24-25 / 168
27
Chapter 2 / Wardens
Warden he oversaw some notable achievements and paved
the way for the future.
One extremely important aspect of his time as Warden
was that he increased the area of land owned by the School
dramatically. He was instrumental in persuading the Duke of
Marlborough to sell the land he owned on the west side of
the Woodstock Road, which the School had leased to use for
games since 1872. This was a coup, since the Duke had been
very tempted to sell the land to developers; Lord Aldenham,
one of the School’s Trustees, dealt directly with the Duke
and his agents and after seven long years of negotiations an
agreement was reached.
Sing was also instrumental in promoting rowing at the
School and himself coached some of the early crews, as he
did the Rugby XV. In 1905 he created the Rifle Club,
leading to the first School OTC in 1909. During
his Wardenship, School numbers averaged
112 pupils. In 1911 the first inspection of the
School by the Board of Education took place
and the report, notwithstanding some
criticisms, was generally good, with
the Warden being singled out for his
successful role. Sing resigned in 1913
and subsequently taught elsewhere,
though he remained in close touch
with the School, returning to live in
Oxford in 1923. He was for several
years a Governor (1911–20) and was Chairman
of Governors 1927–9. He even came out of
retirement late in his life to help with teaching
at Teddies during the Second World War
in 1939–40. He recommended the Revd
William Harold Ferguson, a friend
and former colleague at St Edward’s,
to succeed him. In the Chapel, at the
west end of the nave on the south
side, is a window dedicated to him and
dated 1950.
THOMAS WILLIAM HUDSON (1863–1929),
WARDEN 1896–1904
The Revd Thomas William Hudson had gained a degree in
History at Brasenose College, Oxford, in 1883 and had been
Headmaster at Cranbrook School in Kent. He was married
with ten children: five of his sons attended the School, two of
whom later died in the Great War. He was a keen disciplinarian,
encouraging ‘manly behaviour’, and left much of the day-to-day
responsibility for keeping good order to the prefects. His first
term coincided with an extraordinary natural event in the form of
an earthquake which shook the buildings in early December and
was said by some to have rolled some sleeping boys out of bed.
He can be credited with increasing School numbers to
a new record of 129 by 1898, despite the fact that few new
facilities could be afforded at this time. Hudson was the first
Warden to have to deal with boys and staff leaving for a major
war when the Boer War began in 1900; three OSE were lost
in South Africa. The Chapel contains many memorial panels
recording the names of OSE who gave their lives in war, and
the earliest were placed there in Hudson’s time in 1903.
JOHN MILLINGTON SING (1863–1947),
WARDEN 1904–13
John Millington Sing was Second Master at the School and
Tutor of Set B when he took over as Warden. He came from
a commercial background in Liverpool, one of eight sons,
he had been a pupil at Uppingham School and in 1882 went
to Christ’s College, Cambridge, where he was elected to a
Classical Scholarship. He was the first Warden promoted
from the Common Room and the first not in Holy Orders.
He had a business head, saw ways of improving School
sport and was a scholar – an ideal mix. During his time as
Left: Common Room, 1899. Back row
(left to right): D.A. Wynne-Wilson, RevdW.T.
Kerry, H.R. Wright, W.H. Ferguson (later to
become Warden), W.C. Stocks, L.T. Edwards.
Seated (left to right): Reverend C.L’E De B de
Labat, W.H.A Cowell, Warden Hudson, J.M. Sing
(later to become Warden), R.l. Roddon.
Below: John Millington Sing,
c.
1900. He was
the only Warden promoted directly from the
Common Room and the first not in Holy Orders.
Below left: Early Tuckshop, 1902.
Below: Map of the School, 1907.
Left: Common Room, 1913. Back row (left to right): Revd L.F. Harvey, V. Hope,
L. Davies, L.F. Cass, J.J.W. Herbertson, A.J. Weller, Revd F. Shaw. Seated (left to right):
W.H.A.Cowell,WardenSing,RevdJ.G.Bussell.Cass,BussellandDavieswerethreeofthe
fourmasters killed inWorldWar I. Hope, Herbertson, andWeller served but survived.
Inset: Part of Warden Sing’s window, 1950, at the west end of the Chapel.