| Description | Summary:
GOVERNMENT AND ADMINISTRATION:
Board of Management minutes, 1827-1833, 1836-1873, 1885-1890, 1897-1962; House Committee minnutes, 1834-1835, 1841-1872; Ladies Committee minutes, 1829-1847; Finance Committee minutes, 1942-1970; Education Committee minutes, 1946-1983; Joint Committee and Bearwood Trust minutes, 1944-1955; annual reports, 1832, 1840-1939, 1943-1959, 1962-1968, 1970-1982, 1984-1993, 2000; Governors' reports, 1911-1923; Headmaster reports, 1948-1950, 1956-1957, 1960; St Hilda's Conference report, 1964; report of the Ministry of Education, 1958.
SOUTHAMPTON SEAMEN'S ORPHANAGE FOR BOYS:
minutes, 1902-1968; log book, 1897-1899.
SCHOOL MANAGEMENT:
rule books, 1950-1961; Governors' standing orders, 1934-1935; grading scheme, n.d.; log books, 1911-1918, 1920-1927, 1959-1966; visitors' book, 1947-1958; letter, n.d. [c.late 20C].
RECORDS OF CHILDREN:
registry books, 1828-1967; leaving records, 1931-1936; height and weight register, 1931-1933; form and house lists, 1960-1961; index of children, 1828-1844; Petitions, 1870, 1872, 1875, 1901, 1919-1920; Medical reports, 1946-1960; academic and sports prize records, 1923-2000; Games Committee minutes, 1964-1972; sports records, 1963-1976; sports photographs, 1934-1935, n.d. [c.1955], 1966; leavers testimonials, 1910-1941; school report, 1936.
BEARWOOD ESTATE AND WALTER FAMILY HISTORY:
historical research notes, n.d. [c.1950s-c.1980s]; Extract from the 'The Gentleman's House', n.d. [c.1950s]; 'Chronicles' of Finchampstead in the County of Berkshire', n.d. [c.late 20C]; extract from the Sphere, n.d. [c.1905]; 'The voice of the thunderer', n.d. [c.1950s-1960s]; 'The Canadian Convalescent Hospital', n.d. [c.1950s-1960s]; correspondence, 1958-1968, 1994; images of Bearwood Mansion, n.d. [c.1920s]; copies of Ordnance Survey maps, n.d. [c.1960s]; block plan of houses, n.d. [c.1960s].
NAUTICAL INSTRUMENTS:
part of a Taffrail log, n.d. [c.1890]; Trinks-Brunsviga Pinwheel Calculator, n.d. [c.1900]; sextants, n.d. [c.1903, 1943]; Azimuth mirror, n.d. [c.1920]; compasses, n.d. [c.1908-mid-20C]; slide ruler, n.d. [c.1910]; optical alidade, [c.20C].
PRINTED MATERIAL:
programmes and posters, n.d. [c.1934], 1948, 1961, 1978, 1998; newspaper cuttings, 18665-1955; extract from The Times, 1920; extract from the London Gazette, 1920; 'Reminiscences of the Royal Merchant Navy School, 1936; newspaper report, 1993; 'Orphans at Bearwood' article, 2002; 'An Historical Outline', n.d. [c.1930s]; postcards, n.d. [c.1930s]; newsletters, 1994-1998; school card, n.d. [c.mid-20C]; Old Scholars enrolement form, n.d. [c.mid-20C]; letterheaded paper, n.d. [c.1910]; photograph of children, n.d. [c.1921]; map, [c.mid-20C]; swimming contest ticket, 1941; 'My last four terms at the RMNS', n.d. [c.1990]; RMNEF promotional pack, 2017.
MISCELLANEOUS:
printing blocks, n.d. [c.1920s-1930s]; lithographs, 1828, 1830; exercise book, n.d. [c.1930]; speech transcript, 1955; list of teachers, 1958-1961; items donated by A Andrews, 1936-[c.1996]; Harold Edward White biography, n.d. [c.20C]; items relating to Wyndham Cooper-Jones, n.d. [c.1930s]-1989. |
| Admin History | Introduction
The Foundation, originally named the Merchant Seamen’s Orphan Asylum, was established on 25 October 1827 as a branch of the Port of London and Bethel Union Society (now the Sailors' Society), to promote religion amongst British and foreign seamen. The Port of London Society was founded in 1818 to care for the religious needs of seamen and the Bethel Union Society formed in 1819 to coordinate activities inspired by the Methodist preacher George Charles Smith. These organisations believed, according to newspaper reports, there was an urgent need to protect the orphans of British merchant seamen lost at sea, who provided the nation’s wealth and commerce, from adopting vices and falling into poverty, by accommodating, educating and providing them with Christian morals. The asylum remained part of the Port of London and Bethel Union Society until 1833, when it gained independence.
