Elizabeth College, Guernsey
Encyclopedia
Elizabeth College is an independent school
in the town of St Peter Port
, Guernsey
, founded in 1563 under the orders of Queen Elizabeth I.
. In order to create a site for the college, Franciscan
friars were moved from their lands on La Rue Des Frères. The College still occupies this site. The College lands extended from College Street through the Grange all the way to Upland Road. However, the main College building of the time was the Cottage on the corner of the current campus, near to the top of Smith Street (Le Rue des Forges).
Until the 19th century, the school was poorly administered, and there was frequently only a very small number of students. Then in 1824 the governor of the island, Sir John Colbourne established a committee to perform a full review of the school, and by 1826 there was a new staff and a more complete curriculum, and the school was in a position to attract fee-paying students from England. On 19 October 1826 the foundation stone of a new building was laid, and the school was renamed as the Royal College of Elizabeth. The building, which remains a prominent feature of the St Peter Port
skyline, was designed by John Wilson, who was also the architect of the French Halles, Castle Carey, and the former Church of St James the Less.
The entire school was evacuated during World War II
to Great Hucklow
in Derbyshire
as a result of the occupation of the Channel Islands
by Nazi Germany, and tradition says that a ghost of one of the Nazi soldiers walks the corridors at night.
Another once popular ghost story was that of a young boy that walks the corridors near the Le Marchant Library. He was said to have been locked in detention, but then forgotten about during the summer holidays, and subsequently starved to death.
The College also keeps records of every single student that has been taught there since 1824, in several volumes, with their name, birthdate and college number. The prestigious number "1" belongs to James Colborne (born 8 September 1815), later Baron Seaton.
The attached primary school is called Beechwood (head Mrs Battey).
Elizabeth College has traditionally been a boys-only College. In the early 1990s, the college briefly admitted female students in the sixth form in order to cover the relocation of Blanchlande school. In 1999, a Sixth Form partnership arrangement was established with Ladies' College
with shared teaching of AS and A2 lessons, split across the two Colleges.
As an independent school, the majority of pupils are fee-paying; however the States of Guernsey
awards scholarships annually on the basis of Eleven Plus
results. Students of Beechwood, the junior school section of Elizabeth College, are not permitted to take the eleven plus, and therefore must be fee-paying students if they are to attend the college.
Elizabeth College is a selective school, all prospective pupils (from states schools or the Junior School) must pass the entrance exam in order to be offered a place.
and cricket
) one in each of the three school terms. It has also been particularly successful in rifle shooting
, regularly supplying members of the Athelings (GB Cadet) rifle team as well as combining with Victoria College
to form the Channel Islands rifle team, that has won the Cadet National match several times in recent years. The sport of Fencing has recently grown in the College with the school now regularly sending a team to the annual public schools fencing championships and other domestic competitions.
The school also participated in many swimming galas mainly competing with Victoria College, Jersey
.
holders amongst its former pupils:
Independent school (UK)
An independent school is a school that is not financed through the taxation system by local or national government and is instead funded by private sources, predominantly in the form of tuition charges, gifts and long-term charitable endowments, and so is not subject to the conditions imposed by...
in the town of St Peter Port
St Peter Port
Saint Peter Port is the capital of Guernsey as well as the main port. The population in 2001 was 16,488. In Guernésiais and in French, historically the official language of Guernsey, the name of the town and its surrounding parish is St Pierre Port. The "port" distinguishes this parish from...
, Guernsey
Guernsey
Guernsey, officially the Bailiwick of Guernsey is a British Crown dependency in the English Channel off the coast of Normandy.The Bailiwick, as a governing entity, embraces not only all 10 parishes on the Island of Guernsey, but also the islands of Herm, Jethou, Burhou, and Lihou and their islet...
, founded in 1563 under the orders of Queen Elizabeth I.
History
Elizabeth College was founded in 1563 under the orders of Queen Elizabeth I. Elizabeth referred to it as her "Grammar School". It was the fourth school to be established on the island, the others being the (loose) equivalent of primaries in St Peter Port, St Peters and St Martins. The first schoolmaster was Belgian scholar Adrian Saravia, who went on to become one of the translators of the King James Version of the BibleKing James Version of the Bible
The Authorized Version, commonly known as the King James Version, King James Bible or KJV, is an English translation of the Christian Bible by the Church of England begun in 1604 and completed in 1611...
. In order to create a site for the college, Franciscan
Franciscan
Most Franciscans are members of Roman Catholic religious orders founded by Saint Francis of Assisi. Besides Roman Catholic communities, there are also Old Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, ecumenical and Non-denominational Franciscan communities....
friars were moved from their lands on La Rue Des Frères. The College still occupies this site. The College lands extended from College Street through the Grange all the way to Upland Road. However, the main College building of the time was the Cottage on the corner of the current campus, near to the top of Smith Street (Le Rue des Forges).
