Ruthin School
Encyclopedia
Public School (UK)
A public school, in common British usage, is a school that is neither administered nor financed by the state or from taxpayer contributions, and is instead funded by a combination of endowments, tuition fees and charitable contributions, usually existing as a non profit-making charitable trust...
s in the United Kingdom. Located on the outskirts of Ruthin
Ruthin
Ruthin is a community and the county town of Denbighshire in north Wales. Located around a hill in the southern part of the Vale of Clwyd - the older part of the town, the castle and Saint Peter's Square are located on top of the hill, while many newer parts of the town are on the floodplain of...
, the county town of Denbighshire
Denbighshire
Denbighshire is a county in north-east Wales. It is named after the historic county of Denbighshire, but has substantially different borders. Denbighshire has the distinction of being the oldest inhabited part of Wales. Pontnewydd Palaeolithic site has remains of Neanderthals from 225,000 years...
in North Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
, the school is over seven hundred years old and has been co-educational since 1990.
Beginnings
Ruthin School was founded in the wake of Edward I's conquest of Wales. Whilst the precise date of the foundation is not clear, in his history of the school "Ruthin School: The First Seven Centuries", Keith Kenyon-Thompson suggested that 1284 was the most likely date and Reginald de Grey the most likely founder. In any event it is clear from the Taxatio of 1291 that there was a flourishing collegiate church and school at Ruthin.Evidence of the School in the subsequent centuries is sparse. Surviving documents such as a Confirmatio of 1314/1315 which recognised the existence, rights and liberties of "collegio de Ruthin fundato per Reginald de Grey" indicate the existence of the School but nothing more is known of the size of the establishment.
Following Owain Glyndwr
Owain Glyndwr
Owain Glyndŵr , or Owain Glyn Dŵr, anglicised by William Shakespeare as Owen Glendower , was a Welsh ruler and the last native Welshman to hold the title Prince of Wales...
's attack on Ruthin in September 1400, it appears that the collegiate church and presumably also the School continued to function unscathed until the dissolution of the former in 1535. Thereafter evidence for the School's continuation is sketchy at best, but it is certain that in 1561 the tithes of the sinecure of Llanelidan were applied to the use of the School, which indicates that the pupils at that time would have been from local homes. Today the school is a fee paying school with pupils from foreign countries as well as local children. The state school Ysgol Brynhyfryd
Ysgol Brynhyfryd
Ysgol Brynhyfryd is a bilingual co-educational comprehensive school in the town of Ruthin in Denbighshire, North Wales. The school serves the community of Ruthin and the many surrounding villages including the rural districts of Corwen, Carrog and Gwyddelwern...
is across the road.
Re-Foundation
In 1574, Gabriel GoodmanGabriel Goodman
Gabriel Goodman was the Dean of Westminster and the re-founder of Ruthin School, in Ruthin, Denbighshire.-Early years:...
, the Dean of Westminster and an Old Ruthinian, built a two-storey, limestone building to house the school in the shadow of the Church. The School appears to have prospered and in 1595 Dean Goodman successfully petitioned Queen Elizabeth I
Elizabeth I of England
Elizabeth I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called The Virgin Queen, Gloriana, or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty...
to grant the tithes of Llanelidan
Llanelidan
- Location :It is located just off the A494 road between Ruthin and Corwen in the Vale of Clwyd.Also accessible from the A5104 road when driving between Llandegla towards Carrog.- History & Amenities :...
to the School in perpetuity.
Prosperity
Following its refoundation, the School quietly but surely prospered. It educated the sons of local gentry, including the GrosvenorGrosvenor
-Baronets/Marquesses/Dukes of Westminster::*Sir Richard Grosvenor, 1st Baronet *Sir Richard Grosvenor, 2nd Baronet , son of 1st baronet*Sir Thomas Grosvenor, 3rd Baronet , grandson of 2nd baronet...
