St Bees

College numbers initially dropped during the 1870s but picked up again in the 1880s with a maximum yearly intake of 47 in 1883. However, the days of the College were numbered. Although St. Bees College had been a pioneering institution, by challenging the academic monopoly of Oxford and Cambridge, the rest of the country had caught up. There were now numerous theological colleges, modelled on St. Bees, but mainly in large cities and affiliated in some way to a university. Standards were rising, and in 1893 the Bishops of the Church of England agreed that a common entrance exam must be taken before non-graduates could enter a theological college. This dramatically affected the numbers at St. Bees as it channelled theological candidates down the graduate route.

The class of 1890 is shown above with the Rev'd Smallpiece seated in the middle.

In December 1895 at the end of term meeting, Knowles accepted the inevitable and gave notice of the closure of the College. He was now 75, and as the College was a private institution, he would have to find a successor in an unfavourable climate if it was to continue. This was now unlikely, and he had to take action to prevent his own financial ruin. Canon Knowles left in 1896, and the life of St. Bees Priory settled down once more to being a parish church under the new Vicar, the Rev Alexander.

St. Bees Theological College had an productive and influential Life. It trained over 2,500 clergy for the ministry, and had been the model for the new breed of theological colleges. It ultimately failed because of its geographical position and the refusal of Parkinson to allow it to come fully under Church management. Consequently there was no real effort by the Church of England hierarchy to keep this private college going, when supplies of clergy were assured from other colleges within the Church.

So ended this important episode in the history of clergy training in the Church of England.

----------------------------------

Wordsworth's tribute to the College

"Who with the ploughshare clove the barren moors,
And to green meadows changed the swampy shores ?
Thinned the rank woods; and for the cheerful grange
Made room where wolf and boar were used to range ?
Who taught, and showed by deeds, that gentler chains
Should bind the vassal to his lord's domains ?
The thoughtful monks intent their God to please,
For Christ's dear sake, by human sympathies
Poured from the bosom of thy church, St. Bees !

"But all availed not; by a mandate given
Through lawless will the brotherhood was driven
Forth from their cells;- their ancient house laid low
In Reformation's sweeping overthrow.
But now once more the local heart revives,
The inextinguishable spirit strives.
Oh may that power who hush'd the stormy seas,
And cleared a way for the first votaries,
Prosper the new-born college of St. Bees !"

William Wordsworth

Postscript.

Curiously, although it had been a large part of village life for 80 years, the memory of St. Bees Theological College faded quickly, and generally receives little mention in historical acounts of the village. Sometimes it is even confused with St. Bees School, with which it had no connection.

The best account of the College is the booklet "St. Bees Theological College 1816-1895" written by Canon Trevor Park, a former Vicar of St. Bees. Published in 1982, it is now long out of print; much of the material in this web page is taken from it. A new revised version will be published shortly.

We have only a few photographs of College students, yet there was a "College Photographer" - John Reay, who must have taken many plates. The seal on this page is taken from the back of one of his prints. If anyone reading this knows of any material, memorabilia, or photographs of the College or students, could they please get in touch via the webmaster of this site. We would be delighted to be able to scan any photos, or to receive image files to include in the village archive. (Since writing this, the pictures of Smallpiece, Middleton and Ainger have turned up, and are included on the site - 2004).

The seal of the College

Home     Village Forum     Site Map     FAQ     Help     Contact

Copyright Bega Web Sites 2007