Godolphin School is an independent boarding and day school for girls in

Salisbury Salisbury ( ) is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England with a population of 41,820, at the confluence of the rivers Avon, Nadder and Bourne. The city is approximately from Southampton and from Bath. Salisbury is in the southeast of Wil ...

, England, which was founded in 1726 and opened in 1784. The school educates girls between the ages of three and eighteen.

History

Godolphin was founded by

Elizabeth Godolphin Elizabeth Godolphin (baptised in 1663 – 29 July 1726) was a British school founder and benefactor. She is buried in Westminster Abbey. Godolphin School, Salisbury, is named after her. Life Her birth date is unknown but she was baptised in 1663 ...

using her own money and some from the estate of her husband, Charles. She created the school originally for the education of eight young orphaned gentlewomen. According to the terms of the will, the beneficiaries were to be daughters of members of the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...

, between eight and twelve years of age, born in Salisbury or some other Wiltshire town, and to have had "some portion left to them but not exceeding £400". The girls were to be taught to "dance, work, read, write, cast accounts and the business of housewifery". This was a fairly advanced curriculum for its time, since girls of this class were expected to be able to read but not necessarily to be able to write. The new charity was initially to be administered by her nephew William Godolphin and his heirs, The dean and chapter declined to take on the task on the grounds that the idea of educating women was "mere foolery and dreaming". Every year, in November, the school commemorates its founder Elizabeth Godolphin when the head girl, accompanied by members of the upper sixth, lay a wreath on her tomb in the cloister of

Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an historic, mainly Gothic church in the City of Westminster, London, England, just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is one of the United ...

. This ceremony is known to girls past and present as "Commem." The school did not open its doors until 9 August 1784, when it was set up in Rosemary Lane, in the Cathedral Close, Salisbury. It later occupied various houses in the vicinity, including

Arundells Arundells is a Grade II* listed house at 59 Cathedral Close, Salisbury, Wiltshire, England. Located on the West Walk of the Close, next to the 'Wardrobe' (Rifles Museum), it was the home of Edward Heath, the former Prime Minister of the United ...

, more recently the home of

Sir Edward Heath Sir Edward Richard George Heath (9 July 191617 July 2005), often known as Ted Heath, was a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1970 to 1974 and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1965 to 1975. Heath a ...

, and finally the King's House. A prospectus of 1789, written by the headmistress, Mrs Voysey, promised a regime of early rising, "agreeable exercise" and a diet of wholesome books "such as enlarge the heart to Virtue and excellency of Sentiment". Following an outbreak of

cholera Cholera is an infection of the small intestine by some strains of the bacterium ''Vibrio cholerae''. Symptoms may range from none, to mild, to severe. The classic symptom is large amounts of watery diarrhea that lasts a few days. Vomiting and ...

in 1848, the school moved to Milford Hill, where for nearly half a century it occupied various premises, including Fawcett House on Elm Grove, which was later to become the Swan School. Under the leadership of Miss Polhill (1854–1857) and M. T. Andrews (1875–1890), numbers were small and the curriculum narrow. Then, in 1890, Mary Douglas arrived. Described variously as a 'headmistress of genius' and 'the second founder of the School', her headship saw a tenfold increase in numbers from 23 in 1890 to 230 in 1920, the year she retired. In 1891, the distinctive red-brick building on the top of Milford Hill was opened at a cost of £4000, and in the years that followed several new boarding houses were added. During the 1890s school fees were 4 guineas per term for pupils under 12, 5 guineas for pupils from 12 to 15, and 6 guineas for pupils over 15. In 1904 an additional six acres were purchased to extend the school grounds, which were then landscaped on the side facing

Laverstock Laverstock is a village and civil parish on the north-east and east outskirts of Salisbury in the ceremonial county of Wiltshire, England. The parish is shaped like a figure 7 and incorporates Ford hamlet, the eastern half of the former manor of ...

. In 1914 oak panelling, which gives the hall its unique atmosphere, was installed; and in 1925 an open-air swimming pool was opened. Additions to the school since the

Second World War 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 opposin ...

have included a new library building, several new boarding houses, a science and technology block, a prep school, a performing arts centre, an indoor swimming pool with fitness centre, a new boarding house and a Sixth Form Centre. The arms and motto of the school are those of the Godolphin family. The motto ''Franc ha leal eto ge'' is

Old Cornish Cornish ( Standard Written Form: or ) , is a Southwestern Brittonic language of the Celtic language family. It is a revived language, having become extinct as a living community language in Cornwall at the end of the 18th century. However, k ...

and means 'Frank and loyal art thou'. The formal uniform includes a blazer, skirt, shirt, a traditional "pinny" and

boater __NOTOC__ A boater (also straw boater, basher, skimmer, The English Panama, cady, katie, canotier, somer, sennit hat, or in Japan, can-can hat, suruken) is a semi-formal summer hat for men, which was popularised in the late 19th century and ear ...

. Godolphin was awarded the ''Sunday Times'' Southwest Independent Secondary School of the Year 2019.