, Kenyon
Kenyon
Kenyon is a surname of English origin. It is said to be Celtic for "Blonde", among other meanings it also means "The White Haired Norseman", the origins of the name are fairly well known. The name first appears in English heraldry in the late thirteenth century when Jordan de Kenyon first took the...
and Trevor families. The success of former pupils such as Lloyd Kenyon, 1st Baron Kenyon
Lloyd Kenyon, 1st Baron Kenyon
Lloyd Kenyon, 1st Baron Kenyon, PC, SL, KC was a British politician and barrister, who served as Attorney General, Master of the Rolls and Lord Chief Justice. Born to a country gentleman, he was initially educated in Hanmer before moving to Ruthin School aged 12...
and Sir John Trevor
John Trevor (speaker)
Sir John Trevor was a Welsh lawyer and politician. He was Speaker of the English House of Commons from 1685 to 1687 and from 1689 to 1695. Trevor also served as Master of the Rolls from 1685 to 1689 and from 1693 to 1717...
sometime Master of the Rolls and Speaker of the House of Commons, testified to a successful regimen of instruction.
Twentieth century
John Douglas (architect)
John Douglas was an English architect who designed about 500 buildings in Cheshire, North Wales, and northwest England, in particular in the estate of Eaton Hall. He was trained in Lancaster and practised throughout his career from an office in Chester, Cheshire...
on its impressive site on the eastern outskirts of the town. In 1923 Lord Kenyon opened the Memorial Cricket Pavilion to honour those Old Ruthinians who had died during the Great War.
As the century progressed, the demand for places increased and so in 1949 Bishop Wynne House was inaugurated. Just over a decade later, a new School hall comprising a refectory, kitchens, classrooms and a theatre were constructed.
Expansion continued and in 1971 a preparatory department was established in the former Archbishop Williams' house. The quatercentenary of the School's re-foundation was commemorated by the launch of plans for the construction of a new wing consisting of dormitories, a music room, classrooms, locker rooms and other facilities, plans which culminated in 1980.
The School's septcentenary was commemorated by a visit of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
, the School's Visitor
Visitor
A Visitor, in United Kingdom law and history, is an overseer of an autonomous ecclesiastical or eleemosynary institution , who can intervene in the internal affairs of that institution...
, and His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh on 16 March 1984 when a clock in the central tower was unveiled.
On the hundredth anniversary of the School's re-location, the Hall was further extended and in 2006 the Hewer Hall, a sports facility, was opened by The Princess Royal
Anne, Princess Royal
Princess Anne, Princess Royal , is the only daughter of Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh...
.
Sovereign's Visitatorial Rights
The Sovereign is the VisitorVisitor
A Visitor, in United Kingdom law and history, is an overseer of an autonomous ecclesiastical or eleemosynary institution , who can intervene in the internal affairs of that institution...
of Ruthin School whose rights have traditionally exercised by the Lord Lieutenant
Lord Lieutenant
The title Lord Lieutenant is given to the British monarch's personal representatives in the United Kingdom, usually in a county or similar circumscription, with varying tasks throughout history. Usually a retired local notable, senior military officer, peer or business person is given the post...
.
Old Ruthinian Association
The Old Ruthinian Association consists of former pupils of Ruthin School. The Association, whose patron is Sir William GladstoneWilliam Ewart Gladstone
William Ewart Gladstone FRS FSS was a British Liberal statesman. In a career lasting over sixty years, he served as Prime Minister four separate times , more than any other person. Gladstone was also Britain's oldest Prime Minister, 84 years old when he resigned for the last time...
, Bart., K.G., was founded after the First World War and gathers for its annual meeting on the Saturday of Remembrance Weekend at Ruthin Castle.
Distinguished Old Ruthinians
The dates provided are derived from Kenyon-Thompson's history of the school which in turn were verified, as far as possible, by the Dictionary of National Biography.- (1568) Richard Parry (bishop)Richard Parry (bishop)Richard Parry was a bishop of St. Asaph and translator of the Bible to the Welsh language. He was born in 1560, the son of John ap Harri, from Pwllhalog, Cwm, Flintshire, and Ruthin, and his wife, Elen ferch Dafydd ap John, a lady from Llanfair Dyffryn Clwyd, near Ruthin, North Wales.He was...
