ELM PARK 1626-1954

Elm Park is the remarkable and highly unlikely story of an educational initiative that one might expect to find in the leafy shires of Middle England but which in fact took root in the heart of Co. Armagh. Moreover, this preparatory school for boys aged from eight upwards was established at a time, 1921, when not only was the island of Ireland being partitioned politically but the violently disputed border that was thus created lay only a few miles away from the school.

It was the vision of two remarkable men, one a former First World War army captain, the other an academic and poet. Even the names of these two headmasters – Hugh Eric Seth-Smith and Willoughby Weaving – betoken their individualistic idealism, characteristics that they in turn came to expect of their equally colourful pupils. One, Seth-Smith, was the disciplinarian and stickler who ensured that the school’s administration ran like clockwork; Weaving was a truly inspirational teacher and masterly storyteller who fostered the creative talents of many of the 288 pupils who attended the school until its closure in 1954.

Curiously, although the primary aim was to develop boys for graduation to public school, mainly in England, the Elm Park approach almost ran counter to the common perception of the ethos of most public schools. Instead of the harsh discipline of beatings and bullying, the emphasis was on the encouragement of individualism and the reward of good behaviour.

The school concentrated on taking boys from upper middle-class backgrounds, many from prominent families associated with the linen industry in Ulster. They included such prominent business, political and ‘society’ names as Brian Faulkner, Lord Dunleath and Angus Gore-Booth. Using the memories and recollections of dozens of former pupils, the living conditions in what had once been an 18th century country residence are recalled. True, there are anecdotes of freezing dormitories and chilblains, but there is also much pleasure evident in the recall of seemingly endless summer evenings when pupils were free to roam the grounds, building tree houses and raising pet jackdaws … a very English education set deep in the Ulster countryside.

Sean Barden is a gallery assistant in Armagh County Museum who has an avid interest in Armagh’s past.

Back cover: Elm Park, Killylea, 1921.
J.B. Wylie, C.T. Allman, W.G. Carson,
J.O. Wylie, H.W. Weaving, Esq., Miss Seymour,
H.E. Seth-Smith, Esq.

Ulster Historical Foundation is pleased to acknowledge the support of
Armagh City and District Council

Ulster Garden Villages Ltd
and
all subscribers and donors
whose assistance has made the publication of this book possible.

First published in 2004
by Ulster Historical Foundation
49 Malone Road, Belfast, BT9 6RY
www.ancestryireland.com
www.booksireland.org.uk

Except as otherwise permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, this publication may only be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form or by any means with the prior permission in writing of the publisher or, in the case of reprographic reproduction, in accordance with the terms of a licence issued by The Copyright Licensing Agency. Enquiries concerning reproduction outside those terms should be sent to the publisher.

South elevation of Elm Park House, from drawings by J. Rawson Carroll.
Reproduced with the permission of the Armagh County Museum/MAGNI.

It had been acknowledged for some time that a record should be written about Elm Park School but this did not appear likely to materialise. The reunions of 1975, 1995 and 2001 took place without anything definite being put in place. Indeed, at the 2001 meeting, I went as far as saying that as no plans were in place at least all the material that could be gathered should be deposited in the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland.

After the last reunion I was made aware of a potential author, Sean Barden, who had recently produced a small, well researched and written booklet relating to the last Countess Charlemont. I arranged to introduce myself and was very surprised to find that there was enthusiasm for the concept despite the fact that he knew nothing about the school. However, since he worked in Armagh County Museum, he had acquired a knowledge of a number of the important local families. He readily undertook the task of writing an account of ‘the Estate House and the families connected with it’ and the school up to the time that it closed in 1954.

I undertook to attend to the arrangements relating to publisher, funding and other matters. My appeal for subscribers resulted in an excellent response from almost one hundred Old Boys. Fintan Mullan, Executive Director, Ulster Historical Foundation, provisionally agreed to publish and obtain financial support from a number of charities. It soon became evident that the resources to carry forward the project were falling into place.

Sean Barden acknowledges elsewhere the extensive help given to him by the ‘Old Boys’ and others to enable him, over months of hard work and research, to produce this publication. The Curator and staff at Armagh County Museum have been very supportive. I gratefully acknowledge the help given by Dr W.H. Crawford and the support of Dr Kathleen Rankin, especially in the earlier years in getting the project underway. If you judge this book by the cover, greatly enhanced by a photographic expert friend of mine, Alan Ellison, I am sure that you will find the content matches it and does justice to the founders of this extraordinary school.

The first thing to point out about this book is that it is divided into two very distinct parts which, although complementing each other can, be treated independently. The foremost intention is to tell the story of Elm Park School which flourished from 1921 to 1954. However the house in which the school was established had a long history going back centuries. It was the home in turn of the Maxwell, Close and Blacker families and the first part of the book traces their connection with the house and Elm Park townland. The vicissitudes of the house and demesne weave their way through a series of marriages and inheritances from the Plantation to the early twentieth century. It is a fascinating if at times complex insight into the personalities concerned and their relationship with each other and the surrounding area.

