hardwicke Philip Yorke, 1st Earl of Hardwicke, (1 December 16906 March 1764) was an England, English lawyer and politician who served as Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain. He was a close confidant of the Duke of Newcastle, Prime Minister between 1 ...

had been a pupil of

Samuel Morland Sir Samuel Morland, 1st Baronet (1625 – 30 December 1695), or Moreland, was an English academic, diplomat, spy, inventor and mathematician of the 17th century, a polymath credited with early developments in relation to computing, hydraulic ...

, a dissenting tutor, in

Bethnal Green Bethnal Green is an area in London, England, and is located in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is in east London and part of the East End of London, East End. The area emerged from the small settlement which developed around the common la ...

. Samuel Morland, Benjamin Morland who founded the school and Joseph Morland the physician were brothers. * Philip Yorke the antiquarian

American pupils

* Ralph Izard * Arthur Middleton * Thomas Nelson, Jr. * Jonathan Sewell

References

{{Coord, 51, 33, 13, N, 00, 03, 04, W, type:edu_region:GB, display=title 18th-century establishments in England Educational institutions established in the 18th century 1815 disestablishments in England Educational institutions disestablished in 1815 Buildings and structures demolished in 1820 Defunct schools in the London Borough of Hackney Buildings and structures in the London Borough of Hackney Demolished buildings and structures in London