There were strict rules of admission: a child’s father had to have died, the child had to have British citizenship, be at least seven years of age, legitimate and pass a medical examination. Only two children from a family could enter, they had to leave aged thirteen years and six months, and children whose mothers remarried were sent home. Each case was reviewed individually by the Board of Management, but gradually many of these rules were relaxed, and the age limit incrementally raised at the board’s discretion until the mid-20th century when children could remain until eighteen.
Accepted candidates were selected by subscribers through bi-annual elections held in April and October. Subscribers would become governors if they paid 1 guinea annually or 10 guineas for lifetime membership, although exact amounts differed over time. Votes would be gained in relation to donations and every guinea subscribed annually, or 10 per lifetime, equalled one vote, and a donation of £80 would also admit one child of the subscriber's choice without election. Before voting the subscribers consulted petitions created for each child which stated their case and included documents proving their eligibility. The first election took place on the 3rd April 1828, and those elected were admitted in May 1828, but by the 20th century elections had become obsolete and were terminated when the number of petitioners stopped exceeding the number of places available.
Initially five boys were admitted into the asylum at 4 Clark’s Terrace, London, and the first girls were admitted later in April 1829, but housed in a separate building at George's Place, London. In 1830, due to the demand for the boys’ asylum, the institution expanded by leasing the property next door at 3 Clark’s Terrace, London. However by 1831, as both properties were reaching capacity, new premises at New Grove, Bow Road, London was leased. This could accommodate a greater number of children and allowed for the amalgamation of both asylums in a single property, although in separate quarters. In 1834 the institution relocated to New Grove and the property was gradually extended to add classrooms and adequately separate the sexes, which became increasingly difficult with the admittance of additional children.
Due to the increasingly insufficient accommodation at New Grove, and an inability to extend the lease, the institution raised funds to construct new premises at Snaresbrook, London, designed by George Somers Clarke. Prince Albert laid the foundation stone and the institution relocated there in 1862. The property accommodated over two hundred children and was gradually extended to include a chapel, swimming pool and to accommodate three hundred children. The institution remained at Snaresbrook until 1920, after which the building became the Convent of the Good Shepherd, and in 1937 transformed into the Wanstead Hospital.
The institution relocated from Snaresbrook, which was falling into disrepair, when Sir Thomas Devitt and Sir Alfred Yarrow gave the Bearwood Estate, Wokingham to the institution. The property, the former seat of the Walter family who founded The Times newspaper, consisted of a mansion and five hundred acres of land, and after extensive renovation the orphanage relocated there in 1920. The larger premises combined with other factors, such as a decline in shipping, resulted in an increasing number of places by 1936. This coupled with a lack of funding, resulted in the decison to admit fee-paying children from maritime families.
Post World War II an influx of orphans and lack of places available resulted in the opening of a junior school in 1947 at Bexhill-on-Sea, Sussex, for children up to eleven years of age. However in 1958, as numbers were once again declining, the junior school closed with the remaining children being sent to the Royal Wanstead School until they reached the age of eleven, when they could attend the institution at Bearwood. This decline also resulted in the few girls remaining at the school by 1963 being relocated as it became impractical to educate so few of them at the institution. This did however allow for an increase in places for fee paying boys and by 1966 numbers had increased to 282 children from 165 in 1962. The institution had also begun to admit those unconnected to the navy, and by 1976, due to low funds, the school only accepted the most pressing charity cases.
Management and organisation of the institution
The institution underwent various name changes during its history. In 1862 it became the Merchant Seamen’s Orphanage and in 1902 the organisation was granted royal status by King Edward VII to become the Royal Merchant Seamen’s Orphanage. Similarly in 1935, as a result of complaints from alumni that the title orphanage created stigma, the institution became the Royal Merchant Navy School, and in 1977, when its association with the Merchant Navy was leading the institution to become confused with a naval training college, it changed to Bearwood College.
