Mike Leader© 2019 All Rights Reserved

A history of the Greenwich Blue Coat Schools

The school has an extensive collection of archives which contain books, documents, photographs and programmes relating to the whole period of over 300 years of school history.

The oldest items are the first Account Book from 1700 and an Order (Minute) Book covering the period from 1712 to 1758

From the Archives>

Entry to the re-organized school was by recommendation from one of Committee of Ladies or from one of those ‘gentlefolk’ who financially supported the school by subscription. The Order Book also reports women petitioning the Committee to admit their daughters. The girls and their mothers were called to a Ladies’ Committee meeting so that they could be examined as to their suitability to join the school. In the event of there being more approved candidates than places lots were drawn to decide who should get a place.

The Committee Minutes of 21st July 1749 record the following memorandum:

Mrs Newington sent a present  of a Silk bagg with ten black & six white Ivory Balls, for ye Girls to draw when they are chose into this School.