A History of Endowed Prizes
The Repton Foundation, The Hall, Repton, Derbyshire, DE65 6FH T. 01283 559 377 E. foundation@repton.org.uk Registered Charity No. 1067418
Aldous English Prize Named in memory of Alan Edward Aldous Brook 1906 -1910 Sch. Jesus College, Cambridge, Rustat Scholarship; 1st Cl. Class. Part 1. Trooper, 12th Lancers 8/14. Second Lieutenant, 8th Border Regiment, 2/15 France. Killed in Action at Thiepval 03/07/16 aged 24 OVILLERS MILITARY CEMETERY “Second Lieutenant A.E. Aldous was at Repton from 1906 to 1910, when he went to Cambridge with a Scholarship. When the War broke out he joined the 12th Lancers as a trooper, and afterwards got his commission in the Northampton Regiment. It was at Thiepval, about four miles northward of Albert. He went into action at 6.15 on Monday morning, July 3rd; he was a bombing officer, and when his Major sent for him to “put in a stop” to a communication trench, he was told that Alan and his runner had been hit in the first charge. These trenches are all in our hands now, and so the dear boy “paid his footing” in the Great Advance.” The Reptonian, October 1916
Alexander Physics Prize Established by monies donated by Ernest Bruce Alexander (Hall 1861) Mr Alexander worked in the Indian Civil Service and died in 1927. Originally this prize was awarded in the 1880s and 1890s as a Geology Prize, in the early 20th century it became a general Science Prize, before finally taking its present title, The Alexander Physics Prize.
Andrew Fraser Prize Andrew Fraser was in the Mitre from 1963 to 1967, and as well as being an outstanding musician and a member of several orchestras he was the very first Reptonian to receive a the Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award (presented at Buckingham Palace in May 1971) He was a keen mountaineer, and was a member of the Mountain Rescue Team on Snowdonia. He died in February 1984, aged 33.
Anstie Reading Prize Named in memory of Edward Anstie Mitre 1912 – 1916 Entrance Scholar, Foundation Scholarship, History Scholarship, New College, Oxford, 1916 Second Lieutenant, 6th Rifle Brigade (The Prince Own Consort), Special Reserve, 6/17 France, 7/17. Killed in Action 23/03/18 aged 19 POZIERES MEMORIAL Lieutenant Edward Anstie was born in 1898 and educated at Pinewood, Farnborough, Hampshire, where he developed a keen interest in history. He gained a scholarship to Repton in 1912 and was then elected for a history scholarship at New College Oxford. He joined the OTC at Oxford and went to France in the summer of 1917. He was killed in action there in March 1918 aged 19. One of his fellow officers wrote: “All those that are still with the Battalion miss him very much. He was one of the best officers one could wish to have, and I know his men would follow him anywhere. His cheeriness and manly straightforwardness were irresistible, and made him a favourite with everyone. It seems hard to think that a life so full of promise should have been so brief. But I am sure he died as he would have wished, at the head of his men, for the reputation of his regiment and for a still greater cause.”
Archbishop Head History Prize Frederick Head (Mitre 1887) studied at Cambridge and won many prizes there. He became Tutor and Dean of Emmanuel College. During the Great War Frederick Head was senior chaplain to the Guards Division and was awarded the Military Cross with bar. He was Vicar Of Christ Church, East Greenwich (1922-1926), chaplain to King George V, and canon and sub-dean of Liverpool cathedral until 1929. In that year he accepted the archbishopric of Melbourne, was consecrated in Westminster Abbey, and enthroned in St Paul's Cathedral, Melbourne a month later. He was the author of The Fallen Stuarts, published in 1901, and Six Great Anglicans, which appeared in 1929. From 1933 he was chaplain general to the Commonwealth military forces. Tactful, unassuming, and completely modest, scholarly and hard-working, much interested in social questions, Head was a steady influence for good in Melbourne. On 7 December 1941 while driving to a confirmation service, his car ran into a post, and he died from his injuries later that same month.
Arden Scholarship Oswald Hampden Eustace Arden Orchard: January 1910 - March 1912 Born: May 20th 1895, the son of E.C. Arden, O.R. Died: March 1st 1912 “O.H.E. Arden passed away quietly at the Sanatorium on Friday March 1st. He came to Exham's house in January 1910. Though he was only sixteen years old, he had already received his football 'cap' and showed considerable promise at cricket as a fast bowler. He was popular alike with masters and boys, and had a reputation for absolute fairness and honesty. His death is a sad loss, both to his house and to his school.” The Reptonian, March 1912 “E.C Arden has undertaken to provide in his will for the endowment of a Leaving Exhibition for History, in memory of his son, O.H.E. Arden, who died here last March.” The Reptonian, November 1912 The Arden Scholarship is named in memory of Oswald Arden, a 16 year old Repton pupil, who died in the sanatorium in March 1912. Oswald was one of many in his family who came here to study, and both his father and grandfather had been pupils at the School. Even though he had only been a pupil at Repton for a couple of years, Oswald already excelled at football, and showed considerable promise at cricket as a fast bowler. He was very popular with the other boys and with his teachers, and he had a reputation for fairness and honesty. His funeral was held at School, and a plaque commemorating his life was placed in the School Chapel. His father also stipulated that when he himself passed away his son’s memory would live on in the Arden Scholarship, providing a living testimonial to his brief but richly rewarding time at Repton. E.C. Arden died in September 1941
Aylmer Divinity Prize This prize was originally given by Major-General Henry Aylmer in memory of his son for the best paper on a theological subject. Charles Paget Aylmer died of a short illness at Repton in 1870 after only three years at the School. The prize was first awarded in the 1870s.
