James Tate (headmaster)
Encyclopedia
James Tate was the headmaster of Richmond School
and canon of St Paul's Cathedral
, London
. He was born in Richmond
, North Yorkshire
on 11 June 1771, the only surviving son of Thomas Tate, a working maltster originally from Berwick upon Tweed, and his wife, Dinah Cumstone, who came from a family of small farmers in Swaledale
.
Having attended two private schools, in May 1779, Tate entered Richmond School. Whilst there, the headmaster Reverend Anthony Temple recognised his talent, and in 1784 found him a job as amanuensis
to the rector of Richmond Francis Blackburne
. Enjoying access to Blackburne's library acted as a stimulus for Tate, who with Temple's help obtained a sizarship
at Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge
.
Tate was appointed headmaster of Richmond School on 27 September 1796, the fulfilment of a childhood ambition. Tate was responsible for transforming Richmond School into one of the leading classical schools of its day, and the leading Whig school, attracting boys from throughout the country, at a rate of 100 guineas a year. Between 1812 and 1833 six pupils a year on average proceeded to university. 21 of them became fellows
, 13 of them at Trinity College, Cambridge
. They became so "successful, admired and feared" whilst at Cambridge that they earned the title of ‘Tate's invincibles’. Their number included George Peacock
, Richard Sheepshanks
, Marcus Beresford and James Raine. Another pupil was Herbert Knowles
. Tate rejected corporal punishment
for his pupils, and refused to rule by fear, but instead inspired in them a love of learning.
Tate was a widely respected classical scholar. Robert Surtees
, the Durham
antiquary, recalled a night spent with him quoting from The Iliad, and Sydney Smith
, who by chance travelled in the same coach as Tate, declared to a friend that Tate was "a man dripping with Greek
". The Times
printed a glowing obituary, noting that "as a teacher of classical learning, none of his contemporaries were more successful".
Richmond School
Richmond School and Sixth Form College, often referred to simply as Richmond School, is a British Comprehensive School. It was created by the merger of three schools, the oldest of which is of such unknown antiquity that its exact founding date is unknown. The first mentions of it in writings,...
and canon of St Paul's Cathedral
St Paul's Cathedral
St Paul's Cathedral, London, is a Church of England cathedral and seat of the Bishop of London. Its dedication to Paul the Apostle dates back to the original church on this site, founded in AD 604. St Paul's sits at the top of Ludgate Hill, the highest point in the City of London, and is the mother...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. He was born in Richmond
Richmond, North Yorkshire
Richmond is a market town and civil parish on the River Swale in North Yorkshire, England and is the administrative centre of the district of Richmondshire. It is situated on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales National Park, and serves as the Park's main tourist centre...
, North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire is a non-metropolitan or shire county located in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England, and a ceremonial county primarily in that region but partly in North East England. Created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972 it covers an area of , making it the largest...
on 11 June 1771, the only surviving son of Thomas Tate, a working maltster originally from Berwick upon Tweed, and his wife, Dinah Cumstone, who came from a family of small farmers in Swaledale
Swaledale
Swaledale is one of the northernmost dales in the Yorkshire Dales National Park in northern England. It is the dale of the River Swale on the east side of the Pennines in North Yorkshire.-Geographical overview:...
.
Having attended two private schools, in May 1779, Tate entered Richmond School. Whilst there, the headmaster Reverend Anthony Temple recognised his talent, and in 1784 found him a job as amanuensis
Amanuensis
Amanuensis is a Latin word adopted in various languages, including English, for certain persons performing a function by hand, either writing down the words of another or performing manual labour...
to the rector of Richmond Francis Blackburne
Francis Blackburne (archdeacon)
Francis Blackburne was an English Anglican churchman, archdeacon of Cleveland and an activist against the requirement of subscription to the Thirty Nine Articles.-Life:...
. Enjoying access to Blackburne's library acted as a stimulus for Tate, who with Temple's help obtained a sizarship
Sizar
At Trinity College, Dublin and the University of Cambridge, a sizar is a student who receives some form of assistance such as meals, lower fees or lodging during his or her period of study, in some cases in return for doing a defined job....
at Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
.
Tate was appointed headmaster of Richmond School on 27 September 1796, the fulfilment of a childhood ambition. Tate was responsible for transforming Richmond School into one of the leading classical schools of its day, and the leading Whig school, attracting boys from throughout the country, at a rate of 100 guineas a year. Between 1812 and 1833 six pupils a year on average proceeded to university. 21 of them became fellows
Fellow
A fellow in the broadest sense is someone who is an equal or a comrade. The term fellow is also used to describe a person, particularly by those in the upper social classes. It is most often used in an academic context: a fellow is often part of an elite group of learned people who are awarded...
, 13 of them at Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows...
. They became so "successful, admired and feared" whilst at Cambridge that they earned the title of ‘Tate's invincibles’. Their number included George Peacock
George Peacock
George Peacock was an English mathematician.-Life:Peacock was born on 9 April 1791 at Thornton Hall, Denton, near Darlington, County Durham. His father, the Rev. Thomas Peacock, was a clergyman of the Church of England, incumbent and for 50 years curate of the parish of Denton, where he also kept...
, Richard Sheepshanks
Richard Sheepshanks
Richard Sheepshanks was an English astronomer.He graduated from Trinity College of Cambridge University in 1816...
, Marcus Beresford and James Raine. Another pupil was Herbert Knowles
Herbert Knowles
Herbert Knowles was an English poet.Knowles was the author of the well-known Stanzas written in Richmond Churchyard, which gave promise of future excellence. However, he died a few weeks after he had been enabled, through the help of Robert Southey to whom he had sent some of his poems, to go to...
. Tate rejected corporal punishment
Corporal punishment
Corporal punishment is a form of physical punishment that involves the deliberate infliction of pain as retribution for an offence, or for the purpose of disciplining or reforming a wrongdoer, or to deter attitudes or behaviour deemed unacceptable...
for his pupils, and refused to rule by fear, but instead inspired in them a love of learning.
Tate was a widely respected classical scholar. Robert Surtees
Robert Surtees (antiquarian)
Robert Surtees was a celebrated English historian and antiquary of his native County Durham. Surtees was born in Durham, and educated at Kepier School, Houghton-le-Spring, and later at Christ Church, Oxford. Although a student of law he never practised as a lawyer...
, the Durham
Durham
Durham is a city in north east England. It is within the County Durham local government district, and is the county town of the larger ceremonial county...
antiquary, recalled a night spent with him quoting from The Iliad, and Sydney Smith
Sydney Smith
Sydney Smith was an English writer and Anglican cleric. -Life:Born in Woodford, Essex, England, Smith was the son of merchant Robert Smith and Maria Olier , who suffered from epilepsy...
, who by chance travelled in the same coach as Tate, declared to a friend that Tate was "a man dripping with Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
". The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
printed a glowing obituary, noting that "as a teacher of classical learning, none of his contemporaries were more successful".
External links
- William Carr, ‘Tate, James (1771–1843)’, rev. M. C. Curthoys, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004 accessed 7 May 2011