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UNDER CONSTRUCTION

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
5. change the order of punctuation and citations.

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

A boy's school and singers for the abbey existed pre-reformation which continued until 1851. A separate choir school was established for the first time in 1851. Sometime between 1881 and 1883 choristers were admitted to the King's school until 1895 when the school separated again until it closed 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, board and lodgings 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 under Dean Darby (1886-1919) 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 the school as a 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

For most of the first 310 years from the reformation to the first separation from the grammar school, all boys were taught in the refectory of chester cathedral.

Dean Anson (1839-1867) and Howson (1867-1885) oversaw significant renovation of the cathedral, the installation of the cathedral organ in 1875, rebuilding of the western part of Abbey Square, replacement of the old Bishop's Palace and overall improvements to church musical achievements. At that time, the King's School moved into the new buildings from their ancient home in the original monks refectory to part of the rebuilt section of Abbey Square.

There was a Choir Practice Room under the cathedral library where the old Bishop's Palace used to be.

The Choir Practice Room was the Refectory in 1892 and perhaps this is where the separate tuition occurred as well just as the King's School had done since shortly after 1541. By 1919 there was a song school room where the old Bishop's palace once was near to the Great West Door.

In 1960, the King's School moved out of the premises in Abbey Square. In 1962, the Choir School moved into the same buildings after some adjustments, e.g. partitioning the main hall to produce a dining hall. The premises had been built in neo-gothic style in the 1860's. The school was to be found in one building with two stories. The ground floor had a single corridor with classrooms and washroom off. The boys toilets were to be found in a lean-to outside. The HM Inspectors report from 1973 includes many details including the year II classroom being small and dark and the overall impression of the building was "cramped and drab".

Fees

The statues of the cathedral established in 1541 that the scholars of the grammar school, and the choristers should have their education and subsistence paid by the cathedral. A stipend was reintroduced in 1852 as payment to the boys of the school and choir of £3 6s. 8d which continued to be paid without any consideration of inflation until at least 1919.

By 1973, "Fees are £100 a term except for singing boys who pay £5.25 a term during their first and second years ... and no fees as such thereafter."

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 eBooks. Springer Nature. Retrieved 14 November 2024.
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. STATE AND CONDITION OF THE CATHEDRAL AND COLLEGIATE CHURCHES IN ENGLAND AND WALES (Report). London: HM Stationary Office. May 25, 1855.
16. "Chester Cathedral Choir School". Liverpool Dail Post. April 25, 1884. p. 7. Retrieved 14 November 2024.
17. "King's School and Cathedral". Cheshire Observer. August 4, 1900. p. 6. Retrieved 14 November 2024.
18. ^ "Educational: Chester Cathedral". Cheshire Observer. May 28, 1892. p. 4. Retrieved 16 November 2024.
19. "Final prize day at cathedral choir school". Cheshire Observer. November 22, 1974. p. 30. Retrieved 19 November 2024.
20. "Choir School has to close". Chester Chronicle. July 26, 1974. p. 1. Retrieved 10 November 2024.
21. "Red caps may vanish but choristers will sing from a new nest". Cheshire Observer. July 26, 1974. p. 46. Retrieved 10 November 2024.
22. "A year of quiet growth". Cheshire Observer. November 27, 1964. p. 23. Retrieved 19 November 2024.
23. Barrow, J.S.; Herson, J.D.; Lawes, A.H.; Riden, P.J.; Seaborne, M.V.J. (2005), "Part 2, the City of Chester: Culture, Buildings, Institutions", in Thacker, A.T.; Lewis, C.P. (eds.), A History of the County of Chester, vol. 5, London: Victoria County History

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