Winchester College

[11] In the early modern period, under Henry, Edward, Elizabeth and James, royal visits were accompanied by presentations of Latin and a small amount of Greek occasional poetry, composed by the pupils.Elizabeth also granted an exemption to allow Winchester, Eton and elsewhere to conduct their religious services in Latin, to help pupils to improve their skills in the language.[17][16] The chapel retains its original wooden fan-vaulted ceiling, designed by Hugh Herland, carpenter to Richard II.[19] The school was greatly extended in the 19th century with the addition of boarding houses for "commoners", paying pupils, as opposed to the scholars who continued to live in the medieval College.[22] Visitors may tour areas such as Chamber Court, the chapel, College Hall, the Cloisters, School and Museum, for a fee.Collegemen enjoy certain privileges compared to the Commoners, such as having open fires and being allowed to walk across Meads, the walled sports field outside School.College does not have an informal name, although the abbreviation Coll is sometimes used; "X" (meaning, not one of the boarding houses) was originally used only on laundry tags.Those applying to College do not take the normal entrance examination but instead sit a separate, harder, exam called "Election": successful candidates may obtain, according to their performance, a scholarship, an exhibition or a Headmaster's nomination to join a Commoner House.[32] In addition to normal lessons, all boys throughout the school are required to attend a class called Division (known as "Div") which explores parts of history, literature, and politics that do not lead to external examinations; its purpose is to ensure a broad education.[36] In the same year, 17% of pupils secured places at Oxbridge, while notable US destinations included Harvard, Columbia, UPenn, and Chicago.The club is affiliated to British Rowing (boat code WIN)[41] and was twice winner of the Princess Elizabeth Challenge Cup (in 1949 and 1954) at the Henley Royal Regatta.[44] The organisation was founded in 1860 as "The Winchester College Rifle Volunteer Corps" by various boys in their top year as a result of the perceived threat of Napoleon III after the Orsini plot, and remained entirely autonomous until it was taken over by the Second Master in 1868.In 1948, the "Junior Training Corps" became known as the "Combined Cadet Force" (CCF) which incorporated RAF and RN sections.Music and choral scholarships fund free tuition for candidates proficient in multiple instruments at grade 6 level or above.[46] The Trusty Servant is an emblematic figure in a painting at Winchester College, that serves as the school's unofficial mascot and the name of its alumni magazine.[47] A painting of The Trusty Servant and accompanying verses both devised by the poet John Hoskins in 1579 hangs outside the college kitchen.The painting depicts a mythical creature with the body of a man, the head of a pig, with its snout closed with a padlock, the ears of an ass, the feet of a stag, and tools in his left hand.[50] Since the foundation, Winchester College has had numerous words and phrases directly associated with it, including its motto, its graces, and a prayer.Originally these festivities occurred around Whitsun, as suggested by references in the song to early summer such as "See the year, the meadow, smiling" and "Now the swallow seeks her dwelling".The matter became a national scandal, known as "the Tunding Row", when "an overzealous Senior Commoner Prefect"[72] beat a pupil for refusing to attend a notions test.[74] On 12 November 2024, following publication of the Makin Review, Justin Welby announced his intention to resign as Archbishop of Canterbury; this report was critical of the Church's handling of allegations of abuse committed by the barrister John Smyth, aided by Doggart, and was also critical of Welby's failure to investigate the allegations.In 2005, Winchester College was one of fifty of the country's leading independent schools found guilty of running an unlawful price-fixing cartel by the Office of Fair Trading.[79] Winchester College, like Eton, received a fifty per cent reduction in its penalty in return for its full cooperation.[80][81] In 2017 Winchester College suspended its Head of Art History for providing students with information about questions on an upcoming public exam.