History of Elizabeth College

Elizabeth College was founded in 1563 under the orders of Queen Elizabeth I. Elizabeth referred to it as her “Grammar School”, which would probably lead to some confusion today. It was the fourth school to be established on the island, the others being the (approximate) equivalent of primaries in St Peter Port, St Peters and St Martins. These schools were only parish schools, which provided very little in the way of further education, and so the Queen decreed that the College should be built. She also gave funds for a similar one in Jersey, which was never built, due to the funds being misused.

The island was in religious confusion, with the Presbyterian system having been newly introduced. One of the school’s main aims was to create a religious unity that would suit Elizabeth’s wishes. In order to achieve this, Franciscan friars were moved off their lands on La Rue Des Frères, where the College still stands. 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).

Five years later, the Governor officially handed the Island over to the States of Deliberation, under whose control the Island has been ever since. The States have been a College sponsor since their creation, but have always refrained from making the College a States school.

The College, despite early help, was not always in such a good position as it is now. Early records show the College students’ number going from above fifty to below ten. The Principal of the College for its first five years, Dr. Adrian De Saravia, was a member of the Franciscan church, although not related to the monks who had previously resided in the college grounds. He had an exceptionally interesting life, founding churches and sects on the continent, going through the ranks of the clergy, being headmaster of two schools at different times, even being military chaplain to William of Orange! He left the College to help translate the Bible into English, and never returned.

During the English Civil war the College was a bastion of Republicanism, the Royal Court even sitting here when they came under fire from the Royalist Castle Cornet.

In 1824 Lieutenant-Governor Sir John Colbourne ordered a public inquiry into education at the College, which culminated in the building of the new College Building, which remains the main college building today. It was designed by John Wilson and the foundation stone was laid on 19th October 1826. Since that time the school has flourished and grown from around 100 pupils in 1826 to around 750 pupils today across the Junior and Senior Schools.

A history book, covering the nearly 450 years of Elizabeth College’s history has just been published in November 2011. This book beautiful and comprehensively researched book covers the founding of the College, the 1824 re-chartering and College’s exile to Derbyshire for five years to escape the WWII German occupation of Guernsey, as well as many other fascinating events in the life of Elizabeth College. Further details including how to order the book are available here.