Burt Mathematics Prize Born June 12th 1893, the son of Louisa Burt and Septimus Burt, K.C. of Perth, Australia Latham 1907 – 1912 Second Lieutenant, Royal Field Artillery, 2/15. Lieutenant, 12/15. 12th Battery, 35th Brigade, 7th Division, France, 1915. Killed in Action near Montauban 15/07/16 aged 23 QUARRY CEMETERY, MONTAUBAN He was the youngest of six sons, all at Repton. Like his brothers, he was a good runner, and won the 2nd steeplechase and 2nd open ¼ mile in his last term. His School career was creditable, and he was a House Prefect when he left for Australia in 1912. The Reptonian, December 1916 His brother, Francis, who was also educated at Repton died two years later in April 1918).
C.B. Fry Award Charles Burgess Fry (Cross 1885) was probably the greatest all-rounder of his or any generation. He was a brilliant scholar and an accomplished performer in almost every branch of outdoor sport. Fry was the perfect amateur; he played games because he loved them and never for personal gain. He captained England in Test Matches, and it never lost under his captaincy. He played Association Football for England against Ireland in 1901; he was at full-back for Southampton in the FA Cup Final of 1902. The long jump was another speciality for this remarkable all-round sportsman: he broke the British record in 1892 and the following year equalled the world record. But it was at cricket that his outstanding personality found its fullest expression. At Repton he joined the remarkable roll of superb cricket players emanating from the school - Palairet, Ford, JN Crawford, to name but a few. With all his versatility of mind and sinew Fry himself wished that he might be remembered, as much as for anything else, by his work in command of the trainingship Mercury. For forty years he and his wife directed the Mercury at Hamble, educating the young with a classical sense of values. Hitler sent for him for advice during the building-up of the Youth Movement in Germany. He was a deputy for the Indian delegation to the first, third, and fourth Assemblies of the League of Nations, edited his own monthly magazine, and was a pioneer in the school of intelligent and analytical criticism of sport.
Cecil Hobbs Prize Named after Cecil Hobbs (Cross 1917 – 1921) who went on from Repton to take up farming in Chile.
Charlesworth Drama Prize Named after Michael Charlesworth (Orchard 1941-1947) who became a master at Repton in 1953 and was housemaster of the Hall from 1969 to 1985. He was responsible for directing some of the very best drama at Repton in the 1950s and 60s. “Michael Charlesworth had a huge influence on me; he believed the performing of plays and the reading aloud of poems made literature come alive.” Professor Christopher Frayling (Priory 1960)
Clay Religious Studies Prize “Given by Miss Sarah Clay of Stapenhill for proficiency in the knowledge of the Holy Scriptures. Restricted to members of the [Upper] Sixth Form.” The first record of this prize is in 1866 in the very first copy of The Reptonian, but it probably dates from a couple of years earlier. Miss Sarah Clay, who died in 1862, was the aunt of one of our pupils, John Harden Clay (Hall 1860) and in her will she also left bequests to the Religious Tract Society, the British and Foreign Bible Society, the Church Missionary Society, and the London City Mission.
Cleaver Music Prize The School was given money to fund this music prize in 2015. It is named in honour of late members of the Cleaver family who attended the School: Charles Thornton (Cross 1908) Reginald John (Latham 1925) Robert Anthony (Latham 1928) and John Anthony (Latham 1958)
Cooper Religious Studies Prize Given by G.D.Cooper (O.R.) and his mother for the Sixth-former who comes second in competition for the Clay Divinity Prize. “Gerald Daniel Cooper, born January 12th 1889, was in the Orchard from January 1904 to July 1907. In WW1 he was a Major in the Manchester Regiment. He served in WW2 and died as a P.O.W in 1943.” The Repton School Register From research on the Commonwealth War Graves site I think he’s buried in the Kanchanaburi War Cemetery in Thailand, which is the resting place for the thousands who worked on the building of the Burma-Siam Railway.
The Constance Ward History Prize (see also The Leonard Ward Geography Prize) “Mrs Constance Ward, who died recently, bequeathed a number of items to the School including two paintings, books, records and colour slides. She also left a sum of money for the foundation of a scholarship in memory of her late husband, to be called the Leonard and Constance Ward Scholarship. It was Mrs Ward’s wish that the scholarship should be given at the discretion of the Headmaster to a pupil excelling at history.” The Reptonian, 1990
Cotton Art Prize Colonel Vere Egerton Cotton was in the Hall from 1902 – 1906. He won an exhibition at Magdalene College, Cambridge. After a distinguished record in the First World War, during which he saw service in France and Italy, was mentioned in despatches three times as well as being awarded the O.B.E., Croix de Guerre and the Croce di Guerra, he returned to Liverpool where he was elected to the City Council in 1932, became an Alderman in 1946 and the City’s Lord Mayor in 1951. He was closely associated both with the city’s Anglican cathedral and with the University. He had a lifelong interest in Art, which led him to endow the Cotton Art Prize at Repton. He was President of the O.R. Society in 1953.
C.S. Orpen Prize Believed to be named after Christopher Stewart Orpen (Latham 1918 – 1922) who worked for the Imperial Tobacco Company and died in 1972.
