Laxton Grammar School was a historic school located in

Oundle Oundle () is a market town and civil parish on the left bank of the River Nene in North Northamptonshire, England, which had a population of 6,254 at the time of the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 census. It is north of London and south-wes ...

Northamptonshire Northamptonshire ( ; abbreviated Northants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It is bordered by Leicestershire, Rutland and Lincolnshire to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshi ...

, founded after the death of Sir William Laxton (Lord Mayor of London) in 1556. It was finally subsumed into

Oundle School Oundle School is a public school (United Kingdom), public school (English Private schools in the United Kingdom, fee-charging boarding school, boarding and day school) for pupils 11–18 situated in the market town of Oundle in Northamptonshire ...

in 2000 under the name Oundle School.

The Gild School

Oundle had a grammar school, called the Gild School, since at least 1485. In 1499, Dame Joan Wyatt had purchased a licence to refound the Gild, properly authorizing its existence. It was to be known as the Gild or Fraternity of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the "Gildhouse" stood within the churchyard o
St Peter's
parish church. The Gild was affected by the Abolition of Chantries Act and, in 1548 its assets were seized and it was taken over as a grammar school by the Commissioners for the Continuance of Schools."A History of the Oundle Schools", William George Walker, printed for The Grocers' Company by Hazell Watson & Viney Ltd, London, 1956

Sir William Laxton

William Laxton was educated at the Gild School and became an apprentice to the

Worshipful Company of Grocers The Worshipful Company of Grocers is one of the 111 livery companies of the City of London, ranking second in order of precedence. Established in 1345 for merchants engaged in the grocery trade, it is one of the Great Twelve City Livery Compa ...

in London, until he gained his livery in 1519. In 1536, Laxton became Upper Master of the Grocer's Company and

Lord Mayor of London The Lord Mayor of London is the Mayors in England, mayor of the City of London, England, and the Leader of the council, leader of the City of London Corporation. Within the City, the Lord Mayor is accorded Order of precedence, precedence over a ...

in 1544. Sir William Laxton died in 1556 and, in his will, left property to the Grocer's Company in London, on condition that they supported a new school, to replace the old school which he had attended.

400th anniversary

In 1956,

Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon (4 August 1900 – 30 March 2002) was Queen of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 to 6 February 1952 as the wife of King George VI. She was al ...

attended Laxton Grammar School's 400-year celebrations. A plaque commemorating this event was installed in the Long Room.

Oundle School

Owing to its success, in 1876 headmaster Henry St. John Reade and the Grocers Company decided to split the school into two: "The Laxton Modern School" for local day boys and the renowned “

”, a public school for pupils intending to progress to university. In 2000, the governing body decided to reunite Laxton Grammar School into

as a house for day pupils, to be known as Laxton House.

Notable pupils

Iain Henderson William Iain Henderson (born 21 February 1992) is a professional rugby union player who plays as a lock for United Rugby Championship club Ulster and the Ireland national team, and has been selected for two tours with the British & Irish Lions ...

(born 1967), cricketer

References

{{Reflist

External links

The Old Laxtonian Club

Oundle School

English Heritage - National Monuments Record

British Listed Buildings - Laxton Grammar School

Charity Commission - Free Grammar School of Sir William LaxtonThe History of St Peter's Parish Church Oundle
Educational institutions established in the 1550s Oundle People educated at Oundle School 1556 establishments in England