Friends’ School - Founded in 1702
Click here to see books, photographs and films about the history of Friends’ School. Click on the photos to enlarge.
A brief account of the origins of Friends’ School
Friends’ School has occupied 4 sites during its history, the first 3 being in London: Clerkenwell from 1702 to 1786, Islington Road from 1786 to 1825, Croydon from 1825 to 1879, and Saffron Walden from 1879.
Further information can be found in David Bolam’s book “Unbroken Community – The Story of Friends’ School Saffron Walden 1702 – 1952” and in James Backhouse Crosfield’s booklet “Saffron Walden School - A Sketch of Two Hundred Years” - 1702 to 1902. See also Farrand Radley’s account of ‘The Four Site Saga’ in our Tercentenary book “The School on the Hill” published in 2002. Click here to read Farrand Radley’s account. Click here to see a Timeline of our first 300 years.
Clerkenwell 1702 - 1786
In addition to supplying basic needs, each community would also care for its old people and sick, train its children, and make a profit for the public-minded men who had supported the schemes with capital. Above all, the life of the community would be harmonious. No man would need to be a rival of his fellows, “everybody is working for him.” “This Colledge,” John Bellers claimed, “will be a Community something like the example of Primitive Christianity that lived in common…”
His idea was for communities of poor old people and children, who were a burden on society. Here the children would learn trades which would help them to be later apprenticed when they left, and also provide saleable articles to support the communes in the meantime. Thus the communes or communities would be able to finance themselves.
John Bellers (1645 - 1725 - Quaker cloth merchant, philosopher, polymath, philanthropist, and Fellow of the Royal Society 1798) put his proposal before the Quaker London Yearly Meeting in 1697 and they were approved in 1699. But it was the Quaker Middlesex Quarterly Meeting that took up his idea in 1699 and decided to implement his project, but for only one such community.
A fund of £1,923 was raised and a former workhouse in Clerkenwell was leased. However, John Bellers’ dream was not to be fully realised as the colony that was set up was not to be his idealised self supporting colony but more akin to a traditional workhouse with a mixture of old people past their working life and impoverished children, and just for Quakers.
Some teaching was provided, initially at the local Quaker Meeting House at Peel, for the workhouse children who left at the age of 14 to take up apprenticeships. The first schoolmaster was appointed in 1706 and paying boarders admitted in 1707. The workhouse gradually evolved into a combined Quaker Boarding School and Workhouse.
For further information about the school at Clerkenwell see “The Clerkenwell Rule Book 1780″ and “Richard Hutton’s Complaints Book”.
Islington Road 1786 - 1825
In 1786 the Committee decided to find a new home because ‘the numbers of Antient Friends were felt to be inhibiting the development of the children’s school’ and the school moved to nearby Islington Road. It was whilst at Islington Road that the workhouse element disappeared altogether and the Quaker School and Workhouse became known as Friends’ School. However, there were concerns over the low height of the ceilings and problems resulting from dampness which led to fears of ill health and which prompted the move to Croydon in 1825.
Croydon 1825 - 1879
In 1825 the School took over a beautiful house in Croydon, built in 1708. But they had learned: a minute of 1824 says “it is desirable that the rooms in the wings (the new additions to be built) be not less than thirteen feet in height and those of the dormitories not less than twelve feet”.
When Croydon became too unhealthy from typhoid fever other locations were explored, one of them being Saffron Walden. In 1876, came an irresistible offer from a Saffron Walden Quaker, the banker and former Mayor of the town, George Stacey Gibson, of a site – and a free one too! “It is beautifully situated …on an open breezy hill above the town, near the railway station and within a very easy distance of the Meeting House.” And what clinched it, after the Croydon experience, was that it had “a good supply of water from a deep artesian well”.
To find out more about our school in Croydon and its move from Islington Road click here to see the “Croydon School Rules 1870″.
Saffron Walden From 1879
An architect Edward Burgess was appointed and plans drawn up for a boarding school to accommodate 150 children. The Croydon site was sold for about £22,000 which covered the cost of the new build in Saffron Walden and the purchase of some additional land. On 19th August 1879 58 boys and 32 girls were installed in Friends’ School Saffron Walden.
Click here to read John Woods’ account of the first 100 years at Saffron Walden. Click here to see the 1926 prospectus for the school.
Books, Photographs, Films and other information about the History of Friends’ School.
“Saffron Walden School - A Sketch of Two Hundred Years” - 1702 to 1902 by James Backhouse Crosfield. Click here to see the online version of this booklet.
“Unbroken Community – The Story of Friends’ School Saffron Walden 1702 – 1952” by David Bolam. Click here to download the online version of this book, or to download it in 3 parts click on part one, part two and part three.
“The School on the Hill” - Memories of Three Hundred Years of Friends’ School Saffron Walden 1702 - 2002, by those who taught, learned and grew up there. Click here to see the online version of this book.
“A Hundred Years at Saffron Walden - 1870 to 1979″. Click here to read John Woods’ account of the first 100 years at Saffron Walden.
Friends’ School and Workhouse at Clerkenwell “Book of Rules 1780″. This book gives a delightful insight into how the school and workhouse were managed in the eighteenth century. Please be aware that the letter s is often substituted by the letter f. Click here to download this scanned document which is about 17Mb and may take time to download.
Richard Hutton’s ‘Complaints Book’ - transcribed and edited by Timothy Hitchcock. This is the notebook of the steward of the Quaker Workhouse at Clerkenwell 1711 - 1737, which developed into Friends’ School. Click here to have a look at this fascinating historical set of personal notes about life in our workhouse/school 300 years ago.
“Croydon School Rules 1870″. This book gives much information about our school in Croydon and of its move from Islington Road, as it has Introductions from the 1817 and 1829 editions and is very similar to the 1853 edition. Click here to download this scanned pdf document which is about 2Mb in size.
List of Croydon Scholars from 1825 to 1879. Click here for a list of students when this school was located in Croydon before its move to Saffron Walden in 1879.
“A Community Through Three Centuries”. A calendar of the main events in the history of Friends’ School 1702 - 2002 by Roger Buss. Click here to download this document
“Unwillingly to School - Memoirs of the Friends’ School Saffron Walden 1924-1928″ by Charles Kohler. Click here to download this personal account of life at Friends’ School in the 1920’s
1926 Prospectus for Friends’ School Saffron Walden. Click here.
Timeline - showing major events in the history of Friends’ School during its first 300 years. Click here to download a printable pdf or click here for a higher resolution jpeg.
Whole School Photos. 34 whole school photos from 1922 to 2007 have been scanned and are available for viewing. Click here to access these photos.
1963 Film of the School. Click here to see the 1963 Film of the School made by former pupil Matthew Robinson in 1963.
School Archives
Most of the school’s pre 1936 archives are now housed in the Essex Record Office in Chelmsford. A catalogue of documents in the Essex Record Archives can be found at www.essex.gov.uk/ero
Notes on the archives of Quaker schools in Britain and Ireland - May 2011
