St Matthew’s Day: At St Paul’s Cathedral

One of the highlights in the Christ’s Hospital  calendar, St. Matthew’s Day, celebrates nearly five centuries of valued ties with the City of London. This year, the tradition took on a grand prominence as the entire school took over the city, halting traffic and capturing everybody’s attention.

On Friday 4 October, a special service was held at St Paul’s Cathedral, attended by more than 850 students and distinguished guests including their Royal Highnesses, The Duke (President of Christ’s Hospital) and Duchess of Gloucester, the Lord Mayor Locum Tenens, the Bishop of London and the Dean of St Paul’s Cathedral. This special service was to mark the 350th anniversary of the Royal Mathematical School and celebrated the historic partnership between Christ’s Hospital and the City of London. Following the service, in their iconic Housey uniform, the Christ’s Hospital Band and students proceeded in grandeur from the Cathedral to Guildhall, where each student received a newly minted coin or “largesse”. In a tradition dating back from at least 1557, the list of current CH Governors, including the newly appointed Treasurer, Miriam McKay (7s 76-83) was presented to the Lord Mayor Locum Tenens, by the Clerk of Christ’s Hospital, highlighting the bond between Christ’s Hospital and the City of London. The event united the CH community, marking an historic milestone and creating an unforgettable experience.

The history of St Matthew’s Day

Pre 1902, on St Matthew’s Day, there was a service in Christ Church followed by a visit to CH, where the list of CH Governors was handed over to the Lord Mayor. Until 1871, prizegiving and the Orations also took place on this day.

In 1903, after the relocation of the boys’ school from London to Horsham, the St Matthew’s Day parade took place for the first time. For much of the 20th century students travelled to London on a chartered train, until recent years where students have travelled by coach. A church service was followed by a procession, led by the Band, to meet the Lord Mayor, who presented students with a “largesse”, a gift of newly minted money. Prior to 1903 the parade and largesse were a tradition that took place on Easter Tuesday, not St Matthew’s Day.

From 1904, girls were in attendance for the first time, following the suggestion of the women’s committee and by permission of the Lord Mayor. The sixth form, the monitresses and one or two elder girls were present in Christ Church and at Mansion House or Guildhall, where they too had the honour of shaking hands with the Lord Mayor. From 1968 the number of girls who could attend rose from 25 to 65, and, in 1976, girls joined the boys’ choir for the celebration.

(St Matthew’s Day 1927)

The “Largesse”

The “largesse”, originally a silver sixpence for most students, was doubled in 1828 by the Lord Mayor, William Thompson (President of CH), to one shilling (five pence) for all except Monitors and Grecians, who were given more. The amount has since been increased and is now £10 for the Senior Grecian, £2 for Monitors, £1 for Grecians and 50p for all other students.

(St Matthew’s Day c1969 – Hertford Girls receiving the Largesse)

(2024 largesse ceremony)

St Paul’s Cathedral

The St Matthew’s Day service was always held at Christ Church, until it was bombed in the Blitz. Following WWII, it was held at one of the city churches or St Paul’s Cathedral on occasion. This year, to accommodate the entire school for a grand celebration, the service was held at St Paul’s Cathedral. This was only the eighth time throughout the St Matthew’s Day history that the service has been held here. The last time St Paul’s hosted the St Matthew’s Day service was in 2012, in honour of the school’s 460th anniversary.

(St Matthew’s Day 1964)

Did you know?

Sir Christopher Wren served on the Mathematical Committee and was elected a Governor in c.1667. He was the architect of St Paul’s Cathedral, as well as Christ Church, Greyfriars (the CH place of worship on Newgate Street, where St Matthew’s Day was commemorated up until the Second World War, when it was bombed in the Blitz). Wren was appointed as the architect for rebuilding the south front of CH in 1682 (including the Wren Portico), after the Great Fire. He also designed Christ’s Hospital’s Writing School in 1695/6.

(Sir Christopher Wren and Senior Grecian, Hoyeon, with Sir Christopher Wren’s memorial at St Paul’s Cathedral 2024)

Thank you for the CH Museum team for providing the historical facts for this article. Learn more at CH Museum – Open Tuesdays and Thursdays 10am – 4pm. Contact: chmuseum@christs-hospital.org.uk or
01403 247444. Visit: www.chmuseum.org.uk

2024 photos: Toby Phillips Photography