The King's School, Gloucester
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The King's School is a co-educational
independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...
day school in
Gloucester Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean to the west, east of Monmouth and east ...
, in the county of
Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( abbreviated Glos) is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn and the entire Forest of Dean. The county town is the city of Gl ...
, England. It traces its heritage to a monastic school founded in the 11th century in the cloisters of
Gloucester Cathedral Gloucester Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of St Peter and the Holy and Indivisible Trinity, in Gloucester, England, stands in the north of the city near the River Severn. It originated with the establishment of a minster dedicated to S ...
. It became one of seven 'King's Schools' established, or re-endowed by
King Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disag ...
in 1541 after the Dissolution of the Monasteries.


History

The current school was officially founded in 1541 as a direct consequence of the
English Reformation The English Reformation took place in 16th-century England when the Church of England broke away from the authority of the pope and the Catholic Church. These events were part of the wider European Protestant Reformation, a religious and poli ...
, when Gloucester Cathedral was established. However, education had been an important part of the work of the cathedral's predecessor, the Benedictine Abbey of St Peter. When Abbot Serlo arrived in Gloucester in 1072, he found 'about eight little boys' in the abbey. This small medieval school took in two types of boys; some were 'child-oblates' training to become monks, whilst others were learning grammar for more secular careers. Gerald of Wales, who became a senior figure in the church and royal government during the reign of Henry II, attended the school in about 1160. In one of the many books he wrote, Gerald explained 'when I was in the years of boyhood and the days of my green youth I studied in the Abbey of St Peter at Gloucester under that most learned scholar, Master Haimo'. Today the King's School still cherishes the strong links it has with the cathedral that replaced the medieval abbey; these links are formalised by the fact that all Gloucester's boy and girl choristers are educated at King's. In 1540 Henry VIII closed the Abbey of St Peter. In its place, by a charter of 1541 and statues of 1544, he established the new cathedral and a school known as the 'College School'. The statutes required the headmaster of the school to be "skilful in Latin and Greek, of good character and of godly life, well qualified for teaching, who may train up in piety and good learning those children who shall resort to our school for grammar". From 1541 until 1849 this school met in the former monastic library, a room which today is used as the Cathedral Library. Robert Aufield was the College School's first recorded headmaster. In 1616 the controversial reformer William Laud was appointed Dean of Gloucester. One of the many changes he made was to insist that the school attend early morning prayers in his Lady Chapel. This decision inaugurated the tradition of morning assemblies, which still take place in the cathedral most days. The school became embroiled in the religious disputes which led to the outbreak of the Civil War. After its victory, in 1649 Parliament abolished all cathedral establishments and the school was brought under the control of the City Council. After enduring a tumultuous time in the mid-17th century, the school prospered and experienced significant growth during the 18th century. Under headmaster Maurice Wheeler (1684 - 1712), the school housed about 80 boys and a series of reforms were instituted. Cathedral choristers were fully integrated as pupils rather than being educated in separate classes. A proper library was created and, alongside the rigours of Latin and Greek, the curriculum was extended to include Physical Education and gardening. It was in Wheeler's period that the school began to be referred to as "The King's School". Wheeler also initiated a competition known as the 'Combat of the Pen', which is still used by the school today to acknowledge high quality work. In the mid-19th century, following a serious fire, the school moved into a new purpose-built Victorian schoolroom, where it flourished under headmaster Hugh Fowler. Towards the end of the century, a period of decline set in, mainly due to financial challenges, the rise of other public schools and the unwillingness of the Dean and Chapter to maintain more than a 'music school'. At the time of the First World War the school was a very small one with just 30 or so pupils, the majority of them choristers. A modest recovery occurred in the 1920s, but the striking revival of the school's fortunes came in the 1950s and 1960s inspired by the reforms of headmaster Tom Brown. The school expanded rapidly, gaining a new base in the Old Bishop's Palace from 1955 and moving toward co-education from 1969.