The management of the institution maintained a similar organisational structure throughout its history, but did alter at various times in order to modernise and improve. Anyone benefitting from the institution was excluded from the various committees, and the organisation aimed to be transparent with its subscribers and governors by printing annual reports, accounts and details of those attending the asylum. The institution was managed by a General Committee of trustees, also known as the Board of Management, which was elected yearly and met monthly. The board approved sub-committee decisions, reviewed reports, organised fundraising and ensured resolutions from the annual governors meeting were enacted. The board were accountable to the governors and chaired the annual governors meeting, originally held in October, which all governors could attend to be provided with annual reports, financial accounts and vote on constitutional amendments and institutional issues.
The House Committee or House Board was a sub-committee of the Board of Management, comprising of twelve annually chosen members, who met fortnightly to manage the welfare of the children, the premises, and master and mistress of the institution.
The Ladies Committee was a sub-committee of the House Committee, meeting fortnightly to manage the girls’ asylum but, when the asylum relocated in 1862, it was disbanded and responsibilities transferred to the House Committee.
The secretary of the institution was the principal representative of the board, producing regular reports, liaising with all committees to ensure the board’s motions were enacted, and was ultimately responsible for institutional finances. Once the institution moved to Bearwood an Estate Superintendent was employed to manage the estate and reported directly to the secretary.
The Finance Committee, a sub-committee of the board, was established by 1942 to manage the accounts and the secretary’s activities. However in 1960 this appears to have been amalgamated with the House Committee to create the General Purpose and Finance Committee to easily manage the responsibilities of both committees.
In 1944 a joint committee was established, consisting of representatives from the Royal Merchant Navy School and the Merchant Navy Comforts Service, and assigned a sum of £10,000 to administer for the future financial security of the school. In 1945 the committee was renamed the Bearwood Trust and it continued until 1955, when the members felt it was no longer appropriate or practical for them to continue, and the trust was placed under the Board of Management’s control.
The Board of Management also took control of the Southampton Seamen’s Orphanage Trust in 1968, due to the Charter Act of 1960. This was because the institution had a vested interest in the trust as it had accepted relocated children from the orphanage when it closed in the 1950s and had been in receipt of trust funding for those children’s education, which made the institution eligible to take control.
In 1981 the structure of the Royal Merchant Navy School changed by splitting into three bodies, with a shared centralised administration, as a means of safeguarding the institution’s charity work and effectively manage its assets. Under this division the Royal Merchant Navy School became the Royal Merchant Navy School Foundation, responsible for the education of the children eligible for funding, known as foundationers, whilst maintaining control over the Bearwood estate. The Bearwood College Trust was created to manage the school on the estate as a separate institution and would become a rent paying tenant of the foundation. A commercial company, the Bearwood Mariner Enterprises Ltd, was also established to administer the estate for the foundation and produce the maximum income from its assets, the profits of which would be returned to the foundation. This new division created tension between the foundation and the college, which was compounded by Bearwood College’s financial difficulties, but their grievances were resolved when large amounts of the Bearwood estate, including the college, were sold in 2012. Bearwood College was sold to Reddam Schools to become an independent co-educational day and boarding school, with the new title of Reddam House. The Royal Merchant Navy Foundation was also rebranded in 2013 to reflect its modern mission of assisting with both school expenses and access to a university education, but retained its name and ethos, which had altered little since its inception.
The everyday management of the institution was initially undertaken by the master and matron of their respective institutions and their reports read respectively at the Ladies and House Committees. However a governor, who reported directly to the board, was employed to inspect and manage the institution in 1908. They would govern the institution, with the departmental heads, including the headmaster, headmistress and matron, reporting directly to them. The position of governor became vacant during the war, and in 1945 was replaced by a superintendant, who managed the headmaster, headmistress, housekeeper, senior matron, farm baliff and head gardener.
The institution’s administrative offices were originally centralised in the docklands area of London, to maintain its maritime links, and moved various times within the area before their closure in the 1960s. Although the offices and original asylum were located in London, resulting in applicants predominantly from the city, it strove to be identified as a national institution. In order to do this and raise the institutional profile to encourage applicants from other areas, representatives of the institution were established in outposts, such as Penzance, in the mid-20th century.
