James Tate (headmaster)

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James Tate
Born(1771-06-11)11 June 1771
Richmond, North Yorkshire, UK
Died2 September 1843(1843-09-02) (aged 72)
Clifton, Bristol
Other namesDr Tate
EducationRichmond School Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge (MA)
OccupationHeadmaster
EmployerRichmond School
Political partyWhig

James Tate (11 June 1771 – 1843) was the headmaster of Richmond School and canon of St Paul's Cathedral, London.[1]

Early life[]

Plaque for James Tate (father & son)

He was born in Richmond, North Yorkshire on 11 June 1771, the only surviving son of Thomas Tate, a working maltster originally from Berwick upon Tweed, and his wife, Dinah Cumstone, who came from a family of small farmers in Swaledale.[2]

Having attended two private schools, in May 1779, Tate entered Richmond School.[2] Whilst there, the headmaster Reverend Anthony Temple recognised his talent, and in 1784 found him a job as amanuensis to the rector of Richmond Francis Blackburne.[2] Enjoying access to Blackburne's library acted as a stimulus for Tate, who with Temple's help obtained a sizarship at Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge.[3]

Tate was appointed headmaster of Richmond School on 27 September 1796, the fulfillment of a childhood ambition.[3] Tate was responsible for transforming Richmond School into one of the leading classical schools of its day, and the leading Whig school, attracting boys from throughout the country, at a rate of 100 guineas a year.[2][4][5]

Tate's invincibles[]

Between 1812 and 1833 six pupils a year on average proceeded to university. 21 of them became fellows, 13 of them at Trinity College, Cambridge.[6] They became so "successful, admired and feared" whilst at Cambridge that they earned the title of 'Tate's invincibles'.[2][7] Their number included George Peacock, Richard Sheepshanks, Marcus Beresford and James Raine.[8] Another pupil was Herbert Knowles.[9] Tate rejected corporal punishment for his pupils, and refused to rule by fear, but instead inspired in them a love of learning.

Classical scholar[]

Tate was a widely respected classical scholar. Robert Surtees, the Durham antiquary, recalled a night spent with him quoting from The Iliad, and Sydney Smith, who by chance travelled in the same coach as Tate, declared to a friend that Tate was "a man dripping with Greek".[2] The Times printed a glowing obituary, noting that "as a teacher of classical learning, none of his contemporaries were more successful".[10]

References[]

  1. ^ http://www.northyorks.gov.uk/CHttpHandler.ashx?id=450&p=0[bare URL]
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f Carr, William; Curthoys, M. C. "Tate, James (1771–1843)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/26985. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b Richard Foulkes (2005). Lewis Carroll and the Victorian Stage: Theatricals in a Quiet Life. Ashgate. p. 21. ISBN 978-0-7546-0466-2.
  4. ^ http://fretwell.kangaweb.com.au/pdfs/Edward%20Kay.pdf[bare URL]
  5. ^ Patricia James (1979). Population Malthus: His Life and Times. Taylor & Francis. p. 412. ISBN 978-0-415-38113-0.
  6. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2 January 2012. Retrieved 2 January 2012.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  7. ^ Alexander Chisholm Gooden; Jonathan Smith; Christopher Stray (2003). Cambridge in the 1830s: The Letters of Alexander Chisholm Gooden, 1831-1841. Boydell Press. p. 103. ISBN 978-1-84383-010-8.
  8. ^ Memoir of Augustus De Morgan: With Selections from His Letters By Sophia Elizabeth De Morgan, Augustus De Morgan, p. 104
  9. ^ Garnett, Richard; Haigh, John D. "Knowles, Herbert (1798–1817)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/15768. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  10. ^ George Moody, ed. (1843). "The Late Rev. James Tate, A.M., Formerly Master of Richmond School Yorkshire". The English journal of education. 1. p. 351.

External links[]

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