Unofficial Christ's Hospital Forum

It's come around again! DOJ, hope your birthday is as seedy as you would wish! Depending on where you are dossing. Many congratulations on this splendid day!

I still think it's an 'alto-ego', Angela.

Angela Woodford wrote:It's come around again! DOJ, hope your birthday is as seedy as you would wish! Depending on where you are dossing. Many congratulations on this splendid day!

I say Munch, 1000 posts. Indicative of spending far too much time on here

J.R. wrote:I still think it's an 'alto-ego', Angela.

I like to think that A Dirty Old Jack exists somewhere. Somebody may identify him sometime! Happy Birthday.

Hey, Mary, I will never catch up on your splendid posting record, but I am delighted to be a Button Grecian! The only snag is.... ... I don't actually know what buttonhood means!

I'm ashamed.

Never be ashamed of not knowing something, after all, polititians get paid for it. And congratulations anyway, and to DOJ if he exists.

Angela Woodford wrote:

J.R. wrote:I still think it's an 'alto-ego', Angela.

I like to think that A Dirty Old Jack exists somewhere. Somebody may identify him sometime! Happy Birthday.

Hey, Mary, I will never catch up on your splendid posting record, but I am delighted to be a Button Grecian! The only snag is.... ... I don't actually know what buttonhood means!

I'm ashamed.

At Horsham Grecians (6th formers /year13) with aspirations of Oxbridge got (maybe still do) given their buttons as did House Captains and School (as opposed to House) monitors.

An ordinary Housey coat had 7 buttons whereas a button grecian had 14 buttons and velvet cuffs to his coat.

Buttons were (are) a mark of distinction and you deserve them for your consistently erudite, descriptive posts.

Angela Woodford wrote:

J.R. wrote:I still think it's an 'alto-ego', Angela.

I like to think that A Dirty Old Jack exists somewhere. Somebody may identify him sometime! Happy Birthday.

Hey, Mary, I will never catch up on your splendid posting record, but I am delighted to be a Button Grecian! The only snag is.... ... I don't actually know what buttonhood means!

I'm ashamed.

I am ashamed too, while I was racking up that posting record the furniture diappeared under layers if dust and two of the children grew up without me noticing.

englishangel wrote:I am ashamed too, while I was racking up that posting record the furniture diappeared under layers if dust and two of the children grew up without me noticing.

What happened to the other one? You have three don't you? Perhaps you cannot remember!!!!

Mid A 15 wrote:
At Horsham Grecians (6th formers /year13) with aspirations of Oxbridge got (maybe still do) given their buttons as did House Captains and School (as opposed to House) monitors.

An ordinary Housey coat had 7 buttons whereas a button grecian had 14 buttons and velvet cuffs to his coat.

Buttons were (are) a mark of distinction and you deserve them for your consistently erudite, descriptive posts.

Andy, thank you for this information and your encouraging words!

Whilst A Dirty Old Jack must still be moribund/sleeping a deep deep sleep of peace after his revelries, may I ask further about the buttons? Here and there one reads of the buttons as a treasured souvenir, bestowed or seized by girls after St Matthew's Day, or some other rare encounter. Are the buttons particularly attractive, or were they acquired in memory of meeting a particularly trophy male?

I should have noticed the buttons on Old Blues Day, but our guide to the Museum was concentrating more on explaining about his breeches. Velvet cuffs - terrific! So the buttons are awarded for academic excellence - how about the sports heroes?

Munch

Katharine wrote:

englishangel wrote:I am ashamed too, while I was racking up that posting record the furniture diappeared under layers if dust and two of the children grew up without me noticing.

What happened to the other one? You have three don't you? Perhaps you cannot remember!!!!

The other one was (supposedly) already grown up, though he is still at home with his younger brother while my daughter is the one who has left home (for University)

Angela Woodford wrote: may I ask further about the buttons? Here and there one reads of the buttons as a treasured souvenir, bestowed or seized by girls after St Matthew's Day, or some other rare encounter. Are the buttons particularly attractive, or were they acquired in memory of meeting a particularly trophy male?

I should have noticed the buttons on Old Blues Day, but our guide to the Museum was concentrating more on explaining about his breeches. Velvet cuffs - terrific! So the buttons are awarded for academic excellence - how about the sports heroes?

Munch

Buttons (as in a special coat) were, as you suggest, awarded for academic excellence (though I suspect that other social qualities were also required).

The buttons used to do up the coat were not, IMHO, particularly attractive. They were made in three parts; the back was a brass colour and had a ring on its back for sewing to the fabric. The front was a nickel (probably) finish - a dull chrome - and featured a bust of Edward VI (or whichever one it was). This was fastened over the edges of the back.
There were two sizes - one about 1/2 inch diameter and the other about 1 inch.

The ordinary coat had the small buttons on the front except for the bottom one which was a large one. All breeches had 3 at the knee on the outside which could not be undone. The sleeves of the coats also had three; in my day on the ordinary coat these could not be undone but ISTR that the sleeve buttons on the Button Grecian coats were worn undone.

Angela Woodford wrote:
Whilst A Dirty Old Jack must still be moribund/sleeping a deep deep sleep of peace after his revelries, may I ask further about the buttons? Here and there one reads of the buttons as a treasured souvenir, bestowed or seized by girls after St Matthew's Day, or some other rare encounter. Are the buttons particularly attractive, or were they acquired in memory of meeting a particularly trophy male?

Munch

I remember getting a button from someone at (I think) St Matthew's Day in my UVIth year. I've still got it somewhere, along with a crisp new pound note folded up into a little plastic wallet that we were given by the Lord Mayor.

just got my Autumn Special edition of Housey (a bit late but that is another story!) and a photo on the third page has me puzzled.
It depicts a boy and a girl blowing a fanfare as a tape is being cut.

The oddity is that the boy seems to have only two buttons on his right cuff whilst the girl has at least 13 (yes, thirteen) buttons up the outside of her left sleeve and three on her right cuff (the rest of her sleeve is invisible and the boy's left cuff might have three buttons on it).

Neither is a "button grecian".

Can anyone coment on the extra / missing buttons?

sejintenej wrote:just got my Autumn Special edition of Housey (a bit late but that is another story!) and a photo on the third page has me puzzled.
It depicts a boy and a girl blowing a fanfare as a tape is being cut.

The oddity is that the boy seems to have only two buttons on his right cuff whilst the girl has at least 13 (yes, thirteen) buttons up the outside of her left sleeve and three on her right cuff (the rest of her sleeve is invisible and the boy's left cuff might have three buttons on it).

Neither is a "button grecian".

Can anyone comment on the extra / missing buttons?

Unless I am mistaken, the band captain has a whole load of buttons on their sleeves.
New invention, not sure from when.

sejintenej wrote:just got my Autumn Special edition of Housey (a bit late but that is another story!) and a photo on the third page has me puzzled.
It depicts a boy and a girl blowing a fanfare as a tape is being cut.

The oddity is that the boy seems to have only two buttons on his right cuff whilst the girl has at least 13 (yes, thirteen) buttons up the outside of her left sleeve and three on her right cuff (the rest of her sleeve is invisible and the boy's left cuff might have three buttons on it).

Neither is a "button grecian".

Can anyone coment on the extra / missing buttons?

I'd agree with John H and say the girl was Band Captain.