The second half of the book concentrates on the school itself, looking at the boys and staff who came and went through its doors during its thirty-three years. It is not a strict chronological account by any means; that rigorously linear approach would not do justice to the school or give a proper impression of Elm Park. Instead I have aimed to build from what facts, figures and anecdotes I have gathered, an impression of the character and spirit of the school. Some of the drier factual material is consigned to appendices but can be easily accessed.

Much of the main body of the text is based on the memories of those who attended the school. Over forty old boys responded to a questionnaire, providing invaluable information that I have used extensively. To respect the anonymity of the information they provided, I rarely mention them by name. To them and all the people who have helped I must express my thanks. The following is a list of those who kindly provided me with so much useful and personal insight to their school and school days. Many of them also supplied photographs which bring to life their anecdotes and memories. They are: Peter Acheson, Allen Anderson, Henry Armstrong, John Baxter, Robert Bell, Henry Blood-Smyth, Michael Burges, Garry Campbell, Derek Carr, Jimmy Carr, Robin Charley, Henry Clark, John Cowdy, Ralph Cowdy, Malcolm Crawford, Adrian Forrest, Robin Graham, Tim Herdman, Robin Hill, Peter Hinchcliffe, David Hobday, Patrick Horsbrugh, Bill Jackson, Mervyn Knox-Brown, James Leslie, Finlay McCance, Neill McCance, Angus McConnell, Shean McConnell, Dick McDonald, Donald MacLeay, William McMullan, Robert Magill, David Maxwell, Hugh Montgomery, Bill Moore, Dick Perceval-Maxwell, Tim Sinton, Harry Stevenson, Charlie Stewart, John Stewart, Ian Stoupe, David Strachan, Jackson Taggart, Michael Topping, David Trustram-Eve (Lord Silsoe), Peter Trustram-Eve, Cyril Ward and Desmond Woods.

However it was to John Cowdy whose idea this project was, that I turned most often with all sorts of questions and I must thank him especially for going to so much time and effort to provide the answers. I must also thank him for introducing me to the absorbing world of Elm Park when he asked me to embark on this project almost eighteen months ago. It has been a fascinating journey. John’s own substantial archive of Elm Park documents and photographs was complemented by the wealth of material and personal memories provided by former headmaster Michael Williams. Without this valuable information the book would have been impossible. Michael’s deep and thorough knowledge of prep schools was also of great help to me. The help and guidance provided by Dr Bill Crawford was crucial to this whole project. He not only made many and valuable suggestions that improved the structure of the text but encouraged me whenever he could.

I must also thank the institutions and archives I used and which provided source material. Firstly the Curator of Armagh County Museum, Catherine McCullough, for her constant help and for making freely available the writings of T.G.F. Paterson held there. They were invaluable for building up a picture of the early history, as was the newspaper archive held by the Irish and Local Studies Library in Armagh. Mary McVeigh, the librarian at that institution, and all the staff of the library were always helpful. The staff at the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland must also be thanked together with all the people who provided photographs, letters and documents which went to help build a picture of Elm Park School even if they were not all eventually used in the book.

There were so many specialists in architecture, education and other areas who provided valuable help and support throughout the project, and of course the archivists from various public schools, who all gave freely of their valuable time to listen and answer my questions. They are Robin Allport, Molly Barton, Hannah Betts, Elizabeth Boardman, Joanne Bowley, Ben Cahill, Robin Charley, Mrs Dorothy Cowdy, Sue Croucher, J.A.K. Dean, Jason Diamond, Allan Ellison, Mrs Diana Faure-Walker (née Seth-Smith), Janey Goodard, Chris Gosnell, Kathy Gourlay, John E. Grant, Jonathan Hamill, Kisstine Hogg, Nigel Horsfall, Paul Larmour, Lauren Leason, Walter MacAulay, Tony Merrick, Kay Muhr, Elaine Mundill, Norman Nicholl, Miceal O’Mainain, Richard Oram, George Preston, Fred Rankin, Dr Kathleen Rankin, Penny Redman, Terence Reeves-Smith, Cmdr Martin Seth-Smith, Jackie Smith, Ernest Speers, Mervyn Speers, Andrew Stephen, William Trevor, Linda Wasson and Roger Weatherup. A special thanks to my wife Pauline and my children Alex and Louise for putting up with me throughout the project.

