Uppingham-by-the-sea ... Wrap Up!

When I was looking through my mother’s books I came upon this little gem – I had never heard from the family about this episode in the school’s life – so I was entranced to read the book and got hooked.

Snowdonia

I thought it would make a good story for a post ... and in the end I couldn’t easily reduce the 47 pages much more than I have ... I also simplified it and kept to the school or calendar year.  I thought I might be able to make it into two posts ... no such luck, and then each post got longer and longer!

As some of you have noted the descriptions are just wonderful and I admit I have plagiarised them for my posts – because Sir John Henry Skrine wrote this beautiful narrative in 1877 for publication the following year by Macmillan and Co.

Bag of Phrases

I also do not have the erudition that is exemplified by the era, the headmaster and the author, Sir JH Skrine: there are many quotations and references in Greek and Latin to poetry, myth and legend, ancient literature, theatre and the arts ... that I wanted to refer to – hence the plagiarism!

I coaxed myself to extract and draft the posts ... many written using Skrine’s words rather than my own; I broke up his paragraphs and italicised some - the exceedingly descriptive phrases he used, or to render a point that I thought was of particular ‘interest’.

Skrine did not have copy and paste!! And his knowledge must have been prodigious to have all these literary references to hand ... I just hit the link?!

A lot of you have noted ...

Ø Exploration for a suitable site done in 3 days, headmaster visited and signed contract, 14 days later the train and 18 carriages had been hired ...

o   the railways had only started 45 years previously ... yet had spread to most mines and ports ... obviously transport around the British Isles was greatly enhanced.

o   The railway line at Uppingham only opened in 1890 .. so everything had to go by horse and cart to Seaton (about 2 miles away)

Steam locomotive

Ø It could be done, without hassle, 135 years ago: a whole school could be bundled up and trained out – it beggar’s belief what would happen today ...

Ø 8 days later – the school boys themselves poured forth from said trains: how had they been notified ... this is not divulged ...

o   The telegraph was becoming available, but certainly wasn’t ubiquitous

o   Telephones were just being invented

A perforated Penny
Red - letters in four
corners and plate 148,
therefore printed
after 1871

o   The Penny Post had come in 35 years previously (1840) ...

§  Did they use letters, or personal messengers, or send the masters out to explain ...?

o   and how about copying anything ... was it done via a letter copying press (James Watt obtained a licence in 1780s), ... or by Notice using word of mouth ...

Ø there was no electricity – so light would be candles or kerosene (paraffin)  lamps;  electricity was being engineered – but it would be another 30 or 40 years before it was for everyman and could be everywhere

Ø cooking would be done on ranges ... gas stoves were exhibited at The Great Exhibition in London in 1851, but it was only in the 1880s that they started to become commercial.   The ranges would have been stoked by coal from the local coal mine. 

Would they have bought ranges in the first place, and then ordered more as until requirements were satisfied ...

o   The Commissariat featured ... fodder could be found, stocks could be provided – even to feed those extra 400 odd souls ...

Ø The absolute trust that must have been inherent here – the headmaster, the masters and their families, the Trustees (because they authorised these major decisions), the boys themselves ... all getting on with and along with their new environment.

The otter

Ø The paths of communication that darted about the country – to the boys’ families; to Uppingham, and from Oxford – where most of the medical information (typhoid and scarlet fever) and support came from – as well as the Old Boys ... the local network.  I bet they’d turn in their graves for our life today ... the web of communication.

Ø Remember what we’re involved in today – is history tomorrow – perhaps in Wikipedia, though this saga isn’t, but the link to the narrative is shown.

Welsh Music 2011

Ø The shoreline reflecting geographical changes; sagas being retold in poetry – eg Taliesen.

Ø Standards were not allowed to drop – concerts were performed, matches were played, theatre was performed ... the boys were looked after in sickness and in health.

Snowdon Lily

Ø Schoolwork was kept up, new subjects appropriate to an innovative headmaster were introduced – archaeological, welsh music, botanical dissections of new creatures and plants – all new possibilities were explored ...

Ø Relationships were formed between school and its new community of strangers – strangers to public school life, to the English too ...  the relationship continues to this day ...

Sign post at Borth

Ø The wonderful description in the 2^nd post between Grumbler and Cheerful ...

Ø Sanitary Tom – what a description for the sanitation navvy!

Ø In places I have pointed you to the appropriate page in the little book ... should you be interested in reading the actual account of that particular experience

Merlins - a painting

Ø I found it interesting Skrine discusses bullying and self-governance ...




Ø Connection with home (Uppingham) being maintained throughout ... via correspondence, parcels and those deliveries of prize stems of roses in a tin, fruit and vegetables ...

Ø They had a fairly rough time ... storms, fevers, losing boys ....

Ø Delicious words delivered fruitfully ... “ruth”, “niggardly”, “eygre”, an annus mirabilis ... valedictions on departure and on their return arrival ...

Let us have light old style

Edward Thring an original thinker and writer, was a well celebrated British educator; he raised the school to a high state of efficiency, and stamped it with the qualities of his own strong personality.  He nearly bankrupted himself during the school’s escape ...

These words in the first post “It was like shaking the alphabet in a bag, and bringing out the letters into words and sentences; such as the sense of absolute confusion turned into intelligent shape” – is definitely the way I felt ... lodging phrases and interesting facets into the grey matter as I read – then hoping a story would emerge, that would engage readers.

This is fromAmazon
it is available in various
formats

The whole may be read courtesy Project Gutenberg ... and then you can pass comment on whether I’ve made a good stab with these recitations ...

I’ve loved your comments – it’s great to be able to write posts and then know that others are enjoying the story line ... I’m so grateful for your support.

The aged book is on its way back to my cousin, as the little narrative appears to belong to my uncle – why we had it I have no idea ... and nor does anyone else I guess.

The home that is Uppingham

Still Uppingham-by-the-Sea has entered another realm of its life in the 21^st century – first published in 1878, then transcribed into Project Gutenberg in the 20^th century, and now posted here in the 21^st century ... the narrative continues to amaze and be entrancing in its telling.

(For interest Uppingham’s population in 1886 was around 2,560 – and now 125 years later it is between 3,800 – 4,000 ....)

Gelert - by Charles Burton Barber
(1845 - 1894)

To Dog Lovers, Welsh Lovers, Myth and Legend Lovers ... here is one last story ... before my tale is completely done ...  it is set in northern Snowdonia, some way north from Borth.  Madeleine from Scribble and Edit mentioned the link in a comment on my recent Dog’s post.

Gelert is the name of a legendary dog gifted by King John of  England (1166 – 1216) to  Llywelyn the Great.  As sad a folk-tale motif as you will find ... The Legend of Gelert, within the history of the village Beddgelert.  Other information can be found under Wikipedia.

Hilary Melton-Butcher

Positive Letters Inspirational Stories