Cowper-Temple Clause
Preserved but no longer current.
Clause 14 of the Education Act of 1870 (so called from its author, W. Cowper-Temple (1811-88), which regulated religious teaching in public elemen- tary schools. It enacted that "in any school provided by a School Board, no religious catechism or religious formulary which is distinctive of any particular denomination, shall be taught.
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 “Cowper-Temple Clause” mean?
Clause 14 of the Education Act of 1870 (so called from its author, W. Cowper-Temple (1811-88), which regulated religious teaching in public elemen- tary schools. It enacted that "in any school provided by a School Board, no religious catechism or religious formulary which is distinctive of any particular denomination, shall be taught.
Is “Cowper-Temple Clause” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.