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'''Stamford School''' is an English [[public school (England)|public school]] in the market town of [[Stamford, Lincolnshire|Stamford]], [[Lincolnshire]]. It was founded in [[1532]] by a local man, [[William Radcliffe]], with the encouragement of [[Lady Margaret Beaufort]], mother of [[Henry VII of England|Henry VII]], though there is evidence to suggest that a school existed from the beginning of the fourteenth century. As a [[Roman Catholic]] [[chantry]] school, it fell foul of the [[Protestant]] reformers and was only saved from destruction under the Chantries Act of [[Edward VI of England|Edward VI]] by the personal intervention of Sir [[William Cecil]] (later Lord Burghley) who worked in the service of Edward Seymour, [[Duke of Somerset]] and who secured a specific [[Act of Parliament]] ensuring its survival. Apart from the chantries of [[University of Oxford|Oxford]] and [[University of Cambridge|Cambridge]] universities, only those of [[Eton College|Eton]], [[Winchester College|Winchester]], Berkhamsted, St Albans and Stamford schools survived.
'''Stamford School''' is an English [[public school (England)|public school]] in the market town of [[Stamford, Lincolnshire|Stamford]], [[Lincolnshire]]. It was founded in [[1532]] by a local man, [[William Radcliffe]], with the encouragement of [[Lady Margaret Beaufort]], mother of [[Henry VII of England|Henry VII]], though there is evidence to suggest that a school existed from the beginning of the fourteenth century. As a [[Roman Catholic]] [[chantry]] school, it fell foul of the [[Protestant]] reformers and was only saved from destruction under the Chantries Act of [[Edward VI of England|Edward VI]] by the personal intervention of Sir [[William Cecil]] (later Lord Burghley) who worked in the service of Edward Seymour, [[Duke of Somerset]] and who secured a specific [[Act of Parliament]] ensuring its survival. Apart from the chantries of [[University of Oxford|Oxford]] and [[University of Cambridge|Cambridge]] universities, only those of [[Eton College|Eton]], [[Winchester College|Winchester]], Berkhamsted, St Albans and Stamford schools survived.


Teaching is believed to have begun in the magnificent Corpus Christi chapel of Stamford's twelfth century church of St Mary, but by 1566 was taking place in the remaining portion of the demolished St Paul's Church, which was originally built no later than 1152. This building continued in use as a school room until the 20th century when it was extended and, in 1930 returned to use as a chapel. Some thirty years later a musicologically interesting nineteenth century Gray and Davidson pipe organ was installed although, regrettably, this was removed in the 1990s and replaced with an electronic substitute. Over the centuries, the school has built or absorbed 17th, 18th and 19th century buildings, besides the site of a further demolished medieval church (Holy Trinity/St Stephen's) and remains of the hall of [[Brasenose College]] built by the sessionists from the [[University of Oxford]] in the 14th century.
Teaching is believed to have begun in the magnificent Corpus Christi chapel of Stamford's twelfth century church of St Mary, but by 1566 was taking place in the remaining portion of the demolished St Paul's Church, originally built no later than 1152. This building continued in use as a school room until the 20th century when it was extended and, in 1930 returned to use as a chapel. Some thirty years later a musicologically interesting nineteenth century Gray and Davidson pipe organ was installed although, regrettably, this was removed in the 1990s and replaced with an electronic substitute. Over the centuries, the school has built or absorbed 17th, 18th and 19th century buildings, besides the site of a further demolished medieval church (Holy Trinity/St Stephen's) and remains of the hall of [[Brasenose College]] built by the sessionists from the [[University of Oxford]] in the 14th century.
The right of appointment of the school's Master, a position hotly contested in past centuries on account of the post's disproportionately large salary, was shared between the Mayor of Stamford and the Master of [[St John's College, Cambridge]]. This arrangement continues to be reflected in the fact that both Stamford Town Council and St John's College have nominees on the school's governing body.
The right of appointment of the school's Master, a position hotly contested in past centuries on account of the post's disproportionately large salary, was shared between the Mayor of Stamford and the Master of [[St John's College, Cambridge]]. This arrangement continues to be reflected in the fact that both Stamford Town Council and St John's College have nominees on the school's governing body.

