Extracted from John Carey's review of Seminary Boy by John Cornwell.
" Cotton College , a seminary housed in a country mansion among wooded hills in North Staffordshire. It was like a POW Camp , only with round-the-clock prayers. A wire grille seperated the exercise area from the free countryside beyond. There were cold showers , freezing dormitories , iron beds , beatings & vile food , prepared by nuns who , in the masculine spirit of the place , were dubbed 'witches'. No newspapers or radios were allowed. The recreations were compulsory cross country runs and digging drainage. Inmates were under surveillance day & night and were forbidden to speak from evening prayers until the next morning. By contrast the teaching staff (profs) , all but one a priest , enjoyed comfortable lifestyles and ample diet."
William Maddox - courtesy of his grand son , Damien McAdam
My Grandfather went to Cotton.
He was William Maddox and he attended in the 1920's. Back then he was only one of about 8 or so who were not going into the priesthood, and they were called "Moderns". Whilst he was at Cotton, he was an excellent X country runner and won many cups.
When he left Cotton, he became a Chartered Surveyor and was the surveyor for the construction of the Running Track at Cotton. Now you know who to blame for the sloping track.
When he and the rest of the boys arrived back at the start of term, they came on the train to Oakamoor station, and then they all walked up the Valley to the school.
When I was awarded Full Colours for Athletics at Cotton, one usually had to wait ages for the blue blazer to arrive. I went to see my grandfather the next weekend (he lived in Meir Heath, about 15 miles from Cotton) and proudly told him that I had been given Full Colours. He told me that he was awarded Full Colours when he was at Cotton for X Country (who ever said genes don't count) and he still had his blazer. We went to his wardrobe and got it out and I tried it on. It fitted me to a T. It was in need of a damn good clean, as it had spent the last 60 odd years in a cupboard. So he gave it to me, and I brought it back to Cotton that evening, after getting it cleaned and pressed. The next day, I was talking to some of my friends and mentioned that I had my grandfather's jacket. We all agreed that whilst I was waiting for my official jacket to arrive, I should wear my grandfather's one. So the next weekend at Lunch, I came down and stood in "Ranks" with it on. It was quite funny at the time, and I caused quite a stir in Ranks. In my opinion, it was a legitimate thing to do. I must have looked like something out of Chariots of Fire. I heard a voice behind me saying "Did your grandfather give you that". I turned round and it was Terry Owen. My Grandfather and Terry were good friends. Myself and Terry then had an in-depth conversation establishing the credentials of the jacket. He thought it was an Old Boys jacket, but i assured him that my Grandfather said it was his Full Colours jacket. As I had been awarded Full Colours, we agreed that I could wear it, but only for that day. I agreed.
David Ellis
Fr. Bernard Manion was the one who extended the church and put the new altar in and the organ and choir stalls. You possibly remember that when you came along the cloisters past the infirmary and bursars office you turned right and at the top of the steps was an unused altar. Apparently that had been the High Altar dedicated to St. Wilfrid. Hope this is of some use, if you are looking for dates, I would suggest you contact Tom Gavin or Leo McCartie.
1873 Staff by W. Buscot
The Prefect of Discipline was the Rev. George Smith , an Oscotian , who had served on the mission in Birmingham and at Stafford. He became very popular , for he understood boys and their ways; he showed interest in their games and would cut the bandy sticks from the woods and shape them. And he enjoyed a game of draughts in the reading room. He was a good disciplinarian and his impartiality was recognised. When he had to administer 'fish' he was businesslike and the culprit would usually take it in a businesslike manner - he felt in honour bound never to wince , or to make a sound , though he might blow on his hands when out of sight. Fr. Smith taught freehand drawing in which he was proficient ; and many of the boys became apt pupils. Mention ought to be made of the Masters who came from the Park - Messrs. Egan , Currier and Kirkby ; they were capable teachers ; Messrs. J. Nock and W.Ireland came as new Masters. Mrs. Thompson , the Matron at the Park , came to be Matron at Cotton : she was one of the faithful souls whio spent their lives in devoted service to the School. Tall and stately in appearance and well dressed as she was , it came as a little shock of surprise to find that her aitches were sometimes misplaced.
Arthur Lynch
I was interested in the notes about my old school masters particularly Dr. L.W.Jones (Yit) and Frank Roberts. Dr. Jones was at Cotton long after 1943 - he was still there in 1951 when I left and is pictured on the 1948 & 1950 school photos on the web site. Also during my time there he was Cotton's Scoutmaster (assisted by Frank Roberts). They both took a group to Rome with the Catholic Scout Pilgrimage for the 1950 Holy Year. The only other Scout I can remember was Paul Tarpey. The pilgrimage (5 days in Rome and 10 days in Switzerland cost the princely sum of £60). During this trip we were allowed to openly call Frank 'Whiskey'! Arthur Lynch
Edward Harding 1910-1916
Taken from The Cottonian 1976
In those days the Staff included: Canon E B Hymers ('Pix'), Headmaster; Fr Mike Hamlin, Prefect of Discipline; Dr J Upton, Prefect of Studies; Mr Wilson ('Jim Crow'); Mr Smith ('Smiggy'); Mr J J Moran ('Sar'); Mr Fitzpatrick ('Buggy Alf). There were under 100 boys.
