Eton

Hi, Jo here, blogging about Eton College, one of Britains top public schools -- ie private schools. Don't ask! What I asked was, at what age did boys go there?

It's really only a detail for my book. My heroine's brothers are going to go to Eton, and I wondered what the normal age was for boys to start there in the 18th century. I've poked at this detail a few times before, but without great need to know. However,  the twins Peter and Tom are eleven and I wanted to know how unusual that would be. My general impression from previous looks is that about 13 was the norm. 

So I simply looked for details of some men who'd attended Eton in the 18th century -- and found a pretty confused picture. Isn't that always the way it goes? Most boys went in their early teens, but some for only a short while. A few seemed to go as chidren, and those going into the navy left early.

I didn't specifically pick military men. These are what turned up.

Did heirs go to school?

I tried to find an heir to a title who was educated at Eton but failed, though I wouldn't claim my search was exhaustive. Those I found were younger sons who inherited when one or more older brothers died. So it might be fair to assume that heirs were educated at home, learning estate management as well as other subjects and going on the grand tour rather than into the military or the law.

I think the brief notes below give an insight into the pattern of education for the well-to-do, and also one not-well-to-do. Enjoy.

Admiral Sir George Cranfield Berkeley GCB (10 August 1753 – 25  February 1818), naval officer and politician. He attended Eton College from 1761 to 1766 -- aged 8 to 13 -- and then joined the navy.

Lord George Gordon (26 December 1751 – 12 November 1793) was a British politician whose name was attached to the "Gordon Riots" of  1780. He attended Eton College from 1758 to 1765 -- aged 7 to 13 -- and then joined the navy.

General John Hely-Hutchinson, 2nd Earl of Donoughmore GCB (15 May 1757– 29 June 1832) soldier and politician. "Educated at Eton College (1767–73) and Magdalen College, Oxford (1773). He entered the army in May 1774 as cornet, and was promoted lieutenant in 1775, captain in 1776, major in 1781, and lieutenant-colonel in 1783." (Dictionary of National Biography.) So at Eton from 10 to 16, then briefly to university and entered the army at 17. It would seem university wasn't for him.

Lieutenant Colonel John Enys (17 December 1757 – 30 July 1818) soldier."John was the youngest of six children and spent much of his childhood at Eton." He joined the army in 1775, aged 18. Unfortunately I couldn't find more about him. How young was he when he went to Eton?

Richard Porson (25 December 1759 – 25 September 1808) scholar. He came from a simple family, but his parents educated him to a high standard, and then patrons provided more education. Eventually money was raised to send him to Eton in 1774, aged 15 and stayed there until 18, when he went on to Cambridge University.

Henry Jerome de Salis, FRS, FSA, (20 August 1740 - 2 May 1810) was an  English churchman.
In 1753 de Salis was sent with two of  his brothers, Charles (1736-1781) and Peter (1738-1807), to Eton (he 
left c1757, aged 17. He went at 13, but his brothers were 15 and 17
Sir Joseph Banks, 1st Baronet, GCB, PRS (24 February 1743 – 19 June 1820) naturalist, botanist 
and patron of the natural sciences.Joseph was educated at Harrow  School from the age of 9, and at Eton College from 1756, aged 13. (Harrow is another major public school. It's also where my Company of Rogues came together.)

John Dyke Acland(1747–1778), army officer and politician. He was educated at Eton College (1763–4) and University College, Oxford, whence he matriculated on 1 April 1765.(Details from Dictionary of National Biography.) So he went to Eton at 16 and left Oxford at 178. His next step was the grand tour. Perhaps not academically inclined?

Richard Gardiner (1723–1781) At Eton College from 1738 to 1739 aged 15 to 16,  and was admitted on 15 January 1742 to St Catharine's College, Cambridge. An unexplained gap there.

Anthony Champion (1725–1801), poet and politician, attended Eton College from 1739 to 1742 -- 14 to 17.

Charles Townsend, first Baron Bayning (1728–1810), politician. He was educated at Eton College (1742–5) aged 14 to 17, and Clare College, Cambridge, and graduated MA in 1749

William Wellesley-Pole, 3rd Earl of Mornington 1763 – 1845. Educated at Eton (1774–1776) 11 to 13  before 
entering the Royal Navy.

Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington1769– 1852),He went to the diocesan  school in Trim when at Dangan, Mr. Whyte's Academy when in Dublin, and  at Brown's School in Chelsea when in London. Eton, 1781 to 1784 -- 12 to 15.

John Charles Villiers, third earl of Clarendon (1757–1838), politician, was born on 14 November 1757, the second son of the first earl of Clarendon, diplomatist and politician. He was educated at Eton College (1766–74) 9-17 He went on to university and the law and became earl much later.

Do you see any interesting patterns here? Do you have any interesting 18th century Etonians to add?

Has the Christmas insanity hit yet? 

