Peter Arnold-Craft (1926–2004) was a British headmaster and historian. Arnold-Craft was headmaster at

Gravesend Grammar School Gravesend Grammar School is a selective grammar school with academy status located in Gravesend, Kent, England. The school accepts boys at age 11 by examination accepting a cohort of the top 15-20% and boys and girls at 16, based on their GCS ...

between 1963 and 1968, and then became headmaster at the prestigious

Liverpool Blue Coat School The Liverpool Blue Coat School is a grammar school in Wavertree, Liverpool, England. It was founded in 1708 by Bryan Blundell and the Reverend Robert Styth as the Liverpool Blue Coat Hospital and was for many years a boys' boarding school befo ...

, where he served for twenty-one years. As well as this, Arnold-Craft edited a number of books about 18th century portraiture with J.S. Millward.

Early life and education

Peter Arnold-Craft was born in

Nunnington Nunnington is a village and civil parish in the Ryedale district of North Yorkshire, England. The River Rye runs through. Its population, including Stonegrave, taken at the 2011 census was 361. It is rich in listed historic buildings. History ...

North Yorkshire North Yorkshire is the largest ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county (lieutenancy area) in England, covering an area of . Around 40% of the county is covered by National parks of the United Kingdom, national parks, including most of ...

, his parents were both teachers. From school Arnold-Craft went up to

Brasenose College, Oxford Brasenose College (BNC) is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. It began as Brasenose Hall in the 13th century, before being founded as a college in 1509. The library and chapel were added in the mi ...

, where he studied history. His studies were interrupted by the war, during which Arnold-Craft served as a flight lieutenant in the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

. Arnold-Craft returned to his studies at Oxford, gaining a first class honours degree and also earned a tennis

Blue Blue is one of the three primary colours in the RYB colour model (traditional colour theory), as well as in the RGB (additive) colour model. It lies between violet and cyan on the spectrum of visible light. The eye perceives blue when obs ...

Career and life

After Oxford Arnold-Craft taught history at

Magdalen College School, Oxford Magdalen College School (MCS) is a public school (English independent day school) in Oxford, England, for boys aged seven to eighteen and for girls in the sixth form. It was founded by William Waynflete about 1480 as part of Magdalen College ...

steering and inspiring many pupils to Oxford and Cambridge, among them several who went on to be headmasters themselves. He then became the headmaster at

in 1963. in 1968, after his five years at Gravesend, Arnold-Craft took up the post of headmaster at the

, a boys day and boarding grammar school in Liverpool, remaining until his retirement in 1989, making him one of the longest serving headmasters at Blue Coat. He gained a reputation as one of the most respected figures in the Blue Coat School's 300-year history. Arnold-Craft guided many pupils at the school to Oxford and Cambridge and oversaw an era in which the academic success of the school flourished. Arnold-Craft also fought rigorously to overturn the "cease to maintain order" placed on the school in 1984 by the militant-led city council, eventually succeeding with the help of the then education secretary

Sir Keith Joseph Keith Sinjohn Joseph, Baron Joseph, (17 January 1918 – 10 December 1994), known as Sir Keith Joseph, 2nd Baronet, for most of his political life, was a British politician, intellectual and barrister. A member of the Conservative Party, he ...

and 32,596 supporters who opposed the action of the council. During his professional career as a master and headmaster, Arnold-Craft published five books as editor, about 18th century history, particularly focusing on portraiture. These books, co-edited with J.S. Millward, were published between 1962 and 1969. Arnold-Craft retired in 1989 to

where he died in 2004. A memorial plaque in the school chapel of the

was unveiled after his death, and an award for creative writing named after Arnold-Craft is still given at the Blue Coat School.

also awards a school prize in his honour.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Arnold-Craft, Peter Heads of schools in England Alumni of Brasenose College, Oxford 1926 births 2004 deaths 20th-century British historians Schoolteachers from Kent People from Ryedale (district) Schoolteachers from Merseyside