It was said that Mike Hamlin used to stand up on the tower in the centre of the College with a pair of binoculars to spot any boys who were smoking in the grounds.
Fr Sam Gosling succeeded Fr Hamlin as Prefect of Discipline, and, when he was appointed to Alton, Fr Myerscough succeeded him. He did not believe in corporal punishment for others, but used to discipline himself, which the boys found difficult to understand.
Mr Smith married Agnes Prince, the daughter of the landlord of The Lord Nelson' at Oakamoor.
In the top class in those days were: Leo Twiney, Maurus Rudman and a boy called Bebington, who returned to Cotton as Dr Bebington and became Prefect of Studies; also W D Shaffery, Billie Dunne, Hugh O'Connell, Bert Whitehurst, T J Fitzgerald, Jimmy Hall, Bernard Clarke and his brother, Percy Gregory Clarke from Cambridge, Tommy Hull from Ludlow and Bernard Bell ('Peter') also from Ludlow. Bernard Bell later became Vicar General of the Shrewsbury Diocese.
There was no electricity at all and lighting came from oil lamps and heating from coke stoves. The dormitories were stone cold and there were many chilblain sufferers. There were no telephones, and the nearest post office was at Oakamoor. Originally the only shop, apart from the 'Tuck Shop', was the hut at the cross-roads near 'The Star'. Later Beardmores opened their front room as a shop and the top classes used to go upstairs for tea, a smoke and some gramophone records; the favourite record then was 'La Paloma'.
The discipline was very strict and one boy was expelled for refusing to eat rice pudding. His brother was a barrister and he came to Cotton and demanded a written apology which was published in 'The Sentinel'. Another boy was expelled and the provider of these reminiscences went to see him off at Oakamoor station. When he returned the Headmaster sent for him and said, 'You'll be the next'. He wrote immediately to his mother who came up the next day and also received an apology.
There were two boys, Lionel and Rafe Sneyd (see below) , who lived at some Hall at Cauldon Lowe on top of the Weaver Hills. There was a very large plaque in the Hall showing their descent from Alfred the Great. They used to borrow bikes from the farm workers and go up to Cauldon Lowe to dances. However, one night Mr Moran, who was standing for the local council, was also there. He did not give them away.
Other memories include: a crucifix carved in stone in a field near Parley Hall; Rosary steps opposite Faber's Retreat; Bill's Leap. The story about Bill's Leap was that Colonel Bill from Parley Hall was fox-hunting one day. He followed a fox which jumped off the stone. What happened to the Colonel? ( Notes*** It is Farley Hall - Colonel John Bill , born 1809 , father of Mary Louisa Bill , born 1835 - she married Rowland Hugh Cotton of Etwall Hall , Derbyshire - they had a daughter Mary Evelyn Cotton , born 1861. Mary Evelyn married Sir Delves Louis Broughton of Tillotson Place , Waterloo Rd , Lambeth , London.)
Your humble Scribe was in the same class as Bernard Griffin (later Cardinal). Mr Wilson, the English master, did not like words of French derivation so he studied the works of Cowper and that was the only time that he beat Griff in English.
Two rather amusing incidents: When I called at Cotton I met the late Archbishop Williams and remarked that very few boys came from Nottingham. He replied, 'Have you seen our new W.C.'s?' I said, 'You are not holding them out as an inducement, are you?' He replied, 'Well, that which is a duty now becomes a pleasure'.
One boy had been in the P.M.'s room near the 'places' having a quiet smoke. He returned along the corridor in the pitch dark, heard a footstep and said, 'Who's there?'. He repeated his question several times with the addition of a few expletives. The answer came from the Prefect, 'Fear not; it is I'.
(We are very grateful to Mr Edward Harding for the above reminiscences. After leaving Cotton, he served in the R.F.C. and R.A.F. in the First World War. He then passed for the Civil Service and spent 38 years with them. He is now 77, lives in Nottingham at 41 Breck Hill Road, Woodthorpe and would like to hear from any old School friends who remember him - ED).
RALPH CLEMENT COTTON SNEYD (1912-16) - Obit from the 1985 Cottonian.
Ralph Sneyd was a member of one of the oldest families in England. The Sneyd family, which started in the days of the Saxons, descend from Ordgan, Earl of Devonshire in the 10th century, whose son, Edwulf of Wessex, married the grand-daughter of Alfred the Great. Ralph was educated at Alton Castle and Cotton and served during the First World War with the King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry in France and India. For many years he was Works Under-Manager with William Tatton and Co of Mayfield. His Requiem Mass was celebrated at St Mary's, Leek, on 17th November 1984 and he was buried at Onecote.
