The Bluecoat School

Situation
On the west side of Narrow Hill in the West End of Witney.

History
The Bluecoat School building sits on Narrow Hill in the West End of Witney. Thomas Early (1655-1733) persuaded John Holloway, a wealthy clothier born in Witney but then living in London, to found the Bluecoat School in 1723 and make provision for it under the terms of his will [1]. The schoolhouse that was provided was actually a house that John Holloway had had newly built for himself, it was divided up so that the master of the school could live in one part and the boys in the other [2].

It was originally set up to educate sons of journeymen weavers in reading, writing and accounting with a view to them becoming apprenticed when they left. In the terms of John Holloway's will ten boys from Witney and five from Hailey were to be educated at the school and were given blue coats to wear. The idea of wearing blue coats came from the Bluecoat Hospital for boys, a charitable foundation in London [3].

By 1833 the master also taught up to 45 fee-paying pupils as well as the Bluecoat foundation boys who attended free. John Wright, who was a native of Witney but then living in the USA, gave a financial boost of £4,800 to the school in 1867. When the Blue Coat School was closed down in 1902 funds from his endowment as well as that of John Holloway were transferred to the Grammar School on Church Green; £150 a year was then available to benefit blanket workers' children in the form of scholarships, apprenticeships or clothing on starting a job [4]. The Grammar School also named one of their in-school houses 'Holloway'.

Clare Sumner