Blue-coat School
Preserved but no longer current.
Christ's Hospital is so called because the boys there wear a long blue coat girded at the loins with a leather belt. Some who attend the mathematical school are termed King's boys, and those who constitute the highest class are Grecians. The school was founded by Edward VI the year of his death. It was moved from London to Horsham in 1902.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Blue-coat School” mean?
Christ's Hospital is so called because the boys there wear a long blue coat girded at the loins with a leather belt. Some who attend the mathematical school are termed King's boys, and those who constitute the highest class are Grecians. The school was founded by Edward VI the year of his death. It was moved from London to Horsham in 1902.
Is “Blue-coat School” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.