: Bishop of St AsaphBishop of St AsaphThe Bishop of St Asaph heads the Church in Wales diocese of St Asaph.The diocese covers the counties of Conwy and Flintshire, Wrexham county borough, the eastern part of Merioneth in Gwynedd and part of northern Powys. The Episcopal seat is located in the Cathedral Church of St Asaph in the town of...
, Translator of the Welsh Bible - (1572) John Davies: Translator; compiler of the Welsh Lexicon
- (1589) Godfrey GoodmanGodfrey GoodmanGodfrey Goodman was the Anglican Bishop of Gloucester, and a member of the Protestant Church. He was the son of Godfrey Goodman and Jane Croxton, landed gentry living in Wales...
: Bishop of Gloucester - (1590) John Williams: Dean of Westminster, Keeper of the Great Seal of England, Archbishop of YorkArchbishop of YorkThe Archbishop of York is a high-ranking cleric in the Church of England, second only to the Archbishop of Canterbury. He is the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of York and metropolitan of the Province of York, which covers the northern portion of England as well as the Isle of Man...
- (1635) David Yale: Father of Elihu YaleElihu YaleElihu Yale was a Welsh merchant and philanthropist, governor of the East India Company, and a benefactor of the Collegiate School of Connecticut, which in 1718 was named Yale College in his honour.- Life :...
, benefactor of Yale CollegeYale CollegeYale College was the official name of Yale University from 1718 to 1887. The name now refers to the undergraduate part of the university. Each undergraduate student is assigned to one of 12 residential colleges.-Residential colleges:...
, Conn., USA - (1640) William Lloyd: Bishop of LlandaffBishop of LlandaffThe Bishop of Llandaff is the Ordinary of the Church in Wales Diocese of Llandaff.-Area of authority:The diocese covers most of the County of Glamorgan. The Bishop's seat is located in the Cathedral Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul , in the village of Llandaff, just north-west of the City of...
; Bishop of PeterboroughBishop of PeterboroughThe Bishop of Peterborough is the ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Peterborough in the Province of Canterbury.The diocese covers the counties of Northamptonshire, Rutland and the Soke of Peterborough in Cambridgeshire...
; Bishop of NorwichBishop of NorwichThe 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 see is in the City of Norwich where the seat is located at the Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided... - (1645) John TrevorJohn Trevor (speaker)Sir John Trevor was a Welsh lawyer and politician. He was Speaker of the English House of Commons from 1685 to 1687 and from 1689 to 1695. Trevor also served as Master of the Rolls from 1685 to 1689 and from 1693 to 1717...
: Master of the RollsMaster of the RollsThe Keeper or Master of the Rolls and Records of the Chancery of England, known as the Master of the Rolls, is the second most senior judge in England and Wales, after the Lord Chief Justice. The Master of the Rolls is the presiding officer of the Civil Division of the Court of Appeal...
; Speaker of the House of CommonsSpeaker of the British House of CommonsThe Speaker of the House of Commons is the presiding officer of the House of Commons, the United Kingdom's lower chamber of Parliament. The current Speaker is John Bercow, who was elected on 22 June 2009, following the resignation of Michael Martin...
; knight - (1645) David Lloyd: Canon of St Asaph
- (1650) Thomas LloydThomas Lloyd (lieutenant governor)Thomas Lloyd was a lieutenant-governor of provincial Pennsylvania.He was born in Dolobran, Montgomeryshire, Wales, and subsequently educated at Ruthin School. He studied law and medicine at Jesus College, Oxford, from which he was graduated in 1661...
: Deputy Governor of Pennsylvania - (1675) John WynneJohn WynneJohn Wynne was Bishop of St Asaph and of Bath and Wells , having previously been Principal of Jesus College, Oxford .-Life:...
: Bishop of St AsaphBishop of St AsaphThe Bishop of St Asaph heads the Church in Wales diocese of St Asaph.The diocese covers the counties of Conwy and Flintshire, Wrexham county borough, the eastern part of Merioneth in Gwynedd and part of northern Powys. The Episcopal seat is located in the Cathedral Church of St Asaph in the town of...
