The Clarendon Commission was a
royal commission established in 1861 to investigate the state of nine
leading schools in England, in the wake of complaints about the finances, buildings, and management of
Eton College. It was chaired by the
4th Earl of Clarendon. The commission sat until 1864, when its report was published with general recommendations on questions of curriculum and governance. The Clarendon Report gives a detailed picture of life in the nine schools. As a consequence of its publication, the
Public Schools Act was passed in 1868.
Scope
The commission's
terms of reference were: "To inquire into the nature and application of the Endowments, Funds and Revenue belonging to or received by the hereinafter mentioned Colleges, Schools and Foundations; and also to inquire into the administration and management of the said Colleges, Schools and Foundations". The nine schools comprised seven boarding schools (
Eton,
Charterhouse,
Harrow
Harrow may refer to:
Places
* Harrow, Victoria, Australia
* Harrow, Ontario, Canada
* The Harrow, County Wexford, a village in Ireland
* London Borough of Harrow, England
** Harrow, London, a town in London
** Harrow (UK Parliament constituency)
...
,
Rugby,
Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury ( , also ) is a market town, civil parish, and the county town of Shropshire, England, on the River Severn, north-west of London; at the 2021 census, it had a population of 76,782. The town's name can be pronounced as either 'Sh ...
,
Westminster, and
Winchester
Winchester is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in Hampshire, England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government Districts of England, district, at the western end of the South Downs Nation ...
) and two day schools (
St Paul's and
Merchant Taylors'). However, the 1868 act concerned itself only with the seven boarding schools.
In the concluding paragraphs of the report, fulsome praise was given to the nine schools:
See also
*
George Villiers, 4th Earl of Clarendon
References
Footnotes
Bibliography
*
*
*
1861 establishments in the United Kingdom
1861 in education
British Royal Commissions
Education in England
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