Windsor People

Rev. Stephen Hawtrey

Born on the 12th July 1808 in Wexford, son of The Rev. John Hawtrey. Educated in England and France, Trinity College Cambridge. Private tutor then assistant master at Eton. Whilst at Eton he also devoted his time to ministering on Sundays to the poor in the Hamlet of Dedworth and in the Poor Houses, then at the bottom of Sheet Street.

The living of Clewer was at that time sequestered, and the rector lived in France, the church was damp and mouldy; the straw hassocks within the communion rails were dilapidated. In this parish he worked alone, one winter with his sister Anna they cut out clothing for the poor, and odd bits of cloth left over were shaped into soles to fit into and warm the poor peoples shoes.

In a postscript to an account of St. Mark’ s School, published in 1859, he tells of what those early days and ministrations led on to:

“About twenty years ago,” he writes, ” the Bishop of New Zealand (George Augustus Selwyn) was curate of Windsor. One of the plans he devised and carried out for the benefit of the parish, was to erect a schoolroom to be used as a chapel on Sundays, in the outlying hamlet of Dedworth, then attached to the vicarage of Windsor, though separated from it by the parish of Clewer, and three miles distant from the Windsor Parish church. When the chapel was built the maintenance of the service was entrusted to me.”

“It will be within recollection of many how very badly the singing in the church was performed, feeling that this was altogether wrong, one of the first things I did, was to look out for some efficient way of teaching the children to sing with propriety. While considering what was to be done, I fell in with a copy of Hullah’s Manual at Parker’s shop in London. I was fortunate in having with me, as clerk at Dedworth, Mr. G. Bambridge, a thorough musician. Having mastered the book, we obtained leave to teach music from notes, after the regular school hours, to those of the Windsor National School boys who showed a disposition to learn. The best of them were now formed into a little choir, and accompanied me each Sunday to Dedworth.”

“This was the first nucleus of St. Mark’s School. For some years we continued to go Sunday after Sunday to Dedworth. There was an afternoon and evening service, and the distance was too great to return to Windsor between the services, we had tea together every Sunday; in the summer, under the shade of the trees in the orchard adjoining the chapel, the Sunday story book read . It was working into the boys’ hearts a humanized, affectionate, family feeling, which has never gone out of the school”.

“In process of time the full design of the Bishop of New Zealand was carried out……… The hamlet of Dedworth was united to the Parish of Clewer, and that portion of the Parish of Clewer which lay within the Borough of Windsor, was formed into a distinct Chapelry, and a Church (Trinity Church) built in it, of which I was incumbent for the first seven years. On its consecration, the choir was transferred to the Church thus built.”

“Some difficulty at this time supervened about the continuance of the music lessons which had hitherto been given at the National School, and it became necessary, if the character of our singing was to be perpetuated, that we should have a separate school, in which singing should form part of the school business. The idea that they might possibly have a school of their own was discussed with very lively emotion at one of our Sunday teas and the question arose, where could the school be held? One of the boys remembered that there was a washerwoman’s cottage, with a small drying-ground attached, at the junction of Clewer and Goswell Lane, which had been for some time vacant. The next morning he came with tremulous eagerness to say that the board was still up giving notice that the cottage was to be let. We took it, and thus began with nineteen boys.

“In 1851 I resigned the Incumbency. On my resignation it was given to my yournger btother, but the school has not been the less prosperous since then”

On 25th April 1862 (St Mark’s Day) The Rev. Stephen Hawtrey opened a boys’ school in Alma Road, called St. Mark’s School. At first for day boys only, the school was run on public school lines, and the first of a number of boarding houses was opened in 1870. For the first twenty years of its existence the school remained in private hands, controlled by members of the Hawtrey family. Then a Governing Body was appointed, with Hawtrey as Chairman. Rather understandably there was a pronounced clerical influence both among governors and staff. A few months before his death Hawtrey retired, to be succeeded by the Rev. A. W. Upcott.

Stephen Hawtrey was still a mathematics master at Eton. He did not leave Eton until 1871 when he devoted his time to St Mark’s School.

Curate at Windsor Parish Church and later Holy Trinity Church

Tribute to Steven Hawtrey Windsor Parish Magazine

Dr Edward Craven Hawtrey (1789 -1862) Head Master of Eton College 1834-1853

Born May 7th 1789 at Burnham

Educated at Eton 1799-1807

King College Cambridge 1807 – 1811

Assistant Master Eton 1814 – 1834

Head Master Eton 1834 – 1853

Edward Hawtrey (1600 – ? )

King’s College Cambridge, Vicar of Burnham. Fellow of Eton and one of its chief benefactors

Rev. John Hawtrey (1781-1853)

Rector of Kingston Seymour

John Hawtrey

Fellow of King’s and of Eton, Vicar of the Eton living of Mapledurham.

Charles Hawtrey

Rector of Heavitree

Edward Hawtrey

Fellow of Eton and Vicar of Burnham