Felsted School

Updated on Jan 20, 2024

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Established 1564 Headmaster Chris Townsend Phone +44 1371 822600		Religion Church of England DfE number 881/6009 Founded 1564

Type Independent day and boarding Location Stebbing RoadFelstedEssexCM6 3LLEngland Address Felsted, Dunmow CM6 3LL, UK Founder Richard Rich, 1st Baron Rich Motto Garde Ta Foy; (French: Keep your Faith)

Felsted school does the mannequin challenge

Felsted School is an English co-educational day and boarding independent school, situated in Felsted, England. It is in the British Public School tradition, and was founded in 1564 by Richard Rich, 1st Baron Rich (also known as Riche) who, as Lord Chancellor and Chancellor of the Court of Augmentations, acquired considerable wealth from the spoils of the Dissolution of the Monasteries including the nearby Leez Priory, which he enlarged and made his own home. Felsted is one of the 12 founder members of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference, and is also a full member of the Round Square Conference of world schools. Felsted School has been awarded the Good Schools Guide award twice and is regularly featured in Tatler's Schools Guide.

Felsted school sport

History

The school became a notable educational centre for Puritan families in the 17th century, numbering a hundred or more pupils, under Martin Holbeach, Headmaster from 1627–1649, and his successors (see below). John Wallis and Isaac Barrow were educated at Felsted in this period, as were four of Oliver Cromwell's sons.

Another era of prosperity set in under the headmastership of William Trivett between 1778 and 1794; but under his successors numbers dwindled. As the result of the discovery by Thomas Surridge (headmaster 1835–1850), from research among the records, that a larger income was really due to the foundation, a reorganisation took place by Act of Parliament, and in 185, under the headmastership of the Rev. Albert Henry Wratislaw, the school was put under a new governing body (a revised scheme coming into operation in 1876). As a result, Felsted developed rapidly into one of the regular public schools of the modern English type, under the Rev. W. S. Grignon, who may almost be considered the second founder. New buildings were built on an elaborate scale, numbers increased to more than 200, and a complete transformation took place, which was continued under Grignon's successors, including Frank Stephenson, under whom large extensions to the buildings and playing-fields were made. These additions allowed admittances up to 475 pupils, nearly all of whom were boarders.

The school was evacuated to near Ross-on-Wye during the Second World War. It moved to Mrs Trafford's three Herefordshire houses at her invitation to be out of the way of German bombing. Most of the school was in Goodrich Court and Windsor's and Ingle's Houses occupied Hill Court Manor.

On 25 July 1953 the school's Combined Cadet Force armoury was raided by the IRA, making off with 8 Bren guns, 12 Sten guns, an anti-tank gun, a mortar and 109 rifles. Their van was stopped by a police patrol and Cathal Goulding, Sean Stephenson (later known as Seán Mac Stíofáin) and Manus Canning each received 8 years in prison.

Major building works took place for the 400th anniversary celebrations in 1964, when the Queen Mother laid the foundation stone for the then new Music School, subsequently opened by Felsted governor Lord Butler of Saffron Walden, (formerly Rab Butler). In 2008 this building was replaced by a larger new building which was opened in 2009 by Dame Evelyn Glennie. The Princess Royal opened the new Lord Riche Hall in 1989. Girls were taken into the Sixth Form in 1970, and into the whole school in 1993.

Part of the school was devastated by fire on Sunday, 15 July 2012 after a blaze broke out in the roof and first floor of Follyfield House, one of the girls' boarding houses. The school term had ended but about 25 students and staff from a summer school were on site and were evacuated. Nobody was injured and an investigation is under way. The school reopened as normal in September, with a new, temporary house situated next to the Lord Riche Hall. Soon after, planning permission was accepted for the construction an all new state-of-the-art boarding house. Located in a different location to its predecessor, nearer to Gepp's & Deacon's houses, it opened as planned in September 2014.

On 6th May 2014, the school was visited by reigning monarch Queen Elizabeth II to mark the 450th anniversary of Felsted School. She unveiled plaques for the visit as well as the officially opening of the newly-constructed Follyfield House.

Houses

Girls' boarding houses:

Stocks'

Follyfield (referred to as 'Follies')

Garnetts

Thorne

Boys' boarding houses:

Elywn's

Gepp's

Deacon's

Windsor's

Day houses:

Manor

Montgomery's (referred to as 'Monts')

Headmasters

1564–1566 – Rev. John Daubeney

1566–1576 – Rev. John Berryman, MA (1534-1617)

1576–1596 – Rev. Henry Greenwood, MA (1544-1634)

1597–1627 – Rev. George Manning, BA (1560-1629)

1627–1649 – Rev. Martin Holbeach, MA (1600–1670)

1650–1690 – Rev. Christopher Glascock, MA, OF (d. 1697)

1690–1712 – Rev. Simon Lydiatt, MA (1659–1712)

1712−1712 − Rev. George Timmis MA (1712-1712)

1713–1725 – Rev. Hugh Hutchin, MA (1678–1725)

1725–1750 – Rev. John Wyatt, MA (1698–1750)

1750–1778 – Rev. William Drake, MA & FSA (1723-1801)

1778–1794 – Rev. William Trivett, MA (1745–1830)

1794–1813 – Rev. William John Carless, BA (1770–1813)

1813–1835 – Rev. Edmund Squire, MA (1781–1853)

1835–1850 – Rev. Thomas Surridge, BA (1835-1850)

1850–1855 – Rev. Albert Henry Wratislaw, MA (1822–1892)

1856–1875 – Rev. William Stanford Grignon, MA (1824–1907)

1875–1890 – Rev. Delaval Shafto Ingram, MA (1840–1920)

1890–1906 – Rev. Herbert Andrew Dalton, MA (1853-1928)

1906–1933 – Rev. Frank Stephenson, MA (1871–1936)

1933–1943 – Rev. Kenneth Julian Faithfull Bickersteth, Military Cross(MC) MA Honorary Chaplain to the Queen (QHC) (1885–1962)

1943–1947 – Alistair Hugh Andrew MA (1908–1947)

1947–1951 – Cecil Marriott Harrison, MA (1911-1986)

1951–1968 – Henry Enfield Reekie, MA (1907-2000)

1968–1982 – Anthony Francis Eggleston, MA, OBE (b. 1928 )

1983–1993 – Edward John Humphrey Gould MA, FRGS, FRSA (b. 1943)

1993–2008 – Stephen Chevely Roberts, MA (b. 1956)

2008–2015 – Michael John Walker, MA, PhD (b. 1956)

2015-present – Christopher Townsend

References

Felsted School Wikipedia

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