; Bishop of Bath & Wells - (c.1709) Sir Watkin Williams Wynn, 3rd baronet and 'Prince of Wales' (1693–1749) [in Peter DG Thomas' Politics in Eighteenth Century Wales (1998)]
- (1722) Josiah TuckerJosiah TuckerJosiah Tucker , also known as Dean Tucker, was a Welsh churchman, known as an economist and political writer. He was concerned in his works with free trade, Jewish emancipation and American independence...
: Dean of Gloucester - (1733) Richard Perryn: Chief Baron of the Exchequer
- (1740) Richard Hughes: Canon of St Paul's
- (1744) Lloyd KenyonLloyd Kenyon, 1st Baron KenyonLloyd Kenyon, 1st Baron Kenyon, PC, SL, KC was a British politician and barrister, who served as Attorney General, Master of the Rolls and Lord Chief Justice. Born to a country gentleman, he was initially educated in Hanmer before moving to Ruthin School aged 12...
: Master of the Rolls; Lord Chief Justice of England; 1st Baron KenyonBaron KenyonLord Kenyon, Baron of Gredington, in the County of Flint, is a title in the Peerage of Great Britain. It was created in 1788 for the lawyer and judge Sir Lloyd Kenyon, 1st Baronet. He served as Master of the Rolls and as Lord Chief Justice of England. Kenyon had already been created a Baronet, of... - (1745) Robert Cotton: 1st Baron Combermere
- (1750) John Wainwright: Bishop of New York
- (1759) John Lloyd: Chief Justice of Carmarthen
- (1780) Henry Parry: Canon of St Asaph
- (1840) Sir Watkin Williams: Q.C.; Justice of the Queen's Bench Division of the High Court; Knight Bachelor
- (1843) David Thomas: Archdeacon of Montgomery
- (1851) Rowland EllisRowland Ellis (bishop)Rowland Ellis was a Welsh clergyman who held the post of Bishop of Aberdeen and Orkney in the Scottish Episcopal Church from 1906 until his death.-Life:...
: Bishop of Aberdeen and Orkney - (1860) Richard Owen: Canon of St Asaph
- (1880) Sir Arthur Bankart: K.C.V.O.; Surgeon Rear-Admiral; Surgeon to Edward VII and George V
- (1886) William Casson: Engineer; Major - recommended for the VC
- (1886) Sir Lewis CassonLewis CassonSir Lewis Thomas Casson MC was a British actor and theatre director and the husband of Dame Sybil Thorndike.-Early life:...
: M.C.;Actor and Producer; knight - (1893) Spencer Ellis: Dean of St Asaph
- (1935) Sir Ian Richmond: LL.D., F.S.A., F.B.A.,Professor of Archaeology, University of Oxford; Fellow of All Souls; knight
- (1940) D.J.M. Hooson: Professor of Geology, University of Columbia; Professor of Geography, University of California
- (1945) P.J. Samet: Professor of Computer Science, University College, London
- (1945) K.A. Richardson: Q.C.; Circuit Judge, Central Criminal Court; sometime Treasurer of Middle Temple
- (1946) Sir Trevor Hughes: Permanent Secretary at the Welsh Office: K.C.B.
- (1947) Gwilym Owen: D.Sc.; Principal of University College of Aberystwyth; Professor of Physics
- (1954) R. W. Barber: Captain of Lancashire and Warwickshire County Cricket Clubs; sometime Captain of the England Cricket team
- (1959) R.N. Thomas: Q.C.; Circuit Judge
- (1960) M. G. Roberts: Capped for Wales at Rugby Football; toured New Zealand with the British Lions in 1971
- (1961) D.A. Swift: Circuit Judge
- (1963) I.J.C. Trigger: Q.C.; Circuit Judge
Headmasters of Ruthin School
- (1291) Henri le mestre;
- (1310) Urian;
- (1334) Adam;
- (1353) Nicholas de Bletchley;
- (1391) Gethin;
- (1455) Walter Honte;
- (1496) David;
- (1512) John Greysley;
- (1535) John Strynger, M.A.;
- (1541) Hugh ap Ieuan;
- (1564) Sir Richard Thelwall;
- (1568) William Morgan;
- (1574) John Price, M.A.;
- (1581) High Goodman, M.A.;
- (1584) Richard ParryRichard Parry (bishop)Richard Parry was a bishop of St. Asaph and translator of the Bible to the Welsh language. He was born in 1560, the son of John ap Harri, from Pwllhalog, Cwm, Flintshire, and Ruthin, and his wife, Elen ferch Dafydd ap John, a lady from Llanfair Dyffryn Clwyd, near Ruthin, North Wales.He was...
