Earls Colne Grammar School
Encyclopedia
Earls Colne Grammar School, the Grammar School of Earls Colne
, founded in 1520 and closed in 1975.
, the income from which was to support a schoolmaster to teach Latin to thirty boys.
In 1673 the last Earl of Oxford
sold the school estates to members of the Cressener family, who thereby became patrons of the school. Under a succession of clergymen-headmasters the school had achieved a high reputation by the mid 18th century, but the majority of pupils were the fee paying sons of local minor gentry. As a result the patron decided to change the school from curriculum from a classical based one to one giving an elementary education in reading, writing and accounts which, he maintained, would be more useful to the local boys for whose benefit the school had been endowed.
This situation remained until the school was closed in 1837 after an investigation by the Charity Commission
revealed evidence of mis-management. It re-opened in 1843 under a new scheme by which the estates were transferred to eleven trustees drawn from the local clergy and gentry. It was still called a Free Grammar School but fees of 6d a week were charged and the thirty pupils were given a clerks education up to the age of 14 only.
In 1868 the Taunton Commission, investigating endowed grammar schools, was in turn critical of the 1843 scheme. A site for a permanent building was bought in 1876 and plans to amalgamate several local educational charities and establish a central Colne Valley School in Halstead were defeated by local opposition. In 1883 the school was temporarily closed to allow funds to accumulate. A new scheme was drawn up to provide a grammar school education on modern and scientific lines and building began in 1892.
contributed more than £6,000. When Halstead Grammar School was converted to a girls' school its boys were transferred to Earls Colne bringing the numbers up to 90. By 1926 there were 135 boys on the roll but the numbers dropped alarmingly during the depression. A new policy adopted in 1935 whereby the school was to adopt an agricultural bias arrested the decline.
the school chose Voluntary controlled
status and the County development plan envisaged it as a school for 150 boys aged 11 to 18 with places for 30 boarders.
, Halstead.
Earls Colne
Earls Colne is a village in Essex, England named after the River Colne, on which it stands, and the Earls of Oxford who held the manor of Earls Colne from before 1086 to 1703.-Manor of Earls Colne:...
, founded in 1520 and closed in 1975.
Foundation
Earls Colne Grammar School was founded in 1520 when the Reverend Christopher Swallow, vicar of Messing endowed land in trust to the Earl of OxfordEarl of Oxford
Earl of Oxford is a dormant title in the Peerage of England, held for several centuries by the de Vere family from 1141 until the death of the 20th earl in 1703. The Veres were also hereditary holders of the office of master or Lord Great Chamberlain from 1133 until the death of the 18th Earl in 1625...
, the income from which was to support a schoolmaster to teach Latin to thirty boys.
In 1673 the last Earl of Oxford
Earl of Oxford
Earl of Oxford is a dormant title in the Peerage of England, held for several centuries by the de Vere family from 1141 until the death of the 20th earl in 1703. The Veres were also hereditary holders of the office of master or Lord Great Chamberlain from 1133 until the death of the 18th Earl in 1625...
sold the school estates to members of the Cressener family, who thereby became patrons of the school. Under a succession of clergymen-headmasters the school had achieved a high reputation by the mid 18th century, but the majority of pupils were the fee paying sons of local minor gentry. As a result the patron decided to change the school from curriculum from a classical based one to one giving an elementary education in reading, writing and accounts which, he maintained, would be more useful to the local boys for whose benefit the school had been endowed.
This situation remained until the school was closed in 1837 after an investigation by the Charity Commission
Charity Commission
The Charity Commission for England and Wales is the non-ministerial government department that regulates registered charities in England and Wales....
revealed evidence of mis-management. It re-opened in 1843 under a new scheme by which the estates were transferred to eleven trustees drawn from the local clergy and gentry. It was still called a Free Grammar School but fees of 6d a week were charged and the thirty pupils were given a clerks education up to the age of 14 only.
