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The text below came originally from the page Cathedral School. All of the content will be replaced, but I will re-use the markup in the spirit of starting from an example. There was a previous page of the same name, started by me in 2020 - G13 Abandoned draft. This is a new page.

TODO

1. Photographs
2. History
3. Buildings and facilities - the architecture and internal descriptions (cite the 1973 report).
4. Fees

Chester Cathedral Choir School was an private preparatory school for boys under the direct supervision of the Dean of Chester Cathedral providing choristers for the choir. In its modern form, the school was opened by 1892 and closed at the end of summer term 1975. In 1973 the school's roll was 83 boys in 5 classes with the largest class of 22.

History

In Brief

Ancient arrangements existed pre-reformation to 1541 of a boy's school and singers in the abbey which continued until 1851. Choir School established for the first time until at least 1880. Sometime 1881-1883 tuition back at the King's school until 1893 when the school separates again until it closes in 1975.

In Detail

Boy choristers had been a feature of the pre-reformation church in England from at least the 7th Century and there is evidence that there was a school and boy choristers at the Benedictine Abbey of St. Werburgh, Chester before the English Reformation.

During the English Reformation and the Dissolution of the monasteries, in 1541 the Abbey of St. Werburgh was closed and a new cathedral was established in the same buildings. The legal statutes for the new Chester Cathedral set out the roles and responsibilities of the Dean, Canons, and others associated with the cathedral. The statutes created a grammar school at Chester Cathedral (for the teaching of latin grammar, and other subjects "for 24 poor and friendless boys") and also established 8 choristers and their choir master. The cathedral would be responsible for the education and subsistence of both scholars and choristers.

For 300 years, until the mid nineteenth century the choristers received some general education in the King's School. However whilst the statutes referred to the possibility of boys being in the choir and in the grammar school, this was not the always the case, the statutes did not demand any other education for choristers other than in singing and divine services but did afford preferential access to the grammar school.

By the mid nineteenth century in common with many schools funded by private endowment, schooling at the cathedral was suffering poor financial support, inefficiencies and accusations of maladministration. It was claimed the cathedral reduced scholar numbers whilst focusing on choristers, failed to pay endowments for university positions for scholars, and was not funding the grammar school properly, i.e. both staff salary and pupil stipends for subsistence were grossly insufficient

In 1851, Chester Cathedral Choristers were taught separately in their own school for the first time. By 1857 the schools were operating completely separately:.

The Endowed Schools Act 1869 resulted in continued endowment from the cathedral to the King's School, but at the same time removed requirements for some endowed grammar schools to have teachers licensed by the Church of England. Following the King's School improvements and reorganisation under this act in 1873, by 1880, choristers were again receiving general education at the grammar school.

The final reorganisation of the chorister's schooling commenced on August 13, 1895 when their education was separate from the King's School again. The school operated as an independent private preparatory school called the Chester Cathedral Choir School from this time.

In 1973, HM Inspectors of Schools carried out a full inspection of the school. Many issues were identified with accommodation and facilities, teaching, timetables and community. Most of the issues stemming from either the limitations of the buildings, or significant demands on staff and governors when running a very small school with modern demands made upon them.

In the same year, the Dean and Chapter realized "the writing was on the wall" and that the school would have to close. Reasons given included inflationary pressures, the small intake of the school (80) and the inability of the building to allow expansion and the significant capital expenditure to move premises.

With some boys transferring to King's and other schools, Chester Cathedral Choir School closed at the end of the Summer Term 1975

Buildings and Facilities

The Cathedral Choir School was established , in 1880 following a period of significant improvements to both the fabric of the cathedral, and the quality of the music. Deans Anson and Howson oversaw the installation of the cathedral organ in 1875, rebuilding of the western part of Abbey Court (as it was known), and replacement of the old Bishop's Palace. At that time, the King's School moved into the new buildings from their ancient home in the original monks refectory, and the choir school was established in a small corner of the same new buildings.