Cheers,

Jo

Comments

[Sarah Mallory]

Fascinating post, Jo, and some of them were so young, but then their poorer countrymen (children) were already working by the age of 13, and I suppose 9 year olds might have been chimney sweeps.Childhood as we know it didn't really exist, did it?

Thanks for posting this - a moment of calm in - yes - the Christmas insanity!

[Elizabeth KW]

I think of their mothers, especially of those bound for the navy. To know you would rarely, if ever, see your son again!

[Isobel Carr]

Interesting that it seems to have been the haunt of younger sons, not heirs. Those eldest sons must have been awfully cut off from their siblings. Imagine the tight bond that might form between the younger brothers sent off to school together. Great book fodder!

[Lil]

Fascinating—and raises a bunch more questions. Did the seven-year-old start out in the same class at the 16-year-old new arrival? Did they have some sort of placement test?

Was it simply age that determined when you left Eton for Oxbridge? Or did you have to actually know something? I know the boys weren't all rakes-in-the-making, but were there actual requirements?

And were there also prep schools back then? Or were private schools like Eton the only place you could send boys you didn't want cluttering up the house?

[LouisaCornell]

Fascinating material, Jo! I do wonder at the age discrepancy, but I believe many young men were educated by tutors before they went off to Eton. Perhaps the youngest boy was extremely bright and had an exceptional tutor. As someone teachers and administrators kept trying to push into advanced classes at an early age (thank God, my mother was far too sensible to let them do it!)I wonder what it might have been like for an extremely bright child to be in classes with older boys, not nearly so bright.

[Ella Quinn]

I do have some knowledge of British public schools, my son attended King's School in Ely.

No real surprise that the boys going into the Navy left early, or that boys went at different times. But no heirs. Hmmm.

Louisa, seven was considered the age of reason where children could be apprecenticed.

[Jo Beverley]

Yes, Sarah, children were expected to work in some way from an early age. Boys and girls would do real jobs at home when small, then into agricultural labor, service, or apprenticeships.

Young upper class girls would be assisting their mothers in running the house -- training for their future. That could include fine mending, washing glass and china as well as accounts and such.

We educate children today from an early age, but we're tending not to teach so many practical skills, which is a shame.

Jo

[Jo Beverley]

"I think of their mothers, especially of those bound for the navy. To know you would rarely, if ever, see your son again!"

Good point, Elizabeth. Navy ships did tend to return to Britain periodically, but it could be years in between if they were deployed a long way away.

I suspect a lot of parents had different expectations. To take modern equivalents, some parents find it hard to send a young child to a nursery school a few days a week, or to childcare for a working week. Others are comfortable with it.

We tend to regard our teenagers, especially young teenagers, as still children, whereas in the 18th century they were young adults who _should_ be moving into the adult world. Anything else would be like twenty-somethings today still living at home and not really getting on with life. Worrying.

Jo

[Jo Beverley]

Isobel, yes, I think there was a gulf between the heir and the younger sons. It wasn't always unpleasant, but the life-track and expectations were so different.

Lil, most boys would start their first lessons at home and they go to a local school or tutor. Most also would go on to a local school -- though that might require boarding -- and there were a number of excellent schools around the country, so Eton would mostly be for boys from the south east of England.

There were requirements for university, but I haven't researched them. It was an oral examination, probably in Latin and Greek. They'd be expected to show understanding of classics, philosophy and politics. Schools such as Eton, Harrow, Westminster etc would strive to make them passable.

I know they had multi-age classes in one room, but I'm not sure how many rooms. But older boys would act as tutors to younger ones.
http://www.bridgemanart.com/asset/121732/Pugin-Augustus-Charles-1762-1832-after/Eton-School-Room-from-%27History-of-Eton-College%27-?search_context={%22url%22%3A%22\%2Fsearch\%2Fartist\%2FPugin-Augustus-Charles-1762-1832-after\%2F881%22%2C%22num_results%22%3A%2258%22%2C%22search_type%22%3A%22creator_assets%22%2C%22creator_id%22%3A%22881%22%2C%22item_index%22%3A31}
If that link works, it'll take you to a picture.

Jo

[Jo Banks]

The education system was obviously not as regimented as today ! You shall send your child to school when they are barely out of nappies if they are unfortunate enough to be born in August!It would be good if you felt they actually came out the other end having learnt more instead of getting bored by the whole thing before they reach eleven!How ever back to the eighteenth century most public schools today have attached prep schools maybe that is where the younger ones went?Also the school year possibly followed the same pattern as today starting after harvest (similar to the sitting of parliament) and that might be why the ages differ depending on birthdays?

[Mary Jo Putney]

Jo, I knew that the ages boys were packed off to the schools varied a lot, but I'd never picked up on the fact that heirs seldom went there. Interesting, particularly since I've been sending heirs off to school in any numbers of books! Oh, well. I wonder if it was different in 19th century from your 18th century period?

[Anne Gracie]

It surprises me that heirs might not have been sent to school. I've always had a vague idea that public schools were a kind of replacement for the ancient system where the sons of the nobility were fostered in homes of other nobility, to make men of them.