Ralph Jones 1913-1919
This account has been rescued from the www.cottoncollege.com site that is currently down.
Some memories from Ralph Jones as told by his daughter Stephanie. Ralph also had a brother at Cotton , Laurence Wallace Jones. Ralph was a student from 1913-19 & was later to teach at the College, he is now sadly no longer with us.
" The boys were always hungry, the only good food was the bread which was homemade. Breakfast consisted of bread and margarine. If you wanted to have porridge, you had to pay extra and it frequently contained maggots! Lunch was 'slosh' followed by Polly's leg, square tart, frog's eyes or fly's eyes. Supper was a hunk of dry bread and a cup of water. Still, my father (Ralph) said it did him no harm.
The dormitories were always very cold as the windows were always kept open, even in winter. My father says he remembers waking up to find his bed covered in snow. Washing facilities were in the basement, cold water only, although later on one hot tap was added! My father remembers the wonderful smell of delicious food coming from the Masters' Refectory - it was the nearest they could get to good food. "
A few of those sentiments will strike a cord no doubt. Most of us will have benefited from hot water though at least.
Thanks to Ralph and Stephanie.
Sponsors
1970-74
I was at Cotton from 1970-74. I went there from Alton so I joined in the 2nd Form.The others in my form had already been a year at Cotton. They called first years 'brats' so technically I was a brat.I remember that we used to wear jacket , trousers , shirt and tie. At Alton we had had a uniform of blue blazer & short trousers. We didn't have school blazers or uniforms as such at Cotton. We had blacks and greys for Sundays & Feast Days. The Nuns or the domestic staff would give us a change of shirt , vests , underpants , socks etc every week. They would appear on your bed once a week. We'd have two jackets and same for trousers. These were kept in the locker by the bed. Shorts were a no-no! In Thosses , maybe one or two of the new boys would appear in shorts but they'd be bullied into long trousers very quickly. We were also given a running vest and a rugger shirt , according to which House you belonged. Bowdon was yellow stripes , Milner red and Challoner was green. We also had cricket whites.
I remember standing in Ranks. That is when you line up in cloisters so as to parade somewhere , such as Church or the Ref. If the school was generally naughty , they might put you in ranks. The punishment could last for hours. Usually it was an hour , often during so called free time. You'd line up in a certain order in ranks so that when you proceeded to Church , you always ended up in the same pew. A list was put up on the board as to where you lined up. This also put you in a certain seat in the Refectory.
They got you up with a bell at 6.50 am every morning except Saturday when we'd have a lie in till 7.15 am. Sunday was 7.45 as we had High Mass after breakfast. After Mass on weekdays we had breakfast , a sausage or a rasher of bacon with bread and dripping ( the dripping was called wipes , dips or scrapes and was the favourite food of the boys.) We were allowed to talk at the tables until it got too noisy then 'silence!' The Big Six were the Captain & Vice Captains of the 3 Houses. They sat at each end of the tables. Other sixth formers in the House sat by them and boys in seniority went down until the most junior students were in the middle. Food was served in trays and the tray would start at the top till it reached the middle. Trays would start at both ends. We never starved too much as we made every mouthful count. We could make a meal out of any size meat as there was always plenty of fresh bread. For dinner or lunch we'd have slosh which was a type of stew , with chots in a bowl ( potatoes) , roasters were always welcomed. We rarely had chips. We only got chips if we volunteered to do the washing up on the nuns night off. For pudding we would have Top Field , which was coconut flakes on a sponge pudding with custard. The coconut depicted the snow that lay on Top Field 11 months of the year. That was my favourite. We also had Polly's Leg , which was Xmas pudding. For tea we had Dog , which was pork pie with an egg in the middle of it. The egg was the dog's eye. I also loved the apple crumble they did at Cotton. We were allowed to bring in our own sauces. These soon went as others would cadge off you.
We had classes all over the school , as certain rooms held different classes. I joined Cotton in the 2nd Form and in that year 1970 we had most of our classes in Thosses , ie St. Thomas's House. We had Terry Owen for History ( I enjoyed it as he did Middle Ages and described what they ate so it made me feel hungry & I enjoyed my dinner better) , Whiskey Roberts for French - Whisky was sarky but wanted the boys to like him , Vince Armishaw for English Language and English Literature - Vince wanted everyone to fear him. Sometimes Lang. followed Lit. so it'd be a Double Vince which was unpleasant. I remember John Lee was sat in front of Armishaw and old Vince would use him to read the part of Owen Glendower as John was good at accents. I was bad at speaking and found it hard to say my 'R's' and 'Th's' . Arseache got that out of me by making me stand up on his entry to class and say them over and over. No one laughed at me for it. It was a Cotton norm that the Profs did what they liked with you. Vince also gave me my first nickname. As I was new , he asked what my name was. I stood and said " Glynn sir." " Well , Glynnsir " he replied which raised a laugh in the other boys " you can sit down" and he carried on calling me Glynnsir and probably still would do today. The other nickname I had was off Whickey who called me a 'pinhead'. That stuck and was transformed into 'pinny' because I was stick thin. I was also a 'squeak' ( ie I had a high voice) so when the Public Man tossed the post and my name was called , everyone would squeak. Also in Thosses was the German class which Father Jed Stewart took. Laz Warner took us for Greek and / or General Classics in later years. Monsignor Gavin gave me a term of extra Latin in his room during my 3rd form year. The Parge took us for Geography. I was never taught by Fr. Grady who was in charge of Thosses, that also being the Junior School that the first year students slept in.