As another means to raise the institutional profile and funding, inspired by the success of official gatherings of Old Scholars held since 1869, an alumnus organisation of the Old Scholars Association was established in 1883. This united ex-residents who would become subscribers, undertake fundraising and actively try to raise the profile of the institution they had benefitted from and from 1936 they became known as the Old Royals. This was important as the institution relied solely upon charitable donations and funds from subscribers. Funding fluctuated during its history, but the institution always received generous donations in kind, such as tea, fruit, sports equipment, prizes and scholarship funds.
Institutional experience
The children who attended the institution were treated fairly, although there are a couple of recorded cases of abuse in the 19th century. They received regular inspections to ensure their care was satisfactory and allowed visitors only in accordance with the institutional rules. They were given plain and wholesome food, but it had to be good quality, with the addition of roast beef and plum pudding at Christmas and buns on Good Friday. They received rewards for good conduct, including books, but they were also disciplined for bad behaviour; for example in 1841 a box was ordered for the confinement of boys with bad conduct. The children were provided with blue uniforms and when they left the asylum presented with a prayer book, bible and a set of clothes. If a child died they were given a Christian burial, which was initially non-conformist due to the institution's origins, but became Church of England during the 1830s.
The children at the asylum were predominantly kept in good health, as fatalities were occasional and outbreaks of illness were infrequent. The worst recorded incident was in 1870 when an outbreak of scarlet fever resulted in 60 children falling ill, but due to good quarantine and care it only resulted in one death. They could also be given permission to go sea bathing if they suffered from illnesses such as scrofula.
Education was always a primary focus of the institution to aid the children’s lives and prospects, and until 1829 the asylum paid the Port of London and Bethel Union for the children to attend the Wapping School, as it was uneconomical to teach them at the asylum until a sufficient number had entered the asylum. Both sexes learnt the principles of reading, writing, religion and morals alongside the addition of needlework, knitting and domestic duties for girls. In 1858 the institution began to give leavers a certificate of education if they passed an examination, and in 1866, to ensure their standards were good, they encouraged inspections from the British and Foreign School Society. After the 1870 Education Act was passed the curriculum was revised to accommodate the increasing importance placed upon education, particularly for girls, and gradually more subjects were added to the curriculum, such as algebra for girls and French for boys. Improving educational standards was important to the institution and by 1906 children would take the Oxford local exams so they could leave with recognised qualifications. In 1945 the curriculum was significantly altered again with the school split into two groups, half undertaking practical training and the other half studying for an academic certificate. This altered again in the second half of the 20th century with the introduction of O levels, A levels and GCSEs.
Physical education was also prioritised, with swimming regularly undertaken, the creation of varied sports teams and the introduction of the Swedish system of gymnastics in 1907. The children also took part in various leisure activities, including the Girl Guides, Boy Scouts, cinematograph displays and had a successful school band. They also represented the institution at events, such as fundraising dinners and the opening of the National Maritime Museum.
Arrangement
The collection contains a variety of records created by and for the institution including: minute books; log books; reports; prize and sports records; photogrpahs; letters; visitor books; historical research; programmes; newspaper cuttings; nautical instruments; and miscellanous material. There are various records missing from the series of minutes and annual reports, which are assumed lost. It has been arranged, as far as possible, to reflect the administration of the institution and the various different items and subject matter within the collection, whilst respecting the orginal order. It has also, where appropriate, been pordominantly catalogued chronologically.
Patrons
1835 King William IV and Queen Adelaide
1837 Queen Victoria
1901 King Edward VII
1910 King George V
1936 King Edward VIII
1936 King George VI
1952 Queen Elizabeth II
Presidents
1832 Admiral Lord Gambier
1835 Sir James Graham
1862 Earl Russell
1879 The Earl of Northbrook
1898 Prince George, Duke of York
1936 Prince George, Duke of Kent
1946 Princess Elizabeth
1952 Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
Headmasters
1827 Mr Fisher
[c.1835-1838] Mr Warne
1838 Mr Nerton
1840 Mr Lee
1840 Mr Hare
1842 Mr Farmer
1844 Mr Brunt
1846 Mr Price
1858 Mr Cowcher
1863 G Ridler
1865 J Adkins
1871 J Leigh
1874 Mr Banham
1904 Mr Arris
1908 George Millar
1910 Revd R E Langdon
1915 Revd Charles Magraw
1919 Revd R E Langdon
1923 Archibald H J Fletcher
1926 Arthur Child
1941 Revd T C P Brook
1946 W Alleyn Hill
1948 C W S Averill
1962 P M Cunningham
1980 Martin C Penney
1993 R J Belcher
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