Albert Ernest Hillard

Albert Ernest Hillard (1865-1935) was High Master of St Paul's for 22 years. An Anglican clergyman and talented classicist, he ordered three immediate innovations, the holding of Confirmation classes, the introduction of the 'modern' pronunciation of Latin, and the institution of the prefect system. Dr Hillard also encouraged the teaching of English Literature to pupils, as there had previously been no provision for any specialist English teaching, and many boys were failing their university...See more

Albert Ernest Hillard (1865-1935) was High Master of St Paul's for 22 years. An Anglican clergyman and talented classicist, he ordered three immediate innovations, the holding of Confirmation classes, the introduction of the 'modern' pronunciation of Latin, and the institution of the prefect system. Dr Hillard also encouraged the teaching of English Literature to pupils, as there had previously been no provision for any specialist English teaching, and many boys were failing their university entrance exams. At the time, one teacher noted it was ironic that schoolfellows of Milton should in the matter of English be "the hungry sheep who looked up and were not fed". Collaborating with Michael Arthur ('Neddy') North of Clifton College, he wrote Latin Prose Composition (1895) which remained the standard textbook in English grammar schools for much of the twentieth century; this, more than his leadership, was his legacy to education. Hillard was profoundly shy, and avoided both teachers and pupils alike, only on the rarest of occasions visiting a classroom. Staff salaries stagnated during his time in charge of St Paul's, and this, combined with his social difficulties, meant he had few admirers. A history of the school written a quarter of a century after his retirement glosses over Dr Hillard's 22 years as a stepping-stone between two personality-driven leaders. See less