Revision as of 22:04, 28 January 2007

Stamford School is an English public school in the market town of Stamford, Lincolnshire. It was founded in 1532 by a local man, William Radcliffe, with the encouragement of Lady Margaret Beaufort, mother of Henry VII, though there is evidence to suggest that a school existed from the beginning of the fourteenth century. As a Roman Catholic chantry school, it fell foul of the Protestant reformers and was only saved from destruction under the Chantries Act of Edward VI by the personal intervention of Sir William Cecil (later Lord Burghley) who worked in the service of Edward Seymour, Duke of Somerset and who secured a specific Act of Parliament ensuring its survival. Apart from the chantries of Oxford and Cambridge universities, only those of Eton, Winchester, Berkhamsted, St Albans and Stamford schools survived.

Teaching is believed to have begun in the magnificent Corpus Christi chapel of Stamford's twelfth century church of St Mary, but by 1566 was taking place in the remaining portion of the demolished St Paul's Church, originally built no later than 1152. This building continued in use as a school room until the 20th century when it was extended and, in 1930 returned to use as a chapel. Some thirty years later a musicologically interesting nineteenth century Gray and Davidson pipe organ was installed although, regrettably, this was removed in the 1990s and replaced with an electronic substitute. Over the centuries, the school has built or absorbed 17th, 18th and 19th century buildings, besides the site of a further demolished medieval church (Holy Trinity/St Stephen's) and remains of the hall of Brasenose College built by the sessionists from the University of Oxford in the 14th century.

The right of appointment of the school's Master, a position hotly contested in past centuries on account of the post's disproportionately large salary, was shared between the Mayor of Stamford and the Master of St John's College, Cambridge. This arrangement continues to be reflected in the fact that both Stamford Town Council and St John's College have nominees on the school's governing body.

File:IMG 0576tfs2.jpg
Front of Stamford School House

Stamford School has a sister school, Stamford High School, which was founded in 1877. In recent years, the two have been united under the leadership of a single principal as the Stamford Endowed Schools. This organisation now comprises Stamford Junior School, a co-educational establishment for pupils aged between 2 and 11 years, Stamford School for boys aged 11-18, and Stamford High School catering for girls of the same age group. Sixth Form teaching is carried out jointly between Stamford School and Stamford High School.

Stamford School has four senior (Y10-Y13) houses. These are called Brazenose (sic), Radcliffe, Ancaster and Exeter. There are also two boarding houses called Byard, for boys aged 11 to 14, and Browne, which houses boys aged 14 to 18. The four junior (Y7-Y9) houses are Cecil (feeder house to Exeter), Willoughby (feeder house to Ancaster), St. Paul’s (feeder house to Radcliffe) and St Peter’s (feeder house to Brazenose).

The house names, which date back over half a century, reflect various aspects of the school's history. Brazenose and Radcliffe traditionally housed town boys, while Ancaster and Exeter accommodated boys who lived north and south respectively of the River Welland. While this used to be the case however, it is no longer so. Since September 2005 the houses have been selected randomly, or as some suspect deliberately, to ensure an even distribution of sportsmen, musicians and academics.

Additional boarding houses within the Stamford Endowed Schools are St. Michaels (Junior school boys and girls), Welland (Girls from the age of 14 to 17 ), and Park (Girls sixth form accommodation, 17-18).

