Place Name
George Butler (July 5, 1774 – April 30, 1853) was headmaster of Harrow School between 1805 and 1829 his all-round knowledge, his tact and his skill as a track and field athlete rendered his administration successful and popular. But his passage was not easy at first. He had replaced the very popular Joseph Drury whose departure had upset many of the boys, among them Lord Byron. At one stage there was a plot to blow up the new headmaster but it was abandoned because it would have involved the destruction of panelling on which the boys’ predecessors had carved their names. In 1808 he attempted to reign in some of the more lavish perks and practises of the senior boys – called monitors – who wanted continue beating boys who broke the rules with as much severity as they thought fit. Butler confiscated their canes, and declared their claim to inflict corporal punishment a usurpation. The pupils started a riot lasting four days causing damage to school property – and at one stage even blocked the man Harrow to London road to ensure post could not be sent informing their parents. The matter was eventually resolved and expulsions for the worst of the culprits were carried out. This road is connected to Butler Road – which may be named after George Butler’s son Henry Montagu Butler, who also served as a headmaster at the school. This is one of a cluster of roads named after headteachers and prominent figures at Harrow School.