Crompton Scholarship James Shepherd Crompton Priory: September 1879 – July 1882 Born: November 4th 1864, the son of Abel Crompton of Moss House, Rochdale. Pembroke College, Oxford, 1883. B.A., M.A. 1890 Died: February 1st 1925 Left £3,000 to the Governors of Repton School. A loyal son of Repton has passed to his rest in the person of James Shepherd Crompton, who died at his home at Bolton, on the 1st February, at the age of 60. Born on the 4th November 1864, he was at the Priory from 1879 to 1882. In 1883 he went to Pembroke College, Oxford, but delayed taking his degree till 1893, when he took the B.A. and M.A. on the same day. He afterwards spent a short time at Cuddesdon with the idea of taking Holy Orders, but decided not to do so. Blessed with ample means, a comparatively small portion of which sufficed for his own needs, he gave to others when occasion arose with an unstinting hand: many a young man has had reason to thank him for help at a crisis in his career. During the latter years of his life, he suffered from an internal disease causing at times the most intense pain, which he faced with courage and even cheerfulness. He was buried at Rochdale, where most of his life had been spent, after a service in the church to the rebuilding of which he and his sister had been the largest contributors. He had no children, and was the last survivor of his family, the writer of this note having the sad privilege of standing by his widow at the graveside as one of oldest and most intimate friends. Crompton’s was a lovable personality, remarkable for its modesty and self-effacement. He detested every form of snobbery or self-glorification, and could meet any display of it in conversation with a quick sarcasm. He was full of anecdote, and as he was a wide reader with a retentive memory his conversation was always interesting. His intellectual powers were considerable, and he would probably have made his mark in one of the professions had he been less well-endowed with worldly goods. Always a generous subscriber when funds were needed for a Repton object, he has by his will bequeathed a substantial legacy to the School for which he had such deep love. The Reptonian, March 1925 (The Headmaster) mentioned the fact that Mr. J.S. Crompton had left £3,000 to the Governors of the School, and said that Mr. Crompton’s name would be permanently associated with whatever use should be made of it. Report on Speech Day 1925 in The Reptonian
David Brown Drama Prize Named in memory of David Brown (Hall 1935 – 1939) who died as a result of an accident in May 1941. The Reptonian, June 1942: “Mr. And Mrs. J.B. Brown, whose son, David H. Brown (Hall 1935), recently lost his life in a road accident, have presented to the School the sum of £100 in Savings Bonds, the income from which is to be used to furnish a prize in memory of him, to be awarded annually to the boy who helps most in the production of the School Play, and to purchase books for the School Library”
Douglas Marriott Exhibition Douglas Marriott (Brook 1878) died of enteric in the Boer War at Deelfontein in 1901, aged 35, whilst serving as a Lieutenant in the Imperial Yeomanry. He was head of Brook House in 1884, and in the XI and Football team that year. He took his degree from New College Oxford in 1887; and practised as a solicitor in London. In his will he left £400 to found the Douglas Marriott Exhibition at his old school. In his obituary in The Reptonian from 1901, his former housemaster wrote “He was a Reptonian of the very best type, God-fearing, honourable, and brave both physically and morally; his bright face and pleasant manner made him friends everywhere. South Africa has taken toll of many lives, but of none more choice than those of the two School and House friends, Eustace Forbes and Douglas Marriott.”
Forman Exhibition The Reverend Arthur Forman (1874 - 1905) died when still at the height of his powers and Repton's loss was a very great one. The Reverend R.F. Peachey (Brook 1886), remembered him as "The most prominent member of the staff, housemaster of the Cross and first leader of the modern side. Big, black-bearded, dynamic, a kind of scholastic Barnabas, a jovial son of consolation generally, like Mrs Fezziwig, with a 'vast substantial smile', most popular in school and village alike." In his memory the parishioners erected the Lychgate on which his name is recorded, and O.R.s and friends subscribed to erect a new pulpit in chapel, and an oak vestry screen. He was a man of enormous energy, and great powers of organisation, and had a remarkable skill in arousing enthusiasm in others. He was a gifted player at cricket, football, fives; he coached a long line of cricketers including the brothers Palairet and C.B. Fry; and M. Teichman-Derville (Cross 1889) remembered how he used to coach Fry in the Long Jump on the Paddock by putting his overcoat on a chair and getting Fry to jump over it, to get height. He started the O.R. Cricket Week at Repton and for some years captained the O.R. side in their annual tour. He had an air of authority which inspired respect, and his treatment of unruly boys was certainly unusual. 'He made the punishment fit the crime,' wrote A.C. Bloomer (Hall 1898). 'A youth caught eating in class was sent to buy a loaf and for the remainder of the hour had to munch bread. If weather permitted, instead of 'lines,' a culprit had to report to the Cross after first 'call' and was sent into the garden to gather fruit, and was given tea before returning to his house with a sample of his industry.' He was the principal editor of the Terminal Letter from its inception in 1885; he was the first secretary of the O.R. Society, and largely responsible for its rapid rise in membership; and he had become Bursar shortly before his death. He had married the youngest daughter of Doctor Pears; she was left a widow with a large family of young children, two of whom were to have a close connection with Repton (see
link below). Of his many contributions to the life of the village, one that deserves particular note was the Milton Mission Hall which he built and managed for many years. His epitaph in St. Wystan's Church justly records that 'he linked together the school and the parish by the sunshine of his presence and the readiness of his service'. Terminal Letter: May 1905: Forman Memorial Fund: We enclose a first list of subscriptions which shows a total of upwards of £1100 already. It will be remembered that a sum not exceeding £100 is to be spent on a new pulpit for the Chapel, and that the income of the balance is to form a ‘Forman’ Exhibition which will be given for the first fifteen years to Mrs. Forman to help in the education of her younger children, and after that will revert to the School as Entrance Exhibitions, possibly on the Modern Side, as some of the subscribers have suggested.
