The Coronation of King Charles III gives us the opportunity to look back at Emanuel’s ancient and slightly more modern connections with the Royal Family and Westminster. Lady Anne Dacre (nee Sackville) founded Emanuel Hospital in 1594, however, she passed away before the hospital was built with the executors of her will quickly applying to Queen Elizabeth I for a Charter of Incorporation (known as a Royal Charter), which was granted on 17th December 1601. Although we do not know much about the exact relationship between Anne and the Queen, they were said to be close, with Anne serving as a lady in waiting to the Queen. Anne’s brother Thomas Sackville was also a great supporter and friend of the Queen and the family’s influence at the Royal Court undoubtedly helped in having the charter awarded.
Two decades after the Charter of Incorporation was awarded, the hospital fell under the office of the Lord Mayor and Corporation of London, becoming a public establishment which lasted for 250 years from 1623 to 1873. The Sackville family, who were independently wealthy, saw their legacy live on through the hospital which supported old people and educated poor children. Sadly, the original charter was lost, in all likelihood hundreds of years ago, and now all that now exists is a copy held by the offices of the Corporation of London. Although little biographical details exist about the life of Anne, descendants from the Sackville branch of her family very kindly commissioned and donated the portrait of her which resides in the permanent School Archive.
Due to the changes in the education system in the 1870s Emanuel Hospital eventually evolved into Emanuel School which relocated to Wandsworth in 1883. In acknowledgement of Emanuel’s ancient connection with the City of London when the school departed Westminster it was given permission to use the Portcullis symbol, which is normally associated with Parliament, government, or royalty. Versions of the Portcullis then began to appear on school caps, blazers, badges, and ties with the official school magazine being renamed ‘The Portcullis’ in 1906.
On Wednesday 7th November 1951, The Queen (later known as The Queen Mother) visited Emanuel on the 350th Anniversary of the granting of the charter by Queen Elizabeth I to Emanuel Hospital in 1601. When Queen Elizabeth II visited in 1994, this celebrated the 400th anniversary of the founding of the school. So, each of these important Royal Visits commemorated two unique moments in school history, its founding, and the awarding of the Charter of Incorporation.
Mr T Jones, Archivist and Senior Librarian