Salisbury Cathedral School is a

co-educational Mixed-sex education, also known as mixed-gender education, co-education, or coeducation (abbreviated to co-ed or coed), is a system of education where males and females are educated together. Whereas single-sex education was more common up to ...

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * "In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorded ...

school in

Salisbury Salisbury ( , ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and civil parish in Wiltshire, England with a population of 41,820, at the confluence of the rivers River Avon, Hampshire, Avon, River Nadder, Nadder and River Bourne, Wi ...

, Wiltshire, England, which was founded in 1091 by

Saint Osmund Osmund (died 3 December 1099), Count of Sées, was a Norman noble and clergyman. Following the Norman conquest of England, he served as Lord Chancellor (–1078) and as the second bishop of Salisbury, or Old Sarum. Life Osmund, a nati ...

. The choristers of

Salisbury Cathedral Salisbury Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is an Church of England, Anglican cathedral in the city of Salisbury, England. The cathedral is regarded as one of the leading examples of Early English architecture, ...

are educated at the school.

History

The school was founded in 1091 at

Old Sarum Old Sarum, in Wiltshire, South West England, is the ruined and deserted site of the earliest settlement of Salisbury. Situated on a hill about north of modern Salisbury near the A345 road, the settlement appears in some of the earliest recor ...

, the

Bishop of Salisbury The Bishop of Salisbury is the Ordinary (officer), ordinary of the Church of England's Diocese of Salisbury in the Province of Canterbury. The diocese covers much of the counties of Wiltshire and Dorset. The Episcopal see, see is in the Salisbur ...

and

Earl of Dorset Earl of Dorset is a title that has been created at least four times in the Peerage of England. Some of its holders have at various times also held the rank of marquess and, from 1720, duke. A possible first creation is not well documented. About ...

, who was canonised in 1456.Powicke, ''Handbook of British Chronology'' p. 81 Osmund was born in Normandy and was a first cousin of William the Conqueror, King of England: William's father, Robert the Magnificent, Duke of Normandy, was the brother of Isabella, Countess of Séez, the mother of Osmund. The first notable pupil of the school was

John of Salisbury John of Salisbury (late 1110s – 25 October 1180), who described himself as Johannes Parvus ("John the Little"), was an English author, philosopher, educationalist, diplomat and bishop of Chartres. The historian Hans Liebeschuetz described him ...

, who served Archbishop Thomas Becket until the latter was murdered in 1170. In the 12th century, the school was no doubt housed near the cathedral at Old Sarum. At the start of the 13th century, the centre of the

Diocese of Salisbury The Diocese of Salisbury is a Church of England diocese in the south of England, within the ecclesiastical Province of Canterbury. The diocese covers the historic county of Dorset (which excludes the deaneries of Bournemouth and Christchurch, ...

was moved from Old Sarum to its present site, and the choristers must have lodged with canons in the new Cathedral Close. After 1319, a house was built in the Close to accommodate the school (known as 'The Choristers' House'), and the school remained here for the next 300 years. The choristers were educated in the Chancellor's Grammar School nearby. In 1335, most of the students of the

College of the Valley Scholars The College of the Valley Scholars of St Nicholas (), sometimes called the Valley College and De Vaux College, was a seat of learning in Salisbury, England. It has some claim to be seen as the first university college in England,Alan B. Cobban, ' ...

near the cathedral transferred to Salisbury Hall, Oxford, and after that the College was "practically a nursery for a few scholars attending the Cathedral Grammar School" until the

Reformation The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major Theology, theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the p ...

, when it was dissolved. In 1714, the school moved to a new School House built for it on the northwest side of The Close. This became known as

Wren Hall Wren Hall is a Grade I listed building in Salisbury Cathedral Close, Wiltshire, England. Situated on the west side of Choristers' Green, it was originally part of the attached Braybrook House. A rebuilding was commissioned and funded by Sir Ste ...

