Richard Mulcaster facts for kids

Richard Mulcaster (born around 1531 in Carlisle, England – died April 15, 1611, in Essex, England) was an important teacher and writer. He is best known for being the headmaster of two famous schools in London: Merchant Taylors' School and St Paul's School. He also wrote many books about teaching and is often seen as one of the first people to suggest creating an English dictionary. He was also a priest in the Anglican Church.

Early Life and Education

Richard Mulcaster was likely born in 1530 or 1531 at Brackenhill Castle. His father was William Mulcaster.

In 1561, he became the first headmaster of Merchant Taylors' School in London. At that time, this was the biggest school in England. Mulcaster worked hard to create a strong curriculum (a plan of what to teach). He set high standards for teaching Latin, Greek, and Hebrew. He also mentored Lancelot Andrewes, who later became a very important church leader.

Church Work

Mulcaster also worked for the church. In 1590, he became the vicar of Cranbrook in Kent. Later, he was the rector of St Margaret's Church in Stanford Rivers in Essex. In 1592, Queen Elizabeth I appointed him to a special position in Yatesbury in Wiltshire.

Important Writings

Mulcaster's most famous book, Elementarie, was published in 1582. This book was mostly a guide on how to teach well, especially how to teach English.

Back then, Latin was considered the most important language for education. But Mulcaster strongly believed that English had huge potential. He argued that English could be used for all the important things that Latin was used for. He wanted English to be used more widely and, most importantly, to be respected.

In Elementarie, Mulcaster wrote about national pride in the English language. He said that "foreigners and strangers do wonder at us, both for the uncertainty in our writing, and the inconstancy in our letters." He believed that no other language was "better able to utter all arguments, either with more pith, or greater plainness, than our English tongue is." He helped start a movement that eventually led to English becoming the main language for learning in English-speaking countries. However, he also said that English needed clear rules for spelling and grammar, just like Latin had.

Helping Create Dictionaries

To help English become a strong language for education, Mulcaster's book Elementarie ended with a list of 8,000 "hard words." He didn't define these words. Instead, he tried to set a standard way of spelling them. At that time, English spelling was not fixed, and words could be spelled many different ways.

Mulcaster also suggested rules for spelling, like how a silent e at the end of a word can change the sound of a vowel (for example, bad versus bade). His list of words was a call for the first English dictionary. He wanted someone to gather "all the words which we use in our English tongue... into one dictionary." This dictionary would show the correct spelling, meaning, and proper use of each word. The first actual English dictionary, A Table Alphabeticall, was published more than 20 years later, in 1604.

Richard Mulcaster and Football

Richard Mulcaster made a unique contribution to the history of sports. He is known for using the word "football" and for giving us the earliest information about organized team football.

In his 1581 book, Positions Wherein Those Primitive Circumstances Be Examined, Which Are Necessary for the Training up of Children, Mulcaster described football as a game played mainly with the feet. He explained that it was different from games played with hands or arms, like "the hand ball" or "the armeball." He believed that football had good educational value and helped build health and strength.

Mulcaster was also one of the first people to suggest having referees in games. He wrote that if someone "can judge of the play, and is judge over the parties, & hath authority to command in the place," then many problems could be avoided. He described a game for small teams that was organized with a referee. This shows that the game had changed from wild "mob" football to something more structured. He talked about teams ("sides" and "parties"), player positions ("standings"), the need for a referee ("judge over the parties"), and even a coach ("training master").

Politics

In 1559, Mulcaster served as a Member of Parliament for Carlisle.