Thetford Grammar School

Last updated

Thetford Grammar School
Fair use logo Thetford Grammar School.png
Old School at Thetford Grammar.jpg
"Old School" at Thetford Grammar School.
The building where Thomas Paine studied
Address
Thetford Grammar School
Bridge Street

, ,
IP24 3AF

England
Coordinates 52°24′49″N0°44′40″E / 52.413527°N 0.744477°E / 52.413527; 0.744477
Information
Type Private day school
MottoLoyaute me oblige
(Loyalty binds me)
Establishedc.7th century (631 A.D.)
1566 (refoundation)
Department for Education URN 121245 Tables
Head teacherAmanda Faye
GenderMixed
Age3to 18
Enrolment241 [1]
HousesCole's, Cronshey's, Millington's, Reed's.
Former pupils Old Thetfordians
Website http://www.thetgram.norfolk.sch.uk/

Thetford Grammar School is a private co-educational day school in Thetford, Norfolk, England. The school might date back to the 7th century, which would make it one of the oldest schools in the United Kingdom.

Contents

History

The school website conjectures its origin traces back to 631, [2] and through its Roll of Headmasters to 1114. The Independent Schools Inspectorate assert in their 2012 report that "The school was originally founded in the 10th Century" but without any evidence provided. [3] It appears to have ceased from around 1496 until its refoundation from the will of Sir Richard Fulmerston in 1566. [4] The refoundation was confirmed by an Act of Parliament in 1610. [4] Part of the school is built on the site of a thirteenth-century Dominican Friary (Blackfriars, Thetford), which may have been built on, and incorporated parts of, a Norman cathedral. [5] This building, now known as "Old School", comprised the entire school for about 300 years, and is where the lawyer Roger North and the political activist Thomas Paine were educated.

In 1998 archaeologists from the television programme Time Team excavated at the school for three days in search of the Norman cathedral of Herbert Losinga, which was only located at Thetford for twenty years or so, before relocating to Norwich. They did not find any Norman stone building, perhaps because the short-lived cathedral was a re-used Anglo-Saxon wooden church which has not survived.

The school developed rapidly in the 1880s, and in 1888 Thetford Grammar School for Girls was built alongside the existing Grammar School. The school became a Voluntary controlled school in 1944, and remained in the state sector until 1981 when it regained its independent status. The original boys' school and the girls' grammar school merged in 1975 to form a new coeducational school. [2]

Since 2017 the school has been owned by China Financial Services Holdings, a Hong Kong–based company. [6] [7]

Notable former pupils

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thetford</span> Town in Norfolk, England

Thetford is a market town and civil parish in the Breckland District of Norfolk, England. It is on the A11 road between Norwich and London, just east of Thetford Forest. The civil parish, covering an area of 29.55 km2 (11.41 sq mi), in 2011 had a population of 24,340.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bishop of Norwich</span> Diocesan bishop in the Church of England

The Bishop of Norwich is the ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Norwich in the Province of Canterbury. The diocese covers most of the county of Norfolk and part of Suffolk. The bishop of Norwich is Graham Usher.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Norwich Cathedral</span> Cathedral in Norfolk, England

Norwich Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity, is a Church of England cathedral in the city of Norwich, Norfolk, England. The cathedral is the seat of the bishop of Norwich and the mother church of the diocese of Norwich. It is administered by its dean and chapter, and there are daily Church of England services. It is a Grade I listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christ College, Brecon</span> Public school in Powys, Wales

Christ College, Brecon, is a co-educational, boarding and day independent school, located in the cathedral and market town of Brecon in mid-Wales. It currently caters for pupils aged 7–18 years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Albans School, Hertfordshire</span> Public school in St Albans, Hertfordshire, England

St Albans School is a public school in the city of St Albans in Hertfordshire. Entry before Sixth Form is for boys only, but the Sixth Form has been co-educational since 1991. Founded in 948 by Wulsin, St Albans School is not only the oldest school in Hertfordshire but also one of the oldest in the world. The school has been called "Britain's oldest public school" by the Daily Mail. Nicholas Carlisle, in 1818, described the school as "of very ancient origin, and of great celebrity" and the Good Schools Guide describes St Albans as a "traditional public school, with a rich history".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northwold</span> Village in Norfolk, England

Northwold is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. It covers an area of 19.72 km2 (7.61 sq mi) and had a population of 1,070 in 448 households at the 2001 census, increasing to 1,085 at the 2011 Census. For the purposes of local government, it falls within the district of King's Lynn and West Norfolk. The civil parish also includes the hamlets of Whittington and Little London.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wisbech Grammar School</span> School in Cambridgeshire, UK

