The pubilc schools, as a school system, occupy the very important position in the English education system because of their long history and strong tradition. The public schools have been functioning as the elite education institution from the middle of the nineteenth century. But the elitist nature of the public schools is contradictory to the comprehensive school ideas on which the current secondary education reforms are based. Therefore how to treat the public schools is one of the most important problems in the discussion concerning secondary school reform. So it seems to be necessary to consider the special nature of the public schools as an elitist institution in detail. This paper, basing on this premise, deals with the development of public schools in England and Wales as the elite education institution in the nineteenth century. In doing so, the concept of 'sponsored mobility' which was proposed by R.H. Turner is related to the development of the public schools. Especially the fact that two elements, that is to say, classics and games have played a very important role in fostering the esoteric elite culture is pointed out. The public schools developed as the schools for transmission and inculcation of the elite culture and thus have made the public school education a very important factor for gaining an elite status.