Thomas Ethelbert Page

“ Though bold to make changes, he was loyal to the past, so that he became the living embodiment of 'the spirit of the school,' both in its old and its new 'home.' A man 'of infinite jest,' though he could be very stern, he was always very human, so that 'Old Bill,' as he was called, was an object equally of awe and of affection.
On his retirement from the school in 1897 he was appointed master of Charterhouse (in London) . He took an active part in the government of the hospital, and remained an energetic member of the governing body of the school. ”

“ From that moment its progress was marvellous. 'The Schoolmaster' no longer occupied a position subordinate to the 'Master' of the hospital, but by the appointment of a 'now governing body of Charterhouse school' (distinct henceforth from the 'governors of Charterhouse') , in accordance with the Public Schools Act of 1868, he became a headmaster, with the very ample statutory powers which that act bestowed. Once Haig Brown held power he knew how to use it. Fearless himself, he inspired all around him with his own courage and confidence. ”

“ He was not a great teacher, certainly no theorist about education, no lover of exact rules, and rather one who allowed both boys and masters the largest measure of independence. Like the other three great schoolmasters of the century, Arnold, Thring, and Kennedy, he neither sought nor received ecclesiastical preferment. ”