. The house connected to it, Braybrooke House, was the home of the Chancellor's Grammar School."Chancellor's Grammar School, Salisbury"
wiltshire.gov.uk, accessed 22 October 2023 In 1818, as reported by

Nicholas Carlisle Sir Nicholas Carlisle, Royal Guelphic Order, KH, Royal Society#Fellows, FRS, Royal Irish Academy, MRIA, (1771 in York, England – 27 August 1847 in Margate, England) was an English people, English antiquary and librarian. In 1806, he became a c ...

, the school was known as the Close School, distinguishing it from the City School. He understood that it had been founded by Bishop Herbert Poore.

, ''A Concise Description of the Endowed Grammar Schools in England and Wales'', Volume 2 (Baldwin, Cradock and Joy, 1818)
pp. 746, 747
/ref> In 1847, Bishop Hamilton combined the Cathedral School, or Choristers' School, with the Chancellor's Grammar School, and the school was thereafter known as the Cathedral School. As the site in the Close could not keep pace with the growing number of pupils, in 1946 the school was relocated to the former Bishop's Palace in the grounds of the cathedral. The building is designated as

Grade I listed 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 ...

English Heritage English Heritage (officially the English Heritage Trust) is a charity that manages over 400 historic monuments, buildings and places. These include prehistoric sites, a battlefield, medieval castles, Roman forts, historic industrial sites, Lis ...

. In 1987, the first girls were admitted. The cathedral became the first in England to have female choristers when it opened its choristership programme to girls in 1991. A library partly funded by the former bookshop chain

Ottakar's Ottakar's was a chain of bookshops in the United Kingdom founded in 1987 by James Heneage. Following a takeover by the HMV Group in 2006, the chain was merged into the Waterstone's brand, who retain the Ottakar's trademark after Waterstones ...

was opened in October 2002. Two members of the Heneage family, who owned the company, were former pupils.

Leaden Hall School

In 2016, Leaden Hall School, a nearby independent school for girls aged 2 to 13, was merged into Salisbury Cathedral School. At first, the Leaden Hall site was to be for younger pupils at the enlarged school. The Leaden Hall site, owned by the dean and chapter, is west of the former Bishop's Palace, on West Walk, and is bounded to the west by the River Avon. Its buildings include Leaden Hall (or Leadenhall), which has its origins in one of the first stone houses constructed in the new cathedral close, as a canon's residence. The present house is a 1717 rebuilding to the north, reusing some of the older stonework. Of two storeys under a tiled roof, the west front has four bays (including a later northern bay) and a 19th-century Gothic porch. The building was designated as Grade I listed in 1952. Occupants of Leaden Hall include

Henry Chichele Henry Chichele ( ; also Checheley; – 12 April 1443) was Archbishop of Canterbury (1414–1443) and founded All Souls College, Oxford. Early life Chichele was born at Higham Ferrers, Northamptonshire, in 1363 or 1364; Chichele told Pope Eu ...

(d. 1443), archdeacon, chancellor, and later

Archbishop of Canterbury The archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and a principal leader of the Church of England, the Primus inter pares, ceremonial head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the bishop of the diocese of Canterbury. The first archbishop ...

;

Gilbert Kymer Gilbert Kymer (died 1463) was Dean of Salisbury Cathedral, Chancellor of Oxford University, and a physician. Kymer was educated at the University of Oxford. He was a proctor of the University (1412–13) and Principal of Hart Hall, Oxford (1412� ...

(d. 1463),

Dean of Salisbury The Dean of Salisbury is the primus inter pares, head of the cathedral chapter, chapter of Salisbury Cathedral in the Church of England. The Dean assists the archdeacon of Sarum and bishop of Ramsbury in the diocese of Salisbury. List of deans ...

and twice Chancellor of

Oxford University The University of Oxford is a 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 second-oldest continuously operating u ...