We had a common room. The 3rd Form Common Room was down past the prog shop in the Hawksford Wing. We had television so we got to watch ITV Sport on Saturday afternoon , wrestling and the soccer results. I remember watching some Shakespeare in the 4th form common room. It had Janet Suzman in it. Also we saw England fail to beat Poland in the '74 World Cup qualifier when Cloughie called Tomachewski a clown. After the game we kicked over all the chairs in frustration. Each year had a Common Room. My dad sent me the Buff newspaper every week so I had at least one piece of post each week. We got our post at the bottom of the Lower Bounds Steps into the School. The Preef of Discipline or his deputy or the Public Man brought the post to the top of the Bounds Steps , called the name , you said 'Sir' and they threw it at you. We also had a record player in the Common Room to play our 45rpm singles. We used to have tape recorders to tape pop music charts. I had two records - a Nazareth and a Mac Davis. We had radios which had ear plugs to listen under the covers at night , especially to Luxy , Radio Luxembourg. If we were found out it would be taxed and Fr. Keniry would in other words confiscate it for the term. At the end of term you got your taxed things back. Anything deemed unsuitable was taxed , such as unsuitable clothing. Keniry's office was on The Bridge. all the rugger balls were kept in there with the taxed stuff. Also the canes for flogging.
My first dormitory was in the Faber Wing. Fr. Pargeter was in charge. I was in the furthest dorm by the end wall. I slept in the bed next to John Frain who came up to Cotton with me from Alton. There were classrooms in the Faber wing on the floor below.
Under the Cloisters of the Souter Wing were the bogs and the lavs , or sometimes called the Places. You could go to the bog in free time and enter the Lav to wash your hands. In the Lavs was your locker where you kept your wash kit & rugger gear. In the morning you went at 6.50 am from your bed to your sink for a wash. I never shaved. some of the older boys had to shave. I remember Vince Armishaw saying to Des Devenney that he looked like a garage mechanic because he had long sideburns. The Prefects would keep you out of the Lavs in break time as they thought you were just trying to keep warm. It was always cold at Cotton.They wanted us out on Lower Bounds , not hanging around the Lavs. If Dav was there , they let us go in easier. Dav was the handyman - he had been at Cotton for donkey's years - and always had a roll your own fag in his mouth. He always had a smile and his mop bucket.
Above the Lavs were the Science Labs , the old ones. We started a Subbuteo league but Parge found out and banned us from there. We were in a middle of the game when he flounced in. He didn't understand what was going on so used a stock Cotton response to the unknown - banned it.
Also in Faber Wing we would have our haircuts from a man called Mr. Greaves from Cheadle. He must have had the franchise from the local schools & institutions as he did Alton Castle and Werrington Borstal. I knew him from years ago from Alton & from when my dad worked in Werrington. I made sure he knew I was John Glynn's son. We could smoke in there as him & his mate both smoked. Keniry would come around during meal times to check out the length of our hair. He would put you on the list for the barber. It was the days of long hair but at Cotton they made you keep it short. Not too short. Abey Jacobs came back to school with a skin head and they sent him home till it grew. By 1975 long hair was allowed at Cotton.
We had Mass every day of our lives at Cotton. Also Weekly confession , Benediction and the Angelus. Stations of the Cross too during Lent. I used to like the singing in Benediction best. In summer we'd have a week's Retreat and one of the Christian Brothers would take it. Our own Seculars became more friendly during Retreat. They reverted back to holiness. During Retreat you had to be silent but you could read books such as on the lives of the Saints. I read the lives of Thomas Aquinas and Ignatius of Loyola. They were pretty scary characters so I tried St. Francis of Assisi. He was even scarier, especially whewn St. Clare came on the scene. I had an admiration for Padre Pio. Every Saturday after Tea we had Holy Hour which was Silent Hour. We could go to the Ref Lib or the Dorm but sometimes I'd go to the Chapel.You stayed totally silent.
We would have privs which could be withdrawn by a Master or by one of the Prefects (older Sixth Form boys). Privs included being let out of Bounds for a walk down to the village post office. They had a public phone there. Sometimes boys just wanted a walk. You could lose your privs for a week , a month or a term. Sometimes if it was a Master , they'd offer a four or a six instead of loss of privs. Flogging or tanning was better than loss of privs. Another priv was a trip out with your parents. You got two a term. If you lost your privs you lost a visit. Being stuck in the school bounds was the worst punishment for a Cottonian. You could also ask for a Tea Priv which meant you go out to Alton to the Bridge Cafe. You got a good meal and maybe a bottle of Manns Brown Ale or a Double Diamond in the Talbot Inn next door.