, M.A. (later Bishop of St AsaphSt AsaphSt Asaph is a town and community on the River Elwy in Denbighshire, Wales. In the 2001 Census it had a population of 3,491.The town of St Asaph is surrounded by countryside and views of the Vale of Clwyd. It is situated close to a number of busy coastal towns such as Rhyl, Prestatyn, Abergele,...
; reviser of Morgan's Welsh Bible); - (1593) John Davies, D.D.;
- (1595) Richard Powell;
- (1599) Robert Griffith, B.A.;
- (1607) Gabriel Parry, M.A.;
- (1609) Lewis Lloyd, M.A.;
- (1615) John Jones, M.A.;
- (1626) William Langford, M.A.;
- (1650) William Jones;
- (1653) Thomas Chaloner;
- (1655) Henry Price, M.A.; Peter D.G.Thomas in Politics in Eighteenth Century Wales (1998), says Price "resigned his post rather than take an oath of allegiance to the Hannoverian dynasty".
- (1691) John Lloyd, M.A.;
- (1695) Robert Morgan, D.D.;
- (1705) John Williams, M.A.;
- (1714) John Wynne, M.A.;
- (1724) Richard Edwards, M.A.;
- (1731) Thomas Vaughan, M.A.;
- (1739) Thomas Hughes (great-grandfather of Thomas Hughes of Rugby School);
- (1768) William Parry, M.A.;
- (1785) John Walters, M.A.John Walters (poet)-Life:Walters was the eldest son of John Walters, a clergyman and lexicographer, and he was born on 11 June 1760 in Llandough, Glamorgan, south Wales. He was educated at Cowbridge Grammar School and Jesus College, Oxford, matriculating in 1777 obtaining his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1781. During...
; - (1789) Thomas Roberts, M.A.;
- (1795) David Hughes, M.A.;
- (1800) Edward Jones, M.A.;
- (1831) Owen Owen, M.A.;
- (1831) Charles Williams, M.A.Charles Williams (academic)Charles Williams was Principal of Jesus College, Oxford from 1857 to 1877.-Life:Williams studied at Jesus College from 1823 to 1827, holding a scholarship and gaining a First in Literae Humaniores. He was then ordained, and was a missionary Fellow of the college from 1829 to 1845...
(later Principal of Jesus College, OxfordJesus College, OxfordJesus College is one of the colleges of the University of Oxford in England. It is in the centre of the city, on a site between Turl Street, Ship Street, Cornmarket Street and Market Street...
); - (1839) Edward Barnwell, M.A.Edward BarnwellEdward Lowry Barnwell was a British antiquarian and schoolmaster who was headmaster of Ruthin School, Denbighshire for 26 years.-Life:...
(Editor of Archaeologica Cambrensis); - (1865) William Freeborn, M.A.;
- (1871) George Preston, M.A.;
- (1875) William Mills, M.A.;
- (1881) Rev. W.P. Whittington, M.A.;
- (1909) J.J. Williams, M.A.;
- (1913) E.W. Lovegrove, M.A.;
- (1930) M.H. Phillips, M.A.Morgan Hector PhillipsMorgan Hector Phillips was a Welsh headmaster and educationalist, who served as headmaster of Ruthin School from 1930 to 1935....
; - (1936) J.R.T. Russell, M.A.;
- (1967) A.S. Hill, B.Sc.;
- (1985) F.R. Ullmann, M.A.;
- (1993) J. Rowlands, B.Sc.
- (2010) Toby Belfield, M.A.
See also
- List of the oldest schools in the United Kingdom
- List of non-ecclesiastical and non-residential works by John Douglas