The Public School Word-book / A conribution to to a historical glossary of words phrases and turns of expression obsolete and in current use peculiar to our great public schools together with some that have been or are modish at the universities

by John Stephen Farmer

1891. Wrench, Winchester Word-Book, s.v. Books. The name of the Classes into which the School is divided. The VI^th, V^th, and II^nd only remain. From Liber in the sense of Roll probably.

Up to books.—In class; repeating lessons; formerly UP AT BOOKS.

c. 1840. Mansfield, School-Life at Winchester College, p. 101. At each end of school are three tiers of benches rising gradually one above the other,—that on the ground being called “Senior Row,” and the others “Middle” and “Junior Row” respectively. On these the Classes sit when UP AT BOOKS, i.e. when repeating lessons.

1847. Halliwell, Archaic Words, s.v. Book. This word was formerly used for any composition, from a volume to a single sheet, particularly where a list is spoken of. See the State Papers, i. 402.

1867. Collins, The Public Schools, p. 37. Three tiers of fixed seats rise against the wainscotted walls on the east and west, where the boys are arranged when UP TO BOOKS, the chairs of the different masters being in front of each.

1872. Walcott, Traditions and Customs of Cathedrals, “Statutes of Chichester Cathedral.” Four wax candles are always distributed at the end of Lauds, at the four uppermost BOOKS, to the Senior set of the BOOKS, to find the lights to the same BOOKS for that time. [Note to foregoing:—At Winchester College the Forms are still called BOOKS.]

1878. Adams, Wykehamica, 417, s.v.

1891. Wrench, Winchester Word-Book, s.v. Books. It has been suggested that this phrase arose from the school having originally to go up to the Donatus—the one book which College boasted; and an entry is extant of a three days’ remedy being entailed by the book going to be bound. The pluralization would be no more than an ordinary Wykehamical inflection.... The following mysterious use of Libri, however, suggests a much more probable origin. Chris. Johnson says: “Seu Chandlerus erat, seu Custos ordine primus, Durus ab inductis dicitur esse LIBRIS!” To which a contemporaneous note is appended: “Lectionum a cæna repetitiones instituisse creditur, quas Wiccamici materna lingua Libros dicunt.” What these “repetitiones” were is not clear; but they were some form of lesson which præ-Elizabethan Wykehamists had christened BOOKS in their materna lingua, and Johnson’s annotator thought the word strange enough to deserve a note. We may, therefore, very possibly be only perpetuating this word in our use of UP TO BOOKS.

Books Chambers.—Explained by quotations.

c. 1840. Mansfield, School-Life at Winchester College, p. 103. On Remedies (a kind of whole holiday) we also went into school in the morning and afternoon for an hour or two without masters; this was called BOOKS CHAMBERS; and on Sundays, from four till a quarter to five.