Haileyburia

An obituary of Alison Stephens (Aby & Ha 1986) has appeared in the Guardian. A friend who is not a Haileyburian asks whether this is the first obituary in a national newspaper of a female OH.

Hirsute Growth

The Haileybury Buildings by Wlfrid Blunt is a source of wondrous pleasure. This paragraph, introducing an architectural discussion of the Bradby Hall is a gem.

This is in fact the staff in 1875. Bradby (with vast beard) sits third from the left. Butler is second from the left. Dundreary Whiskers are worn by Rev H Walford, third from the left in the back row.

"A photograph of the staff, taken in 1872 and preserved in the Library, is a fine field of study for those interested in hirsute growth. There may be found the Dundreary whisker, the Mutton chop, the trimmed beard, and finally the untamed natural variety rioting with a luxuriance which would be the envy of an Athos monk: and in the centre, King beaver par excellence as it were, we see the majestic figure of Dr. Bradby. It was an age of great beards and great Headmasters. Yet great though they were, they knew how to unbend; for is it not recorded of Mr. Butler that watching a rugger match on one occasion a light suddenly gleamed in his eye and his nostrils dilated like those of a war horse scenting battle, that he flung of his mortarboard, gown and coat even, and in an immaculate shirt and a pair of pillar-box red brace hurled himself into the scrum? And was not the sedate Dr. Bradby seen to fling his top-hat sky-high after the miraculous victory over Wellington in 1872; did he not watch his august spouse tobogganing with the boys in full term-time in the Quad itself, balanced precariously on something suspiciously like a common teatray?"

Lift Up Your Hearts

The picture is from an illuminated Bible owned by Ripon Cathedral. It shows Moses leading the Israelites. The horns represent the rays of light which shone from the face of Moses who, alone before the coming of Christ, "spoke with the Lord face to face, as a man speaks to his friend." Since Moses did not veil his face when he spoke with God, when he came out of the Tent of Meeting the people observed that his face shone. In statues and then in pictures the rays were represented with horns. The joys of iconography!! Christians believe that in Jesus we are given the privilege of speaking with the Lord 'face to face' a point made both by S Paul and S John.

Illuminated MS from Ripon Cathedral

Since 1980 the Ripon manuscripts have been deposited rather more safely in the Leeds University Library. That is partly because of Donald Bartlett (B 1887), who was Archdeacon of Ripon and then as canon of the Cathedral responsible for the library. The editor of Bartlett's reminiscences says he was an 'unsuspicious person' and would put the key to the safe away in a cupboard without concealment. This resulted in a theft in 1964 of a Book of Hours (prayer book) and one of only six copies of a very rare Caxton printing. He remarked only that like a lady lost a pearl necklace "I may have lost my necklace, but I do not intend to lose my peace of mind." The books proved to be so rare as to be unsaleable and were returned in the post a few months later.

Letters from the Front

Charles Bagott-Jewitt (Tr 78) e-mails from the National Memorial Arboretum, of which he is Chief Executive, about the commemorative stamps which have been issued this Remembrancetide featuring the memorials at the Arboretum. Sales will support the Arboretum appeal.

Don't forget that we are planning a gathering for members - past and present - of the armed forces, those who were in the CCF and anyone else who would like to come at the Arboretum on Saturday 7th May.  A coach (or two?) will go from Haileybury or come under your own steam. The plan at present is to have a short service followed by a buffet lunch and time to mingle and explore the Arboretum. Book the date!

Harder than it seemed!

Gp Capt Peter Townsend (L 1928) knew there were lots!

Well, I thought it would be easy and it has not been. I thought I could do better and I have not. My plan, during the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Britain, was to put the published list of the "Few" against the Haileybury Register and come up with a definitive list of the "Few OHs". I thought I could beat RL Ashcroft who, being a Housemaster of Lawrence published the list of those from that House. I thought I could do better than Andrew Hambling who, in his Haileybury in Two World Wars simply repeats RLA's list and adds in a few anecdotes. But it has turned out to be a harder task than it seems. There are just so many - even the few were actually quite a lot and there are masses of OHs. I have got to "D" and found five or six to add to the list. I still hope to get finished, but not even I can claim it is still summer, and reluctantly I have turned on the heating in church and admit I have not got the task done.

Misidentification

A correspondent tells me that the picture I put on my earlier post about Simon Mccorkindale (B 1965) was not of him. He is in the video at 2.07 to 2.53. There are some other pictures of him in Jesus of Nazareth on a fan site dedicated to him here. The internet is an amazing thing!

By the way, my correspondent told me that she was having trouble leaving a comment on the blog. I have tried to enable comments, but if you have had trouble do e-mail (link on the right) to let me know and I'll see if I can work out what to do about it.

Oldest Haileyburian?

The Dumb-bell Oak stands at the bottom of Terrace. It is an ancient boundary oak, pollarded in its youth to thicken the trunk and prolong its life. Molly Matthews notes in Haileybury Since Roman Times that it is by an ancient right of way - a Portway - a Saxon name for the road to the market, and on what was the boundary of land owned by Hertford Priory before the Reformation. It may be seven or eight hundred years old.