In 1868 the Taunton Commission, investigating endowed grammar schools, was in turn critical of the 1843 scheme. A site for a permanent building was bought in 1876 and plans to amalgamate several local educational charities and establish a central Colne Valley School in Halstead were defeated by local opposition. In 1883 the school was temporarily closed to allow funds to accumulate. A new scheme was drawn up to provide a grammar school education on modern and scientific lines and building began in 1892.
New buildings
In 1904 a master's house, boarding house, laboratories and other buildings had been added, towards the cost of which R. H. HuntR. H. Hunt
Reuben Harrison Hunt , also known as R. H. Hunt, was an American architect who spent most of his life in Chattanooga, Tennessee and is considered to have been one of the city's most significant early architects....
contributed more than £6,000. When Halstead Grammar School was converted to a girls' school its boys were transferred to Earls Colne bringing the numbers up to 90. By 1926 there were 135 boys on the roll but the numbers dropped alarmingly during the depression. A new policy adopted in 1935 whereby the school was to adopt an agricultural bias arrested the decline.
Voluntary control
By the Education Act 1944Education Act 1944
The Education Act 1944 changed the education system for secondary schools in England and Wales. This Act, commonly named after the Conservative politician R.A...
the school chose Voluntary controlled
Voluntary controlled school
A voluntary controlled school is a state-funded school in England, Wales and Northern Ireland in which a foundation or trust has some formal influence in the running of the school...
status and the County development plan envisaged it as a school for 150 boys aged 11 to 18 with places for 30 boarders.
Closure
In fact numbers continued to grow as facilities and curriculum were extended and reached 230 by 1958. However the school was closed in July 1975 through the re-organisation of County schools on comprehensive lines, being merged with various other local schools into The Ramsey CollegeThe Ramsey College
The Ramsey College is a Secondary School in Halstead, Essex, England. As of July 2007 it was awarded certified special needs status. It is a mixed school, with no denominational religion...
, Halstead.
Notable Schoolmasters
- Thomas Shepard (1627-35)
- Ralph JosselinRalph JosselinRalph Josselin was the vicar of Earls Colne in Essex from 1641 until his death in 1683. His diary records intimate details of everyday farming life, family and kinship in a small, isolated rural community, and is often studied by researchers interested in the period, alongside other similar...
1650-1658
Notable Former Pupils
- Reuben Hunt
- Martyn King b.1937, professional footballer Colchester United from 1956-1968. Scorer of most league goals for the club. Total aggregate 130.
- Sir Ronald Long, President of the Law Society of England and WalesLaw Society of England and WalesThe Law Society is the professional association that represents the solicitors' profession in England and Wales. It provides services and support to practising and training solicitors as well as serving as a sounding board for law reform. Members of the Society are often consulted when important...
from 1963-4 - Dr Franklyn Perring PhD OBE, b.1927 d.2003, botanist, conservationist and author who was first Director of the Biological Records CentreBiological Records CentreThe Biological Records Centre is the group responsible for recording and keeping records on fresh water and terrestrial species in the UK...
and President of the Botanical Society of the British IslesBotanical Society of the British IslesThe Botanical Society of the British Isles is a scientific society for the study of flora, plant distribution and taxonomy relating to Great Britain, Ireland, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man. The society was founded as the Botanical Society of London in 1836...
from 1993-1994 http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_20031018/ai_n12731113 - Prof Richard Smith, Professor of Historical Geography and Demography at the University of CambridgeUniversity of CambridgeThe University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
since 2003 - Roy Ullyett OBE, b.1914 d.2001, sports Cartoonist with the Daily ExpressDaily ExpressThe Daily Express switched from broadsheet to tabloid in 1977 and was bought by the construction company Trafalgar House in the same year. Its publishing company, Beaverbrook Newspapers, was renamed Express Newspapers...
and a founder member of the British Cartoonists' Association http://opal.kent.ac.uk/cartoonx-cgi/artist.py?id=350