Course:History 344 Nasty Families/Education/Boarding School/boys
For the most part, only the sons of the yeomanry and above could afford to continue school after the age of employability. [1] Most often the education of the upper classes consisted of either boarding schools or of private tutors, both offering much the same education. The Boarding school offered an advantage over the private tutor due to the social interactions, not just in class but at meals and any downtime.[2] The wide ranging geographical base of the students at these schools meant that they had choice but to provide boarding for the students and they often slept in a block of chambers with 11 or 12 to a room.[3] Two of the distinctive boarding schools were Winchester and Eton and both were founded in the late medieval period.[4] Winchester was founded in 1382 by Bishop Wykeham and was intended as a church college. It was stipulated that 70 scholars would be admitted, they were to be between the ages of 8 and 12 and already be competent in reading, song and elementary Latin grammar. [5] These boys could only stay until they were 18 and then were expected to go on to further education, usually at Oxford or Cambridge. Eton formed in 1440 by Henry VI had very similar mandates.[6] These boarding schools grew in popularity and by 1679 Winchester was teaching over 120 boys and Eton over 200. [7]