Concordia

Concordia Winter 2021

that when it came to the choice of Houses, Nairn was persuaded that Clive merited recognition despite a calamitous career at the school. One has to feel sorry for Mulcaster, who presided over the founding of the school and its first quarter of a century, and we can only assume that his move to St Paul’s over the issue of salary had not been forgotten by the Company. The enthusiasm of the boys for a new range of competitions was not entirely unreserved. With its reputation for satire, it was inevitable that the Taylorian would take a sideways view at the innovation. An anonymous article, appearing in April 1922, suggested that all entrants for the Inter-House pogo should provide their own sticks but were not allowed to practise in the Library. It bemoaned the introduction of a six shilling subscription levy to cover the cost of foolscap, pens, blotting paper, fives balls, boxing gloves, ammunition, parallel-bars and polo balls. It jokingly lampooned an Inter-House Greek verse and Biology competition before concluding that it would be good to be “free from that most blighting of human institutions, the House system.” It would seem that the system did not grow and develop beyond its original vision despite the move to Sandy Lodge and the expansion of the school. In 1946, by which time the school was under the leadership of the newly appointed Hugh Elder, the range of competition had declined as a result of the War and only the new boarding House had a member of the SCR at its Head – even then the boarders were spread amongst the original four Houses. Elder felt the Houses had grown too large (120 boys!) and the boys appeared to concur that the system had little direct relevance to them, as noted in Draper’s history of the school. As a result, the system was reinvigorated by the creation of an additional four Houses, the appointment of House Masters supported by two tutors and House Prefects. The system was bolstered by the taking of lunch at House Tables and House Assemblies held by section in one of the form rooms of the SCR allotted to each House – the rooms identified by wooden batons at the entrance to the relevant teacher’s classroom. Finally, the House Colours anticipated in the Taylorian of 1922 were finally introduced. For Elder, the main advantage of these reforms was again to reinvigorate the playing of games and the health of the boys. For the first time, The Taylorian , April 1922

Sadly the metal badges have been lost, but it is again interesting to see how the boys were the driving force in the early days of the House system. We should not overlook the selection of the initial four names – Clive House seemed incongruous given that Hilles and White were founders of the school and Spenser one of Mulcaster’s most prominent pupils. For me, the date of the founding is significant as by 1921, Clive’s reputation was being revived by the likes of Lord Curzon, a former viceroy of India. Curzon threw his weight behind a campaign to erect a national memorial to Clive, who had largely disappeared from the national psyche following his ignominious suicide. Curzon was seeking to inspire a renewed enthusiasm for empire at a time of perceived ambivalence and it seems the Merchant Taylors’ Company was drawn in as, not only did it pay for a memorial to Clive to be placed in the Great Hall at Charterhouse Square, it invited Lord Curzon to unveil it. It sits on a wall at Sandy Lodge to this day. It should come as no surprise, therefore,

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Former Head Master, David Skipper