Place Name
Named after the former school of Henry Dupuis, chairman of the Vestry, a prototype parish council, and vicar of Richmond who had been responsible for moving the National School (previously St Mary’s parochial school) from George Street to the top of this new road in 1854. Dupuis had previously been an assistant master at Eton, a public school for boys founded in 1440 by Henry VI, for 18 years. The name was suggested by librarian A C Piper and was first featured in the minutes if 1857, when the Vestry agreed to the upkeep of the road if the owners of the land, the Church trustees, paid £20. The name Eton itself derives from Old English Ēa tūn, meaning River-Town. The school’s website says: “Henry wanted his subjects to have the opportunities of gaining knowledge that he had enjoyed, and he made provision for 70 poor boys, known as King’s Scholars, to be housed and educated at Eton free of charge. Alongside them, other boys could also benefit from the free education, but they would have to pay for their accommodation.” The school which currently charges around £42,000 a year in fees, it has educated 20 prime ministers including David Cameron and Boris Johnson.
