Shebbear College

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Shebbear College (the College) is a co-educational Methodist Public School (privately-funded and independent) located in Shebbear, Devon, 39 miles from the county seat of Exeter, in the South West region of the United Kingdom and is one of a group of independent boarding schools that form part of the Methodist Church's involvement in education.

**Shebbear College**

Headmaster	Robert (Bob) Barnes
School type	Independent
Religious affiliation	Methodist
Early history	1829 - Founded as 'Prospect College' 1841 - Re-founded as 'Shebbear College'
Location	Shebbear, Devon, United Kingdom
Enrollment Age	Kindergarten (3), Junior (5), First Year (11), Lower Sixth (17)
Surroundings	Rural
Main Sports	Rugby, Cricket, Hockey, Football
School Motto	"Ad Gloriam Per Spinas" ("To Glory Through Thorns")
School Song	"Integer uitae scelerisque purus non eget Mauris iaculis neque arcu nec uenenatis grauida sagittis Fusce, pharetra" (Adapted from Horace's Ode 1.22)

1 History
2 The College Today
- 2.1 Houses
3 Headmasters
4 Notable Old Shebbearians
5 References
6 External links

[edit] History

The College was founded as 'Prospect College' in 1829 by the Bible Christian Church and reformed as 'Shebbear College in 1841. The second-oldest Methodist school in Britain, the College was originally formed for the sons of Bible Christians to train for the ministry. Edgehill College, founded for Methodist girls in nearby Bideford in 1884, is considered the College's 'sister-college'. The College became co-education in the 1930s. In 1993, the school's closure was announced but the decision was subsequently reversed.

[edit] The College Today

[edit] Houses

The College is consistently small in size and currently averages attendance of around 300 pupils from ages three to 18. The College is divided into five Houses that compete both academically and in sport; namely:

Ruddle - The girls' boarding house - named after the College's most influential headmaster, Thomas Ruddle
Pollard - The senior boys' boarding house - named after the Methodist missionary and writer, Sam Pollard
Pyke - The juniors' boarding house
Thorne - A day pupils' house - named after one of the founders of the College, Samuel Thorne
Way - A day pupils' house

The College has a number of well-known alumni and a strong academic record, with a high proportion of pupils proceeding to prominent universities

[edit] Headmasters

Hallifield Cosgayne O'Donnoghue (1840-1842)
Thomas Ruddle (1864-1909)
Leslie Johnson (1933-1942)
Jack Morris (1942-1964)
George Kingsnorth (1964-1983)
Russell Buley (1983-1997)
Leslie Clarke (1997-2003)
Robert Barnes (2003-Present)

[edit] Notable Old Shebbearians

Rt. Hon. Sir Samuel Way QC (1836-1916) - Chief Justice; Lieutenant-Governor of South Australia [1]
Sir (Reginald) Pridham Baulkwill (b.1895-d.1974) - Solicitor
Sir Ivan Stedeford GBE (b.1897-d.1975) - British Industrialist and Philanthropist
Sir Alfred Earle GBE (b.1907-d.1990) - Former RAF Vice Chief of Defence to Lord Mountbatten; Director General of British Defence Intelligence 1966-1968
Wilf Weeks (b.1949) - Head of the Private Office of Prime Minister Sir Edward Heath (1976-1980); Chairman, Heritage Education Trust
Ernest W. Martin (b.1912-d.2005) - Prominent British Author[2]
Leslie Scrase (1942 - ????) - Author
Steve Drowne - (dates unknown) Jockey; Winner, 2000 Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot
Jim Hancock - BBC Political Correspondent; Presenter, "The Politics Show"
Simon Birks - Prominent UK Barrister[3]