St Edward's, 150 Years

Chapter 2 / Wardens

Below: Map of the School, 1907. Left: Common Room, 1913. Back row (left to right): Revd L.F. Harvey, V. Hope, L. Davies, L.F. Cass, J.J.W. Herbertson, A.J. Weller, Revd F. Shaw. Seated (left to right): W.H.A.Cowell,WardenSing,RevdJ.G.Bussell.Cass,BussellandDavieswerethreeofthe fourmasters killed inWorldWar I. Hope, Herbertson, andWeller served but survived. Inset: Part of Warden Sing’s window, 1950, at the west end of the Chapel.

Left: Common Room, 1899. Back row (left to right): D.A. Wynne-Wilson, RevdW.T. Kerry, H.R. Wright, W.H. Ferguson (later to become Warden), W.C. Stocks, L.T. Edwards. Seated (left to right): Reverend C.L’E De B de Labat, W.H.A Cowell, Warden Hudson, J.M. Sing (later to become Warden), R.l. Roddon. Below: John Millington Sing, c. 1900. He was the only Warden promoted directly from the Common Room and the first not in Holy Orders. Below left: Early Tuckshop, 1902.

THOMAS WILLIAM HUDSON (1863–1929), WARDEN 1896–1904

war when the Boer War began in 1900; three OSE were lost in South Africa. The Chapel contains many memorial panels recording the names of OSE who gave their lives in war, and the earliest were placed there in Hudson’s time in 1903.

The Revd Thomas William Hudson had gained a degree in History at Brasenose College, Oxford, in 1883 and had been Headmaster at Cranbrook School in Kent. He was married with ten children: five of his sons attended the School, two of whom later died in the Great War. He was a keen disciplinarian, encouraging ‘manly behaviour’, and left much of the day-to-day responsibility for keeping good order to the prefects. His first term coincided with an extraordinary natural event in the form of an earthquake which shook the buildings in early December and was said by some to have rolled some sleeping boys out of bed. He can be credited with increasing School numbers to a new record of 129 by 1898, despite the fact that few new facilities could be afforded at this time. Hudson was the first Warden to have to deal with boys and staff leaving for a major

Warden he oversaw some notable achievements and paved the way for the future. One extremely important aspect of his time as Warden was that he increased the area of land owned by the School dramatically. He was instrumental in persuading the Duke of Marlborough to sell the land he owned on the west side of the Woodstock Road, which the School had leased to use for games since 1872. This was a coup, since the Duke had been very tempted to sell the land to developers; Lord Aldenham, one of the School’s Trustees, dealt directly with the Duke and his agents and after seven long years of negotiations an agreement was reached. Sing was also instrumental in promoting rowing at the School and himself coached some of the early crews, as he did the Rugby XV. In 1905 he created the Rifle Club,

JOHN MILLINGTON SING (1863–1947), WARDEN 1904–13

John Millington Sing was Second Master at the School and Tutor of Set B when he took over as Warden. He came from a commercial background in Liverpool, one of eight sons, he had been a pupil at Uppingham School and in 1882 went to Christ’s College, Cambridge, where he was elected to a Classical Scholarship. He was the first Warden promoted from the Common Room and the first not in Holy Orders. He had a business head, saw ways of improving School sport and was a scholar – an ideal mix. During his time as

leading to the first School OTC in 1909. During his Wardenship, School numbers averaged 112 pupils. In 1911 the first inspection of the School by the Board of Education took place

years a Governor (1911–20) and was Chairman of Governors 1927–9. He even came out of retirement late in his life to help with teaching

and the report, notwithstanding some criticisms, was generally good, with the Warden being singled out for his successful role. Sing resigned in 1913 and subsequently taught elsewhere, though he remained in close touch with the School, returning to live in Oxford in 1923. He was for several

at Teddies during the Second World War in 1939–40. He recommended the Revd William Harold Ferguson, a friend and former colleague at St Edward’s, to succeed him. In the Chapel, at the west end of the nave on the south side, is a window dedicated to him and dated 1950.

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