School-life at Winchester College : $b or, the reminiscences of a Winchester junior under the old régime, 1835-40.Mansfield, Robert Blachford
History
School-life at Winchester College : $b or, the reminiscences of a Winchester junior under the old régime, 1835-40.
Mansfield, Robert Blachford
Students -- England -- Winchester; Winchester College -- History
Fagging Choristers—Crutch—Currell—Concerts—Fighting—How to
Catch the Measles—“Books Chambers.”
When the weather was too bad on a Holiday or “Remedy” to go on to Hills,
we used to pass the day principally in school; the gate of Seventh
Chamber passage being locked, and communication with Chamber Court being
cut off, it was called a “Lockback.”
On leaving morning chapel on such a day we adjourned at once to school,
when the Fags would by no means have an idle time of it. The instant
they arrived “Junior! Junior! Junior!” would resound on every side, and
in every conceivable tone of gentle entreaty, slight impatience, and
vehement indignation, according to the temper of the caller, or duration
of the call. Then the valets had to arrange their master’s washing things
on Commoners’ table, for few of the Præfects condescended to wash before
chapel. Others were sent, with all kinds of commissions, to “Blue gate,”
(a door in the west wall of School court, which opened into a side
passage running along the outside of the kitchen buildings, to outer
gate,) which was pierced with a hole about a foot square, through which
the Choristers were called and received their orders, and through which
they handed any articles they might have been sent for; the scene here
was similar to that at Whitesman’s hatch at breakfast time, (_v. s._)
crowds of Fags jostling round the hole and clinging to the bars screaming
“Chorister! Chorister!” at the top of their voices, in frantic eagerness
to catch the eye of the first Chorister, the clatter of whose hobnailed
boots would be heard coming up the flint pavement a long time before the
wearer could be seen. When he did appear the cry was, “Fagging for me;”
or, more generally, instead of “me,” the name of the Præfect for whom the
message was to be sent was used, as more likely to carry weight with the
Chorister.
The little Choristers had hard work of it; they were soon scattered
all over the town,—to La Croix’s for a pint of coffee and twopenn’orth
of biscuits, or a “Tizzy tart;” to Nevy’s (this gentleman supplied
edibles at Commoners’ field; I suppose he once had an uncle or an aunt,
and so got his nickname; if he ever had any other name nobody knew it,
and I doubt if he did himself) for strawberries and cream, or Burney’s
biscuits; to Flight’s for sallyluns; to Forder’s for buns; to Stone’s, to
Drew’s, to Raymond’s for anything you like, besides innumerable errands
to the boot-maker, tailor, circulating library, &c., &c.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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