The Choir Practice Room was the Refectory in 1892.

Fees

Notes

1. By the mid eighteenth century, the grammar school started to be called the King's Cathedral Grammar School, or King's School.
2. Dean Howson commented at the time that the cathedral having to continue the historical endowment of £280 p.a. to the King's School was an injustice.
3. It is interesting to note that whilst A.L.Munday, the headmaster of King's stated in 1974 that the choir school was "an off-shoot of the Kings school and ... returning" after 100 years, Rev. E. Weir, headmaster of the choir school stated its history back to 1541, i.e. being in its 423rd year in 1963. There was always some controversy in the relationship between the Chester Cathedral Choir School and the King's School.

References

1. ^ "Vacancies for four probationary choristers". Cheshire Observer. May 28, 1892. p. 4. Retrieved 9 November 2024.
2. ^ "Choir school to close next year". Cheshire Observer (CITY ed.). July 6, 1974. p. 1. Retrieved 9 November 2024.
3. ^ Report by HM Inspectors on Chester Cathedral Choir School (Report). London: Department of Education and Science. December 3, 1973.
4. Williams, Jenevora (Nov 25, 2011). Cathedral Choirs in the United Kingdom: The Professional Boy Chorister. Springer Nature. Retrieved 14 November 2024. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
5. ^ Hackett, Maria (1827), A Brief Account of Cathedral and Collegiate Schools: With an Abstract of Their Statutes and Endowments. Respectfully Addressed to the Dignitaries of the Established Church, JB Nichols and Son
6. "History of Chester Cathedral". Chester Cathedral. Retrieved 16 November 2024.
7. ^ "Statutes of Chester Cathedral". Chester Courant. August 30, 1871. p. 7. Retrieved 14 November 2024.
8. "Chester News". Chester Chronicle. April 11, 1776. p. 3. Retrieved 16 November 2024.
9. Howson, J.S. (September 24, 1881). "The King's School and the Cathedral Boys School". Cheshire Observer. Retrieved 15 November 2024.
10. Gillard, Derek (2018). "Education in the UK: a history". Retrieved 15 November 2024.
11. "Tory opinion of Bishops, Deans and Chapters and their doings". Chester Chronicle. July 6, 1851. Retrieved 16 November 2024.
12. "King's School, Chester and the Town Council". Chester Chronicle. November 29, 1851. Retrieved 16 November 2024.
13. "Cathedral Trusts". Chester Chronicle. June 15, 1850. Retrieved 16 November 2024.
14. "The King's School". Chester Courant. August 25, 1852. Retrieved 16 November 2024.
15. Cite error: The named reference HowsonJ1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
16. STATE AND CONDITION OF THE CATHEDRAL AND COLLEGIATE CHURCHES IN ENGLAND AND WALES (Report). London: HM Stationary Office. May 25, 1855.
17. "Chester Cathedral Choir School". Liverpool Dail Post. April 25, 1884. p. 7. Retrieved 14 November 2024.
18. "King's School and Cathedral". Cheshire Observer. August 4, 1900. p. 6. Retrieved 14 November 2024.
19. ^ "Educational: Chester Cathedral". Cheshire Observer. May 28, 1892. p. 4. Retrieved 16 November 2024.
20. "Final prize day at cathedral choir school". Cheshire Observer. November 22, 1974. p. 30. Retrieved 19 November 2024.
21. "Choir School has to close". Chester Chronicle. July 26, 1974. p. 1. Retrieved 10 November 2024.
22. "Red caps may vanish but choristers will sing from a new nest". Cheshire Observer. July 26, 1974. p. 46. Retrieved 10 November 2024.
23. "A year of quiet growth". Cheshire Observer. November 27, 1964. p. 23. Retrieved 19 November 2024.

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External links

• Pending AfC submissions
• Pending AfC submissions in article space