Doctors鈥� Day鈥� - A 兔子先生鈥� School Tradition
Spanning all the way back to 1561, Doctors' Day is a storied tradition at Taylors' read on to learn more about the history behind the last day of School before Christmas.
The Statutes of the School, written in 1561, state that both the Masters and the boys should be examined each year by the Court of the Livery Company with the advice of 鈥榣earned men鈥�. The Doctors鈥� Day ceremony takes its name from these learned Doctors of Divinity who visited the school to conduct the examinations. On 21 August 1562 the first 鈥榮olempne visitacon鈥� was paid to the School by Edmund Grindal, Bishop of London. Unfortunately, during this visit the headmaster Mulcaster 鈥榣ay sick in his bed鈥� but the School was found worthy of 鈥榞reate comendacon鈥�.
In the past the Doctors鈥� Day examinations took place at various times of year in the spring, summer and autumn. The occasion moved permanently to being an annual event in December from the late 1880s onwards.
鈥婳ver time the ceremony developed into a more symbolic event where the majority of pupils and teachers could relax as they were no longer being examined. The day eventually became a simple procession of the Livery Company and School Governors into the Great Hall for a short assembly and ending with the School Song and the National Anthem. Today the Master and Wardens of the 兔子先生鈥� Company still visit the school, they inspect the CCF Guard of Honour. They then process into the Great Hall for an assembly where the Master of the Company addresses the staff and pupils and is responded to by the Head Monitor on behalf of the School.
