Timeline Calne: January 1873, St. Mary's School opens

St. Marys as it is today, Curzon Street, Calne.

Concerned that there were no good schools based on Anglican doctrine and tradition for the girls in Calne and the surrounding area, Canon John Duncan, Vicar of Calne, urged the parish to realise the need for this type of school[1].

After gaining enough support, Duncan based the new school upon the priniciples of Nathaniel Woodward.

The original St. Mary's School,
with St. Mary's Church in the background.

Perhaps the most important supporter of Duncan's plans for this new school was Miss Ellinor Gabriel, not only was she the superintendent, but also bought 30, The Green (now Grade II listed) which became the first home of St. Mary's School. Along with other donors, Miss Gabriel fitted the house out to meet the needs of the school. In 1881, Miss Gabriel gave the income from £1000 to provide scholarships, in 1905, which amounted to £92[2].

When the school opened that January of 1873, it had 6 day girls and 3 boarders. The families of whom had to have connections to St. Mary's church.

Miss Richardson was the first head at the school and held the position for 3 years.

Of course, the school has gone from strength to strength, ranks in the top 3 best boarding schools for girls and has an enrolment of around 350 pupils[3].

Resources:
[1] Christie, E., 2013. Consider the Lilies - A History of St Mary's Calne. 1st ed. London: Third Millenium.
[2] Calne: Education | British History Online. 2019. Calne: Education | British History Online. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/wilts/vol17/pp111-114. [Accessed 03 July 2019].
[3] Wikipedia. 2019. St Mary's School, Calne - Wikipedia. [ONLINE] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Mary%27s_School,_Calne#History. [Accessed 03 July 2019].