Stamford School

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 King Henry VII, though there is evidence to suggest that it has 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, 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. 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 Oxford University 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.

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 day houses. These are called Brazenose (sic), Radcliffe, Ancaster and Exeter. There are also two senior boarding houses called Byard, for boys aged 14 to 16, and Browne, which houses boys aged 16 to 18. These 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.

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 (although there is ambiguity as to the bird type, with some holding it to be a phoenix) sitting on a wool sack displayed over the motto + me spede, and is 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, but also have 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 Rugby Club ties are worn on Saturdays by boys representing the school in the day's fixtures. Boaters are (very rarely) worn by some in summer.

Traditions

An ancient school tradition is called 'Kissing the Old Man', a ceremony in which new boys were (forced) to kiss a worn stone head above the chapel's west door, to the (probably ironic) applause of the whole school.

The Head Boy traditionally enjoyed a number of privileges, although it is unsure whether there is documentary evidence to support them. He was, for example, the only boy allowed to grow a beard, smoke a pipe in lessons or come to school on horseback. Another privilege was that the head boy might, at the headmaster's discretion, graze sheep on the Chapel lawn.

Slang

Stamford School has its own slang, much of which refers to the school buildings and their history:

The Art Shack: the art department's building on St Paul's Street, formerly known as The Church Lad's Club. The term 'Art Shack' derived from an earlier building. Of wooden construction and since demolished, this building was situated within an area (which also formerly included the similarly termed 'Woodwork Shack') on the north side of the school hall, re-developed in the 1960's. The new Art Shack, redeveloped to a woefully-low standard in the mid 1980s, and divided at the same time into two floors, has recently received a bequest in the will of OS Richard Harris; thus being redeveloped to become the Richard Harris Arts Centre (2005).

The Blue Book: A diary formerly issued each term to all pupils, containing lists of events and fixtures, as well as a list of the names of all staff and every boy in the school. Now replaced by the Red Book which, while containing the same information, also includes Stamford Junior School and Stamford High School.

Big School: a block of classrooms in which boys in the Lower IV, Upper IV and Fifth Form were traditionally taught. This building, where mixed Sixth Form teaching currently takes place, is now called 'Beaufort'.

The Dell: the play area for Lower School children - now has a new DT Block situated on half of it.

The Old Gym: a large Victorian room, now used as a thoroughfare and entrance to the Chapel, which used to be the gymnasium.

The Tin Can: The aluminium-clad top floor of the science laboratories, that resembles a tin can. As a prank one year, boys made a cardboard tin opener and placed it on the building.

The Old Man: As mentioned above, the stone head, believed to be of St Paul, which looks out from above the West Door of the Chapel. Also the nickname given by a small number of boys to distinguished former Art Master, Walter Douglas, who is more usually remembered as "Ponto".

Shell Yard, a small courtyard behind Byard House where in distant times the 'shell form ' (the youngest boys) were located.

O'Brien's: The medical centre, so called because the building once housed a public house called 'The O'Brien's Arms'.

The Corps: The school's Combined Cadet Force (a nickname common to many public schools).

The Burghley: An annual run in which boys run a cross-country course around the extensive grounds of nearby Burghley Park. The race has never been cancelled due to inclement weather, and to avoid the run appears to be a point of competition amongst some boys. It is incorporated into the house system, with points being awarded to each house depending on the collective success of their boys.

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, later killed in the First World War, 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

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

William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley, Lord High Treasurer of England and chief advisor to Queen Elizabeth I

Simon Burns, Conservative Member of Parliament for West Chelmsford, Parliamentary Under Secretary

John Cecil, 5th Earl of Exeter, MP for Stamford, Grand Tourist and connoisseur

J.F. Horrabin, Labour MP for Peterborough, radical, journalist and broadcaster

Alfred Harmsworth, 1st Viscount Northcliffe, newspaper magnate, founder of the Daily Mail and Daily Mirror, owner of The Times

Sir Norman Jude, Minister of State, South Africa

Nelson Dawson, silversmith, jeweller, designer, etcher and painter of the Arts and Crafts movement. Left his paintings to the school, although many were painted over by pupils under headmaster Canon J.D. Day.