George Denman Scholarship George Denman is one of those great formerly lauded O.Rs who are now almost entirely forgotten. He carved his name on to the wall of the causey in the early 1830’s and a portrait of him as an adult, resplendent in judicial wig and gown, hangs in the Old Priory. Throughout his long and distinguished career he never forgot Repton, visiting it regularly to offer his support and to give lectures and speeches; and it was he who was accorded the great honour of opening Pears School in 1886. At this ceremony, Denman recalled his days as a pupil in 1833: “I believe the whole number of boys in the school at that time did not amount to fifty. Cricket ground we had none. Football was played upon the gravel. Our goals were the School Arch at one end, and the gateposts surmounted by balls on the other. No gymnasium then. No fives court. No racquet court. No wonder then, that we were driven to invent exercises and pursuits of a less desirable character, the most innocent of which were racing with the Derby and Birmingham coaches from Eggington to the Spread Eagle – running to Derby or Burton between call - picking up 100 stones a yard apart, one by one, and putting them into a basket as fast as we could, with occasional steeplechases or paperchases which made us a terror and a nuisance to the farmers for miles around. “ After Repton he entered Trinity College in 1838, obtaining a scholarship two years later. As the son of a peer he was permitted to study classics without having to pass an examination in mathematics and distinguished himself as Senior Classic in 1842. He became a student at Lincoln's Inn in 1843 and was soon after called to the bar. He stood, unsuccessfully, as parliamentary candidate for Cambridge University as a Liberal after the death of Henry Goulburn. In the following year he was appointed counsel to the university, and became Queen’s Counsel in 1861. At the general election in 1859 Denman was elected MP for Tiverton as Lord Palmerston's colleague, and held the seat for over twenty years. In parliament he became interested in the reform of the law of evidence in criminal trials. The Evidence Further Amendment Act of 1869, popularly known as Denman's Act, was entirely due to his efforts. This allowed witnesses of no religious belief to affirm in place of taking the oath in courts of justice, so that parties who previously could not be heard could give evidence. He was always in favour of enlarging the operation of the various reform bills and took an active part in the debate on the Representation of the People Bill. He also showed great interest in parliament in all questions affecting public schools and universities. He became justice of the Common Pleas Division of the High Court in 1875, and later acted as judge of the High Court of Justice, Queen's Bench Division. After retirement he became a privy councillor.
Although he was popular on the bench, he was more distinguished as a scholar than as a lawyer. From his schooldays he had found writing verses easy and continued to read Greek and Latin classics for pleasure. He published a translation of Gray's Elegy in Greek elegiac verse, and the first book of Pope's translation of the Iliad in Latin elegiacs. In his final years he printed for private circulation a translation of Prometheus Bound in English verse, and Intervalla, a selection of his verses in Greek, Latin, and English. He died on 21 September 1896 at his London home. A brass was placed in the chapel of Repton School to commemorate him and a memorial scholarship founded in his name.
George Lowe Geography Prize (Wallace) George Lowe was a New Zealand born mountaineer, explorer, film director and educator. He was the last surviving member of the 1953 British Mount Everest Expedition, during which his friend Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay became the first known people to summit the world's highest peak. He taught at Repton from 1959-1963.
Gordon Music Prize Alexander Maurice Gordon was born on August 28th 1894, the son of Alexander Duncan Gordon and Alice Elise Gordon, of Woodlands, Chalfont St. Giles, Buckinghamshire. Hall 1908 – 1912 Queen's College, Oxford Second Lieutenant, 6th Royal Fusiliers, Special Reserve, 8/14. Lieutenant, 2/15. Second Lieutenant, 1st Battalion (Regulars), 2/15. Lieutenant, France. Killed in Action near Ypres 20/01/16 aged 21 YPRES (MENIN GATE) MEMORIAL He received reports from his Housemaster that were on occasion less than complimentary. In December 1908 his first term at Repton is summarised thus: ‘Heavy and lethargic. Very much overgrown. Has some wits.’ Every year from then onwards he is described in similar terms: ‘Poor report. Lifeless and dull.’ ‘All agree that he is slack.’ ‘Gone over to Modern side where he continues to be sluggish. Very big. They speak well of him in the House.’ Fortunately Alexander entirely redeemed himself in his final year and went on to begin his studies at Queen’s College, Oxford in 1912. He enlisted as soon as the war started and was killed in Action near Ypres in January 1916 aged 21
Hartley Scholarship “Doctor Hartley has founded an entrance Scholarship of £80 p.a., tenable in Brook House, in memory of his son John Tattersall Hartley who was a boy in Brook House and who died at home after a long illness contracted in the Easter Holidays.” Terminal Letter, November 1928 Brook: May 1926 – June 1928 Born: June 18th 1912, the son of F.W Hartley, M.R.C.S., L.R.C.P of Holly Bank, Heywood, Lancs Died at home: June 15th 1928
Hesse Divinity Prize
Frederick William Hesse (Hall 1894) died in the Sanatorium on March 16th 1895 at the age of fourteen. He was one of three Repton boys who died at School in that month. He had endured eighteen days of measles and double pneumonia, and in this weakened state he had passed away after five hours of cardiac failure. His father was with him when he died. Two days later all boys and masters attended a funeral service in the Chapel. After the service the boys, wearing tall hats, lined the Willington Road to the culvert bridge, and the coffin was carried between them, followed by the masters. In the Chapel there is a window dedicated to his memory, and as well as giving a beautiful chalice, a gold paten, books and many other presents to Repton his father gave money to found a scholarship and an annual prize in his son’s honour. On Speech Day in June 1903, the Headmaster thanked the Hesse family for their gifts to the School and told those assembled that Frederick had been ‘a young boy of singular promise, grace and goodness; and to his bereaved parents the place where he passed his last earthly days has ever since been hallowed ground.’ The Reptonian magazine also thanked Mr. and Mrs. Hesse for their presentation of a ‘beautiful Communion Cup and Patten of Gold, studded with jewels of every description.’ The set was dedicated at a service held in the Chapel, with Mr. and Mrs. Hesse present. The Headmaster spoke a few words about the ‘beautiful life of the boy who died here eight years ago.’ Frederick’s two favourite hymns were sung during the service: "On the Resurrection Morning, Soul and Body meet again," and "Fight the good fight with all thy might."