Until the 19th century, the school was poorly administered, and there was frequently only a very small number of students. Then in 1824 the governor of the island, Sir John Colbourne established a committee to perform a full review of the school, and by 1826 there was a new staff and a more complete curriculum, and the school was in a position to attract fee-paying students from England. On 19 October 1826 the foundation stone of a new building was laid, and the school was renamed as the Royal College of Elizabeth. The building, which remains a prominent feature of the St Peter Port
St Peter Port
Saint Peter Port is the capital of Guernsey as well as the main port. The population in 2001 was 16,488. In Guernésiais and in French, historically the official language of Guernsey, the name of the town and its surrounding parish is St Pierre Port. The "port" distinguishes this parish from...
skyline, was designed by John Wilson, who was also the architect of the French Halles, Castle Carey, and the former Church of St James the Less.
The entire school was evacuated during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
to Great Hucklow
Great Hucklow
Great Hucklow is a small village in the Derbyshire Peak District which nestles under Hucklow Edge between the villages of Tideswell and Bradwell. It has a population of about 100. The area is now mainly agricultural, but the village was formerly a centre of the Derbyshire lead mining industry...
in Derbyshire
Derbyshire
Derbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. A substantial portion of the Peak District National Park lies within Derbyshire. The northern part of Derbyshire overlaps with the Pennines, a famous chain of hills and mountains. The county contains within its boundary of approx...
as a result of the occupation of the Channel Islands
Occupation of the Channel Islands
The Channel Islands were occupied by Nazi Germany for much of World War II, from 30 June 1940 until the liberation on 9 May 1945. The Channel Islands are two British Crown dependencies and include the bailiwicks of Guernsey and Jersey as well as the smaller islands of Alderney and Sark...
by Nazi Germany, and tradition says that a ghost of one of the Nazi soldiers walks the corridors at night.
Another once popular ghost story was that of a young boy that walks the corridors near the Le Marchant Library. He was said to have been locked in detention, but then forgotten about during the summer holidays, and subsequently starved to death.
The College also keeps records of every single student that has been taught there since 1824, in several volumes, with their name, birthdate and college number. The prestigious number "1" belongs to James Colborne (born 8 September 1815), later Baron Seaton.
The attached primary school is called Beechwood (head Mrs Battey).
School site
The school is split into three main sections, the main school, a pre-prep school and a pre-school. The upper school is situated overlooking the town and harbour of St Peter Port. On separate sites, it has playing fields totalling roughly 20 acres (80,937.2 m²).Admissions
Ladies' College
Ladies' College is a private single sex secondary school in Guernsey, Channel Islands. Despite catering solely for girls in the early years, in the sixth form lessons are shared with the school's boys' counterpart Elizabeth College, with the girls and boys being given a small window of time between...
with shared teaching of AS and A2 lessons, split across the two Colleges.
As an independent school, the majority of pupils are fee-paying; however the States of Guernsey
States of Guernsey
The States of Guernsey is the parliament of the island of Guernsey. Some laws and ordinances approved by the States of Guernsey also apply to Alderney and Sark as "Bailiwick-wide legislation" with the consent of the governments of those islands...
awards scholarships annually on the basis of Eleven Plus
Eleven plus
In the United Kingdom, the 11-plus or Eleven plus is an examination administered to some students in their last year of primary education, governing admission to various types of secondary school. The name derives from the age group for secondary entry: 11–12 years...
results. Students of Beechwood, the junior school section of Elizabeth College, are not permitted to take the eleven plus, and therefore must be fee-paying students if they are to attend the college.
Elizabeth College is a selective school, all prospective pupils (from states schools or the Junior School) must pass the entrance exam in order to be offered a place.
Sport
The school has traditionally focused on three major sports (football, hockeyField hockey
Field Hockey, or Hockey, is a team sport in which a team of players attempts to score goals by hitting, pushing or flicking a ball into an opposing team's goal using sticks...
and cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
) one in each of the three school terms. It has also been particularly successful in rifle shooting
Fullbore target rifle
Fullbore target rifle is a distinctively British and Commonwealth of Nations shooting discipline that evolved from Service rifle shooting in the late 1860s, and is governed in the UK by the rules of the National Rifle Association, UK...
, regularly supplying members of the Athelings (GB Cadet) rifle team as well as combining with Victoria College
Victoria College, Jersey
Victoria College is a fee paying States of Jersey-provided school in membership of the HMC, in St Helier, Jersey, Channel Islands. The castellated neo-gothic architecture is a landmark overlooking the town.-History:In the 1590s, Laurens Baudains - a wealthy farmer from St...
to form the Channel Islands rifle team, that has won the Cadet National match several times in recent years. The sport of Fencing has recently grown in the College with the school now regularly sending a team to the annual public schools fencing championships and other domestic competitions.
The school also participated in many swimming galas mainly competing with Victoria College, Jersey
Jersey
Jersey, officially the Bailiwick of Jersey is a British Crown Dependency off the coast of Normandy, France. As well as the island of Jersey itself, the bailiwick includes two groups of small islands that are no longer permanently inhabited, the Minquiers and Écréhous, and the Pierres de Lecq and...
