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Archive: Exploring our foundations

With the majority of the school collections catalogued, our attention in the archive has turned to the Foundation Office collection. Given the administrative and business functions of the FO, we expected there to be a lot of “dry” documents, such as minutes and cash books, and there certainly were! However, there have also been some colourful and personal finds along the way.

It was a pleasant surprise when the first thing to be catalogued was a beautiful illuminated address. It was presented to Thomas Martineau, Mayor of Birmingham and Foundation Bailiff, by the Foundation Governors on his retirement as Bailiff on 31st December 1884. It was made by E. Morton and features a stunning depiction of King Edward’s School on New Street, as designed by Charles Barry in the 1830s.

As well as the school building, Charles Barry also designed a new seal for KES and the Foundation in 1857 to closer identify the school with its founder, King Edward VI. Amongst the Foundation papers is the original design and a letter from Barry explaining how much it would cost to be cast. The seal was imprinted in wax on important documents, such as property deeds, to authenticate the Foundation’s signatory.

Another unexpected find, in that it wouldn’t appear to fall within the archive’s collection remit on first glance, were 19th century posters for sermons against cruelty to animals. On several occasions the Foundation Governors were left money in wills to use for charitable causes. Following the death of Thomas Ingram of Worcestershire, in 1818 the Governors were left £600 (equivalent to around £43,000 today) with the stipulation that rents and interest arising from this money was used to pay clergymen to preach annual sermons on practicing kindness to animals, particularly horses. The posters publicising these sermons, which took place in churches across Birmingham and the Black Country, date from 1848-1877. The Ingram Trust papers also include plans and estimates from 1893 for a water trough for horses in Stephenson Place (near where “the ramp” is now), although it is not clear whether this was actually built.

A more casual and personal side to the Foundation and its staff can be seen in photographs throughout the 20th century, including group shots taken at someone’s house in Earlswood, c.1930s, outside the Foundation Office, c.1950s, and in a pub (likely the Gun Barrels, which was where the University of Birmingham Sports and Fitness Centre stands now) for Comic Relief Day in 1987. Can anyone spot a future Secretary to the Governors in the last photo?

When the FO collection has been fully rearranged and numbered, it will be available alongside the KEVI school collections on the online catalogue: https://kevi.epexio.com/.