James Tate (11 June 1771 – 1843) was the headmaster of Richmond School and canon of St Paul's Cathedral, London.[1]
James Tate | |
|---|---|
| Born | 11 June 1771 |
| Died | 2 September 1843 (aged 72) |
| Other names | Dr Tate |
| Education | Richmond School Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge (MA) |
| Occupation | Headmaster |
| Employer | Richmond School |
| Political party | Whig |
Early life
edit
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
editBetween 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
editTate 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
edit- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 7 August 2011. Retrieved 7 May 2011.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ 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.)
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Edward Kay" (PDF). fretwell.kangaweb.com.au.
- ^ Patricia James (1979). Population Malthus: His Life and Times. Taylor & Francis. p. 412. ISBN 978-0-415-38113-0.
- ^ "Richmond Online - Online Guide to Richmond - A brief History". Archived from the original on 2 January 2012. Retrieved 2 January 2012.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Memoir of Augustus De Morgan: With Selections from His Letters By Sophia Elizabeth De Morgan, Augustus De Morgan, p. 104
- ^ 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.)
- ^ George Moody, ed. (1843). "The Late Rev. James Tate, A.M., Formerly Master of Richmond School Yorkshire". The English journal of education. Vol. 1. p. 351.
External links
edit- Carr, William (1898). . In Lee, Sidney (ed.). Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 55. London: Smith, Elder & Co.