; and (after the rebuilding),

John Fisher John Fisher (c. 19 October 1469 – 22 June 1535) was an English Catholic prelate who served as Bishop of Rochester from 1504 to 1535 and as chancellor of the University of Cambridge. He is honoured as a martyr and saint by the Catholic Chu ...

(1748–1825), Bishop of Salisbury. There was a school on the site from at least 1953. A charity was linked to the school from 1963 to 2018. In 2003 there were 261 pupils, including 40 boarders, and around the time of the merger there were 130.

Location

Salisbury Cathedral from the air - geograph

The school's 27-acre campus is next to

Bishop Wordsworth's School Bishop Wordsworth's School is a Church of England boys' grammar school in Salisbury, Wiltshire for boys aged 11 to 18. The school has been amongst the top-performing schools in England, and in 2010 was the school with the best results in the Eng ...

, in the southern part of Salisbury Cathedral Close, which at is the largest Cathedral Close in Britain. The main school building is the former Bishop's Palace, parts of which date from the building of the cathedral in the 13th century. The pre-preparatory part of the school is located in newer buildings adjacent to the palace, but uses some of the main school facilities. The boarding house is also in The Close. Sports facilities include football, rugby and cricket pitches, an athletics track, tennis courts/hockey pitches (Astro Turf) and an outdoor swimming pool.

Academics

Scholarships are offered on entry to the school at Years 3 and 6, with choral scholarships offered at Years 4 and 5. An exchange programme with pupils from Union High School, South Africa, is available to Year 7 students. Pupils generally take the Common Entrance Exam at the end of Year 8 and many progress to senior

private school A private school or independent school is a school not administered or funded by the government, unlike a State school, public school. Private schools are schools that are not dependent upon national or local government to finance their fina ...

s. Some also leave at Year 6 for local

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 ...

s, or other independent schools.

Choir

The school continues to serve its original function of educating choristers of the cathedral choir. Every year auditions are held for children between ages 7 and 9 and successful applicants receive scholarships to attend the school. It was the first English cathedral to allow girls to become choristers, and is unique in that the girls have equal duties with the boys. Many choristers board in a large boarding house located near the school.

In media

The school featured in a

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

television documentary entitled ''Angelic Voices: The Choristers of Salisbury Cathedral'', which was first broadcast in March 2012.

Notable former pupils

(c. 1120–1180): Author, diplomat and

Bishop of Chartres The oldest known list of bishops of Chartres is found in an 11th-century manuscript of Trinity Abbey, Vendôme. It includes 57 names from Adventus (Saint Aventin) to Aguiertus (Agobert) who died in 1060. The most well-known list is included in the ...

Osmond, Stephen E., ''Register of Past & Present Pupils of the Cathedral School Salisbury'' (5th.Ed. 2002; publ. Salisbury Cathedral School Association) *

Henry Lawes Henry Lawes (1596 – 1662) was the leading English songwriter of the mid-17th century. He was elder brother of fellow composer William Lawes. Life Henry Lawes (baptised 5 January 1596 – 21 October 1662),Ian Spink, "Lawes, Henry," ''Grove Mu ...

(1595–1662): Musician and composer. A Gentleman of the

Chapel Royal A chapel royal is an establishment in the British and Canadian royal households serving the spiritual needs of the sovereign and the royal family. Historically, the chapel royal was a body of priests and singers that travelled with the monarc ...

in the reigns of King Charles I & King Charles II. He was appointed Musician in the 'Private Musick for the Voices' to King Charles II. (Buried in

Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an Anglican church in the City of Westminster, London, England. Since 1066, it has been the location of the coronations of 40 English and British m ...

). *

William Lawes William Lawes (April 1602 – 24 September 1645) was an English composer and musician. Life and career Lawes was born in Salisbury, Wiltshire and was baptised on 1 May 1602. He was the son of Thomas Lawes, a vicar choral at Salisbury Cathe ...

