Scorer Local Knowledge
This prize is named after William Scorer (1843 - 1934), a BGS alumnus who attended the school from 1857 to 1859. His name is referenced in the 1859 Speech Day Programme. After BGS he studied at the Lincoln School of Art and became a qualified architect. In 1901 he co-founded an architectural practice called Scorer and Gamble, which would later design the school Quadrangle.
According to The Times of 23 April 1934 "Mr William Scorer, ARIBA, of Richmond, Surrey, who died on January 22, aged 90, left estate of the gross value of £15,129, with net personalty £14,768. He left :- ... £100 to Boston Grammar School, for a prize or prizes for the study of Lincolnshire English History".
From its inception in 1950 until the mid-1960s, it was usually referred to as simply the 'Scorer Prize'. The way in which it is awarded has changed over time.
Originally, pupils took a written test involving questions about the local area. The first tests were set and administered by history teacher Hubert Turpin. Three prizes would be awarded each year, with one winner from each of the junior, middle and upper schools.
In the late 1970s and early 1980s the prize was given jointly to the members of the team that scored the most points in the local knowledge round of an annual inter-house general knowledge tournament.
From circa 1985 onward, the General Knowledge Club ran a dedicated local knowledge quiz that pupils could enter as individuals, with the prize being awarded to the winner.