Members of the student body of St George's Grammar School in Mowbray, and students from Bishops of the Lingua Franca society met on Tuesday 21 October at the Mitre for a talk on the role of Canon Ogilvie at both SGGS and Bishops. 

Canon Ogilvie came to Bishops in 1861, after he was at SGGS for three years.

At Bishops he introduced the code of rugby from Bradfield where he had taught after attending Oxford University.  

Ogilvie the third Principal, was a Wykehamist much like Bishops' first two Principals, HM White and his brother Gilbert.

The head of the St George's alumnus society, Stephen Bornman spoke on the history of Ogilvie at SGGS, outlining invaluable information about him there.  This was followed by the account at Bishops by Paul Murray.

It is a very hard piece of history to put together, for instance, where was rugby football first played at Bishops when Ogilvie introduced it in 1861 his inaugural year as Principal?

What format did it take, exactly?  

Interestingly, last year when Bishops turned 175, so did Bradfield, also the place where Bishops Gray had sent his son.  

When Lucy Norman was writing up certain aspects of the history of Bradfield, the archives at Bishops contributed to her research which she conducted in 2018.  Lucy produced a fascinating account of the birth of rugby football in England, and particularly the way it was played at Bradfield and shared the information with us. Some of it is shared here. 

The Second Master at Bradfield at the time (1850s) was Canon George Ogilvie, nicknamed by his pupils as ‘Gog’ because of the first three letters of the spelling of his name.  It was Ogilvie who brought that code of Rugby football to South Africa, “with the early Bradfield game as the first seed” (Lucy Norman).  Lucy unveiled the truth about the way in which the game ultimately came onto South African shores through Ogilvie, when it is written, as follows:

“Bishops’ is indubitably the birthplace of South African Rugby football. But as indubitably ­– in spite of all the historians – the game from which South African football evolved was not the Winchester game. The error is easy to understand. Ogilvie was educated at Winchester, but from Winchester he went to a mastership at Bradfield and there he played a different kind of football. It was this Bradfield football he introduced at Bishops”.

It is still true to say, as it was written then, that:

“So, finally, out of ‘Gog’s football’ (Canon Ogilvie was nicknamed by his pupils ‘Gog’) there was to grow Rugby football in South Africa, with the early Bradfield game as the first seed. The first match played out there in 1862 between 14 civilians and 15 soldiers, mostly of the 11th Foot – the goals were 150 yards apart; there were mauls or melées, but no handling of the ball – ended with victory for the soldiers and a spirited ballad at the close of it all. But when the soldiers faced the schoolboys at Bishops, they were beaten not once but many times, for the boys lasted better. Which was not surprising since their training consisted of running to the top of Table Mountain and back.”

Oglivie's game however seems to have segued into some handling much as it did at Bradfield (unlike at Winchester).  This occurred if a ball came off a player from a kick, and then there was some running with the ball, and then dribbling, which was the mark of the game.  

Today Bishops proudly still plays a code of running rugby that makes it an attractive sport, dating to 1861, thanks to the game Canon George Ogilvie introduced to his new school.

One of the challenges that we put to the attendees at the meeting of Lingua Franca, was to re-create a typical game that reflects the time Ogilvie came to Bishops and as he taught the boys. 

It will be great to see if this materializes.

Photo above - Canon George Ogilvie (Principal from 1861 -1885) who brought rugby football to Bishops and SA (Photo Credit - Bishops Archives).

Photo above: The cottage where Ogilvie resided with the other teachers ... upstairs were also some dormitories.  This building stood where the San stands today (Photo credit - Bishops Archives).

Photo above: Bradfield College where Canon Ogilvie taught, and where Bishops Gray's son was sent to school.  Last year Bradfield turned 175, as did Bishops. Our best wishes were sent to them on their milestone year.