.
Alumni
Since the 1820s, all pupils have been allocated a unique (sequential) school number. These are quoted below where known.Victoria Cross recipients
The College has four Victoria CrossVictoria Cross
The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
holders amongst its former pupils:
- Duncan Charles HomeDuncan Charles HomeDuncan Charles Home VC was a recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.-Details:...
(665) - John Frederick McCreaJohn Frederick McCreaJohn Frederick McCrea VC was a South African recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.-Early life:...
(1545) - Lewis Stratford Tollemache HallidayLewis Stratford Tollemache HallidayGeneral Sir Lewis Stratford Tollemache Halliday VC, KCB was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.-Details:Halliday was 30 years old, and a captain in the...
(2237) - Herbert Wallace Le PatourelHerbert Wallace Le PatourelBrigadier Herbert Wallace Le Patourel VC was a British recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces....
(3811)
Bailiffs of Guernsey
The following Bailiffs of Guernsey were educated at Elizabeth College:- John de Havilland Utermarck
- Thomas Godfrey Carey
- Henry Alexander Giffard
- William Carey
- Edward Chepmell Ozanne
- Havilland Walter de Sausmarez
- Arthur William Bell
- Victor Gosselin Carey
- Ambrose SherwillAmbrose SherwillSir Ambrose James Sherwill KBE MC was Bailiff of Guernsey from 1946 to 1959.Sherwill was commissioned into The Buffs in 1916 and was awarded the Military Cross in 1917, being promoted Lieutenant shortly afterwards...
- John Loveridge
- Charles Frossard
- Geoffrey RowlandGeoffrey RowlandSir Geoffrey Robert Rowland, QC, is the current Bailiff of Guernsey .-Life:Rowland was called to the English Bar at Gray's Inn in 1970 and admitted as an Advocate of the Royal Court, Guernsey, in 1971. He was in practice as an Advocate of the Royal Court in the firm of Collas, Day & Rowland 1971 -...
Arts
- Barry JonesBarry Jones (actor)Barry Jones was an actor seen in British and American films, on American television and on the stage.-Biography:...
, actor - Robert MorleyRobert MorleyRobert Adolph Wilton Morley, CBE was an English actor who, often in supporting roles, was usually cast as a pompous English gentleman representing the Establishment...
, actor - Hugh Pembroke VowlesHugh Pembroke VowlesHugh Pembroke Vowles was a British engineer, socialist and author.- Early life and education :...
, engineer, socialist, & author - PG Wodehouse, author
Media
- Bruce ParkerBruce ParkerBruce Parker is a British journalist and television presenter whose career spanned the middle 1960s to 2003, when he retired. Strongly committed to regional broadcasting, he was responsible in the mid-1960s for a pilot local radio station in the Channel Islands, which eventually led to the setting...
, BBC Television presenter, first presenter of "Antiques Roadshow" - Murray DronMurray DronMurray Dron is a British journalist and television presenter working for ITN on London Tonight and ITV News.-Background:Dron was born in Perth, Scotland, but grew up in Jersey from a young age...
, Television presenter - Ashley HighfieldAshley HighfieldAshley Highfield is currently CEO of Johnston Press, having worked in high levels in companies including Microsoft, and the BBC.Formerly, he was UK Managing Director of Microsoft , responsible for Windows Mobile, MSN, Hotmail, Windows Live/Instant Messenger, and the newly announced Google rival, Bing...
, UK Managing Director of Microsoft
Academia
- Arthur Maurice HocartArthur Maurice HocartArthur Maurice Hocart was an anthropologist best known for his eccentric and often far-seeing works on Polynesia, Melanesia and Sri Lanka.-About the Man:...
, anthropologist - Sir Peter le Page RenoufPeter le Page RenoufSir Peter le Page Renouf , Egyptologist, was born in Guernsey.He was educated at Elizabeth College there, and proceeded to Oxford, which, upon his becoming a Roman Catholic, under the influence of John Henry Newman, he quit without taking a degree as he was unable to subscribe to the Thirty Nine...
, Egyptologist
Military Personnel
- Francis William Lionel Collings BeaumontFrancis William Lionel Collings BeaumontFrancis William Lionel Collings Beaumont , also known as F. W. L. C. Beaumont or “Buster” Beaumont, was the heir to the Seigneur of Sark, a Royal Air Force officer, film producer and the husband of actress Mary Lawson...
, RAF Officer and heir to the Seigneur of Sark - Air Chief Marshal Sir Peter Le CheminantPeter Le CheminantAir Chief Marshal Sir Peter de Lacy Le Cheminant GBE KCB DFC & Bar was Vice-Chief of Defence Staff.-Military career:Educated at Elizabeth College, Guernsey and the RAF College, Cranwell, Le Cheminant was commissioned into the Royal Air Force in 1939...