Hereford Cathedral School

Hereford Cathedral School is an independent, co-educational day school, with around 520 pupils aged between the ages of 11 and 18. It has four houses, named Langford (after Charles Langford, Dean of Hereford and benefactor 1607), Stuart (named after King Charles I, benefactor 1637), Somerset (named after Sarah, Duchess of Somerset, benefactor 1682) and Cornwall (named after Richard de Cornwaille, first known headmaster of HCS, 1384). Its headmaster is a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference. The school's premises are next to Hereford Cathedral and Hereford Cathedral Junior School in central Hereford.

Hereford Cathedral School

Headmaster	Paul Smith
School type	Independent
Religious affiliation	Church of England
Early history	7th Century (possible foundation), 1384 (earliest recorded evidence)
Location	Hereford, Herefordshire
Enrollment Age	First Year (11), Third Year (13), Lower Sixth (17)
Surroundings	City Centre
Main Sports	Rowing, Rugby, Hockey, Cricket
School Motto	FLOREAT SCHOLA HEREFORDENSIS (May the scholars of Hereford flourish)

History

There was probably a school associated with the Cathedral from the time of the foundation of the see in the late 7th century. Thus Hereford Cathedral School is likely to be among the oldest in England. The earliest documentary record of its existence dates from 1384 (some ten years prior to the arrival of the first scholars at Winchester College) when Bishop Gilbert appointed Richard Cornwaille as school master and authorised him to rule over the school with birch and rod. In later years, the school master gave his name to Cornwall House, which is one of the four houses. The school's library is named after Bishop Gilbert.Stuart house was named after Charles I.

The school remained relatively small in size until the inter-war period. It attained direct grant status in 1945 and by 1970 had expanded to 370 pupils, all of whom were boys and many of whom were boarders.

In 1970, the school became co-educational. The numbers of boys and girls were roughly equal for a while, but in recent years the girls have probably got more numerous in most of the years. The 1970s also saw it change back to independent status. The school also participated in the Assisted Places Scheme after its introduction in 1980 until its abolition in 1997.

Its current headmaster, Paul Smith, was appointed in September 2006. He succeeded the long-serving Doctor Howard Tomlinson.

Headmasters

1385 Richardus de Cornwaille
1583 — May
1590 Thomas Cooxey
1595 — Povey
1637 Clement Barksdale
1669 Richard Gardiner, DD
1686 Robert Phillips
1687 Thomas Gwillim
1689 Richard Treherne
1711 John Rodd
1731 Thomas Willim
1748 John Stephens
1749 Richard Traherne
1762/3 Reverend Gibbons Bagnall
— Thomas Horne
1778 Abraham Rudd
1784 Robert D. Squire, MA
1803 Reverend Samuel Picart, BD
1807 Charles Taylor, DD
1826 Charles Taylor, Junior, BD
1839 William Henry Ley, MA
1842 John Wooley, DD
1844 Thomas F. Layng, DD
1851 Reverend Thomas Barratt Power, MA
1857 John Woollam, MA
1869 Reverend Eric John Sutherland Rudd, MA
1875 Francis Hey Thatham, MA
1890 Thomas Thistle, MA
1898 Reverend Prebendary William Henry Murray Ragg, MA
1913 Reverend John Henson, MA
1920 Dr J. H. Crees
1940 C. Fairfax-Scott
1944 A. F. J. Hopewell
1956 W. J. R. Peebles
1967 David M. Richards
1975 Barry B. Sutton
1988 Howard C. Tomlinson, BA, PhD, FRHistS
2006 Paul Smith

Extracurricular activities

Combined Cadet Force

The school operates a Combined Cadet Force comprising of Royal Navy, Army and Royal Air Force sections. Recently the organization has had notable success in CCF(RAF) Ground Training Competition and the CCF(Army) March and Shoot.The Biennial Inspection was carried out this year by the Lord Lieutenant, Sir Thomas Dunne.

Ghachok link

The school is linked with a school in the village of Ghachok, Nepal, which is one of the school's chosen 'charities'. Money donated by the pupils has been put into the building of new classrooms, employment of teachers, provision of sports equipment, and the purchasing of computers for the school.Every year, a number of pupils and parents visit Nepal and the school.

Former pupils

*Andrew Davies, politician, currently Minister for Enterprise, Innovation & Networks.
*Arthur Machen, supernatural and horror fiction author.
*Philip Wilson Steer OM, impressionist artist.
*Thomas Traherne (though nothing certain is known about his education before Oxford)
*Frederick Weatherly (1848-1929). Wrote over 3000 popular songs, including Roses Are Blooming In Picardy, as well as the best-known set of words for Danny Boy
*Denis ApIvor, (1916-2004) Composer.
*Pete Farndon, (1952-1983) Bass Guitarist of The Pretenders rock group.
*Martin Baynton, writer and illustrator, creator of "Jane And The Dragon" books and TV series.
*Paul Thorburn, Welsh rugby international.
*Kate Bliss, antiques expert and co-presenter of Flog It!

External links

* [http://www.cathedralschool.hereford.sch.uk Official site]
* [http://www.hcjs.co.uk Hereford Cathedral Junior School]
* [http://www.ohclub.co.uk Old Herefordians' Club]

References