I joined the Choir so I got an Annual Outing to Dovedale , also Ashbourne for the Original Football game that took place in the town. One year I managed to touch the football in the main square. Whisky Roberts took us to Ashbourne. We also used to go to Hanley to the cinema , St. Chad's in Brum and to Denstone to sing. I didn't go to the cinema , instead we caught the bus to watch Port Vale but only for the first half as we had to be back on the coach by 5 pm. We also managed a drink in one of the dirty pubs. Father Sankey was Choir Master. We called him Twankey as it rhymed. He was a decent gentle man but he could lose it if you pushed him too far. He threw one wobbly once and you were careful after. Rob Halley was organist. Halley was a wizard on the organ & piano. Halley was actually a class act and probably went on to great things musically , I don't know - I never found out what happened to him. Some of the boys were gifted. Olly Smythe had a genius at Languages for example , especially French and Greek. He was fluent in French. I remember others in the Choir like Teebay , Crawley & Fownes who were gifted sopranos.
Every Month you had Monthly Marks from test papers. My first put me sixth in the A Stream. That was because of the stuff I had done at Alton. After that I was more or less bottom all the time. Even though I was put in the B stream for certain subjects ( Scripture being one) they didn't bump me down to the B Stream but kept me in the A stream. I was consistantly bottom till I left , not because I was thick but because I never did any work and they couldn't teach for toffee , any of them. Armishaw for example was a genius at Shakespeare but he said to the class 'I am not here to teach you how to pass your O Level , I am here to teach you English Literature.' Bizarre. We had Richard II. I have to thank the boy who had the text book before me. He put every note old Armishaw had referred to down in the book. This was about 10 years before the subject came up again in '74. In the first few weeks , every time Armishaw asked a question , I'd put my hand up. Only once he asked me how I knew. It was something to do with Talbot. We drove past the Talbot Estate and in their coat of arms was a dog. So I told him & he was impressed. He gave me a fairly good report that year. But I was careful not to push my look as I didn't want him seeing all the notes in the book. At Chaucer I was back to my stunning worst. But eventually during Richard II he'd say ' Tell um , Glynn.' I had been accepted by Vince!
I would like to look at the old school photos all along the corridor. I wonder what happened to them all. I liked to trace Laz Warner , Whiskey & other Masters back to when they were boys at Cotton. Laz was a boy in 1919. There was a Michael Glynn but he was no relation to me. He was a boy in the early 50s. One day someone scratched Fr. Keniry's face out of a photo of when he was a boy in the 50s. He was Preef of Discipline at the time so was unpopular as he would flog you if you were naughty. But I did not like that and thought defacing him was a nasty thing to do. He was only doing his job. He was actually a great guy and he left in '73. We called him Father David for a week. He never stopped smiling.
We had to call all the Masters 'sir'. There was no calling them Father. It was a tradition. We also had women teachers , Mrs. Prince and Mrs. Castille. In '74 Mrs. Woodham came to the school. She was exceedingly pretty. We rarely saw the nuns. One day the women from the local prison appeared at Sunday Mass in Wilf's , our church. They used to go to St. John's in Alton. Something had happened and Fr. Faye , the PP at Alton , banned them so they came to Cotton. They were ugly and would leer at the older boys. As for the Nuns , we saw Sister Hopalong who had one leg shorter than the other and also Polly who was Matron. Polly had been at Cotton since the war & rumour had it she was POW of the Japs in WW2. She was very skinny and pretty beat up after her experiences there but kind enough. I saw her once after I left walking along the road near Llanrwst. If we were ill we'd go to her surgery & she'd give us Mother's Beer which was cough medicine.It was her cure all. If we were very ill with a temperature we could stay in bed. If you said you were ill in the morning , the Preef would let you stay in bed but Polly would come up & woe betide if you were putting it on. She would see you three times a day and give you food and luke warm tea. She'd take your temperature. If you were messing about when she appeared she'd sign you back to school. You hoped for a chit from Polly to be let off runs or prep or rugger. You had to be dying before she'd sign one. If you were goozing she knew it straight away. Next door to her room was the Bursar's Office. Tank Piercy sold pencils , erasers , and stamps etc. We could also spend our hard earned in the Prog Shop. Two Boys from the 5th Form ran it. I used to like a frozen Mars Bar which I used to take to the Lav and eat in private. If anyone saw you with prog , they would say the word 'cadge' and you'd be duty bound to share. It was a tradition. If not , it was considered bad form.
All the priests had to say Mass every day . There were four types of Mass. The early morning mass was a 20 minute jobby. Others were longer. Number 4 was the longest , an hour. Often as we were having Mass in the early morning , the other Altar would be in use with a Celebrant and assistant serving. The Priests also had to read their Daily Mission every day. I asked Fr. Keniry how he could read the same words every day without becoming bored and remembering it by heart.