Howe English Prize This was first awarded in the 1860s as an annual best English verse prize. The three trustees included Dr Pears and it was then worth the sum of £5 per year. The Headmasters notebook from 1879 states that “it was founded as a testimonial to Earl Howe on ceasing to act as Governor to his ward, Lord Hastings.” Hastings is the family name of the Earls of Huntingdon who were instrumental in the founding of the School, of the Charter of 1621, and of its governance for many centuries.
John Evans Chemistry John Evans Born 7th August 1920, the son of Herbert John Evans and Eveline Maye Evans, of Carmarthen New: September 1934 – July 1939 Sch. Shooting VIII 1936, 1937, and 1938. Crewe Exhibition 1939. Trinity College, Oxford. B.A., B.M., B.Ch. Lieutenant, Royal Army Medical Corps Died: 20/07/1945 in Poona aged 24 Kirkee War Cemetery, India From the West Wales War Memorial Project website: “John became ill in India, and died at Poona Military Hospital”
Johnson and Hughes Exhibition This was first awarded in 1931. Its creation was a result of the Sykes bequest, given by Arthur Sykes (Priory 1877). The Terminal Letter of March 1931: “The income derived from the Sykes bequest is to be devoted to two purposes: (1) the endowment of scholarship, to be called the Hughes and Johnson
Scholarship, as was desired by Mr Sykes, to be for the Modern VI what the George Denman Scholarship is for the Classical VI; (2) the furnishing of what is called the Sykes Room in the Old Priory.” It should be noted that when Arthur Sykes was at School his housemaster was Thomas Hughes, and that the Housemaster of Orchard was William Johnson. Perhaps Arthur wanted the prize to be named in their memory.
Lancelot Saye French Prize Lancelot Hugo Saye (Mitre 1908) was born July 30th 1894, the son of Evelyn Geoffrey and Gertrude Saye, of Heathfield, Bransgore, Hampshire. Musketry Instructor, 1914. Second Lieutenant, 6th Royal Berkshire Regiment, 2/15. France, 12/15. He died on July 11th 1916 of wounds received on the Somme on July 1st. He was 21. He is buried at Etaples Military Cemetery. “Second Lieutenant L.H. Saye was at Repton from May 1908 to July 1913, when he left to go up to St. John’s College, Oxford, meaning to take his degree in Modern Languages, and probably to enter the Consular Service. His career at School was excellent, and he ended his time here in the Upper Sixth after having won the German Prize twice, the French Prize once, the Schreiber Prize three times, and the Entomology Prize five years in succession. For the last year he was a House Prefect; in 1911 he shot at Bisley as a Cadet, and in 1912 and 1913 was in the Shooting Eight, helping materially in the last year to bring the Ashburton Shield to Repton. Throughout his pleasant and sociable ways endeared him to many friends. He shot for Oxford against Cambridge in 1914, and after some delay owing to having to undergo an operation, took a commission in February 1915, eventually going to the Front in December. He was severely wounded on July 1st, after having shown, as his Captain wrote of him, “magnificent dash and bravery” in the attack, and died on July 11th The Reptonian, July 1916
Latham Prize Named after Edward Latham. This is his obituary from The Reptonian in 1883: “It is our mournful duty to announce the death of the Reverend Edward Latham, Vicar of Matlock Bath, and formerly assistant master at this School, which occured on March 9th, 1883. To old Reptonians of fifteen or twenty years standing, or even more, the name of Edward Latham is intimately connected with the progress of Repton. He came to Repton as an assistant master in the year 1856, soon after the appointment of the late Dr. Pears to the Head Mastership, to whom Edward Latham had previously been known as a promising scholar at Harrow. On leaving Harrow, as head of Dr. Vaughan's house, he proceeded to Trinity College, Cambridge, and soon after taking his degree he was appointed to a mastership in this School. Edward Latham had sufficient confidence in the power and foresight of Dr. Pears, to lead him to throw all his interest into Repton, and to link his prospects with the rising School. He took the bold, and, as it appeared at the time, the hazardous step, of building a boarding-house - the first that was ever built 'outside the Arch' - and his own energy and influence, working in harmony with his able chief, secured its success. He was a man of strong character, and impressed a character on the new house. Old Reptonians will remember how rapidly the new house filled, and how eagerly and prominently it held its own in the world both of work and play. Many old Reptonians will perhaps best remember him in the pulpit. Few of those who heard him regularly but will remember to the end of their days some of the stirring appeals addressed to the
boys in the School Chapel, in words which made it evident how deep and clear was his own faith and hope in the Saviour. The town of Repton still contains many who will recall now his interests and energies were by no means confined to the School and his boarding-house. He was ever ready to work in the parish. He initiated, and superintended for many years, a new District Visiting Society. His drawing-room meetings were very welcome to many. His special interest, perhaps, was given to forming a Total Abstinence Society in Repton; and those who heard his platform addresses on the subject will not forget the intense earnestness he threw into them. He was characteristically a man of work; few unemployed moments were found in his day. Among others will be remembered his sermons and appeals for the Church Missionary Society. It was due to his exertions that the Special County Fund, amounting to £300 a year, was organised - and its continued success during eighteen years is an indication at once of his industry and influence. And to those who knew him best, to his intimate friends and his own family, nothing will efface the impressions produced by his hearty devotion and his deep love to the Master, to whose cause he had dedicated himself. He left Repton in the year 1875 to take parish work, and accepted the living of Matlock Bath - no sinecure for any man - still less to a man of such restless energy. He threw himself heartily into all the work of a scattered parish, adding to his old subjects of interest, and the necessary duties of a parish priest, occasional addresses and special services for the crowds of excursionists who visited Matlock. It was in the midst of all this varied work, at a time when he was rendered unusually busy and anxious, by illness in his family, that he was seized with a fatal attack, to which his strength (already undermined, as many thought, by incessant work) rapidly yielded. He died after a very short illness, on the 9th March - died in harness - a man who had indeed worked while his day lasted, of whom it may be said most truly, that death was an 'entering into rest.”
