Wolmer's Schools

History

Wolmer's is the second-oldest high school in the Caribbean, having been established in 1729 by John Wolmer, a goldsmith, who bequeathed £2,360 for the establishment of a Free School. However, it did not come into existence until 1736, when the Wolmer's Trust was set up.

The oldest is Combermere School, in Barbados, originally the Drax Parish School, established in 1695 by the will of Colonel Henry Drax, a son of Sir James Drax, of 1682. The third (by record thus far) being Harrison College in Barbados, formerly Harrison Free School, established in 1733.

Wolmer's is certainly the oldest school in the Caribbean that has retained its original name. It turned into a group of schools, which was completely overhauled during the educational reforms of Governor John Peter Grant, who brought two new schoolmasters over from England.

Wolmer's is the oldest continually operating school in Jamaica.

John Wolmer, the great benefactor

He was probably born around 1659. He was a Kingston goldsmith. He married Mary Elizabeth Lumbard, a 50-year-old widow, at Half Way Tree in 1705, but she died in 1717. He bought land at Stanton Street adjoining Duckenfield, in 1681 and sold it in 1727. Little else is known about him or his origin. There is speculation that he may have come from Switzerland or England. As a goldsmith and jeweller, he probably benefitted from the gold coming from Africa and mainland America that was worked by the few goldsmiths in Port Royal, hence his wealth. Goldsmiths also helped to regulate the value of foreign currency to the English pound, by buying and selling currency. Goldsmiths also made money by acting as brokers connected to the slave trade and as usurers (moneylenders). There is reference of one Peter Calliard selling Negro slaves to John Wolmer in 1712, who was described as “the Kingston jeweller”. He wrote his will on May 21, 1729 (Founder’s Day) and died in Kingston parish on June 29, 1729. The sum of £2,360 was left for the purpose of the establishment of the “Free School”. He also left in his will £50 to the poor of his parish, granted his slaves their freedom (and his clothing) and left his good friend John Williams, his horse, furniture, a silver quarter and £20.

Wolmer's importance in Jamaica’s history

When the English captured Jamaica from Spain in 1655, their main focus was in gaining as much wealth as possible in the shortest possible time, from the colony. Buccaneering raids on Spanish settlements and ships and the establishment of sugar plantations worked by imported enslaved African labour, became two of the most significant economic activities in Jamaica. Largely illiterate and uneducated settlers poured into the island seeking their fortune, hoping to return to England as wealthy, respectable citizens. The provision of education for the population was therefore a very low priority. John Wolmer was not the first to bequeath money for the establishment of an educational institution in Jamaica. Philip Vicarry (1676), Thomas Martin (1681) and Sir Nicholas Lawes (1695) all left money for the establishment of free schools in various parts of Jamaica, but those schools did not survive or nothing was done about establishing them. Wolmer's will declared that a 'free school' be established in the parish where he happened to die. His will did not exclude any ethnic group or class of people from entering the school, but simply said that a ‘free school’ be established. It was the early Trustees who, in establishing the Wolmer's Trust, introduced a racial bias and allowed only white children to attend the school initially. Reflecting the prejudices of the time, Jewish children were expected to pay for their education, while African children were not accepted at Wolmer’s until some time later. The school did not begin operation until 1736 because of some 'defects' in John Wolmer’s will. No provision was made for the housing of the school, nor were there any rules or guidelines for its management. It took the intervention of Jamaica’s House of Assembly in 1731, 1734 and 1736 and many amendments, before a law was passed establishing the Wolmer's Trust in 1736. The Kingston Common Council, the forerunner to the Kingston and St. Andrew Corporation (KSAC), was responsible for the maintenance, direction, regulation, administration and management of the school and nominated several members to the Wolmer's Board of management, for over two hundred years.

Wolmer's opened as a grammar school in 1736 with ten boys and one teacher, Mr. Bolton. Subjects taught were Reading, Writing, Mathematics, Latin and Greek. The school fee was six pistoles per year. The school did not do so well in its early years and was even closed briefly between 1755 and 1757. In 1779 a Girls' Division was opened, with Margaret Richardson the first head. In the 19th century the Trustees made efforts to reorganise the school. The restrictions placed on Jewish and Coloured children entering the school were officially removed in 1815. An Infant Division was added and more buildings were constructed on the school property. In 1857, the Infant Division was abolished and in 1867, Wolmer's was changed from a Grammar school to an Elementary school. It remained so until 1894, when the school returned to its high school status. In that year also, the Trustees took the decision to separate the Boys' School from the Girls' School.

Past and present locations

The Wolmer’s Schools have had several locations in the parish of Kingston. It began in the house of Samuel Turpin on land between Port Royal Street and Harbour Street, in 1736. Turpin had left in his will of 1734 to Wolmer’s the annual rent of his house on that lot of land. The school was called ‘Wolmer’s Free School’ at the time.

In 1742, the Trust bought six lots of land on Duke Street, from Samuel Clarke for £93. Two buildings were constructed for a classroom and lodging for the headmaster and boys on the lot. Mr. John Conron was paid £250 for construction. The school was moved from Harbour Street to the new location at upper Duke Street sometime about 1742. When the headmaster Michael Mill died in 1755, the school was closed for two years, until 1757. The Governor of Jamaica, General Knowles, had the building leased to the government as a storage for public records. It was also used as a courthouse for the county of Surrey, so when classes resumed in 1757, the school was moved to rented premises at Parade and remained there until 1777.

In 1777, Wolmer’s was moved to Church Street when the house of a Mr. Bullock was leased for the sum of £120 per annum, for three years. In 1783, it was bought for £900. The Duke Street property had been sold at a public auction for £800 in 1780. More land was bought in 1794 to the north of the school for £250 and fenced in by a brick wall.

