Figure 1.--Here we see a boy from Christ's Hospital School in 1924. The inscription at the top indicates that the boy's name is Kenny. I believe he is a new boy about to enter the school. He looks to be with his mother. |
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Christ's hospital in London is England's best known hospital/blue coat school. The school is an independent boarding school and charitable foundation founded by Edward VI in 1552 for "poor and needy" children. The School now accepts boys and girls from all walks of life and from all parts of the country. Families do not need to be well off to come to Christ's Hospital and preference is given to families in need. Currently, 40 percent of the School's 800 pupils received a free boarding education. Children usually enter at age 11 (into year 7) or at 6th form. A pupil at the school writes, "In your section on uniforms, you mention early charity schools as pioneers of the uniform. I happen to attend one of these schools. We are the original and the only enduring example. We still wear our "Housey" uniform and are referred to as the Bluecoat school. In 1985 on the reunification of our boys and girls schools, a complimentary uniform was designed for the girls who had not had a uniform early on. We have slightly differing combinations for different occasions and in many cases our own words to describe them. The uniform has changed over the centauries since our foundation 451 years ago." [Strong]
Christ's hospital in London is England's best known hospital/blue coat school. The school is an independent boarding school and charitable foundation founded by Edward VI in 1552 for "poor and needy" children.
Christ's Hospital was a London boarding school. It is perhaps the most famous of the hospital schools. There were several hospital schools established. The word hospital has a different connotation in the 16th century. They had nothing to do with training doctors and were only for boys. The hospital schools were charity schools for boys who could not afford to pay for their education.
We do not have much information about the early history of the school. There was also a girl's Christ Hospital School, although we are not sure just when it was founded. The girls' school was located at Hertford. The associated boys preparatory school was also located there. The boy's upper and preparatory schools moved to Horsham in Sussex (1902) The girls' school also moved to Horsham (1985). This united the different elkements into a coeducational school.
Here we see the boys of Christ's Hospital from Horsham marching across London Bridge this afternoon on their way for divine service at Christ Church, Newgate Street, and to recieve their customary Sifts in coin and Kind from the Lord Mayor, in celebration of St. Matthew's Day. I'm not sure what a sift is, perhaps it means gift. The original hospital students were charity scholars. Perhaps this was a small stipend to provide a little spending money. The photograph is undated, but we would guess was taken about 1930.
The School now accepts boys and girls from all walks of life and from all parts of the country. Independent education can be quite expensive in Britain. Families do not need to be well off, however, to come to Christ's Hospital and preference is given to families in need. Currently, 40 percent of the School's 800 pupils received a free boarding education. Children usually enter at age 11 (into year 7) or at 6th form. A pupil at the school writes, "In your section on uniforms, you mention early charity schools as pioneers of the uniform. I happen to attend one of these schools. We are the original and the only enduring example. We still wear our "Housey" uniform and are referred to as the Bluecoat school. In 1985 on the reunification of our boys and girls schools, a complimentary uniform was designed for the girls who had not had a uniform early on. We have slightly differing combinations for different occasions and in many cases our own words to describe them. The uniform has changed over the centauries since our foundation 451 years ago." [Strong]
A pupil at the school writes, "In your section on uniforms, you mention early charity schools as pioneers of the uniform. I happen to attend one of these schools. We are the original and the only enduring example. We still wear our "Housey" uniform and are referred to as the Bluecoat school. In 1985 on the reunification of our boys and girls schools, a complimentary uniform was designed for the girls who had not had a uniform early on. We have slightly differing combinations for different occasions and in many cases our own words to describe them. The uniform has changed over the centauries since our foundation 451 years ago." [Strong] Another former student writes, "I attended Christ's Hospital, the original bluecoat school set up in 1553, and would like to point out that the school has always taken girls - it was commonly believed within the school that the first pupil ever put on the role was a girl, but I never checked this fact myself. For most of the time there was a girl's school at Hertford & a boys school in London. Now the schools are combined near Horsham, West Sussex. I therefore think it is a bit misleading to suggest the bluecoat schools may be a reason why blue is associated with boys." [Rails] The thing is, I am not sure just what the first girl students wore as a uniform.
Ralls, Abigail. E-mail message, July 24, 2007.
Strong, Amaryllis. E-mail message, November 13, 2003.
Related Chronolgy Pages in the Boys' Historical Web Site
[The 1880s]
[The 1930s]
[The 1940s]
[The 1950s]
[The 1960s]
[The 1970s]
[The 1980s]
