The History of Price's School 1721-1971

By F.E.C. Gregory

In 1971, Price's School in Fareham celebrated the 250th anniversary of its foundation in 1721 by William Price, Timber Merchant of Fareham in Hampshire. The School and the Trustees of Price's Charity asked an Old Pricean, Frank E.C. Gregory, to research its history and write a book for the celebrations. The resulting History of Price's School 1721-1971 was the first and only book about the school, and has long been out of print.

Price's School was originally a "Blue Coat" Charity School to educate 30 poor children of the parish. It survived in that form from 1725 to 1901, when state education for children made it redundant. It reformed as an independent Boarding School in new premises in 1908, before becoming a Grammar School run by the Hampshire Local Education Authority in 1950. It celebrated the 250th anniversary in this form, but less than 30 years later it had closed, the buildings were demolished and the site became a housing estate.

In 2022, the Society of Old Priceans held slightly delayed celebrations for the 300th anniversary of the School's foundation. Another Old Pricean, Paul Gover, created a new edition of the History, editing the original text to take advantage of modern typesetting, retaining the original words and illustrations but formatting them to be much clearer and easier to read. It remains the only book covering the School's History.

This second edition adds a new plate containing a sketch of the original school buildings, and a new appendix covering recent research into a legal dispute over ownership of the charity's land endowment.

Price's School's foundation financed the eduction of just 30 poor children of the parish, and the founder's will specified that the schoolmaster was not to supplement his income by teaching any others. Like most English Blue Coat schools Price's never grew into a large public school, unlike establishments such as Christ's Hospital School and the Birmingham Blue Coat School.

The History of Price's School covers its foundation and early years, and touches on the lives of some of its pupils, masters and staff, and their time within the school. It moves on to give a fascinating insight into the operation of small charity schools in the Victorian age. By the end of that period, the start of free state education for all raised the question of how Price's was to continue into the 20th century. The History reveals the battles between the trustees of Price's Charity (who were also the school's governors) and the government over how the founder's charitable aims could be sustained. The trustee's chairman's fought against plans that would mean "Price's Charity should be diverted from elementary education to middle-class education ... and] ignore the intentions of the founder, and direct the funds, which he left for the poor, to the education of the middle-class."

The later chapters of the History cover the period from 1908 to 1971, where Price's School restarted as a boarding school, and then, with further battles between its governors and the government, became part of the state education system. Also described are the pupils, masters and staff and their lives through two world wars and the ensuing peacetime.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0BCSFB6PF
• ISBN13: 9798834814870
• Release Date: September 2022
• Publisher: Independently Published
• Length: 186 Pages
• Weight: 0.59 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 6.1" x 9.2"