Part 1 of 3. Tony Whitehorn, King Charles Alumni
The foundation
The church was built in 1678 in 3 stages to 1696, and was known as The Chapel of Ease. It was later rededicated to King Charles the Martyr. It had three galleries and in the third galleries sat the children and footmen.
In the late 17th century the Charity Schools Movement had provided schools around the country, to remedy the neglect of the State in providing education for the children of the poor. The King Charles school was founded in 1698 and was the first school in Tunbridge and the surrounding area.
In the beginning, schools were provided and run by non-conformists, Anglicans and other societies concerned with moral education. However by the reign of King George I ( 1714-1727), the Charity Schools Movement was dominated by high Anglicans and Tories.
In 1698, 50 or more poor children were instructed in the useful articles of reading, writing and common arithmetic in an area called the anti-gallery of the chapel, or in the winter a warmer room was hired in a nearby coffee house.
Rules were draw up in 1698 but they were eroded by 18th century laxity, so in 1775 the Minister was charged to regard inspection, examination and catechism as an important part of his duties and an attempt was made to get local tradesmen to contribute financially, with a right to nominate scholars. There were regular examinations by the Minister and those found proficient were passed. Not more than any two children from one family were to be admitted at a time, except in really hard cases.
The building was maintained by voluntary contributions, and gifts were collected at the chapel doors during two charity sermons in the season. The period 1820 to 1878 was dominated by one man, William Law Pope, Minister of the chapel. Nearest to Pope’s heart was education on which he held liberal views. Under him the school was transformed. Under the anti-gallery the tenements buildings became dilapidated and they were purchased by the trustees around 1808 to 1812, and a school room was built on the site with Pope being the driving force behind this.
The 1820’s was a period of transition for Tunbridge Wells, as it became a spa within easy reach of London. Princess Victoria visited with her mother and attended the chapel. During this period the chapel became a parish church. Decimus Burton had a hand in much of the development around the town.
To the south east a site became available and it was purchased in 1844 and a purpose-built school room and classroom were completed in 1848. The school flourished under the managers and committee with the Minister as chairman.
Three major international conflicts brought the period to the end of the century: Indian rebellion, 1857 to 1858; the first Boer War, 1880 to 1881; and the second Boer War, 1899 to 1902. During this period many boys from the school were involved in the events.
To be continued in part 2…
If you would like to get involved or would like further information please contact:
[email protected]
Upcoming Events:
- Feb Quiz: Saturday 14th March 2020, 7:30pm
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Summer Fair: Sunday 28th June 2020 12:00-4:00pm
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October Quiz: pending but likely 10th October 2020, 7:30pm
The Bennett Memorial and King Charles’ Association, BMKCA, is an amalgam of the Bennett Association with King Charles the Martyr; a local boys’ secondary school that no longer exists in Tunbridge Wells. We wanted to enable the old boys of King Charles to have a partner school in order that they could continue to meet and use their Association for the common good. They have been very generous benefactors of events and prizes locally and have sponsored some of our academic prizes given at the end of the year as well as donating the Founder’s Day tree this year. Whilst they have few remaining members, they make up for it in their experience and altruism.
The Association at Bennett had previously been a fusion of Bennett alumni interested in the life of the school and a small, but committed, core of PTA members. Now that we have merged into our new Association we have sought to bring all these aspects and elements under one roof and into a coherent form. Combined together we have a threefold mission: For friendship. For service. For opportunity. As an Association it will serve to function as an alumni group, a PTA and an outpost of opportunity for Bennett students.
If you would like to be involved further in the life and work of BMKCA, then please email [email protected] to register your interest.
There are three streams that coincide with our three aims and you can express interest in one or more of these:
- For friendship: I would like to be kept up to date with things at Bennett via its Facebook page and notified of events where friends of Bennett can attend.
- For service: I would like to help with refreshments, serve on committee, arrange events and fundraising or other aspects of service at Bennett.
- For opportunity: I would like to help Bennett in providing an opportunity such as coming in to speak about an area of expertise or assist with giving students interviews or any other area of benefit.