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Sedbergh School

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Sedbergh School is a boarding school in Sedbergh, Cumbria, for boys and girls aged 13 to 18. Nestled in the Howgill Fells, it is known for sporting sides, such as its Rugby Union 1st XV.

Sedbergh School
The School Crest
Location
Map
Sedbergh
,
Cumbria

England
Information
TypePublic (originally a Chantry School)
MottoDura Virum Nutrix
(Latin: "A Stern Nurse of Men")
Established1525
HeadmasterChristopher Hirst
Colour(s)Brown (& yellow)
WebsiteSchool Website
A view of the school's playing field

Background

The school was founded in 1525 by Roger Lupton, Provost of Eton College.

In 2001, girls were admitted, yet the traditional school motto Dura Virum Nutrix (A Stern Nurse of Men), is still in use today. Since 2001 the number of girls attending has grown dramatically. The current headmaster, Christopher Hirst, brought in the change to co-educational schooling from single-sex which led to some considerable criticism, especially from old boys, as he publicly stated that he "would resign before allowing Sedbergh to admit girls" .

Despite its long history, The Good Schools Guide notes how “Sedbergh has faced up to the demands of the 21st Century but managed to retain traditional values and ethos. Its increasing numbers indicate parents very much approve. It rightly retains its formidable reputation on the sports field but away from it, provides a happy and caring environment for all its pupils regardless of ability or sports prowess.” The school formerly had a reputation for terribly harsh conditions, with cold showers or baths and early morning runs as a matter of routine, and physical punishments very much commonplace. This died out however in the 1960s and 1970s and is no longer a feature of the school.

The school song, 'Winder', is named after the hill which dominates the skyline to the North. It is sung on occasion, mainly at the end of a term, but is an important tradition nonetheless.

The school is particularly proud of its cloisters, one of the few officially listed War memorials located in schools. Every known name of an old boy or member of staff who died during the first and second world wars is recorded on its walls.

With the aid of the Robertson Foundation the school has been able to give many scholarships to less well-off pupils, giving educational advantage to all, regardless of means. The school maintains a strong sporting rivalry with Ampleforth College and (to a lesser extent) with Stonyhurst College.

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    Sedbergh School from the fells
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    Assembly in Powell Hall
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    Sedbergh from Winder
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    Sedbergh School Library

History

Sedbergh was founded in 1525 by the Provost of Eton.[1]

The Chantry School

Roger Lupton, is thought to have been born at Cautley in the parish of Sedbergh in 1456 and he provided for a Chantry School in Sedbergh in 1525 while he was Provost of Eton. By 1528, land had been bought, a school built, probably on the site of the present School Library, and the foundation deed had been signed, binding the School to St John's College, Cambridge and giving the College power over the appointment of Headmasters. This link to St John's College probably saved Sedbergh in 1546-48 when most chantries were dissolved and their assets seized by Henry VIII's Commission.

The Grammar School

Sedbergh was re-established and re-endowed as a Grammar School in 1551 and the fortunes of the School in the coming centuries seem to have depended very much on the character and abilities of the Headmasters with pupil numbers fluctuating and reaching as low a total as 8 day boys in the early 19th century.

One particularly successful period was during the Headship of John Harrison Evans (1838–1861) who restored the prestige and achievements of the School and also funded the building of the Market Hall and Reading Room in the town.

A more independent Governing Body was established in 1874 in a successful bid to maintain Sedbergh's independence (amalgamation with Giggleswick had been suggested) and the first meeting took place in The Bull Inn in Sedbergh in December.

The Public School

In the 1870s there was a tremendous amount of development and building work at Sedbergh, under the careful eye of the Headmaster, Frederick Heppenstall. This included the Headmaster's House (now School House), classrooms, a chapel and four other boarding Houses.

Henry George Hart took over as Headmaster in 1880 and his tenure saw a new Chapel built in 1897, the founding of the Old Sedberghian Club in 1897/98, the creation of the prefectorial system, the inaugural Wilson Run and the confirmation of the School motto "Dura Virum Nutrix" (Stern Nurse of Men).

Recent History

In 1989 the number of boys in the School exceeded 500 for the first time in the School's history, during the Headship of Dr R G Baxter. Two years later a new coat of arms was granted to the School and it was visited by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and HRH the Duke of Edinburgh.

In 2005 the school was one of fifty of the country's leading private schools which were found guilty of running an illegal price-fixing cartel which had allowed them to drive up fees for thousands of parents.[2] Each school was required to pay a nominal penalty of £10,000 and all agreed to make ex-gratia payments totalling three million pounds into a trust designed to benefit pupils who attended the schools during the period in respect of which fee information was shared.[3]

Today the School has a Junior School at Sedbergh and the School is fully co-educational with two girls' Houses alongside the traditional boys' Houses. In January 2009 the Junior School moved from Bentham to join the senior school in Sedbergh, because it went bust - standard Sedbergh. The expanding Junior School has accommodation for both day and boarding boys and girls aged 3–13.