Buildings and facilities

The school is housed in a mix of medieval, 19th century and modern buildings located next to
Gloucester Cathedral Gloucester Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of St Peter and the Holy and Indivisible Trinity, in Gloucester, England, stands in the north of the city near the River Severn. It originated with the establishment of a minster dedicated to S ...
in the city centre. The cathedral is used for assemblies most mornings and also for concerts, special services and whole school occasions. Junior School has its own modern classrooms built above the dining hall in the 1970s, opening onto the landscaped Paddock and providing access to the nearby Science laboratories. Senior School is based in the 19th century Old Bishop's Palace and in medieval Little Cloister House, which contains one of the oldest rooms to be used as a classroom anywhere in the country. Dulverton House originated as part of the monastic infirmary and has been imaginatively refurbished to provide a well-resourced Sixth Form Centre.C. Harward, 'From Abbey Infirmary to Academic Accommodation', Current Archaeology (September 2022), Pages 50 - 54 The Victorian schoolroom, now known as the Ivor Gurney Hall, provides an airy and colourful base for dance and drama. Art and Design has its own designated area in Wardle House, a cathedral property which dates back to the 17th century. Music is based in the elegant 19th century former Probate Office. * Little King's, for 3-5 year olds * Junior school, for ages 6–11 * Senior school, for ages 11–16 * Sixth Form, for ages 16–18 Pupils are divided into Houses. In Junior School the houses - Potter, Simpkin and Tailor - take their names from the famous 'Tailor of Gloucester' story. In the Senior School, the houses are Laud, Wheeler and Serlo, named after, respectively, Archbishop William Laud, Maurice Wheeler, a former headmaster, and Abbot Serlo, an important figure in the founding of St Peter's Abbey. There are House competitions all year round, including sports, music, drama and quizzes.


Archdeacon Meadow

The school owns Archdeacon Meadow, which is used as a sports field for rugby and
cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...
. For many years the Meadow was the home of the annual Gloucester Cricket Festival and still hosts occasional T-20 fixtures. Facilities have recently been modernised to include an indoor sports centre, built in 2012, and an all-weather hockey pitch completed in 2019.


