1586 – “The best attended school in England”

In 1586, William Camden’s Britannia was first published, a county-by-county geographical and historical survey of Great Britain and Ireland.

In it, the author described Shrewsbury as “schola totius Angliae numerosissima” (the best attended school in England).

The Headmaster at that time was John Meighin. Throughout his tenure, the annual entry of new boys was over 97, which suggests that the number in the School averaged 400 to 500.

Meighin’s other notable achievements include replacing the original timber schoolhouse (which already in Headmaster Thomas Ashton’s time was described as “old and inclining to ruin”) with stone buildings that still stand today; and laying the foundation of the School’s famous Library.