Boarding Houses

Every pupil at Sedbergh lives in a boarding house, of which there are eight (six for boys, two for girls) chosen when applying to the school. It is here that she/he eats and sleeps. Pupils have a strong sense of pride in their houses and each house fosters a strong community spirit - there are instances of four or even five generations of pupils having been members of the same House. Houses compete in school competitions such as debating, academic challenge (a 'university challenge' style quiz) and 'House Unison' (a traditional singing competition), and in particular in sporting competitions, for example the seriously contested Senior Seniors (Inter-House rugby) and the Wilson Run. Each house has an official name which is often that of an illustrious Old Sedberghian or Headmaster.

Each house also has a set of house colours, which adorns the blazers of boys and girls in fifth form and below as well as on on various house sports clothing. Pupils who throughout their school career demonstrate great service to their house are awarded their House colours by their Housemaster/ mistress. Sedberghians take immense pride in being awarded House colours which take the form of a scarf and a tie in the colours of their house.

The boarding houses also each have their own house magazine, named after the emblem of the house (for example, the magazine of Hart House is called The Jay), written and edited by the pupils within the house.

Sedbergh Junior School also has Cressbrook House for boarding boys. At present girls are accommodated in Lupton House but, from September 2009, Marshall House will be the junior girls' house.

The Names of the Houses

  • Evans House, Boys House- Colour: Yellow, Emblem: Wasp
  • Hart House, Boys House- Colour : Green, Emblem: Jay
  • Lupton, Girls House (former Boys House)- Colour: White/ Black, Emblem: Wolf
  • Powell House, Boys House- Colour: Pink, Emblem: Chameleon
  • Robertson House, Girls House- Colour: Turquoise, Emblem: Butterfly
  • School House, Boys House- Colour: Blue, Emblem: Kingfisher
  • Sedgwick House, Boys House- Colour: Red, Emblem: Rouge et Noir
  • Winder House, Boys House- Colour: Purple, Emblem: The Mole

Societies

Sedbergh is particularly proud of the range of beyond-the-classroom activities it runs for its pupils. Sedbergh offers a wide range of outdoor pursuits as well as academic societies, most notably 'The Headmaster's Society' which is for Academic Scholars in the Sixth Form and chaired by the Headmaster. It is a forum for debate and discussion of major topical issues based upon papers delivered by the pupils and it also hosts talks given by intellectuals and public figures. In recent years the society has been addressed by the geneticist and sociologist Sir Tom Shakespeare, David Starkey, Lord Butler of Brockwell, Lord Bingham, Stephen O'Brien MP, David Lloyd (BBC foreign correspondent), Allan Little (BBC Special Corresponent), Tim Hames (Times columnist) and Nicholas Thomas Wright, the Bishop of Durham. The junior academic society is known as the 'Phoenix Society'.

Sedbergh's other academic club is the strong and competitive 'Dinner Debating Society' which meets twice termly for black-tie 'dinner debates' hosted by Housemasters. These are formal and exclusive affairs held over a three-course dinner, usually lit by candlelight. They comprise selected speakers drawn from each House; four debates take place on each occasion, which are then judged by three Masters chosen by the chairman. Points are awarded to the winning pair, and there is a grand final at the end of the Summer Term where eminent guests are invited to the dinner and to listen to the debates; the cup is awarded to the pair holding the most points at the end of the year.

Sedbergh's strongest and largest society is its Outdoor Pursuits Club that all pupils are encouraged to join. Activities organised in the local area by the Club include climbing, gill scrambling and pot-holing as well as mountain biking and fell walking. Pupils of all ages participate, learning new skills which are often useful for future involvements in The Duke of Edinburgh's Award, Combined Cadet Force and the overseas expeditions all organised from the School. The Club has in recent years run expeditions to Everest, Patagonia, Iceland, Norway, Baffin Island and Indonesia.

Sport

Sedbergh has an international reputation for sporting achievement. The school takes great pride in offering a broad range of sporting opportunities to pupils, who frequently continue their sporting activities into adulthood. Many Old Sedberghians have national caps and international tournament experience, some acquired before they have even left school.

Sedbergh is renowned for producing brilliant rugby football players, including the England captains Wavell Wakefield, John Spencer and Will Carling, and the world cup winner Will Greenwood. Sedbergh is represented in the Rugby Union Guinness Premiership at the time of writing by seven players at first or second team level in four different clubs.

Sedbergh's sporting reputation and history are taken seriously by pupils. Winning the coveted 'brown blazer' worn by so many famous old boys can be the highlight of a Sedberghian's school career. The brown blazer is the award of first team rugby or cricket colours, and is on occasion awarded to Sedberghians who achieve marked success at another sport. Winning your 'brown' gives a Sedberghian the right to wear a specially made blazer that, as the name suggests, is brown in colour, as well as the standard colours tie, scarf and jumper. 'Brown's' are often awarded at special occasions such as the annual end-of-season first team dinner.

The English cricketer Mandy Mitchell-Innes and the Scottish cricketer Rab Bruce-Lockhart are both former pupils.

