School cancels Walter Raleigh and Francis Drake in ‘inclusivity’ drive

A private school has pledged to remove the names of Sir Walter Raleigh and Sir Francis Drake from its buildings in an “inclusivity” drive.

Parents at Exeter School in Devon were told that the Elizabethan naval heroes no longer “represent the values and inclusive nature” of the school.

Louise Simpson, the head teacher, said they had “less than positive connotations” in modern times.

She has announced plans to rename the school’s houses after local woodlands, castles or topographical features, The Sun reported.

Raleigh was one of the most celebrated explorers of Elizabeth I’s reign. He helped defend England against the Spanish Armada in 1588, serving as a naval adviser to Queen Elizabeth and helping to improve the design of ships, which is considered a significant factor in the success of the English fleet against the Spanish.

Drake became an English national hero for helping to defeat the Armada. A year before it sailed, he had launched an attack on the harbour at Cádiz in southern Spain, sinking 37 ships, which forced the Armada to delay its attack.

He was the first Englishman to travel all around the globe as part of a mission approved by Queen Elizabeth against the Spanish. 

Colonial expedition

Raleigh was a colonialist who failed to establish a British settlement in North Carolina because of hostile relations with Native Americans. He is believed to have brought back potatoes and tobacco on return from his expeditions. Potatoes were grown on Raleigh’s estates in Ireland and he is said to have popularised smoking at court.

However, his legacy has been reassessed over his involvement in the slave trade following Black Lives Matter protests in 2020.

Drake took part in voyages with his cousin, Sir John Hawkins, which saw the capture of black African slaves. They also attacked Portuguese slave ships to steal their cargo of slaves.

Drake and Raleigh are among 10 house names being scrapped at Exeter School, which charges fees of up to £16,710 a year.

The other names include the philanthropists and benefactors Sir John Daw, Wilfred Townsend, Sir Charles Goff, Hugh Crossing and Elizabeth Dowrich.

‘Erasing the school’s history’

The school is facing a backlash from parents and alumni over the plans. One former pupil told The Sun: “Instead of erasing the school’s history, the mature thing to do is let the pupils think for themselves.

“Woke cancel culture like this just makes people question the head’s suitability for the job.”

Last year, the Sir Francis Drake school in south London was renamed Twin Oaks Primary because of concerns about the navigator’s links to the slave trade, which the head teacher said sat “at odds with the values of our school”.

During the Black Lives Matter protests, there were calls to remove Drake’s statue from Plymouth, where legend had it he calmly played bowls before defeating the Spanish Armada. However, the council said the statue would stay, with a plaque installed to detail his links to the slave trade.