Cirencester Grammar School

Cirencester Grammar School (CGS) was a grammar school in Cirencester, Gloucestershire, England, founded in about 1461 and closed in 1966.

History

The principal founder of the school was John Chadworth (d. 1471), Bishop of Lincoln. He is recorded in Lincoln Cathedral as a "Gloucester Man". He was educated at Oxford and was afterwards a Fellow and Provost of King's College, Cambridge.

The school moved into new buildings in Victoria Road, Cirencester, in 1881.<ref>Charlotte Shepherd, "A look back in time at Cirencester Infant and Junior schools", Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard, 22 July 2010</ref>

Princess Alexandra of Kent visited the school on 23 July 1958 as part of its quincentenary celebrations.<ref>Court Circular in The Times, July 24, 1958 (Issue 54211), pg. 10, col A</ref>

Closure

The school finally closed in July 1966, at the end of the summer term, as part of a reorganisation of county schools. In September 1966 its forms became part of the Cirencester School, combining with pupils from the Deer Park Secondary Modern School, and the new First Form entrants for 1966 went directly to the Deer Park site. Eventually the old Cirencester Grammar School forms all moved there, also.

The School's Victoria Road buildings still survive much as they were in 1966. They were taken over by a junior school (previously in Lewis Lane), which was subsequently joined by a primary school. The junior school closed in July 2010

Notable former pupils

• Dr Vernon Ellis Cosslett, physicist and former president of the Association of University Teachers and the Royal Microscopical Society
• William Court, Professor of Economic History at the University of Birmingham from 1947 to 1970 and president of the Economic History Society from 1969 to 1970
• James Dallaway (1763–1834), antiquary, topographer and writer.
• Sir Colin Goad (1914–1998), Secretary-General of Inter-Governmental Maritime Consultative Organization<ref>"Goad, Sir (Edward) Colin (Viner) KCMG" in Who's Who online edition, accessed 7 August 2025 Template:Subscription</ref>
• Wally Hammond (1903–1965), cricketer<ref>"Hammond, Walter R." in Who's Who online edition, accessed 7 August 2025 Template:Subscription</ref> whose centenary was celebrated at a reunion in Cirencester in 2003.
• Edward Jenner, who invented inoculation to control infectious diseases.
• Barry Miles, author<ref>"Miles, Barry", in Who's Who, online edition, accessed 7 August 2025 Template:Subscription</ref>
• Professor Eileen Munro (born 1950), Professor of Social Policy at the London School of Economics and Political Science, 2008–2018<ref>"Munro, Prof. Eileen Margaret", in Who's Who, online edition, accessed 7 August 2025 Template:Subscription</ref>
• Professor Christopher Price, president of the Association for Clinical Biochemistry from 2003 to 2006
• Clement John Tranter (1909–1991), mathematician<ref>

"Tranter, Prof. Clement John", in Who's Who online edition, accessed 7 August 2025 Template:Subscription</ref>

• Raymond Fletcher was presented with the OBE by Queen Elizabeth II in 2004 for Services to Disabled People.

Notable staff

Sir Peter Maxwell Davies was music master at the school from 1959 to 1962,<ref>"Maxwell Davies, Sir Peter" in Who's Who, online edition, accessed 7 August 2025 Template:Subscription</ref> and it was here that he started his lifelong association with writing works for non-specialist children to perform. He wrote many works for the school's orchestra and choir, including O magnum mysterium. The school took part in the 1962 Bath Festival, with Yehudi Menuhin playing a composition by Sixth former Stephen Arnold.<ref>Menuhin Plays Work By Schoolboy in The Times, June 18, 1962 (Issue 55420) pg. 5, col F</ref>

Head masters

• to 1880: Rev. William Bartram<ref>The Times, November 12, 1880 (Issue 30037), pg. 9, col. G</ref>
• 1945: Mr William Nassau Weech<ref name=Times1>The Times, June 16, 1945 (Issue 50170), pg. 2; col E; "Weech, William Nassau, in Who's Who, online edition, accessed 7 August 2025 Template:Subscription</ref>
• 1945–1949: Captain Peter Gedge<ref name=Times1/>
• 1949–1954: Douglas Whiting, later head of Cheadle Hulme School and Director of Voluntary Service Overseas<ref>The Times, September 22, 1962 (Issue 55503), pg. 10, col. B</ref>
• 1954–1961: John Vernon Bartlett, later head of Culham Teacher Training College<ref>The Times, January 27, 1961 (Issue 54990), pg. 15, col. E</ref>
• 1965–1966: Brian David Dance (died 2011), later Principal of Luton Sixth Form College and Headmaster of St Dunstan's College, Catford<ref>"Dance, Brian David" in Who's Who, online edition, accessed 7 August 2025 Template:Subscription</ref>