Crewkerne Grammar School was a

grammar school A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and other English-speaking countries, originally a Latin school, school teaching Latin, but more recently an academically oriented Se ...

in the town of

Crewkerne Crewkerne ( ) is a town and electoral ward in south Somerset, England, southwest of Yeovil and east of Chard. The civil parish of West Crewkerne includes the hamlets of Coombe, Woolminstone and Henley, and borders the county of Dorset to the s ...

in the English county of

Somerset Somerset ( , ), Archaism, archaically Somersetshire ( , , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel, Gloucestershire, and Bristol to the north, Wiltshire to the east ...

History

The school was founded in 1499 by John de Combe, a

precentor A precentor is a person who helps facilitate worship. The details vary depending on the religion, denomination, and era in question. The Latin derivation is ''præcentor'', from cantor, meaning "the one who sings before" (or alternatively, "first ...

Exeter Cathedral Exeter Cathedral, properly known as the Cathedral Church of Saint Peter in Exeter, is an Anglican cathedral, and the seat of the Bishop of Exeter, in the city status in the United Kingdom, city of Exeter, Devon, in South West England. The presen ...

and former

vicar A vicar (; Latin: '' vicarius'') is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior (compare "vicarious" in the sense of "at second hand"). Linguistically, ''vicar'' is cognate with the English p ...

of Crewkerne, who had been born in the town. He and other later benefactors endowed the school with land and houses. "Crewkerne: the Grammar School", in Robert Pottis, ''Liber Cantabrigiensis, an Account of the Aids Afforded to Poor Students, the Encouragements Offered to Diligent Students'' (1855),
pp. 490–491
/ref> In 1577, the trustees of the school were "six of the most discreetest men in town". In the 17th century, the trustees gave other support to the poor of the town, lending money during the plague, buying fire buckets, and helping to fund the conversion of the

bridewell Bridewell Palace in London was built as a residence of King Henry VIII and was one of his homes early in his reign for eight years. Given to the City of London Corporation by his son King Edward VI in 1553 as Bridewell Hospital for use as a ...

into a

workhouse In Britain and Ireland, a workhouse (, lit. "poor-house") was a total institution where those unable to support themselves financially were offered accommodation and employment. In Scotland, they were usually known as Scottish poorhouse, poorh ...

.Parish Church Hall (old Grammar School), Crewkerne
BritishListedBuildings.co.uk, accessed 21 September 2022 The grammar school building in Abbey Street, immediately north of St Bartholomew's church, dates from 1636 and was used by the school until 1882. It was reported in 1855 that by a recent order of the

Court of Chancery The Court of Chancery was a court of equity in England and Wales that followed a set of loose rules to avoid a slow pace of change and possible harshness (or "inequity") of the Common law#History, common law. The Chancery had jurisdiction over ...

the school was free to all sons of inhabitants living within six miles of Crewkerne "for instruction in

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

, and the principles of the Established Church". There were then four

exhibitions An exhibition, in the most general sense, is an organized presentation and display of a selection of items. In practice, exhibitions usually occur within a cultural or educational setting such as a museum, art gallery, park, library, exhibition ...

for former pupils going on to the

University of Oxford The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...

and three others, founded by Lord Wynford, each worth £25 a year for four years, of which two were for the universities of Oxford and Cambridge, the third for training in a learned profession. In 1870,

John Marius Wilson John Marius Wilson (c. 1805–1885) was a British writer and an editor, most notable for his gazetteers. The '' Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales'' (published 1870–1872), was a substantial topographical dictionary in six volumes. It was ...

noted that the school had an income from endowments of £320 a year."Crewkerne" in John Marius Wilson, ''Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales'' (1870): "The grammar school was founded in 1499; has an endowed income of £320, with four exhibitions; and had for a pupil Mr. Justice Best, afterwards Lord Wyndford." In 1882, the school moved to new premises called de Combe House on Mount Pleasant. On the new site the school had a

house system The house system is a traditional feature of schools in the United Kingdom. The practice has since spread to Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth countries. The school is divided into units called "houses" and each student is allocated to on ...

