▁the ▁nav v ies ▁building ▁emb ank ments ▁were ▁to ▁be ▁form ative ▁influ ences ". ▁▁ ▁Later ▁in ▁ 1 8 6 2 , ▁aged ▁eleven , ▁Ra wn s ley ▁en rolled ▁at ▁U pping ham ▁School , ▁where ▁his ▁god father , ▁Edward ▁Th ring , ▁was ▁head master . ▁ ▁Th ring ▁became ▁a ▁major ▁influence ▁on ▁him : ▁Ra wn s ley ▁excel led ▁at ▁athlet ics ▁and ▁g ymn ast ics , ▁but ▁Th ring ▁encourag ed ▁his ▁a est h etic ▁side , ▁particularly ▁his ▁bud ding ▁g ifts ▁as ▁a ▁poet . ▁The ▁historian ▁George ▁B ott ▁writes : ▁ ▁In ▁ 1 8 6 9 ▁Th ring ▁introduced ▁Ra wn s ley ▁to ▁the ▁Lake ▁District , ▁stay ing ▁in ▁Gr asm ere ▁village , ▁where ▁William ▁Word sw orth ▁had ▁lived . ▁Ra wn s ley ▁quickly ▁came ▁to ▁share ▁the ▁enthus ias m ▁shown ▁by ▁Word sw orth ▁and ▁others ▁for ▁the ▁Lake ▁District ▁landscape . ▁ ▁In ▁ 1 8 7 0 ▁Ra wn s ley ▁went ▁up ▁to ▁Bal li ol ▁College , ▁Oxford , ▁initially ▁reading ▁class ics ▁but ▁switching ▁after ▁two ▁years ▁to ▁natural ▁sciences , ▁with ▁the ▁intention ▁of ▁becoming ▁a ▁medical ▁pract ition er . ▁He ▁was ▁at ▁first ▁an ▁ex uber ant ▁under grad uate , ▁prominent ▁in ▁athlet ics ▁and ▁row ing , ▁and ▁not ▁consp ic u ously ▁cons cient ious ▁about ▁his ▁studies . ▁His ▁out look ▁became ▁more ▁serious ▁under ▁the