Wisbech Grammar School is an 11–18 co-educational, Church of England, private day school and sixth form in Wisbech, Isle of Ely, Cambridgeshire, England. Founded by the Guild of the Holy Trinity in 1379, it is one of the oldest schools in the country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lanark Grammar School</span> Secondary school in Lanark, South Lanarkshire, Scotland

Lanark Grammar School is a secondary school in Lanark, Scotland. It was founded in 1183, and celebrated its octocentenary in 1983, including a visit by The Princess Anne. The school draws its pupils from the town of Lanark and many villages in the local area, including Douglas, Carstairs and Braehead.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Peter Mancroft</span> Church in United Kingdom

St Peter Mancroft is a parish church in the Church of England in the centre of Norwich, Norfolk. After the two cathedrals, it is the largest church in Norwich. It was originally established by Ralph de Gael, Earl of East Anglia, between 1066 and 1075. It was later rebuilt, between 1430 and 1455. It stands on a slightly elevated position, next to the market place.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Michael the Archangel's Church, Framlingham</span> Church in United Kingdom

St Michael's Church in Framlingham, Suffolk is a Church of England church dedicated to Saint Michael. It was the burial site of the Howard family. The church was designated a Grade I listed building in 1966. Currently the Church accepts monetary donations for its maintenance and preservation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thetford Priory</span> Monastic house in Norfolk, England

Thetford Priory is a Cluniac monastic house in Thetford, Norfolk, England. Founded in 1103 by Roger Bigod of Norfolk, Thetford was one of the most important monasteries of East Anglia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Erbistock</span> Village in Wales

Erbistock is a village and community in Wrexham County Borough, Wales. The village lies on the banks of the River Dee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thetford Castle</span> 11th-century castle in Thetford, England

Thetford Castle is a medieval motte and bailey castle in the market town of Thetford in the Breckland area of Norfolk, England. The first castle in Thetford, a probable 11th-century Norman ringwork called Red Castle, was replaced in the 12th century by a much larger motte and bailey castle on the other side of the town. This new castle was largely destroyed in 1173 by Henry II, although the huge motte, the second largest man-made mound in England, remained intact. The motte, recognised as a scheduled monument, now forms part of a local park, and the remains are known variously as Castle Hill, Castle Mound and Military Parade.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Salisbury Cathedral School</span> School in Salisbury, Wiltshire, England

Salisbury Cathedral School is a co-educational private school in Salisbury, Wiltshire, England, which was founded in 1091 by Saint Osmund. The choristers of Salisbury Cathedral are educated at the school.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Brunts Academy</span> Academy in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, England

The Brunts Academy, a large secondary school in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, England, is a member of the Greenwood Academies Trust. The school specialises in the performing arts. It has previously been a grammar school and a secondary technical school and traces its foundation to a bequest by Samuel Brunt in 1709.

Blackfriars, Thetford was a priory in Norfolk, England, which belonged to the Dominican Order. It was one of several religious houses in Thetford closed at the time of the Dissolution of the Monasteries. The site is now occupied by Thetford Grammar School.

Alfred Neobard Palmer was a chemist and local historian. He published several books concerning the local history of Wrexham and north Wales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Norwich School</span> Public school in Norfolk, England

Norwich School is a private selective day school in the close of Norwich Cathedral, Norwich. Among the oldest schools in the United Kingdom, it has a traceable history to 1096 as an episcopal grammar school established by Herbert de Losinga, first Bishop of Norwich. In the 16th century the school came under the control of the city of Norwich and moved to Blackfriars' Hall following a successful petition to Henry VIII. The school was refounded in 1547 in a royal charter granted by Edward VI and moved to its current site beside the cathedral in 1551. In the 19th century it became independent of the city and its classical curriculum was broadened in response to the declining demand for classical education following the Industrial Revolution.

Richard Fulmerston, of Ipswich, Suffolk and Thetford, Norfolk, was an English politician, entrepreneur, and philanthropist.

References

  1. "EduBase - Thetford Grammar School". Department for Education . Edubase. Retrieved 27 June 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 Thetford Grammar School - History Archived 2010-12-05 at the Wayback Machine , accessed 17 Aug 2009
  3. "Thetford Grammar School :: Independent Schools Inspectorate".
  4. 1 2 'Thetford, chapter 23: Of the school and hospital', An Essay towards a Topographical History of the County of Norfolk: volume 2 (1805), pp. 128-131. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=78041 Date accessed: 18 August 2009
  5. Channel 4, Time Team: Thetford, Norfolk, 17 January 1999, accessed 18 Aug 2009
  6. "New owners will secure future of Thetford school". Suffolk News. 8 June 2017. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
  7. "Ownership and Management of Thetford Grammar School". www.thetfordgrammar.co.uk. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
  8. Alfred Neobard Palmer, National Library of Wales
  9. "James Pattinson (obituary)". The Telegraph. 8 December 2009. Retrieved 22 July 2017.