He said it was faith and that he couldn't remember the words and had to read them to himself and every time he read it it was like it was the first time. Keniry was quite holy and after that I realised that first & foremost he was a Priest. He was innocent too and had a problem with facts of life that we had to get a lecture on when we first arrived. It seems they were not keen on masturbation so he had to explain that we shouldn't do it. It was in the second form common room that he gave his talk. Maybe they thought first years were too young to have discovered it. Armishaw had a go at us for it and made me read out the dictionary definition. He was just as embarrassed , the only time I ever saw him flustered.
I hated rugger. Most of our class loved soccer and everyone had a favourite soccer team , usually the Blues. Only Ian Crean & Abey Jacobs supported the Villa. Dave Lake supported West Brom. Chris Collins & Frannie Walsh were Blues fans - Collo , Frannie and me used to play 'sock soccer' in Middle Dorm with the locker curtains for nets. We were basically football daft. We played on top Bounds with any ball we could get hold of. All our class and the classes under us loved soccer and we'd have two captains and play about 20 aside. The forms above us weren't interested in soccer , they preferred rugger. It was the only time we mixed with students under us. We daren't speak to any in a higher form. They could beat you with impunity. Apparently mixing with other years was not done to avoid 'fruiting'. Fruiting was the term they used pre-70. We didn't have a term for it as no one was ever 'at it' in our day ( 70-74) . When I went to Cotton there was no hanky panky between students. By the time we were in the 5th form we were in the main mixing freely. We called each other by our surnames. When we became more familiar we had nicknames. When friendly we used Christian names but that was rare. The Profs always called us by our surnames except when our parents were around.
Rugger was played on Top Field. It was a bad game for me as I was very lightweight. Either Keniry or Jed Stewart would take us for Rugger. We would walk past Whiskey's House , passed the Basin , a soccer pitch. Sometimes Cotton Albion would be playing on the Basin. They had a centre forward with a bald head. We used to cheer for him and saw him score on occasions. Gerard ' Gez' Cusack was the best rugger player in our form. He had curly red hair and could always be found with a rugger ball , practicing his punts on Lower Field. Fitzy was a demon to tackle as his heels kicked up. Dick Fahy was a big lump of a lad so he would drag us all along with him. Abey Jacobs could kick a conversion or penalty from his own 25 yard line. Frannie Walsh , when Sankey took us for rugger , did a Rugby League 'Play-the-Ball' ( he copied it from the RL games we saw on ITV every Saturday) and on another occasion headed the ball between the sticks. Sankey was not impressed but he was harmless so Fran got away with it. You'd not do it with any of the others.
Running was not a good thing for me. I hated running through Muck Farm. The slurry was always high in winter and crusty in summer. Old pumps were sometimes put on the side of the road outside the Muck Farm yard where Cottonians had left their pumps behind from years immemorial.Cow muck covered you from head to toe. I suppose it was harmless enough. Mr. Clarke loved running. He was always out running. We called him Click Clack. We called Keniry 'Grunty', but not to their faces. Terry Owen would take us for Cricket. We played on Lower Field. We used to watch the First XI against Ratcliffe on hot summer days. Hockey was played on pitches down in Oakey so was a good 15 minutes walk away.
The Val or Valley was where we would go on free days and it led down towards Oakey. We weren't allowed into Oakey without a priv. The Val was great fun and we could play for hours down there on a free day or a half day holiday. In '73 we had great floods during the hols and the Cricket pitch was badly damaged and the Val was really changed by the waters. All the old paths that had be trod since 1900 were altered forver , many swept away.
Our favourite Master was Simmo - Father Sims. Everyone loved him - he was innocent and always had a smile. Sometimes he got angry and you didn't want to feel his wrath as he wouldn't even bother with flogging you. He'd give you a clip. You knew when not to rouse him as he'd sometimes come into class with a face like thunder. Other Masters had to stand in for the Preef if he had a day off , which was about once a fortnight. They took it in turns. Generally , with Keniry you knew where you stood and what you would get. You knew that if Terry Owen was acting Preef you were not going to get flogged. If Armishaw or Tank were in charge , the whole school was silent.Tubbo was another to avoid. Vince loved flogging you and he hurt as he'd tap the lightshade with a ding as the cane reached high up. He'd say 'this is going to hurt you more that it is going to hurt me.' I suppose he thought it was funny at the time. Tank didn't know his own strength so you avoided misbehaving or running in the corridor when him or Vince were around. He would leave a weal mark or two on your bottom. The Parge rarely flogged. Gavin was too hurt-looking to tan you. He tried to make you feel guilty which at that age you did. Keniry would flog you at the drop of a hat but you knew it wasn't personal and he was actually quite funny with it. To be fair to the Masters , they didn't know any better as they had had to go through it themselves as boys & just carried it on.