School of 1950
Back Row: G. Beatty, Bill Jackson, Philip Orr, Ralph Cowdy, John Swiney, John Chambre, Anthony Orr, Michael Gordon, Tony Wilkinson, Michael Mackinnon, Edward Bird, David Lee, Michael Boyne, Corry Caruth, Alan Carson.
Second Row: Jackson Taggart, John Baxter, Don McConnell, Alastair Perceval-Maxwell, William Mullan, John Burrell, Michael Topping, Roger Austin, Bobby Boulton, David McMullan, John Russell, lan Stoupe, George Fulton.
Front Row: Simon Haselden, Peter Acheson, Mr G.D. Lowdall, Miss Burrowes, Mrs Brown, Mr Willoughby Weaving, Mr Michael Valentine Rowley Williams, Mrs M.V.R. Williams, Miss McQuaide, Mr N. Nicholl, John Graham, David Strachan.
Seated on ground: David Montgomery, William Brodie.

PREP SCHOOLS WERE BOARDING SCHOOLS established in the countryside to segregate and cater for boys between the ages of seven and fourteen who were destined for education in institutions largely concerned with the teaching of the classics.

In England the preparatory school can trace its origins back to the early nineteenth century and even further in the form of such precursors as rectory schools and private classical schools. Like the larger and longer established public schools these early minor establishments prepared boys for a classical education at university. By the latter half of the century however, many of these minor, mostly country schools, had stopped competing with the public schools, tending to concentrate instead on educating younger boys. They became feeders for the public schools. This role was emphasised after 1864 when a parliamentary report recommended that it was not only beneficial but also desirable to educate younger boys separately and thus prepare them for the rigours of public school in the distinctive environment of the developing preparatory school system.

During the following decades several public schools raised the age at which they accepted boys, thus creating an even greater demand for prep schools. Prep schools in turn were very much influenced by the subjects taught in public schools and especially the subjects tested in scholarship examinations. By the 1890s when most younger boys were educated separately, it was a natural progression that the public schools should set their own entrance examinations.

By the end of the nineteenth century the prep schools had developed from a disparate scatter of individual small schools to such an extent that in 1892 an Association of Headmasters of Preparatory Schools was formed to make relations between prep schools and public schools closer and more systematic. By 1904 the Association had instigated the first Common Entrance Examinations, getting rid of the confusion of widely differing entrance exams in different schools.

By the time Elm Park was founded in 1921 the template from which prep schools was conceived was well established and widespread. Mourne Grange in County Down had been founded in 1900 and, together with a few other contenders, claims the distinction of being the first prep school in Ireland. As by that date prep schools in England had reached quite a mature stage in their evolution, it is obvious that prep schools in Ireland were late developers.

The establishment of schools in Ireland on English lines can be traced back to the reign of King Henry VIII but the first schools that functioned were the Diocesan Schools founded by an act of Queen Elizabeth I. Later the Royal Free Schools planned by King James I in conjunction with the Plantation of Ulster at the start of the seventeenth century enjoyed a longer lasting success. It is not known yet how closely the Royal Schools resembled English public schools but they did reflect something of the larger English institutions. In 1835 the headmaster of Armagh Royal stated that the ‘school course … was taken from that observed at Eton but modified to the course required at Trinity College Dublin’. Even if the curriculum was similar, however, it had to be admitted that Armagh Royal School was then a very modest establishment with only thirty-six students.

The whole question of the existence and evolution in Ireland of classical schools similar to the public schools in England awaits research. As early as 1835 a House of Commons committee reported about Diocesan Schools: ‘It is not generally understood whether they are designed for gratuitous education and open to all persuasions or are classical boarding schools preparatory to the university, principally intended for the upper classes’. A perception existed that Diocesan Schools functioned to educate the sons of the clergy and professionals.

Prep schools like Mourne Grange and Rockport that emerged in the north of Ireland at the beginning of the twentieth century do not seem to have evolved from native institutions but were created to meet a different need. Their role was to prepare boys to attend English public schools as well as local equivalents such as Campbell College in Belfast and St. Columba’s outside Dublin. In almost every sense except location these schools were typical English schools.

When we examine Elm Park in detail, it will become apparent just how much of an English institution it was. The remarkable description below of an imaginary archetypical English prep school taken from James Kenward’s book Prep School, published in 1958, could easily be a bird’s eye view of Elm Park:

In imagination I see it from the air, a stolid Georgian house approached by a wide and winding drive, with fir trees on the lawn, with shrubberies, with a walled kitchen garden and outbuildings galore. Beyond are meadows, the nearest to the house being the playing field. Beyond again is the undulating English countryside.

Turning my back to the house I see the drive leading into the lane that passes by on its way to the village, then the road setting out towards the town that is visited on special occasions; and as I look a white feather of steam appears, marking the railway station, the departure and arrival port to and from the holidays - the blue distance traversed by the railway being in the nature of an ocean between continents.

View of Elm Park School c.1922 from the north. Note the cricket pavilion on the left of the picture.