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    Sedbergh School Cricket Club vs MCC
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    Sedbergh School rugby ball taken into space by the crew of 'Discovery'

The Wilson Run

One of the unique aspects of the school is the Wilson Run, also known as the "Ten Mile"; it is named after Bernard Wilson (the founder of Sedgwick House). The race distance is just over 10 miles (10 miles 385 yards), about 7 miles of which crosses over the surrounding fells with the rest going along roads. Pupils however must now qualify to take part in the race over an 11 mile training route which covers most of the race route. The race is one of the longest, hardest and most grueling school runs in the country and has been a tradition for well over 100 years. The run has been cancelled only three times, owing to epidemic (1936), snow (1947) and the Foot and Mouth epidemic. The record time by Charles Ernest Pumphrey for the race stood unbroken at 1 hour, 10 mins and 16 seconds for almost a hundred years until it was dramatically broken by Charles "Chuck" Sykes in 1993 with a time of 1 hour, 8 minutes and 4.1 seconds. His record still stands today.

The Wilson Run holds a great mystique for Sedbergh's pupils. Pupils generally run in all types of weather, be it torrential rains and mud baths, or even bright, sunny clear days. The day of the race is a major event in the calendar and is commemorated by a large and often emotional concert on the evening of the race day. A special song, "The Long Run", is dedicated to the race and is traditionally sung only on this occasion.

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    Start line of The Wilson Run

Image: Sedbergh Plaque2.jpg

Anti-Assassins Rugby Club

The Anti-Assassins Rugby Club (A-As) was founded in 1950 when Sedbergh Old Boys, Stewart Faulds, Geoff and Arthur Kenyon were invited to pick a Northern team to play against the masters and Old Boys (The Assassins) of Sedbergh School. Now this invitational team plays as SpoonAAs (Spoon Anti-Assassins), raising funds for the Wooden Spoon charity.

Chapel Organ

The magnificent chapel organ was acquired from the Church of St. Mary Magdalene, Hucknall. It was built by Nigel Church and moved to the school by David Wells in 1994.

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    Sedbergh School Chapel

School song

Winder is the School song for Sedbergh School, named after the fell that dominates the northern skyline of the school. The hill is a gateway to the Howgill Fells and climbing it is something that school tradition dictates every pupil must do.

The song is sung at all major school events such as the Wilson Run.

Verse 1
Oh Eton hath her River and Clifton hath her down,
And Winchester her cloisters and immemorial town.
But ours the mountain fastness, the deep romantic ghylls,
Where Clough and Dee and Rawthey,
Come singing from the hills!

Refrain
For it isn't our ancient lineage, there are others as old as we.
And it isn't our pious founders, though we honour their memory.
'Tis the hills that are stood around us, unchanged since our days began.
It is Cautley, Calf and WINDER, that make the Sedbergh man

.

War Cloisters

The Cloisters at Sedbergh are an impressive and fitting monument to old boys and masters of the School who gave their live for their country during the Great War and the Second War. The Cloisters were dedicated in 1924 and then re-dedicated after the Second World War. The hostile north Yorkshire weather however, took their toll of the Cloisters, wearing down the slabs of stone with the names on of those who died. The Cloisters were therefore restored and partially rebuilt in 2005 and on Remembrance Day again re-dedication after an appeal had raised over £130,000 for the necessary work.

The School also has a separate memorial for Old Sedberghians awarded the Victoria Cross, of which there are four. Brigadier Jock Campbell who won the Military Cross in the First World War and the Victoria Cross at the battle of Sidi Rezegh in the Second and was a member of Evans House. Three of the Old Sedberghian winners of the Victoria Cross were Old Sedgwickians, RJT Digby-Jones at Wagon Hill in 1900 in the Boer War, George Ward Gunn at Sidi Rezegh in 1941 and Kenneth Campbell over Brest Harbour, also in 1941.

It is also notable that four Battle of Britain pilots attended the school. Plt Off Desmond Kay DFC & Bar, Plt Off Noel Benson were sadly killed during the war, but Flt Lt Kenneth Stoddart AE, and Fg Off Alec Worthington survived.

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    Sedbergh School Cloisters
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    Replica George and Victoria Crosses won by Sedberghians
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    'Main School' from the top of the cloisters
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    Sedbergh School Cloisters

Notable Old Sedberghians

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    Wordsworth 'graffiti'

Military

Politics & Law

Business

The Arts, Literature & Humanities

A former teacher at the school was Henry Watson Fowler, the writer of A Dictionary of Modern English Usage

Science & Exploration

Sport

Religion

References

  1. ^ http://www.sedbergh.cumbria.sch.uk/index.asp?page=history_school&menuParent=history_school&menuGrandParent=the_school
  2. ^ http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/education/article588559.ece
  3. ^ http://www.oft.gov.uk/news/press/2006/182-06
  4. ^ BINGHAM OF CORNHILL’, Who's Who 2008, A & C Black, 2008; online edn, Oxford University Press, Dec 2007 accessed 29 Nov 2008
  5. ^ ‘ARDEN, John’, Who's Who 2008, A & C Black, 2008; online edn, Oxford University Press, Dec 2007 accessed 29 Nov 2008
  6. ^ ‘AGAR, Wilfred Eade’, Who Was Who, A & C Black, 1920–2007; online edn, Oxford University Press, Dec 2007 accessed 29 Nov 2008
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