Smoking was banned and everyone smoked. One boy was expelled for smoking in the early seventies. His names was Jules. He was popular with the younger boys as he was a good bloke who didn't bully you.I think he was a House Captain , but he used to be good to the younger ones. There were a lot of bullies so you soon learned who to avoid. Many of the boys were very upset at Jules getting expelled. There was talk of a strike. It never happened. One day , a Monday , it was really sheeting it down and it was decided to tell the Public Man that we weren't going on a run. It was the whole school that was up in arms. We all gathered at the bottom of the stairs by the ref. Suddenly Keniry appears at the top of the stairs and at the top of his voice shouts 'Go for a run...NOW' We all scarpered.
We had pianos by the study place. The Study Place was great as it had wooden dividing doors to change it into three classrooms or opened it up into a huge Study area. I did my O Levels in the study place. Armishaw was invigilator for my re-sits. Sarky sod he was too. I remember Roly Schwartz getting me kicked out of Laz Warner's General Classics class by pushing the wooden desks ( the chairs being attached) up until poor old Laz was pinned up against the partition. Laz had a habit of sending the naughty ones to the back of the class so Roly was alway there where Laz couldn't see him. Another trick we used to do was shake our legs so soon the whole wooden floor structure would be vibrating. This was good during Study Hour as the Master on duty wouldnt know which part of the study place it was coming from. I remember Tubbo used to take us for Maths at the top end of the Study Place.This was in the afternoons when they were into three clasrooms. He lived in the village and was an Old Boy. You couldn't get familiar with the Masters and I always wondered why he came back to teach. He was a bit of a sarky one too. He had good jokes but if you answered him back you might get a blackboard duster thrown at you so you had to duck.
Sometimes you would go , as a group , up to a Master's Room. I remember us going to Parge's Room and he played a few records or would let us play our records. He liked My Sweet Lord by Geo. Harrison but I don't think that is much of a surprise. Fr. Stewart would also have boys back and you'd get a drink of pop off him. He also had his German lingaphone stuff in his room so I was often there though I was hopeless at Gerry. He was always banging on about Innsbruck.I think he went to University there. He also took us for Scripture. He was really gutted that he had to give my name for the Scripture Prize in 1974.I think he hoped that that Dick Fahy would get it but Dick had his share of Prizes. It was the only thing I was ever good at - not bad for someone who didn't actually believe. Maybe that's why I won it.I'd been taught by nuns from the age of 4 and priests until I was 16. For someone brought up from that age in that environment , I should have been a Bishop. Thankfully I never took notice of any of it.So maybe there is a God after all. I was always interested in the subject and read a lot about the Bible. I just didn't take it as read. It was no good asking the Profs about ecumenical or spritual matters. These were seculars who just did as the Bishop told them. It was a matter of faith to them. I even tried Laz as a Lay Man but he kept muttering '...blasphemy , blasphemy...' whenever I asked any questions . So I read my own books out of school and got extra particulars off Non Catholic and athiest writers. My Monthly Marks and end of Term Tests guaranteed my prize and I had it ( a Bible) off Leonard Cheshire VC who presented the Prizes in '74. I got him to sign it for me too! I have it still , with a nice sticker with T J Gavin's name as Headmaster.
That was the end of me at Cotton College. I was only there for four years but the place has stayed with me all my life.
We had very few Church Students. They were boys who said they wanted to become Priests. One ftom a class above me , Tony Meehan , did become a Priest. Dave Lake was a Church student but I read in a Cottonian that he got married so it mustn't have worked out. He was a nice lad and would have made an excellent Priest.
We had Public Man rather than Head Boy. Richard Dillon was one. He was quiet and serious. He was a good opening bat for the Cricket X1. Another Public Man I remember was Richard McGowan Scanlon. He was a serious boy and every inch the gentleman. My first PM was called John Guyler.
I was sorry to hear the old place had shut. I went back after I had left once a new term had started and was stunned to be invited by my friends to The Star. Everyone was drinking & smoking. One of the Profs was even in there , albeit a Lay master. I got completely slaughtered , slept a while in Faber and then walking home to Alton at 7 am , was stopped by Terry Owen who was driving into work from that direction.I was at the bend at Farley and I was sriously hung over. He took pity on me, put me in the car , turned the car round and took me home. I never went back while it was still open as a School.
P.Glynn (70-74)
The Passionists at Cotton
Charles Houban and Dominic Barberi
In the Central Archives of the Passionist in England is a book on the front of which is written Book of the General Administration of St Wilfrid’s Retreat; it is a book which tells a sad story in a few words:
February 1855. From the accounts made with Father Vicar results that remains in hand from last month seven shillings. March 1855. In Father Vicar’s hand nothing. April 1855. In Father Vicar’s hand one pound, three shillings and ninepence. May 1855. We find that Father Vicar has spent the money which was in his hands. June 1855. Father Vicar has spent all the money which was in his hands.
