Histories of the Nine Clarendon Schools - v. 2

The English public schools came to prominence in the early 19th century after they were reformed by Samuel Butler (Shrewsbury) and Thomas James (Rugby).

Their public profile was raised most spectacularly by Thomas Arnold (Rugby, 1828-42).

This led among other things to a series of complaints about the finance, management and curriculum of Eton, the largest and most famous of the schools.

In 1861 a Royal Commission was established to investigate, and to conceal the fact that Eton was the target, eight other leading schools were added to the remit.

The Commission's report, published in 1864, gave a detailed picture of the life in the nine schools.

Selection for investigation by the Commission created in effect a super-league of "top schools", and led to efforts to preserve and publicize this status.

One way in which this was done was to publish histories of the schools.

This was especially common at the end of the century, when the fame and influence of the public schools generally was at its peak.

Most of the published histories of the Clarendon schools are substantial and carefully researched works. The possible exception is that on Merchant Taylors', one of only two day schools in the group (St Paul's being the other).

The Winchester history is by an old boy, the historian of medieval and renaissance education A.F.

Leach. Several of the books include information based on contemporary evidence (some of it from oral tradition) which is no longer available.

This first set will be follwed by "Histories of the Clarendon Schools" (2).

Together, the books in these two sets offer a detailed account of the elite sector within the public schools, produced at the high point of their development.

The Clarendon Report will be reprinted by Thoemmes Continuum as "The Clarendon Report: English Public Schools in the Nineteenth Century".