Greyfriars School

Greyfriars School is a fictional English school used as a setting in the long running series of stories by the writer Charles Hamilton using the pen-name Frank Richards. Although the stories are focused on the Remove, whose most famous pupil was Billy Bunter, characters from elsewhere also appear on a regular basis. From 1908 to 1940 the stories appeared in The Magnet. After 1940, the stories continued to appear in book form until Hamilton's death in 1961 and in a television series that ran from 1951 - 1961 on the BBC.

= Location =

The school lies just to the north of the fictional village of Friardale and south of the also fictional Courtfield Common. Its proximity to the sea and the nearby location of hop fields indicate that the author very clearly had a location in Kent in mind, and this is borne out in the school's address.

= Organisation =

The school consisted of seven forms, based on age group. Each form had it’s own master who took the majority of the lessons. Specialist masters were used for French, sports and mathematics. Boys spend most of the day in class, their spare time either in a common room, the sports fields or shared studies. They sleep in shared dormitories. Breakfast and lunch are taken communally, a modest tea in provided but boys prefer to make their own arrangements in their studies.

= Ethos =

While the masters naturally emphasise scholastic matters, for the pupils (and readership) physical activities lie at the heart of the school's ethos. Prowess at sport is the best route to popularity and respect, while over-attainment at study is something of lesser, if not negative, importance. Disputes are often settled by fights, with the invariable, if unrealistic, outcome that virtue triumphs over vice. Corporal punishment is widely used by the masters and even by Sixth Form prefects. The ultimate punishment, short of expulsion, is a savage birching administered by the saintly headmaster, Dr Locke - a practice which would render him liable for criminal prosecution on a charge of assault and battery in more recent times.

= Main Personnel =

Sixth form

* Rev Dr Locke - Form master and school headmaster – scholarly and vague.
* George Wingate - Head Prefect – well liked sporting hero, embodiment of decency.
* Gerald Loder – antithesis of Wingate – malicious bully.

Fifth form

* Mr Prout - Master – pompous and ineffectual.
* Horace Coker – clumsy, buffoon.

Shell (Lower Fifth)

* Mr Hacker - Master – petty tyrant.

Upper Fourth

* Hon Cecil Temple – Captain - effete dandy.

Remove (Lower Fourth)

* Mr Quelch - Master – firm but fair.
* Harry Wharton –Captain –strong willed, natural leader.
* Frank Nugent – self effacing, loyal .
* Bob Cherry – cheerful, energetic and robust.
* Huree Singh – Indian Prince, fine cricketer, talks in a peculiar idiom.
* Johnny Bull – stubborn yet thoughtful, Yorkshire bred.
* Billy Bunter – foolish, greedy, deceitful, but essentially harmless.
* Herbert Vernon-Smith – nouveau riche, rebellious.
* Tom Redwing – scholarship boy, friend of Vernon Smith.
* Fisher T. Fish – avaricious American.
* Peter Todd – tall and thin and slightly crazed. Shares a study with Bunter.
* Tom Dutton – hearing impaired, misunderstands everything.
* Mark Linley – worthy scholarship boy, star pupil.
* Lord Mauleverer – languid, kindly aristocrat.
* Harold Skinner – cowardly and unwholesome. Smokes and gambles.
* Wun Lung – Chinese - talks in a peculiar idiom.

Third Form

* George Tubb - captain, chief fag.

Second Form

* Dicky Nugent – troublesome and impertinent brother of Frank
* Sammy Bunter – brother of Billy

Other characters

* Mrs Mimble – runs tuck shop – kindly old lady
* Gosling – porter, hates boys
* Sir Hilton Popper – Chairman of Board of Governers – crusty and insensitive local landowner

= References =

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= See also =

* The Magnet
* The Gem
* Charles Hamilton
* Billy Bunter
* Bessie Bunter
* Tom Merry

= External links =

* [http://www.friardale.co.uk/ Friardale] Hamilton material
* [http://magnets.tmtm.com/ Magnets]
* [http://www.collectingbooksandmagazines.com/bunter.html Collecting Books and Magazines] Detailed article
* [http://www15.brinkster.com/hiamie/greyfriars/greyfriars.htm Greyfriars, The Magnet & Billy Bunter] Facts and Figures
* [http://www.greyfriarsindex.co.uk/index.htm Greyfriars Index] Detailed listing of Hamilton material
* [http://www.friarsclub.net/index.htm The Friars Club] Enthusiasts’ Club
* [http://www.magnets.friardale.co.uk/ Friardale] Detailed site about The Magnet
* [http://www.geocities.com/bunterzone/index.html Bunterzone] Enthusiast’s site
* [http://www.philsp.com/homeville/BJSP/0start.htm#TOC Index of Boys Weeklies]
* [http://www.btinternet.com/~andrew.n.jenkins/andrew.n.jenkins/page12.html Map of Greyfriars School]
* [http://www15.brinkster.com/hiamie/greyfriars/greyfriars.htm#whereisgreyfriars Map of Location of Greyfriars School]