(1602–1645): Brother of

(above). Composer and musician. Appointed as 'Musician in Ordinary for Lutes and Voices' to King Charles I. He was killed during the rout of the Royalists at the

Battle of Rowton Heath The Battle of Rowton Heath, also known as the Battle of Rowton Moor, occurred on 24 September 1645 during the English Civil War. The Parliamentarians, commanded by Sydnam Poyntz, inflicted a significant defeat on the Royalists under the per ...

. * Edward Lowe (c.1602–1682): Composer, author & organist. Professor of Music at Oxford University (1671–1682). *

Sir Stephen Fox Sir Stephen Fox (27 March 1627 – 28 October 1716) of Farley, Wiltshire, Farley in Wiltshire, of Redlynch, Somerset, Redlynch Park in Somerset, of Chiswick, Middlesex and of Whitehall, was a royal administrator and courtier to King Charles ...

(1627–1716): oted in John Evelyn's Diary as ''‘…a poore boy from the quire of Salisbury’'' Founder of The Royal Hospital, Chelsea; Commissioner of the Treasury.in ''

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from History of the British Isles, British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') ...

'', Oxford University Press, 2004 *

Thomas Wyndham, 1st Baron Wyndham Thomas Wyndham, 1st Baron Wyndham PC (27 December 1681 – 24 November 1745), was an Irish lawyer and politician. He served as Lord Chancellor of Ireland from 1726 to 1739. Background Wyndham was born in Wiltshire, the son of Colonel John Wynd ...

of Finglass (1681–1745): Lawyer; Lord Chancellor of Ireland (1728); Lord High Steward of Ireland (1739). *

John Greenhill John Greenhill (c. 1644 – 19 May 1676) was an English portrait painter, a pupil of Peter Lely, who approached his teacher in artistic excellence, but whose life was cut short by a dissolute lifestyle. Life and work Greenhill was born at ...

(1644?–1676): English portrait painter and draughtsman (Associated with 24 major portraits). Pupil of Sir Peter Lely. *

Henry Greenhill Henry Greenhill (21 June 1646 – 24 May 1708) was a British mariner, Governor of the Gold Coast, commissioner of the navy and Member of Parliament. Early life Greenhill was a son of John Greenhill, registrar of the diocese of Salisbury, and ...

(1646–1708): (Brother of John Greenhill, above) As a Commissioner of the Admiralty, directed the building of Plymouth Dockyard. * James Harris (1709–1780): Grammarian and politician. *

James Harris, 1st Earl of Malmesbury James Harris, 1st Earl of Malmesbury (21 April 1746 – 21 November 1820), was an English diplomat. Early life (1746–1768) Born at Salisbury, the son of James Harris, an MP and the author of ''Hermes'', and Elizabeth Clarke of Sandford, Som ...

GCB (1746–1820): Son of the above and noted diplomat. * William Benson Earle (1740–1796): Author & composer. *Sir George Ridout Bingham, KCB (1777–1833): Army Officer in the Peninsular War. Commanded the garrison of St.Helena guarding the Emperor Napoleon. * Bernard George Ellis (1890–1979): Winner of the

George Cross The George Cross (GC) is the highest award bestowed by the British government for non-operational Courage, gallantry or gallantry not in the presence of an enemy. In the British honours system, the George Cross, since its introduction in 1940, ...

in 1918. *Walter Kendall Stanton (1891–1978): Organist & composer. Director of BBC Midland Radio Music. Editor of the BBC Hymn Book. First Professor of Music at Bristol University.Smith, Peter L.: ''In the Shadow of Salisbury Spire'', The Hobnob Press, 2011 *Stephen Clissold (1913–1982): Author: subjects include mediæval mystics, Latin America & Yugoslavia. In 2nd World War, worked with the British Mission to Yugoslavia. He was the interpreter between

Sir Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 1874 – 24 January 1965) was a British statesman, military officer, and writer who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945 (Winston Churchill in the Second World War, ...

