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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

Ancient arrangements pre-reformation to 1541. Continued until the Endowed Schools act 1853. when they separated Kings and Choir School (latter under Mr Cuzner), until at least 1880. Sometime 1881-1883 tuition back at the King's school until 1893 when the school separates again.

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.

At the time of the English Reformation and the Dissolution of the monasteries, the Abbey of St. Werburgh was closed in 1541 and a new cathedral was established in the same buildings. The legal statutes at the time 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.

By the mid eighteenth century, the grammar school started to be called the King's Cathedral Grammar School, or King's School.

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 separately:.

The Endowed Schools Act 1869 resulted in continued endowment from the cathedral to the King's School, but removed some requirements for endowed grammar schools to have teachers licensed by the Church of England. Following the King's School 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 was in place by 1895 at which time their education was separate from King's again. The school operated as an independent private preparatory school from this point until closure in 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.

Fees

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. Cite error: The named reference "report1973" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
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. ^ "Article". 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. Cite error: The named reference HowsonJ1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
15. STATE AND CONDITION OF THE CATHEDRAL AND COLLEGIATE CHURCHES IN ENGLAND AND WALES (Report). London: HM Stationary Office. May 25, 1855.

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External links

• Pending AfC submissions
• Pending AfC submissions in article space