Notable former students

*
Arthur Benoni Evans Arthur Benoni Evans (1781–1854) was a British writer. Evans was born at Compton Beauchamp in the English county of Berkshire (now in Oxfordshire), on 25 March 1781. His father, the Rev. Lewis Evans, vicar of Froxfield, Wiltshire, was a well-kn ...
, a sermon-writer *
Luke Bond Luke Bond (born 2 February 1980) is a British organist and is currently Assistant Organist at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, where he played prominently for the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle and the funeral of Prince Philip, Duke ...
, organist at Windsor Castle * F. W. Harvey: 'The Laureate of Gloucestershire' a 20th-century English poet, known for poems composed in prisoner-of-war camps that were sent back to England during
World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
. While at the King's school together Gurney and Harvey formed a close friendship, later in his life Harvey claimed that it was at King's that 'he learned to love music and ''how'' to learn'. * William Hayes: 1708-1777: Chorister at
Gloucester Cathedral Gloucester Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of St Peter and the Holy and Indivisible Trinity, in Gloucester, England, stands in the north of the city near the River Severn. It originated with the establishment of a minster dedicated to S ...
and articled to William Hine (organist). Organist at Shrewsbury, Worcester and later Informator Choristarum at
Magdalen College, Oxford Magdalen College (, ) is a constituent college of the University of Oxford. It was founded in 1458 by William of Waynflete. Today, it is the fourth wealthiest college, with a financial endowment of £332.1 million as of 2019 and one of the s ...
. Professor of Music at Oxford University. Composer of The Passions (performed at various Three Choirs Festivals), concertos and Ode to Echo. Founder of the Holywell Music Room in Oxford. Father of Philip Hayes, composer. *
Ivor Gurney Ivor Bertie Gurney (28 August 1890 – 26 December 1937) was an English poet and composer, particularly of songs. He was born and raised in Gloucester. He suffered from bipolar disorder through much of his life and spent his last 15 years in ps ...
: A 20th-century composer and poet; famous for poetry volumes ''Severn and Somme'' (1917) and ''War's Embers'' (1919), and well known songs such as ''Sleep''. He makes direct references to the King's school in his poem ''Day-boys and Choristers'' (1919). *
Button Gwinnett Button Gwinnett (March 3, 1735 – May 19, 1777) was a British-born American Founding Father who, as a representative of Georgia to the Continental Congress, was one of the signers (first signature on the left) of the United States Declaration o ...
: mid 18th century; On behalf of Georgia signed the
United States Declaration of Independence The United States Declaration of Independence, formally The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen States of America, is the pronouncement and founding document adopted by the Second Continental Congress meeting at Pennsylvania State House ...
. With the outbreak of the
American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...
, he became the President and Commander-in-chief of the U.S. state of Georgia. He died shortly afterwards when he somewhat foolishly challenged one of his political enemies to a duel, the injuries resulted in his death a few days later. Incidentally his autograph is one of the most valuable in the World due to its rarity. *
Andy Johns Jeremy Andrew "Andy" Johns (20 May 1950 – 7 April 2013) was a British sound engineer and record producer who worked on several well-known rock albums, including the Rolling Stones' '' Exile on Main St.'' (1972), Television's '' Marquee Moon'' ...
: British record producer most famous for his work with Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, Van Halen, Joni Mitchell and Rod Stewart. Born in England, Johns moved to Los Angeles in the 1970s with his wife Anet. Johns died on 7 April 2012, after completing work on his final record,
Sabyrtooth Sabyrtooth are an American rock duo composed of musicians Coley Carnegie and Abi Mae. The duo are strongly influenced by hard rock, grunge, heavy metal and punk. Their sound has been described as combining "ethereal, bittersweet vocals" with "v ...
's "Laugh Until I Die." *
Simon Pegg Simon John Pegg (né Beckingham; born 14 February 1970) is an English actor, comedian, screenwriter, and producer. He came to prominence in the UK as the co-creator of the Channel 4 sitcom ''Spaced'' (1999–2001), directed by Edgar Wright. H ...
: Attended the junior school. English actor, comedian, writer, film producer and director most famous for his work in ''Hot Fuzz'', ''Shaun of the Dead'' and ''
Star Trek ''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the eponymous 1960s television series and quickly became a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon. The franchise has expanded into vari ...
''. Born and lived in Brockworth for most of his childhood. *
George Sheringham George Sheringham (13 November 1884 – 11 November 1937) was a British painter and theatre designer. One of the first recipients of the Royal Designers for Industry distinction in 1937, he is remembered for his work for the D’Oyly Carte Opera ...
: painter and theatre designer *
John Stafford Smith John Stafford Smith (bapt. 30 March 175021 September 1836) was a British composer, church organist, and early musicologist. He was one of the first serious collectors of manuscripts of works by Johann Sebastian Bach. Smith is best known for w ...
: late 18th century; wrote the tune for "
To Anacreon in Heaven "The Anacreontic Song", also known by its incipit "To Anacreon in Heaven", was the official song of the Anacreontic Society, an 18th-century gentlemen's club of amateur musicians in London. Composed by John Stafford Smith, the tune was later used ...
". In 1814
Francis Scott Key Francis Scott Key (August 1, 1779January 11, 1843) was an American lawyer, author, and amateur poet from Frederick, Maryland, who wrote the lyrics for the American national anthem "The Star-Spangled Banner". Key observed the British bombardment ...
would set his poem to this piece and was named Star Spangled Banner, the National Anthem of the United States.


References


External links


School WebsiteProfile
on the
ISC #REDIRECT ISC {{redirect category shell, {{R from other capitalisation{{R from ambiguous page ...
website * ISI Inspectio
Reports
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kings School, The 1541 establishments in England Choir schools in England Educational institutions established in the 1540s Independent schools in Gloucestershire Member schools of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference Schools in Gloucester Schools with a royal charter