The House System
Hurworth House School has four houses: Carroll, Emerson, Stephenson and Wycliffe. The houses are named after famous historical figures with a local connection. All pupils are allocated to one or other of the houses upon enrolment. Each week a cup is awarded in the Junior and Senior schools for the house that has acquired the most house points during the previous week.
Lewis Carroll (1832-1898)
Lewis Carroll is the pen-name used by Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, third child of the Rev. Dodgson, Rector of Croft church.
Carroll became a mathematics teacher at Oxford University where he became friends with the Dean of Christ Church, Oxford, Dean Liddell and his family. Carroll often took Liddell's daughters for boat rides on the river, and it was during one of these trips that Carroll recounted the story that was to become world famous as Alice in Wonderland, which was published in 1865. This was followed seven years later by Alice Through the Looking Glass and The Hunting of the Snark in 1876.
Much of Carroll's inspiration was thought to have come from the Croft Rectory. Under floorboards in his bedroom, a box of play things was unearthed, including a white glove, a thimble and the lid of a child's teapot.
"I'd give all wealth that years have piled,
The slow result of life's decay,
To be once more a little child,
For one bright summer day."
(From Solitude, March 16th, 1853)
William Emerson (1701 - 1783)
William Emerson was born in Hurworth on 14 May 1701 and lived in a house on the site of a property on Hurworth Green. He learned much from his father, the local schoolmaster. After finishing his studies at Newcastle and York he attempted to take over his father's school, but as a teacher William was a failure. Instead he decided to devote himself entirely to the study of mathematics. In 1749 he published his treatise on 'Fluxions', the first of a series of books. 'Elements of Geometry' was published in 1763. He also published a regular course of mathematical manuals for young students. He wrote dozens more books and became a national figure; mathematicians from all over England came to consult him. Emerson died on 20 May 1782. He is buried in Hurworth Churchyard.
Emerson's portrait can be seen on a sign outside the Emerson Arms in the village.
George Stephenson (1781 - 1848)
Stephenson was brought up in Killingworth, Northumberland, but never actually attended school. He taught himself to read by taking night classes and in 1812 was appointed engine builder to a group working in the mines in the local area.
Stephenson spent much of his working life designing and building railways and locomotives for pulling coal. In 1823 he was put in charge of building a railway that would carry passengers between Stockton and Darlington. When it opened two years later, Stephenson himself drove the engine which hauled the world's first steam passenger train. It was The Locomotion which had a top speed of 24 kph/15 m.p.h. The gauge used on the railway became accepted as the standard gauge for most railways in the world.
John Wycliffe (c.1330 - 1384)
Very little is known of Wycliffe's early life, although an unreliable tradition connects him to the village of Wycliffe, near Richmond. He was probably a member of a land-owning family who lived in Wycliffe Hall which dates back to the twelfth century. Wycliffe both studied and taught at Oxford University and in 1374 was sent by the then king, Edward the Third, to Flanders to negotiate with Papal Ambassadors. He later went on to challenge the wealth and power of the Catholic Church. During the course of the next ten years, his views became more extreme. He attacked the authority of the church and encouraged people to pray directly to God. His most well-known contribution was the first translation of the Bible. As a result, Wycliffe was condemned as a dangerous heretic and his writings publicly burnt.