SCH HOUS 03

Reference code

SCH HOUS 03

Title

House Books

Level

Series

Date

1813 - 1980s

Content description

Kept by the Captain of the House and sometimes the Captain of the Games, or by the secretary of the Debating Society, these offer an unparalleled insight into boy life. Although the detail varies from entry to entry according to the conscientiousness of the writer, many include information not available elsewhere, such as membership of junior house teams, comments on the skills (or otherwise) of team members, the characters of the new boys or the library, and general observations on the running of the house. Debate subjects give clues as to subjects of current interests as well as the views of the speakers, though one must always bear in mind that in debate one may argue a position for the sake of argument.

Associated material

The Museum of Eton Life collection includes many house team lists and copies of House Library/Debating Society rules. It was the custom to bind these in the appropriate ribbon and display them on walls or screens.