George Howson

George William Saul Howson MA (8 August 1860 - 7 January 1919) was an English educationalist and writer, reforming headmaster of Gresham's School from 1900 to 1919.

Early life

Howson was one of the four sons of William Howson of Settle, [ [http://home.comcast.net/~jhowson/Howson/WilliamHowsonOfSettle.htm Howson, William] at comcast.net, accessed 22 May 2008] author of "An Illustrated Guide to the Curiosities of Craven" (1850), and Headmaster of Penrith School; and the grandson of the Reverend J. Howson, second master of Giggleswick School. He was himself educated at Giggleswick, which he left in July 1879, ["Giggleswick School Register", p. 58] and then at Merton College, Oxford."I Will Plant Me a Tree: an Illustrated History of Gresham's School" by S.G.G. Benson and Martin Crossley Evans (James & James, London, 2002) ISBN 0-907383-92-0] He matriculated at Oxford in 1879 and graduated BA (taking a First in the Final Honours School of Natural Science) in 1883 and MA in 1886.HOWSON, G. W. S. Head Master, Gresham's School, Holt, Norfolk, since 1900" in "Who Was Who 1916–1928" (A & C Black, London, 1992 reprint, ISBN 0-7136-3143-0, and "HOWSON, G. W. S." in "Who Was Who 1897-2007" online (2008) retrieved 22 May 2008 from [http://www.credoreference.com/entry/7363532 HOWSON, G. W. S.] ]

All of his brothers attended Giggleswick School, Hubert Howson (born 1857) becoming a lawyer and settling in New York, and Charles James Howson (born 1852) becoming a bank manager and Justice of the Peace at Chesterfield. ["Giggleswick School Register", January 1872, p. 66]

choolmaster

Howson's first position after leaving Oxford was as an assistant master at Newton College, in south Devon, from 1883 to 1886. He then moved to Uppingham School, where he remained for fourteen years, from 1886 until 1900, when he was appointed Headmaster of Gresham's School, Holt, continuing in post until his death in 1919. [Lidell, Charles Lawrence Scruton, and A.B. Douglas, "The History and Register of Gresham's School, 1555-1954" (Ipswich, 1955)]

When Howson arrived at Gresham's, a rather dusty ancient grammar school founded by Sir John Gresham, he found it in numbers much as it had been when established in 1555. In 1900, the school still occupied its original Holt town centre site and contained only forty "Holt Scholars", plus seven boarders.Benson, S. G. G., and Martin Crossley Evans, "I Will Plant Me a Tree: an Illustrated History of Gresham's School" (James & James, London, 2002) ISBN 0-907383-92-0]

During his headmastership, Howson achieved a completely new set of school buildings on a new edge-of-town site, transforming the school and quadrupling its population. The first such new buildings, designed by the architect Sir John Simpson, were opened by Field Marshal Sir Evelyn Wood on 30 September, 1903. These consisted of School House (renamed Howson's in 1919, after Howson's death) and the main classrooms building, including Big School. More boarding houses were acquired or built between 1905 and 1911. A new School Chapel was completed in 1916, during the Great War, during which one hundred Old Greshamians were killed. ["When Heroes Die" by Sue Smart (Breedon Books, 2001) ISBN 1-85983-256-3]

The poet W. H. Auden wrote favourably of the new school's private studies for boys, its warm classrooms, magnificent library and excellent laboratories. [ [http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/features/auden-the-lost-poems-463874.html Auden: The lost poems] in "The Independent dated 5 September 2007 online at independent.co.uk (accessed 22 May 2008)]

In "Who's Who", Howson stated his recreations as riding, fives, and trout-fishing.

He died suddenly on 7 January 1919. His Executors were Charles James Howson and James Ronald Eccles. [LondonGazette |issue=31391 |date=6 June 1919 |startpage=7355 ]

Author

Howson's publications include his "Sermons by a Lay Headmaster, Preached at Gresham's School, 1900-1918" (Longmans, Green and Co., 1920).

Bibliography

*Simpson, James Herbert, "Howson of Holt: A study in school life" (Sidgwick & Jackson, 1925, 93 pp)

ee also

*John Saul Howson

References