Shebbear College

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Coordinates: 50°51′50″N 4°12′14″W / 50.864°N 4.204°W / 50.864; -4.204
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Shebbear College
Location
Map
Shebbear
,
Devon
,
EX21 5HO

England
Coordinates50°51′50″N 4°12′14″W / 50.864°N 4.204°W / 50.864; -4.204
Information
TypePrivate day and boarding school
MottoAd Gloriam Per Spinas
("To Glory Through Thorns")
Religious affiliation(s)Methodist
Established1829 - Founded as 'Prospect College'
1841 - Re-founded as 'Shebbear College'
FounderBible Christian Church
Department for Education URN113605 Tables
OfstedReports
HeadCharlie Jenkins
GenderCoeducational
Age3 to 18
Enrolment300 as of January 2020[1]
HousesWay
Thorne
Ruddle
Pollard
Colour(s)Red, Gold, Navy Blue & Black       
Former pupilsOld Shebbearians
School songInteger Vitae Scelerisque Purus
Websitehttps://www.shebbearcollege.co.uk

Shebbear College is an independent day and boarding school for girls and boys aged 4 – 18 situated in Shebbear, Devon, England. The school's 85-acre rural campus is situated in the Devon countryside.

It was founded by the Bible Christian Society in 1829.

History[edit]

William O'Bryan, founder of the Bible Christian Church

Bible Christian Church[edit]

The Bible Christian Church was one of the denominations that merged in the United Methodist Church. Its early preachers appealed solely to the Bible in confirmation of their doctrines. The denomination arose in the agricultural districts and fishing villages of north Cornwall and Devon; a district only slightly influenced by John Wesley and the original Methodist movement. The founder of the movement was William O'Bryan, a Methodist lay preacher of Luxulyan, Cornwall. O'Bryan commenced his labours in north Devon, and in 1815 a small society was formed at Lake Farm, Shebbear.

On O'Bryan's departure, the first fully recognised minister James Thorne, at whose father's farm the connexion had started, became its leader. Thorne laid the foundations broadly in evangelism, finance, temperance and education.

Prospect College[edit]

Shebbear College began its life in 1829. James Thorne's two sons, John and Samuel, began a Christian school for 20 boys called Prospect College after the name of the house built to accommodate the school. It was originally formed for the sons of Bible Christians to train for the ministry. The emblem 'PC' still remains engraved on the main gates to this day.

Shebbear College[edit]

Original college gate with Prospect College emblem

The school saw many changes until it was re-founded by the Bible Christian Church in 1841 as Shebbear College. The first headmaster was an Irish clergyman, Rev. H. C. O'Donoghue, formerly Chaplain to William IV, who had seceded from the Established Church on conscientious grounds.[2]

The Earl of Portsmouth opened a block of new buildings at Shebbear College in 1878, and offered a £5 prize for the best essay on "The Effect of the Revolution of 1688 on Constitutional Progress and National Life."[3]

In October 1882, Sir Thomas Dyke Acland urged upon the College authorities the immediate building of a science laboratory. He himself subscribed liberally to the funds necessary for such a purpose and his example was followed by W. J. Harris, Esq. (M.P. for Poole), a great friend of the College. This formed part of a new scheme of extension, including a new wing to the main complex, which was opened by Sir Thomas Acland in 1884.[4]

Edgehill College, founded for Methodist girls in nearby Bideford in 1884, was considered the college's 'sister-college'.

In 1891 Sir Samuel Way visited England and purchased the freehold of Lake Farm in Shebbear, and then conveyed it to Shebbear College as an endowment.[3]

Numerous missionaries from Shebbear College were sent to China in the Bible Christian Mission. This mission included Samuel Pollard, creator of Pollard script (Chinese: 柏格理苗文 Bó Gélǐ Miao-wen). The main building of the Hopkins–Nanjing Center is named in Pollard's honour.[3]

The present school still includes many original buildings and features, as well as buildings erected for the boarders. Shebbear College now offers education for boys and girls aged 3–18, having become co-educational in 1993.

The college is small in size and has attendance of 340 pupils as of March 2017, from ages 3 to 18.[1]

Houses[edit]

Thomas Ruddle, Headmaster of Shebbear College from 1864-1909

Day Houses[edit]

The college is divided into four day houses that compete both academically and in sport; namely:

  •   Ruddle - named after the College's most influential headmaster, Thomas Ruddle.
  •   Thorne - named after one of the founders of the College, Samuel Thorne.
  •   Way - named after Sir Samuel Way.
  •   Pollard - after Samuel Pollard.

Boarding Houses[edit]

Two of these houses are also boarding houses:

  •   Ruddle - girls' boarding house
  •   Pollard - boys' boarding house

Facilities[edit]

The College stands in 85 acres of grounds with a mix of formal gardens, lawns, open fields and woodland. Its facilities include:

An aerial view of the college grounds
  • Sports Centre: includes gym and dance studio
  • All weather pitch
  • Preparatory School
  • Pre-prep school
  • Sixth Form Centre (Saltmars Building)- officially opened by Sir Gary Sobers on 1 July 2016
  • Music Centre - officially opened by Peter Gordeno (musician) on 27 April 2018
  • 5 car parks
  • 3 boarding houses
  • Two biomass plants
  • Solar panel field
  • New dining facilities
  • Modern Languages department - opened by Michael Morpurgo on 1 July 2011
  • Library
  • Life Skills Centre
  • Science block
  • Two assembly halls

Old Shebbearians[edit]

See also: Category:People educated at Shebbear College

Alumni of Shebbear College are known as Old Shebbearians. Notable alumni include:

Headteachers[edit]

  • Samuel Thorne (1831–1841)
  • The Reverend Hallifield Cosgayne O'Donnoghue (1841–1842)
  • The Reverend William Kelly (1847-1855)
  • Thomas Ruddle (1864–1909)
  • J.Rounsefell (1909–1932)
  • Leslie Johnson (1933–1942)
  • Jack B. Morris (1942–1964)
  • George Washington Kingsnorth (1964–1983)
  • Russell Buley (1983–1997)
  • Leslie Clarke (1997–2003)
  • Robert Barnes (2003–2013)
  • Simon Weale (2013–2019)
  • Caroline Kirby (2019–2022)
  • Charlie Jenkins (2022–Present)

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "Establishment: Shebbear College". ISI. Department for Education. Retrieved 28 September 2017.
  2. ^ "The British monthly; an illustrated record of religious life and work". London Hodder and Stoughton – via Internet Archive.
  3. ^ a b c Wickes, Michael (2007). "THE WEST COUNTRY PREACHERS" (PDF). genuki.cs.ncl.ac.uk. Retrieved 11 September 2020.
  4. ^ Dymond, G. P. (11 September 1913). "Thomas Ruddle of Shebbear : a North Devon Arnold ; his life and selections from his letters". London : Henry Hooks – via Internet Archive.
  5. ^ "Echo". [Thousand Oaks, Calif.] – via Internet Archive.
  6. ^ Coveney, Michael (13 May 2009). "Obituary: John Cater". The Guardian.
  7. ^ "Torontonensis, 1910". Toronto : Students' Administrative Council of the University of Toronto [etc.] 11 September 1910 – via Internet Archive.
  8. ^ "A Earle_P". www.rafweb.org. Retrieved 11 September 2020.
  9. ^ "My United Methodists".
  10. ^ [1][permanent dead link]
  11. ^ "Kent Law School home page". Kent Law School - University of Kent. Retrieved 11 September 2020.
  12. ^ "The chemist and druggist [electronic resource]". London : Morgan Brothers. 11 September 1907 – via Internet Archive.

External links[edit]

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