Category:Royal Navy Preparatory Schools

This category groups private schools that were often known as "crammers", for young boys aged 11-14 (or so – my estimate) whose mission was focused on preparing the kids for successful entry into the Royal Navy. For instance, the goal was that the boys would pass the competitive entry examination at the training ship H.M.S. Britannia or at Royal Naval College, Osborne.

The most accessible form of information for this data is often newspaper articles listing the successful entrants to the Navy, as the prior schooling was often mentioned in the period 1860-1870 (or so), if the schools were crammers. It appears to have been a form of advertisement – I do not know if payment was made for such mention. Sadly, this data was seemingly uniformly omitted (my research is not complete) between about 1870 and some time in the twentieth century after the closure of Britannia.

When such reporting was resumed, the prior education of every boy was generally listed, even in cases where his schooling was general in nature.

If you possess ideas of where such data can be obtained, especially for the period 1870-1910 (or so), please contact me.

— TONY LOVELL, Editor.

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