Uniform

All boys wear black or charcoal-grey trousers and a school blazer, which is navy blue. The school's emblem is a stork sitting on a wool sack displayed over the motto + me spede meaning Christ me Spede, derived from the armorial bearings of medieval wool merchant William Browne. It is worn on the breast pocket of the blazer. Most boys wear a maroon crest, although school prefects wear a white one. House prefects, in the lower school, wear a maroon crest with a maroon ribbon attached to the top of the pocket. Blue crests are worn by fifth-form prefects. Badges, awarded for extensive house activity are worn usually on the left lapel. Boys can be seen wearing an array of different school ties. Every boy receives his tie specific to his house upon joining to school, but may be awarded others as a mark of his achievements through the school. These include House Colours, Representative Colours, and Full and Half School Colours. Stamford School Club ties are worn on Saturdays by boys representing the school in the day's fixtures.

Songs

Stamford School has a number of school songs that are sung in the chapel or at assemblies in the school hall. Besides the perennial favourite Jerusalem, the more formal songs are the Latin 'Carmen Stamfordiense', written by a Victorian Headmaster, Dr D.J.J. Barnard, and the more generic Dulce Domum. Barnard's 'Carmen' runs:

Musa vocat; quemque talem
 Fas audire monitum
 Et praebere se vocalem
 Nunc si nunquam iterum:
 Inter nos qui nunc cantamus
 Floreat concordia
 Teque semper efferamus
 Laudibus, Stamfordia!

Surgat vox totius chori
 (Procul hinc silentium)
 Nostro bono fundatori
 Principi burgensium:
 Quater summis hic potitus
 Senior honoribus
 Scholam nostram, non oblitus,
 Dedit junioribus.

Quod est bonum, quod decorum
 Nos colamus strenui,
 Nec inculti simus morum,
 Fortes et ingenui:
 Timor Dei, regis honos
 Impleant praecordia;
 Filios sic alens bonos
 Floreat Stamfordia!

In the early years of the 20th century, however, one of the masters, A.W.S Cowie, who later served as Second Lieutenant in the Lincolnshire Regiment and was killed at the Battle of the Somme, composed a more light-hearted song. This piece, sung to the tune of The Vicar of Bray became increasingly popular and was gradually adopted as, in effect, the school song. It runs:

In Father Time's remoter days
 By strange coincidences,
 Noah built the ark, and someone else
 Schola Stamfordiensis
 And fools be they that do suppose
 This is exaggeration,
 For nobody our founder knows
 Or date of our foundation.

(Chorus)

For we maintain, as age in wine
 Improves its excellences
 Rare virtue fills in every line
 Schola Stamfordiensis.

Yet age has brought us no decay
 And though our School's a small one,
 We still succeed in learning here
 That life and duty's all one.
 Some of our sons all men may find
 High in the lists of Glory -
 Recording Angel, keep, we pray,
 Our humbler heroes' story.

(Chorus)

Mens sana we develop here
 By things like Greek and Science;
 And corpus sanum by our games
 Of skill and self-reliance:
 Whilst over Brain and Hand alike
 Stands Discipline, physician
 To purify and train the Heart
 In its correct position.

(Chorus)

Then keep it up! While England's schools
 Uphold their reputation,
 Old England has no cause to fear
 A canine destination.
 Let shivering rogues lament the times
 And future consequences
 We shall not fear, Dum Floreat
Schola Stamfordiensis!

And despite both the identity of the founder and date of the foundation being subsequently established beyond any doubt, the song continues to endure.

Old School Tie

File:Stamford-tie.jpg

All boys who attend Stamford School are entitled, when they leave, to wear the Old Stamfordian tie. This rather startling item of neckware is striped in three colours, each of which represents the boys' houses that existed in the early part of the 20th century: Maroon (School House), Navy (Town House), and Green (Country House).

Distinguished alumni (Old Stamfordians)

Stamford School is alma mater to many distinguished alumni, a small number of whom actually have their own Wikipedia entry. They include:

Politics

Law

Music

Literature & the Arts

  • Inspector Morse the fictional character, is described as an Old Stamfordian

The Armed Forces

Academia & The Church

Industry

Sport

  • Mark James, Golf. Captain Europe Ryder Cup team, 1999.

Distinguished former schoolmasters

Further reading

The History of Stamford School by B.L. Deed, OBE TD

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