Lawrence Lord Religious Studies Prize Lawrence Hampson Lord (Mitre 1912) was born on March 4th 1898, the son of A.H. Lord of Heaton, Bolton. “It is with the deepest regret that we record the death by drowning in the Trent on May 20 th of Lawrence Hampson Lord. He came to Repton in September 1912, and a promising career has been prematurely brought to an end.” The Reptonian, May 1914 “May 21st 1914: Mr Lord has expressed the wish that all games should be as usual” Daily Notices The prize was given by his parents for the best paper in Divinity in C (now B) Block.
The Leonard Ward Geography Prize (see also The Constance Ward History Prize) “Mrs Constance Ward, who died recently, bequeathed a number of items to the School including two paintings, books, records and colour slides. She also left a sum of money for the foundation of a scholarship in memory of her late husband, to be called the Leonard and Constance Ward Scholarship. It was Mrs Ward’s wish that the scholarship should be given at the discretion of the Headmaster to a pupil excelling at history.” The Reptonian, 1990
Livingstone-Learmonth Biology Prize
Named after one of the two Livingstone-Learmonth ORs: Maxwell John Livingstone-Learmonth (Orchard 1908 d.1971) or Lestock Robert Livingstone-Learmonth (Orchard 1911 d.1962). It was first awarded c.1918
McKenzie Chemistry Prize Arthur McKenzie came to Repton as a young recently married master in 1930 to teach Physics after a few years at Haileybury. He soon began writing a series of books on Science, the last of which was finished not long before his death in 1969. The early ones were well received, and widely adopted by teachers of Physics, and he became a well-known and much respected figure in the Science Masters’ Association. His move to Cambridge in 1944 left a big gap on the teaching staff, and he and his wife were sorely missed in the life of the School and village. It was not only that they did so many things for the public good, but their house was a hospitable, warm hearted and friendly place, and always interesting and stimulating. Mr. McKenzie was an authority on modern French painters and he introduced many boys and friends to their works. He was also renowned for his critical appreciation of the cinema, which he took as relaxation at the end of a day of teaching and writing, having cycled or driven to Burton. Those pupils who were with Mr. McKenzie at Corps Camp, the Norfolk harvest camp or in the Civil Defence organisation of School and village in the Second World War had a great respect for his powers of administration. When he and his wife settled in Cambridge, their home soon became widely known for its hospitality and its fresh and stimulating spirit, especially among visitors from Repton and Reptonians in the University.
Malcolm Seton Biology Prize Malcolm Cotter Cariston Seton was in Brook House from 1886 – 1891 before continuing his studies at Oriel College. He had hoped to serve his country in India, but owing to poor health he spent his life in Whitehall where he rose to be Deputy Under Secretary of State at the India Office, 1923 - 33. The announcement of his passing in the Terminal Letter of July 1940 speaks of a loss to Repton that ‘it will be hard to repair.’ Sir Malcolm had been a member of the Governing body since 1927, and Lady Seton not only had a memorial erected to him in the School Chapel, but saw to it that an annual prize be awarded to his memory.
Commemorative plaque in the Chapel
Mervyn Hill Journalism Prize Mervyn George Frederick Saxon Hill (Cross 1917) was an author and journalist – he was the editor of the ‘Kenya Weekly Times.’ He died in December 1965.
Michael Milford Prize Possibly named after Christopher Michael Milford (New 1940-1944) who went on from Repton to work at the Bristol Aircraft Co Motor Club as a research engineer.
Miles MacInnes Religious Studies Prize “Given by the mother of Miles MacInnes (ob. 2nd March, 1920) for the best paper in Divinity in B (now A) Block.” “Miles MacInnes, born January 7th 1905, joined Brook House in September 1918. Died March 2nd 1920, aged 15” The Repton School Register
Morgan Owen Prize
Morgan Maddox Morgan-Owen was at one time an international soccer player. He was a master at Repton from 1909 to 1937and Housemaster of New House from 1920. Morgan went to Oriel College Oxford (1896-1900) where he obtained an Honours Degree in Modern History and gained soccer blues between 1897 and 1900. He began playing football at inside left but at Oxford he played centre forward before converting to right half in an emergency. In 1899 Oxford first team moved their home games from the University Parks to Iffley Road, on what is now the rugby pitch. That was also the year they toured Austria and Vienna. Restored to centre forward, Morgan scored the only two goals of the inter-varsity match of 1900. He found his best position of centre half with the Corinthians for whom he played (1898-1913) for most of his long and distinguished amateur football career but he also played for Casuals (1903-13) and in that time the team won the London Charity Cup twice and the AFA Senior Cup twice. He captained both teams and also appeared occasionally for London Welsh, Rhyl and Oswestry. He was always an amateur but made four appearances for professional sides, playing once for Nottingham Forest (April 1901) and three times for Glossop North End (1903-05), a second division side.
Murray Smith English Prize This prize named after Robert Murray Smith commemorates a promising young scholar who died from a sudden illness at Oriel College in 1886 only two years after leaving Repton. He was in the Priory from 1882 – 1884 in the days when that boarding house was located in the Old Priory. His obituary in the Reptonian includes this tribute: “His death has left a void in many a heart, for his high character won for him the respect and esteem of all with whom he came in contact, and by his personal friends he was loved as only a good man can be loved.”
