David Cameron’s political memoirs, For the Record, have just appeared in print (September 2019), adding to the already fraught, tiresome and ever- escalating political discourse in the run up to the “delivery” of Brexit. As it happens, Boris Johnson, another product of Eton College, is the twentieth Old Etonian to hold the post of British Prime Minister and is thus due to join the other busts on display on the walls of the school’s debating chamber that is known as Upper School. In this setting, the pejorative word “Etonian” is being widely bandied about as a symbol of a privileged ruling elite, one that apparently continues to significantly influence politics in the United Kingdom, partly through an old boys’ network. This perception is backed up by the apparent widespread domination of several elite professions by people who have attended independent schools.
King Henry VI ‘s legacy lives on in the King’s College of Our Lady at Eton beside Windsor, which was founded by a Royal Charter on October 11 1440 for seventy poor scholars and ten choristers, an intake very different from that of today. This boarding school for around 1,300 boys- aged from 13 to 18- on the south bank of the Thames and lying in the shadow of Windsor Castle, has evolved into an “establishment” institution that has had a considerable influence on history of Britain. The second most famous school in the country, after Hogwarts, has benefited from its links with Oxbridge-particularly Christ Church, Oxford, and Trinity College, Cambridge- which have ensured a direct pathway for its pupils into the upper echelons of public life in Britain.
The alumni of Eton College have gone on to play a widely influential role on not merely a national, but indeed an international, stage. Old Etonians include a rather diverse group, including current British Royal Princes, foreign royalty, politicians, diplomats, soldiers, writers, painters, actors, scientists, doctors, historians, judges, financiers, and even the odd convicted criminal or rogue figure among their ranks. Both the “right-wing” and the “left-wing” are represented within the eclectic and influential products of the school.
The Governing Body of Eton College is chaired by a Provost, appointed by the Queen, and also includes a Vice-Provost and ten other Fellows. The fees for 2019/20 are £14, 167 per half or term, there being three terms a year. Additional fees or Extras apply for certain activities. King’s Scholars and Music Scholars may be charged up to 90 per cent of the school’s fees. In addition, some means-tested bursaries are provided at the normal entry age of 13. To put things in perspective, the average salary in the UK in 2019 is £29,009.
Each year, seventy King’s Scholars or Collegers join a larger group of Oppidans, or townies (after the Latin oppidum-for town), to make up the new intake. Scholars wear black academic gowns over the school uniform of a starched collar and a tailcoat, hence the name tugs, after the Latin gens togata, or people in gowns. Prefects are at the top of the student hierarchy. There are two kinds of prefects-Pop and Sixth Form Select. Pop, or the Eton Society, is an elite and self-electing group of sixth-form prefects, with certain special privileges.
Each student is given an individual study-bedroom and assigned to a house, under the supervision of a resident house master and a “dame.” There are 24 boarding houses of around 50 boys each. College, to which all King’s Scholars belong, is the largest of all the houses. Old Boys give regular dinners honouring their house masters in the Election Chamber, a large room in Lupton’s Tower.
Eton College is associated with a set of unique rituals and traditions, all of which add to the enduring mystique of the school. A number of games are specific to Eton, including the Wall Game, played on St Andrew’s Day between the Collegers and the Oppidans, the Field Game, and Eton Fives. The Fourth of June open-day celebrations are the biggest day on the calendar and commemorate the birthday of King George III. Etonian slang, past and present, includes such words as bum-freezer, fag, scug, sock, tug, div, dry-bob, wet-bob and slack bob. The Eton College Chronicle dates from 1863 and is produced by the boys. The publication provides a unique insight into academic, cultural and sporting activities of the school.
A careful reading through lists of famous Old Etonians reveals a widely diverse group of people and belies a particular stereotype as is commonly conjured up in the minds of the wider public. In recent years, Eton has started accepting talented pupils from impoverished backgrounds and state schools, thereby opening up its doors to a more diverse intake. Social mobility is, however, proving to be a somewhat slow process. Whatever one’s opinions about the elitist nature of Eton College, there is no doubting its disproportionate influence, given its size, on British history and its continuing place at the top of the educational pyramid. I, for one will continue to trudge along Eton High Street, soaking in the history and the atmosphere of the place for as long as I can.
Ashis Banerjee (ex-resident of Slough, the poor neighbour of Eton and Windsor)