> well into the 19th Century And even into the 21st Century. My English secondary school (a Grammar school that I joined in 1972) had two years of compulsory

> well into the 19th Century And even into the 21st Century. My English secondary school (a Grammar school that I joined in 1972) had two years of compulsory Latin in its first and second year (approx ages 11 to 13). Students who wanted to follow a classics curriculum could continue for O and A levels, and many picked up ancient Greek as well. Latin is still on their curriculum. At the time Latin and Greek were essential prerequisites for some courses taught at Oxford and Cambridge Universities, e.g. 'Greats' at Oxford [0]. which has produced several British prime ministers, including the current one. I abandoned Latin at the end of my second year. The main benefit of studying it that I realised in later years was that Latin introduced me to elements of language (e.g. a load of different tenses) that took a lot longer to reach in other languages. So it was useful, even if I never had to speak or read it afterwards. [Edit] Added 'Greats'. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Literae_humaniores https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Literae_humaniores