Peile Prize The Peile Prize, first awarded in the 1860s, is named after Thomas Williamson Peile, who was headmaster of Repton from 1841 – 1854. Peile was a sound scholar, and his knowledge of the classics, especially Thucydides and the Greek Testament, was remarkable. His principal works were editions of the Agamemnon (1839) and Choephori (1840) of Aeschylus, and Annotations on the Apostolical Epistles (1851–2). His Sermons, Doctrinal and Didactic was published in 1868. One of his former pupils recollected: “When Dr. Peile came from Durham to Repton in 1841, he brought with him the reputation of a scholar of remarkable distinction. He was one of the very few Cambridge undergraduates who have obtained the University Scholarship in their first year, beating in the field of Classics after a few months' residence, not only all the men of
their own standing, but also the best scholars of the two years above them. It was in 1825 that he was Davies Scholar. He did not quite maintain this position in the examinations for the Classical Tripos and the Chancellor's Medals, being passed by William Selwyn; but he added to his classical honours a place in the middle of the Wranglers of the year 1828. He fulfilled his early promise as a scholar by his learned editions of three of Aeschylus' Plays. At Repton he followed a Headmaster who was also an accomplished scholar, and who taught and trained with success; but the numbers of the School had fallen low, and Dr. Peile increased them by the pupils whom he attracted. I was one of those who thus became Repton boys. We, the Reptonians of that day, looked up to our teacher with well-deserved admiration, and he inoculated those of us who were high in the School with scholarly ambition; he took great pains with us, and was himself ambitious for our success; and his efforts were rewarded. In 1843 and 1845 the Senior Bell Scholarship fell to the lot of Reptonians. This, because it is a prize for those who have recently come up to the University, has always been reckoned a School distinction; and in both those cases it was a special pride for Repton to beat Shrewsbury. We who were the more intimate pupils of Dr. Peile fully realized our indebtedness to him, and he honoured us with his friendship to the end of his life. The old-fashioned scholarship with which he had illustrated Aeschylus he applied in later years to the New Testament, and there was much to be learnt from his analytical Edition of the Epistle to the Romans. The love of work and the conscientious fulfilment of duty which had marked his Headmastership he continued, after leaving Repton, in the discharge of his various obligations as a parish clergyman.”
Peter Bold English Prize Peter Bold was a Repton pupil from 1667 to 1670 and he later became the Secretary of the Earl of Huntingdon, the Earl having been his patron while he was at school. Peter is, by far, the oldest Reptonian of whose life at the school we have significant details. His letters give us what is in all probability a unique account of the syllabus studied at a school like Repton in the seventeenth century. Peter was first introduced into the Huntingdon household as a playmate to the very small child who had become the Earl at the age of five. This was the start of a long association between the two, with the young Earl soon paying for Peter’s education at Repton. Parents of today may note with some interest that in 1667 his ‘lodgings and diet’ at school were £12 per annum. However, then as now, there a few additional expenses along the way Besides he must bring with him both his bed and furniture, his linens and woollens and six shillings as his entrance towards his firing (his heat.) From Repton Peter wrote regularly to the Earl, usually requesting an inordinately large number of books to be bought for his education. At this stage the School was ten years away from having its first Library in the Garth Room and boys were expected to purchase all of the volumes that were necessary for their studies. These were still relatively expensive, but young Master Bold lived up to his name in tenaciously soliciting as many as possible from his wealthy patron. In total over the next two years he requests twenty-four books from the Earl, a tremendous number of books at that time for a schoolboy to be wanting, or using, or asking for. Often one suspects that he is name-dropping authors in a grandly ostentatious manner in order to impress upon his patron that he has a voracious appetite for learning. Upon Tuesday I received your lordship's letter at Repton having been since that day a week there. My master not only doth teach us in the school but at noon and night both to construe Latin authors and cosmography. He hath placed me in the second form and put me into Greek, but I want several books: that is Perens, Justin, Lucius Florus, Epitome of the Roman Lives, Erasmus' Adages, Tulley's Orations, Sallust and Aesops Fables, Greek and Latin, which I desire your honour to help me to. From this reading list we could infer that the School was solidly classical in its outlook. However, in his many letters Peter defends the school against criticism made of its curriculum and teaching methods which were considered to be too modern in comparison to other schools. In a very spirited missive
Peter contrasts for the Earl the methods and success of the former headmaster of Repton, Mr Ullock, with his successor Mr Sedgewick. But I assure your lordship there is as great cause for its increase as can be, for since it was a school for what I can hear it was never better taught by the master, nor followed. For whereas formerly every form was heard once a day, or rarely twice, they're duly taught now four times, and longer lessons by far; and I'm sure the boys who were under Mr. Ullock do say they have learnt more under Mr. Sedgwick this one year than they could have done under their former master in three. And for exercises, the head form makes a theme and eight or nine pair of verses a week; and the form I am in does the same for the theme but eight of the verses; and the two under-forms make Latin every night. Therefore I beseech your lordship judge what cause any person has either to despise or to raise slanders of our school which now have grown so common here in Derbyshire that I believe they have by this reached your Honour's ears. My Lord, I beg your honour's pardon for troubling your honour with this long ribble-rabble, but it is partly out of my great zeal to vindicate my master, to whom I am particularly obliged, from those strange reports that are spread abroad concerning this school and partly to give your honour an account of my time since I came to Repton which, my lord, I've endeavoured to employ so as not to throw away your great pains and cost, no more but only to redouble my thanks for that most excellent book of King James' and for Sliden which when I have once more read I intend, God willing, to return. Peter’s education at Repton ends rather abruptly in 1669, and when his father writes to thank the Earl for all his help, there is an inference that Peter has overstepped the mark in some way. There is a possibility that in a period when Repton was coming under close and hostile scrutiny he thought his son had been too undiplomatic in his defence of Sedgewick to the Earl, who as well as being his patron was a governor of the School. Whatever the reason for the departure of Peter Bold, his father gave the Earl of Huntingdon high praise at the end of the letter: For you received him a little child, but return him a lusty man, not only improved in strength and stature but well polished and refined with knowledge both in books, manners and men After Repton, Peter Bold went to St. John's College in Cambridge in 1670. He was made Deacon at Ely, and was ordained in Westminster by Bishop Thomas Spratt. He became a curate at Uppingdon and preached daily in the large hospital for the poor in nearby Stamford. In his latter years he became rector of Burton Petwardine and remained there for the rest of his life. The Peter Bold English prize was founded in the 1980’s by the author Lucyle Hook. Miss Hook, a professor at Columbia University, came to Repton in 1977 to deliver a series of lectures on her research into Peter Bold. She died in December 2003, aged 102. The prize should serve not only to commemorate Peter Bold and his love of books and letters, but also the Earl of Huntingdon who established the first Library in Repton School, and not least Miss Hook herself whose tireless enthusiasm for research has greatly illuminated our understanding of the School’s history.
