Boston Grammar School - A Short History
| Boston Grammar School: A Short History | |
|---|---|
 Cover of Boston Grammar School: A Short History (1955) | |
| Author(s) | Hubert Turpin |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Local history |
| Publisher | Guardian Press, Boston |
| Publication date | 1955, 1966 |
| Media type | Paperback |
| Pages | 1955 edition: 19 pages; 1966 edition: 20 pages |
1955 marked the 400th anniversary of the granting of the school charter. To help commemorate this quater-centenary, a booklet detailing the school's history was written by Hubert Turpin, a long-serving history teacher at BGS. Entitled Boston Grammar School: A Short History, it was the first attempt to summarise the key events in the school's lifetime - information which had previously been recorded in disparate sources. It was published in 1955, and later updated in 1966.
Floreat Bostona, a more comprehensive history published in 1985, makes reference to this booklet.
1955 edition
The 1955 edition contains the following:
- A foreword by William Ricketts, the headmaster at the time, dated December 1954.
- A brief historical summary, beginning with the appointment of Robert of Muston in 1329. It describes prominent events, headmasters and the development of the school buildings.
- Photographs of Big School and the Quadrangle.
- A photograph of the school charter.
Each page is replicated below. Page 2 is blank, and therefore deliberately omitted.
Front page
Page 1
Page 3 (foreword)
Page 4
Page 5
Page 6
Page 7
Page 8
Page 9 (original building in Wormgate)
Page 10 (Big School)
Page 11 (Big School and Quadrangle)
Page 12 (1555 charter)
Page 13
Page 14
Page 15
Page 16
Page 17
Page 18
Page 19
Back page
1966 edition
The 1966 edition contains some updated material, including an aerial photograph of the school which replaces the copy of the charter on page 12.
On Page 11 the photograph of the quadrangle is updated with a similar image showing the second Science Block which had been opened in 1958.
Apart from these new photographs and an updated foreword, the main changes are a redesigned cover and additional text on pages 19 and 20.
The new foreword reads as follows:
"In 1955 a short history of Boston Grammar School was written by Hubert Turpin, BA, senior history master from 1927 to 1964, to commemorate the fourth centenary of the granting of a royal charter to the School by Mary Tudor and her husband Philip in 1555. This little booklet proved very popular with Old Boys and with new boys and the edition has long since been sold out. Shortly before he retired in 1964, Mr Turpin brought his history up to date: but his retirement was a very short one for he died a few months later. This second edition, to which only a few words have been added to bring it up to date at the time of publication, will serve not only the purpose for which it was originally intended, but also as a memorial to Hubert Turpin."
W J Ricketts, TD, MA - Headmaster
Boston Grammar School - February 1966
Front page
Page 19
Page 20