Headmistresses

* Mrs Voysey *1784–: Miss Giffard (Mrs Davis) *1815–: Anna Maria Alford *1829–: Miss Emily *1832–1854: Margaret Bazeley *1854–1857: Miss Polhill (Mrs Cother) *1857–1875: Emma Polhill *1875–1890: M. T. Andrews *1890–1919: Mary Alice Douglas *1920–1935: Cecily Ray Ash *1935–1940: D. M. M. Edwards-Rees *1940–1958: G. May Jerred *1958–1967: Miss Engledow *1968–1980: Veronica Fraser *1980–1989: Elizabeth Prescott-Decie (Hannay) *1989–1996: Hilary Fender *1996–2010: Jill Horsburgh *2010–2013: Samantha Price *2014–2022: Emma Hattersley *2022– : Jenny Price

Notable former pupils

Antonia Bernath Antonia Geraldine Audrey Lee Bernath (born 1980/1981) is an English actress, voiceover artist and singer. She began her career in the CBS series ''Elvis'' (2005) and the Bollywood film '' Kisna: The Warrior Poet'' (2005). She then starred in the ...

, actor *

Sheila Callender Sheila Theodora Elsie Callender (5 April 1914 – 17 August 2004) was a British physician and haematologist. She spent the majority of her career at Oxford University, and has been credited with helping to establish haematology as a distinct medi ...

, haematologist *

Mary Cartwright Dame Mary Lucy Cartwright, (17 December 1900 – 3 April 1998) was a British mathematician. She was one of the pioneers of what would later become known as chaos theory. Along with J. E. Littlewood, Cartwright saw many solutions to a problem ...

, mathematician *

Jilly Cooper Jilly Cooper, CBE (born 21 February 1937), is an English author. She began her career as a journalist and wrote numerous works of non-fiction before writing several romance novels, the first of which appeared in 1975. She is most famous for wr ...

, writer *

Molly Harrower Molly Harrower (born Mary Rachel Harrower; January 25, 1906 – February 20, 1999) was an American clinical psychology, clinical psychologist. During the Second World War she created a large-scale multiple choice Rorschach test. She was one of the ...

, psychologist *

Deborah Meaden Deborah Sonia Meaden (born 11 February 1959) is a British businesswoman and TV personality who ran a multimillion-pound family holiday business, before completing a management buyout. She is best known for her appearances as a 'Dragon' on the ...

, business entrepreneur * Dame Anna Pauffley, High Court judge *

Isabel Quigly Isabel Madeleine Quigly FRSL (17 September 1926 – 14 September 2018) was a writer, translator and film critic. Biography She was born in Ontaneda, Spain, and educated at Godolphin School, Salisbury and Newnham College, Cambridge. In her earl ...

, novelist and award-winning translator *

Dorothy L. Sayers Dorothy Leigh Sayers (; 13 June 1893 – 17 December 1957) was an English crime writer and poet. She was also a student of classical and modern languages. She is best known for her mysteries, a series of novels and short stories set between th ...

, writer * Mary Spender, singer and songwriter *

Dorothy Spicer Dorothy Norman Pearse née Spicer (1908–1946) was an English aviatrix, and the first woman to gain an advanced qualification in aeronautical engineering. Early life Dorothy Spicer was born on 31 July 1908 at Hadley Wood, Middlesex, the onl ...

aviatrix An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its directional flight controls. Some other aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are also considered aviators, because they a ...

, first woman to gain an advanced qualification in

aeronautical engineering Aerospace engineering is the primary field of engineering concerned with the development of aircraft and spacecraft. It has two major and overlapping branches: Aeronautics, aeronautical engineering and Astronautics, astronautical engineering. A ...

Catherine Steadman Catherine Steadman is a British actress and author. Career Steadman trained at the Oxford School of Drama and made her screen debut playing Julia Bertram in '' Mansfield Park''. Since then she has appeared in television series such as ''The Tu ...

, actor and writer *

Theodora Turner Theodora Turner, (5 August 1907 – 24 August 1999) was a British nurse and hospital matron. Early years and education Theodora Turner was born on 5 August 1907 in Congleton, Cheshire, one of five children. Her father later became Conservativ ...

, nurse *

Minette Walters Minette Caroline Mary Walters DL (born 26 September 1949) is an English crime writer. Life and work Walters was born in Bishop's Stortford in 1949 to Samuel Jebb and Colleen Jebb. As her father was a serving army officer, the first 10 yea ...

, writer * Hannah White, sailor

References

* *The Godolphin Book, compiled by Mary Alice Douglas, published 1928

External links

*
Muddy Stilettos ReviewGood Schools Guide ReviewTatler Schools Guide 2019Sunday Times Southwest Independent Secondary School of the Year 2019
* ISI Inspectio
Reports
{{authority control Independent schools in Wiltshire Girls' schools in Wiltshire Educational institutions established in 1726 1726 establishments in England Boarding schools in Wiltshire Member schools of the Girls' Schools Association Schools in Salisbury