Fr Salvian Nardocci was a remarkable man in many ways. A great lover of order, he held the office of Master of Novices for many years. In every house in which he lived we find him making a catalogue of the books in the library, arranging the music in the church, repairing the vestments and tidying the sacristy, finding a place for everything and putting everything in its place. He drew up the liturgical calendar for the Province each year. Any references to the Passionists in the newspapers he would cut out and paste into his book of cuttings. He had a great sense of history and was a compulsive writer, not of letters but of what we might as a general term call ‘memories’: biographies, historical records and, most important for our purposes, a diary. This diary, covering a period of about thirty years, is one of our most valuable sources of information about Charles Houban.
Charles Houban
Not many months after his arrival at St Wilfrid’s, Fr Salvian was given other duties which kept him away from the novitiate for quite a while. In one of the neighbouring parishes, about seven miles from Cotton Hall, lived a parish priest who quite literally thought he owned the church ( could be Fr. Henry Winter DD who was Priest at St. John the Baptist's , Alton) . This man was under the mistaken impression that the late Earl of Shrewsbury, who had built the church and presbytery, had left both buildings to him in his will. Consequently, when Bishop Ullathorne tried to transfer him to another parish, he refused to go, saying, according to Salvian, that no one, not even the Bishop, could remove him from that place. The Bishop, wishing to avoid any publicity, sent the Vicar General to visit him, to try to settle the matter quietly. Salvian tells us that the Vicar General tried everything to induce the Priest to obey the Bishop, but all in vain. Seeing that he was making no progress,
"...he went into the Sexton’s house, to ask for the key of the church, which was kept by him. The Parish Priest followed a few minutes after, and entering the house, without much ceremony, took the poor Vicar General by the collar and thrust him out of the house, into the pubic street. Several people saw the poor Vicar General treated by the priest as above. In a few minutes the whole village came to know about what had happened, and it naturally gave great scandal. As soon as the Vicar General had freed himself from the grasp of the Parish Priest, there and then, in the public street and in the present of several people who happened to be there, he suspended him as he justly deserved.
The next day Bishop Ullathorne wrote to St Wilfrid’s, asking the superior to appoint a priest to look after the parish in question until the situation could be resolved. Fr Salvian was sent and over a long period of time succeeded not only in caring for the parish but also in reconciling the parish priest and his Bishop. Salvian was fortunate in having Charles Houban as Vice Master at this time, as it meant he could be away from St Wilfrid’s without anxiety, as he himself realised when he wrote: ‘As Fr Charles took great care of the novices, I let him have the whole care of them, except that I heard their confessions, and conferences.’Although the parish attached to St Wilfrid’s was ‘immensely large in extent of territory’, there were only a handful of Catholics and these were not able to provide for the needs of the religious community and its novices. The late Earl had wanted a monastery near at hand and had been a generous support to the community but his successor, who was not a Catholic, could hardly be expected to show the same interest.
"During the summer St Wilfrid’s was something like a terrestrial paradise, but in winter the cold and damp were insupportable. We were very poor, and had no means to keep up fires in our rooms.... Novices also were not coming, and those few who came, besides not having brought anything, finding the place too cold and damp in winter, left us one after the other, except one. There was no alternative but to starve or leave the place. We decided on the latter." Fr. Salvian 1855.
On 8 November 1855 Fr Salvian left for the Broadway Monastary in Worcester, taking with him his one remaining novice. Most of the other members of the community also went to their new homes. Fr. (later St.) Charles Houban and another priest, Fr Raymond Disano ( born 1825 in Conlioni Lucca , Italy) , stayed on at St Wilfrid’s until a diocesan priest would be sent to care for the parish.
Eventually Salvian and Charles arrived at Mount Argus , Dublin.
Another Passionist who lived at Wilf's was Fr. Tenison Woods , a priest and scientist , who wrote of the Hon. Charles Pakenham and who eventually ended up in Tasmania and Australia.
Julian Tenison Woods - Lived at St. Wilfrid's
After Paul Mary (Charles) Pakenham death in 1857, at the early age of 35, Father Tenison Woods wrote a short biography, recalling the time they spent together in Saint Saviour’s Retreat, Broadway, and Saint Wilfrid’s Retreat, Cotton Hall, Cheadle (Staffordshire). He says of Paul Mary Pakenham: He was naturally averse to speak of his former life. He would have made no exception in my case but for one circumstance. He was for some months infirmarian at a time when I chanced to be laid up with a tedious illness, and he used to make me forget my pains and beguile the weary sleepless hours by turning my attention to other things. Thus I came to know many parts of his early career which are indelibly fixed upon my memory. Poor Pakenham! How well I can remember his appearance as he sat by my bedside in the long Gothic infirmary of St Wilfrid’s Retreat, Staffordshire. His gentle but animated face, his mortified yet affable manner, his light, spare form in the austere habit of the Passionists are not easily forgotten, and when one heard his words, so full of piety, of sense, and even of lively wit at times, he soon came to be as much impressed upon the heart as upon the recollection. (Quoted in Joseph Smith C.P., Paul Mary Pakenham, Passionist, Dublin, 1930.)
