Henry Hayman

Henry Hayman (1823–1904) was a British Anglican priest and educator. Becoming the headmaster of Rugby School, in post from 1870 to 1874, as the successor of Frederick Temple, he was dismissed from the position in a very public controversy.

Early life Hayman was born on 3 March 1823 in Surrey Street, Strand, London, the eldest son of Philip Dell Hayman; the journalist Johh Marshall Hayman was his brother. In October 1832, Hayman entered Merchant Taylors' School, and becoming head monitor passed with a Sir Thomas White scholarship on 28 June 1841 to St. John's College, Oxford, where he graduated B.A. with a double second class in 1845. He proceeded M.A. in 1849, B.D. in 1854, and D.D. in 1870. Temple would have preferred John Percival, and his choice would have been Theodore Walrond, of the other candidates. Hayman, anyway, was alien to the tradition of Thomas Arnold, head of Rugby from 1828 to 1841. Initially, an issue was made of Hayman's testimonials. Matthew Arnold looked at them, at the time, with Arthur Penrhyn Stanley, and concluded that "they are such as will perfectly enable the trustees to stand by the appointment" if they wished.

Hayman's appointment was by the trustees of the school. The Public Schools Act 1868 meant that the trustees were about to be replaced by a governing body. When the matter came to court, it was ruled that the incoming governing body were not bound to continue Hayman in post.

The timeline of the Hayman affair published by Samuel Ralph Townshend Mayer, a Hayman supporter, shows that the transition occurred at the end of 1871, when six of the trustees became governors. Temple, George Granville Bradley, and William Henry Bateson, partisan against Hayman, were on the governing body. Roach writes:

"Temple did nothing to conceal his hostility ... It seems extraordinary that he was prepared to behave in such a way towards his successor. ... Hayman seems to have been tactless and good at making enemies."

Hayman was opposed by almost all of the staff: 20 out of 21 assistant masters had protested to the trustees about the appointment. To no avail, Temple told Hayman that he was informing the trustees that their choice would be a disaster. Initially Edward Ashley Scott led resistance to Hayman, and Hayman unsuccessfully asked the trustees to sack him. Again, in 1873, Hayman chose to target leaders of hostility to him, Arthur Sidgwick (as "the only single man"), and Charles James Eliseo Smith (1835–1900). In this case, the governing body dismissed Hayman, its chairman Henry Philpott having become disillusioned with Hayman's methods.

Hayman took the governors to court, retaining William Pearson QC. Richard Malins as Vice-Chancellor of England agreed with the defence's demurrer, and ruled the court should not interfere.

Later life Hayman served as Rector at Aldingham from 1874 until 1904. He died there on 11 July 1904, and was buried in the churchyard.

Works Articles by Henry Hayman including "My Time At Rugby (1869–74)"