Bootham School - History

History

William Tuke (1732–1822) first raised the idea in 1818 of establishing a boys' school in York for the sons of Friends (Quakers) who were not eligible for Ackworth School, near Pontefract. In 1822, premises on Lawrence Street were leased from the Retreat, (the Hospital run by the Quaker committee), and the school opened in early 1823. It was run as a private concern until January 1829, when John Ford took over as "Superintendent of the Establishment" and a Quarterly Meeting committee was appointed to run the school. It then became known as Yorkshire Quarterly Meeting Boys' School, and this was its official name until 1915. It moved to new premises at 20 Bootham in 1846. Further buildings and land were gradually acquired in the following years. Boys whose parents were not members of the Society of Friends were admitted for the first time in 1891. In 1899 the school suffered a serious fire, caused by the inattention of a pupil to some snails he was heating for a science experiment, and rebuilding of the premises used for teaching was necessary; the official reopening took place in 1902, and one of the new buildings was the Library named after John Bright, who had been one of the first scholars at Lawrence Street.

Bootham did not set out to cultivate a progressive image but offered a 'whole school' approach distinctly in advance of the education offered by more prestigious nineteenth century public schools, where there had been a transition from 'godliness and classical learning' to 'manliness and games'. Quaker teachers were often trained at the Flounders Institute at Ackworth and sometimes took a London external degree while teaching. Many had a keen interest in natural history which was enthusiastically shared by the pupils and led to a serious interest in science at the school which went on to produce a number of distinguished scientists in many areas.

This scientific interest was in keeping with the intellectual developments in the city of York which in 1822 had formed the Yorkshire Philosophical Society (YPS). In 1853 Bootham became one of the first schools to have its own observatory, equipped with a refracting telescope manufactured by the notable York instrument maker Thomas Cooke.

Quakers stressed the importance of a constructive use of leisure time. Many boys produced impressive essays and classified collections. Some, such as Silvanus P. Thompson (Bootham 1858-67) became eminent in their field – he was a professor of science and worked with Michael Faraday on electromagnetism. In the late nineteenth century many of the Rowntree family sons were educated at Bootham, one of them, Arthur Rowntree, becoming Headmaster (1899–1927).