History
The History Department at Charterhouse has been at the forefront of developments in the teaching of History at secondary level for several years.
The department has introduced new syllabuses at GCSE and Sixth Form, and now boasts one of the most excitingly diverse curricula in the country. We aim to inspire an interest in, and love of, the past, so that pupils will continue to read and enjoy history throughout their adult lives.
Department overview
Our courses provide pupils with a thorough understanding of the political, social, cultural and religious issues of the past, both through investigative learning and from the perspectives of contemporaries and historians.
A large number of pupils go on to study the subject at university in order to develop a career in Law, Finance, the Arts, Teaching and beyond.
For full details of the curriculum, please use the link below.
Department staff
- Mr David McCombes, MA (Oxon), PGCE - Head of Department
- Mr Andrew Brinkley, BA PGCE
- Mr John Eastham, BA
- Mr Michael Gillespie, BA
- Dr Andrew Johnston, MA, PhD
- Mrs Catherine McDonald, MA (Cantab)
- Mr William Tink, BA, MPhil
Mr David McCombes, MA (Oxon), PGCE - Head of Department
Mr McCombes joined Charterhouse in 2011, having been a Housemaster and History teacher at Highgate School, following a three year stint in the Buckingham Palace Press Office. At Charterhouse, Mr McCombes has been Master of the Specialists, Assistant Housemaster of Weekites and Master-in-Charge of Football, as well as helping with a variety of other sports, golf being the clear favourite. He also assists with the Duke of Edinburgh programme. He is a tutor in Fletcherites.
Mr Andrew Brinkley, BA PGCE
Mr Brinkley joined Charterhouse in 2019 from Worth School, where he taught since 2013 and was Housemaster of Butler House. He studied History at Oxford University and had a career in business and as a policy and parliamentary researcher before becoming a teacher. As well as teaching History at Charterhouse, Mr Brinkley is also Housemaster of Robinites.
Mr John Eastham, BA
Mr Eastham joined Charterhouse in January 2018 from Bury Grammar School, where he taught History and managed Year 9 as Head of Year. Alongside his teaching at Charterhouse he serves as Contingent Commander of the Combined Cadet Force and is a tutor in Daviesites. Not surprisingly, his particular historical interests include twentieth century conflict and the development of military tactics and technology. He exercises his creative side in the kitchen, listening to Johnny Cash or Rachmaninov, depending on the recipe in question.
Mr Michael Gillespie, BA
Mr Gillespie joined the History Department in 2002, having left the School as a pupil in 1998. He teaches medieval and early modern History, with particular interest in topics like outcasts in the Middle Ages and the Witch-Hunt. Outside of the hashroom, Mr Gillespie coaches the U16 A hockey and the U15 A cricket teams. Additionally, he is unashamedly obsessed with Bob Dylan - and despairs at the musical taste of one or two of his colleagues.
Dr Andrew Johnston, MA, PhD
Mrs Catherine McDonald, MA (Cantab)
Mrs McDonald joined Charterhouse in 2009 to teach History, having previously worked as a solicitor. Mrs McDonald was Master of the Specialists, Head of History for four years and is now Housemistress of Fletcherites. Outside of the classroom Mrs McDonald helps with the School golf team and the Duke of Edinburgh award programme.
Mr William Tink, BA, MPhil
Mr Tink joined Charterhouse in September 2015, having completed a BA degree in History and an MPhil in Medieval History at Clare College, Cambridge. Mr Tink has undertaken research in twelfth century Cistercian monasticism in the North of England, twelfth and thirteenth century chroniclers’ views on the Crusades and the foreign policy of the Isle of Man in the twelfth century. He enjoys teaching a range of topics, from the eleventh and twelfth century Crusades and the Wars of the Roses, through to the Stuart monarchs in England, to the League of Nations, the Rise of the Nazis and, finally, the Cold War. He also teaches Theory of Knowledge as part of the IB Diploma Programme and delivers an Elective in Palaeontology to Year 12 pupils.