, and houses included Nelson (red), Blake (blue), Hardy (green), and Drake (yellow). In 1904, after a prolonged financial crisis, the school was closed. In the following year, Wadham School, an ordinary Board of Education secondary school, was opened at de Combe House. The old school building in Abbey Street is now the church hall of the nearby parish church of St Bartholomew's, and is a Grade II

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

. Most of the grammar school’s artefacts were acquired by the St Martins Preparatory School and were later moved to the town's museum. Many carved initials dating from the 19th century survive in the dado

panelling Panelling (or paneling in the United States) is a millwork wall covering constructed from rigid or semi-rigid components. These are traditionally interlocking wood, but could be plastic or other materials. Panelling was developed in antiquity ...

of the Abbey Street building.

Notable former pupils

* James Mountford Allen (1809–1883), architect * Charles Brooke (1829–1917), Rajah of Sarawak *

Thomas Hardy Thomas Hardy (2 June 1840 – 11 January 1928) was an English novelist and poet. A Literary realism, Victorian realist in the tradition of George Eliot, he was influenced both in his novels and in his poetry by Romanticism, including the poetry ...

(1769–1839), captain of HMS ''Victory'' at the

Battle of Trafalgar The Battle of Trafalgar was a naval engagement that took place on 21 October 1805 between the Royal Navy and a combined fleet of the French Navy, French and Spanish Navy, Spanish navies during the War of the Third Coalition. As part of Na ...

* Marwood Munden (1885–1952), doctor and cricketer * Matthew Warren (1642–1706), nonconformist minister and tutor *

William Best, 1st Baron Wynford William Draper Best, 1st Baron Wynford, PC (13 December 1767 – 3 March 1845), was a British politician and judge. He served as Chief Justice of the Common Pleas from 1824 to 1829. Background and education Best was the third son of Thomas Best ...

(1767–1845),

Chief Justice of the Common Pleas The chief justice of the common pleas was the head of the Court of Common Pleas, also known as the Common Bench, which was the second-highest common law Common law (also known as judicial precedent, judge-made law, or case law) is the body ...

Masters of the grammar school

* 1547 John Byrde * 1609–1613: Rev. James Wood * 1613–1637: Rev. John Ball * 1637–1645: Rev. Thomas Lambert M.A. * 1645: Rev. Josiah Tompkins * 1647: Mr. Jarvis Stipend * 1647: James Metford * 1838–1875: Rev. Charles Penny D.D.George Phillips Bevan, ''The Teacher's List: Containing a Calendar of All Executive and Examining Bodies; Universities; General and Special Colleges; Public, Proprietary, and Middle-Class Schools; Denominational Colleges and Schools'' (1872)
p. 211
/ref> * 1883: Rev. Frederic Weller M.A. Church Hall - blue plaque - geograph

St Martins Preparatory School

In 1939, at an early point in the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, the St Martins School, an independent

boarding school A boarding school is a school where pupils live within premises while being given formal instruction. The word "boarding" is used in the sense of "room and board", i.e. lodging and meals. They have existed for many centuries, and now extend acr ...

, moved to Crewkerne from

Thames Ditton Thames Ditton is a suburban village on the River Thames, in the Elmbridge borough of Surrey, England. Apart from a large inhabited island in the river, it lies on the southern bank, centred south-west of Charing Cross in central London. Thame ...

Berkshire Berkshire ( ; abbreviated ), officially the Royal County of Berkshire, is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Oxfordshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the north-east, Greater London ...

, making use of the former Grammar School properties in Abbey Street, the gymnasium and hall in the town, the building opposite the hall, de Combe House, Mount Pleasant, and Chard Road. In 1940, St Martins acquired the Crewkerne Grammar School playing fields. In the 1980s St Martins Prep School was in Abbey Street. In 2003, it became a pre-school only and was renamed St Martins Day Nursery & Pre-School. This closed in 2012. Little is known in Crewkerne of the school’s origins before 1939, but it is believed it occupied the site of a current school which was newly established in 1946.

Heads of St Martins

* 1964: Mr J. H. Blackmore * 1976-1984: Lt. Col. Tony and Mrs Dowse-Brennan * 1984-1991: Mr and Mrs Murrell * 1991-2003 Julie Murrell

References

{{authority control Crewkerne Defunct schools in Somerset Defunct grammar schools in England Grade II listed buildings in South Somerset Educational institutions established in the 15th century 1499 establishments in England Educational institutions disestablished in 1904 1904 disestablishments in England