Rugby School

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Rugby School

school, Rugby, England, United Kingdom

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Rugby School — Rugby School Rugby School, Rugby, Warwickshire, England.

Rugby School is a historic public (fee-paying) boarding school for boys in Rugby, Warwickshire, England. Founded in 1567 by Laurence Sheriff, it gained prominence under headmaster Thomas Arnold (1828–1842), becoming a model for British public schools. The school is famously depicted in Thomas Hughes's novel Tom Brown's School Days.1

Rugby School is also recognized as the birthplace of rugby football. While various forms of football existed for centuries, a handling game was favored at Rugby and other schools. Thomas Arnold encouraged sports, and the game's virtues, such as teamwork and self-control, were promoted, contributing to the concept of English and British imperial manliness. The game's rules were eventually codified, leading to the formation of the Rugby Football Union.2

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Rugby
Rugby School, a famous public (i.e., fee-paying) school, was founded for boys in 1567 by Laurence Sheriff, a local resident, and was endowed with sundry estates, including Sheriff’s own house. The school flourished under the headship of Thomas Arnold between 1828 and 1842 and became,…
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Rugby School, a famous public (i.e., fee-paying) school, was founded for boys in 1567 by Laurence Sheriff, a local resident, and was endowed with sundry estates, including Sheriff’s own house. The school flourished under the headship of Thomas Arnold between 1828 and 1842 and became,…
Read More

rugby
Origins
…particularly football, was encouraged at Rugby School by influential headmaster Thomas Arnold (1828–42), and many boys educated at this time were instrumental in the expansion of the game. Rugby football soon became one of the most significant sports in the promotion of English and, later, British imperial manliness. The game’s…
Read More
…particularly football, was encouraged at Rugby School by influential headmaster Thomas Arnold (1828–42), and many boys educated at this time were instrumental in the expansion of the game. Rugby football soon became one of the most significant sports in the promotion of English and, later, British imperial manliness. The game’s…
Read More

Thomas Arnold
…educator who, as headmaster of Rugby School, had much influence on public school education in England. He was the father of the poet and critic Matthew Arnold.
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…educator who, as headmaster of Rugby School, had much influence on public school education in England. He was the father of the poet and critic Matthew Arnold.
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boarding school
Boarding schools in fiction
…School Days (1857) vividly depicts Rugby School (a real boarding school, in Rugby, England) during the 1830s; it helped to establish a tradition of fiction focused on life in English boarding schools.
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…School Days (1857) vividly depicts Rugby School (a real boarding school, in Rugby, England) during the 1830s; it helped to establish a tradition of fiction focused on life in English boarding schools.
Read More