Summary
of the School
Grantham Grammar School, also known as 'The King's School',
has an unbroken history on the same site from its endowment
as one of the last acts of Bishop Richard Fox in 1528. Fox
was a local boy who rose due to his position as secretary
to Henry, Duke of Richmond, while in exile in France prior
to the famous events of the battle of Bosworth that led
to his capturing the throne as Henry VII. Ultimately Bishop
of Winchester, Fox also founded Taunton Grammar School.
The heyday for King's probably came in the 17th century,
with alumni including the 'Cambridge Platonist', Henry More,
Poet Laureate Colley Cibber, and the outstanding Sir Isaac
Newton, not to mention successful 18th C. mathematician,
John Newcome. Previously the most notable old boy had been
William Cecil, Lord Burleigh, whose family seat survives
in the grand Burleigh House near Stamford in Lincolnshire.
Burleigh became Principal Secretary to Queen Elizabeth I.
Newton meanwhile, as was customary in his time, carved
his signature on the wall of what is today's functioning
school library. Visitors from around the world have come
and viewed this landmark evidence of Newton's education.
A small school of perhaps a few dozen scholars at this period,
it remained less than one hundred strong until the 20th
century, and its reputation did not grow as other similar
schools grew and outpaced it. The most notable recent pupil
would probably be J.W. Wand, Bishop of London from 1945
to 1956. Now a school of over 800, it unusually remains
a selective boys' state grammar school, as it has always
been, and despite modern development on the town centre
site, retains many buldings dating from Newton's era and
before.
Source: wikipedia
Are you an old pupil from King's? If you aren't already
a member of friends reunited, then you should join it, and
add King's as your old school! It will help you get in contact
with old mates... Visit
the King's page on friends reunited
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