Brentwood in the 1600-1800s – A Time of Struggle

Last week, we began a series of assembly readings that look back at the School’s History and preview the book that will retell it, which will be published after half-term. If our School’s foundation was part of a century characterised by turmoil and division (but also huge energy and creativity), the three hundred years that followed were equally turbulent but often very difficult for Brentwood and indeed other Schools that had been founded in the 16th Century.

Many grammar schools, like Brentwood, began to struggle around the turn of the 18th Century. They had been founded primarily to teach Latin, which was vital in the 16th century for university, law, and government, but by the 17th and 18th centuries, England was changing. The scientific and industrial revolutions created a demand for new subjects like English and Maths, while learning French had also become fashionable. However, many schoolmasters, who were usually appointed for life, often poorly paid and with little incentive to change, were ill-equipped to meet the demands of the age.

There were, however, some remarkable people who worked at Brentwood during these times. Daniel Barnard (1655 to 1698) was a true pioneer and focused on making learning enjoyable rather than relying on punishment. His approach attracted pupils from all over England, which required the addition of a boarding house – named Barnard’s in his honour. The period after 1765 was also a positive one under a man called John Powley (1765-87), whose belief in social equality led him to provide poor local boys with free books, paper, and pens, treating them no differently from the wealthier pupils who attended the School. He also introduced a more practical education with the addition of an English and Writing school.

Many years later, Charles Tower (1806-25) picked up this drive towards inclusivity, admitting any boy who lived within a three-mile radius of the School, providing them with books and mixing those from different social backgrounds. There were 12 pupils when he joined and over 100 when he left.

The first Schoolmaster to be called Headmaster was Dr William de Lancy West, who arrived in 1851. He aimed to transform Brentwood and introduced a more modern curriculum, including languages like French and German, though science was still missing. He invested his own money into new buildings, most significant of which was our Chapel, built in 1867. West also introduced organised games, like cricket and football, and even theatrical performances, moving them to larger venues as they became popular. However, his efforts to attract wealthier pupils caused resentment among local parents, who felt priced out, and West left in 1870 due to criticism and falling numbers.

The next two Headmasters – William Quennell (1870-1879) and John Henry Newnum (1880-1891) – also experienced challenging times, with attempts to raise funds and modernise the curriculum beset by problems that were exacerbated by social tensions and both diphtheria and scarlet fever outbreaks.

Salvation came, however, in the form of the railway. Though Brentwood had a station from 1840, it was the development of additional suburban stations that made the difference, and by 1908, nearly half of Brentwood’s pupils travelled to the School by train, a sign that new opportunities were finally on the horizon for the school.

The three hundred years up to the beginning of the 20th Century are perhaps best summarised as a time of significant challenges for our School, punctuated by the efforts of a few individuals who had an uphill struggle when it came to helping Brentwood move with the rapidly changing times of Britain’s Industrial Revolution. Of course, it was also in the early part of this three-hundred-year period that the School’s Statutes were written in 1622, which instructed the Schoolmaster to instruct the pupils in Virtue, Learning and Manners, so to that end this otherwise difficult period in our history also left us with one of our most important inheritances.

Thankfully, Brentwood’s 20th-century story is one of much greater progress and sustained success, about which we’ll hear more next week.

Have a great weekend

Best wishes

Michael Bond