Marshal Tito Josip Broz ( sh-Cyrl, Јосип Броз, ; 7 May 1892 – 4 May 1980), commonly known as Tito ( ; , ), was a Yugoslav communist revolutionary and politician who served in various positions of national leadership from 1943 until his death ...

at their first meeting. *Doctor Bernard Rose (1916–1996): Don, organist and master of the choristers, Magdalen College, Oxford. *Professor

John Blacking John Anthony Randoll Blacking (22 October 1928 – 24 January 1990) was a British ethnomusicologist and social anthropologist. Blacking began his career with a ground-breaking, 22-month study of the culture and music making of the Venda people ...

(1928–1990): Anthropologist and ethnomusicologist. *Professor

Nicholas Daniel Nicholas Daniel (born 9 January 1962) is a British oboist and conductor. In 2003 he was appointed Artistic Director of the Leicester International Music Festival. Education He was educated at Salisbury Cathedral School and the Purcell School. ...

(born 1962): Oboist & conductor. *

David Gascoyne David Gascoyne (10 October 1916 – 25 November 2001) was an English poet associated with the Surrealist movement, in particular the British Surrealist Group. Additionally, he translated work by French surrealist poets. Early life and surreal ...

(1916–2001): Surrealist poet. *Air Vice-Marshal David Hills CB

OBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(born 1925) * Robert Key MP (born 1945): Conservative politician. *

Michael Mates Michael John Mates (born 9 June 1934) is a Conservative Party politician who was the Member of Parliament (MP) for the constituency of East Hampshire from 1974 to 2010. He was a minister at the Northern Ireland Office from 1992 to 1993, resign ...

MP (born 1934): Conservative politician.''MATES, Lt-Col Rt Hon. Michael (John) '' in ''Who's Who 2007'' (London, A. & C. Black, 2007) *

Martin Woodhouse Martin Charlton Woodhouse (29 August 1932 – 15 May 2011) was a British author and scriptwriter. He is most famous as a writer for the TV series '' The Avengers'', but he also authored or co-authored eleven novels. He was a former medical doct ...

(1932–2011): Author and scriptwriter. *

Jonathan Meades Jonathan Turner Meades (born 21 January 1947) is an English writer and film-maker. His work spans journalism, fiction, essays, memoir and over fifty television films, many for the BBC. He has described himself as a "cardinal of atheism" and i ...

(born 1947): Writer and television film-maker.Meades, Jonathan (2014). ''An Encyclopaedia of Myself''. Fourth Estate, London. . *

Mike Wedgwood Mike Wedgwood (born 19 May 1950 in Derby) is an English bassist and singer. He is related to the Wedgwood family of pottery fame. Wedgwood joined The Overlanders (band), The Overlanders in 1968 following their biggest hit, a cover of The Beatle ...

(born 1950): Bass guitarist, formerly a member of The Overlanders,

Curved Air Curved Air are an English progressive rock group formed in 1970 by musicians from mixed artistic backgrounds, including classical, folk and electronic sound. The resulting sound of the band is a mixture of progressive rock, folk rock, and fu ...

and

Caravan Caravan or caravans may refer to: Transport and travel *Campervan, a type of vehicle also known as a motor caravan *Caravan (travellers), a group of travellers journeying together **Caravanserai, a place where a caravan could stop *Caravan (trail ...

. * Robert Wilkie (born 1962): Former United Secretary of Veterans Affairs.

References

External links

*
Independent Schools Inspectorate reportsWiltshire Council, Wiltshire Community History – The Cathedral School, Salisbury
{{Authority control People educated at Salisbury Cathedral School Boarding schools in Wiltshire Choir schools in England Educational institutions established in the 11th century 1091 establishments in England Grade I listed buildings in Wiltshire Private schools in Wiltshire Preparatory schools in Wiltshire Schools in Salisbury

School A school is the educational institution (and, in the case of in-person learning, the Educational architecture, building) designed to provide learning environments for the teaching of students, usually under the direction of teachers. Most co ...

Church of England private schools in the Diocese of Salisbury