Schreiber German Prize Henry Hugh Schreiber was a member of staff from 1893 to 1901. The closing days of last term were overshadowed by the gravest of fears, but we were quite unprepared for the shock which we received, when the Headmaster announced to us in Chapel, on the last morning, that Mr. Schreiber was dead. Mr. Schreiber, in work and games alike, so energetic, and so enthusiastic, won for himself both the esteem and the love of all who came in contact with him. And his popularity – for indeed to imagine a popularity more universal would be almost impossible – was due not merely to his genial nature, which enabled him at once to put himself on the level of his companion, so that he was regarded by us more as an elder brother than as a master, but in a great measure also to his earnest enthusiasm for the good of the School, and to the devotion with which he served it, giving up all his time to this one object, the betterment and progress of the School in every direction. And now he is gone: his memory alone is left to us, and in that he is doubly dear. (The Reptonian, March 1902)
Sydney de Vries Prize Sydney de Vries (Hall 1908) went from Repton to University College School, Hampstead, and then to the Guildhall School of Music. He became one of the most outstanding baritones of the 1930s, appearing at many of the major European opera houses. He could sing in over seven different languages, and was noted for his portrayal of Baron Scarpia in ‘Tosca’ as well as for the Wagnerian roles he performed to much acclaim in Dresden and Berlin. He sung the role of Jochanaan in the Richard Strauss opera ‘Salome’ in a production which was conducted by the composer.
Sydney Morning Herald, July 1935
Tom Upfill Mathematics Prize Thomas Henry Upfill was born July 16th 1897, the son of John Marshall Howey Upfill and Una Grace Upfill, of "Pasturehill", Lucastes Avenue, Haywards Heath, Sussex. Hall 1912 - 1914 Second Lieutenant, Royal Field Artillery, Special Reserve, 5/16. Lieutenant, 11/17. Seconded. Royal Flying Corps, 3/17. Lieutenant, Royal Air Force, 4/18. France, 1917. Military Cross. Killed in Action over France 18/10/18 aged 21 CAUDRY BRITISH CEMETERY From the Hall Housemaster’s Book: 1912 Nov 1912 Dec 1913 Feb 1913 Mar 1913 Jun 1913 Nov 1914 Apr 1914 Jun 1914 Jul 1914 Nov
Mathematical scholar. A very attractive boy indeed, with very fair brains. Not very strong. Good report. Has a very active brain and easily gets tired. Very bright and jolly this term. Altogether a charming person. A good term. Excellent. Got Foundation Scholarship in Maths. Good boy all round. In Maths Special Class. Danger of thinking himself too clever. Very good term’s work. Jolly boy. Excellent. Good. Self-centred. Doing fairly well in Maths Special. Left suddenly to start his new career.
From 'The London Gazette,' June 22nd 1918: Thomas H. Upfill - The Military Cross - For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty. On one occasion, observing a hostile scout, he at once attacked and fired 1,000 rounds at close range. The hostile plane went down in a steep glide and crashed to earth. Later, when on contact patrol, his
machine was damaged and forced to land just behind our lines. Although under heavy shell fire, he, assisted by another officer, succeeded in salving all the instruments and equipment on the machine before destroying it. He has set a very high example of courage and devotion to duty during the recent operations. From the 59 Squadron Record Book: 18/10/18 Artillery Patrols. 6 planes flying that day. One did not return. Missing plane R.E.8. Lt Upfill (Pilot) Lt Walker (Observer). Took off 14.30. Signed C.J. Mackay (Major) Comdg 59 Squadron, R.A.F.
Turners Art Prize This is not named after an OR, but after Turners, the Art supply company in Matlock, and funded by them. It normally takes the form of a set of materials for artists.
Wightwick History Prize These prizes were established by the parents of Richard Wightwick (Priory 1912) as a memorial to their son, who took his own life in the changing rooms of the Old Priory in 1916. His former headmaster, William Temple, wrote a beautiful obituary for the Reptonian, and drew a moving portrait of Wightwick: “Probably among Dick’s older friends the thing that will be best and long remembered is his smile, for he had a way of smiling not only with his mouth and eyes but with his whole face; and even those who have not reached the stage of reflecting upon the question what constitutes the charm of other people, were no doubt often attracted to him by this without their knowing it. But this was no mere trick of manner; it was a real symbol of the completeness and self-forgetfulness with which he gave himself to the enjoyment of either friends or jokes….And now these memories are filled with sadness. But it is easy to imagine the use which God may have in the other world for such as Dick just now. For being allowed to know and love him, though but for a short time here, we thank God.”
Wilfred Grundy Prize Named in memory of Wilfred Walker Grundy (Hall 1900 – 1903) At School he was the editor of The Reptonian. He studied at King’s College, Cambridge and became a lecturer on classics and the author of the book ‘Not Worth Reading’ as well as many articles in learned journals. He was Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Cardiff, and a Member of the Council of the Classical Association in 1927. He was Vice Principal of Cardiff University, and died in December 1936.