In 1807, the two northernmost lots of land of the school property was sold to the city of Kingston for the construction of a Poor House. Wolmer’s was briefly housed in the Poor House (1811), while extensive repairs were carried out, but the inmates objected. Between October 1811 and August 1812, Wolmer’s occupied the Coke Chapel on East Parade while the school was enlarged. Rent of £85 was paid to Coke Chapel for the time the school was there.

When an earthquake struck Kingston on January 14, 1907, the school suffered major damage but was not destroyed. Minor repairs were carried out and Wolmer’s continued at Church Street between 1907 and 1909. A decision was made to find a more suitable site however, as the school had outgrown that location. In 1908 the lands at Quebec Lodge was acquired to house the Boys’ and Girls’ Schools. Quebec Lodge was the site of the Jamaica Exhibition of 1891, located north of Race Course (later called George VI Memorial Park and now National Heroes Park) and is the present site of Wolmer’s Boys’ School and Wolmer’s Girls’ School. Wolmer’s opened at its present site in January 1909.

The School Song – Age Quod Agis

It became the official song for the Wolmer’s schools in 1979, during the 250th anniversary celebrations of that year. Wolmerians produced and recorded the song. The words and musical arrangement were done by Phyllis Khan. The production of the recording was done by Norma Brown-Bell, for the Wolmer’s Old Girls’ Association. Mapletoft Poulle and Roy Dickson contributed to the chorus arrangement. The song was arranged and edited by Hazel Lawson- Street and Mapletoft Poulle. Recording of the song was done at Dynamic Sounds Recording, with Vinnette Morrison conducting the Wolmer’s Girls’ School choir. The studio engineer was Neville Hinds. It is sung at all official school events.

Symbols, monuments and landmarks

Symbols

1) The School Crest: It was created in 1738. William Duncan prepared the seal at a cost of £12. It shows the sun of learning breaking through a cloud of ignorance.

2) The School Motto: Age Quod Agis. Latin phrase meaning “whatever you do, do it to the best of your ability.” The more popular interpretation is “whatever you do, do it well.” The motto is attributed to Mr. William Cowper, who was principal of the Boys’ school between 1901 and 1915.

3) The School Colours: Maroon and Gold.

Monuments

1) The monument to John Wolmer: Made of marble, it hangs on the northern wall within Kingston Parish Church. It was sculpted by John Bacon. It represents a seated figure of Liberty, carved in high relief, holding a medallion on which is represented the crest of the school...On the supporting brackets are scholastic emblems, a quill pen, parchment, scientific instruments and the like. Money for the sculpting of the monument was raised by the holding of a sacred concert in Kingston Parish Church, in 1788. Over £400 was raised from the concert, for this purpose. The proposal to hold a concert originated with a Mr. Falstead, who had composed the oratorio ‘Jonah’ in 1775. The monument was erected in 1790.

2) The Cenotaph: It is a monument dedicated in honour to those Wolmerians who died in World War I (1914 – 1918). The Wolmer’s Old Boys’ and Girls’ Associations (WOBA/WOGA) was instrumental in its construction. It was designed and built under the supervision of Mr. V. Streadwick and unveiled on November 12, 1924. It stands in the quadrangle between both high schools, along National Heroes’ Circle. A plaque on it has inscribed the names of 21 Wolmerians. In the week after Armistice Day (November 11), a ceremony is held there, with the laying of wreaths by representatives from the W.O.B.A and W.O.G.A and present students. It has become the preferred site for the taking of photographs of the various teams and forms at Wolmer’s, over the years. On August 21 and 22, 2014, the cenotaph was moved to its current position near to the main entrance gate, to make space for the school’s auditorium being constructed.

Important dates

May 21, 1729 – John Wolmer wrote his last will and testament, within which he left money for the founding of a free school in the parish where he should happen to die.

June 29, 1729 – John Wolmer died.

1736 – By an Act of the House of Assembly, a law was passed establishing a Trust for the management of the school, commonly called ‘Wolmer’s Free School’. The first members of the Trust were John Gregory, William Nedham, George Ellis and Rev. Dr. May. Rev. Dr. May started the library with gifts of dictionaries, grammars, Fables, an English Bible and 12 catechisms of the Church of England (Anglican).

1736 – The school opened in the house of Samuel Turpin, (who had left it for the school in his will in 1734), on Harbour and Port Royal Street, with 10 boys and 1 teacher, Mr. Bolton. Wolmer’s began as a Grammar School, with the teaching of Reading, Writing, Latin, Greek and Mathematics.

1742 – The Trust bought 6 vacant lots on Duke Street from Samuel Clarke and moved the school to that location. The first Foundation Scholars, (boys with Wolmer’s Scholarships paid by the Trust), were admitted. They were Peter Quarrell (9), Stephen Reed (12), Michael Luncheon (9), Matthew Croe (8) and Edward Morgan (5). The school body numbered 40 boys.

1755 to 1757 – The school was closed after the death of the Headmaster, Mr. Michael Mill. The Duke Street building was leased to the government, as storage for public records.

1757 – Classes resumed in rented quarters, probably at Parade, up to 1777.

September 1777 – The school was set up at Church Street. It consisted of an infant and grammar division and was known as ‘Wolmer’s Academy’. More land was acquired to the north of the school in 1794.

September 15, 1777 – The Trustees passed a resolution whereby “none but children of white parents be admitted into this school of this corporation”.

Staff and structure

The Wolmer's Schools are overseen by a joint Board of Management. Wolmer's Preparatory School has its own principal, Kemar Christie). The principal of the boys' school is Dwight Pennycooke, and of the girls' school, Colleen Montague. The boys' and girls' schools are organised into 14 departments, each led by a senior teacher.

Clubs & Societies

Among its many activities, football, debate, cricket, track and field and tennis stand out.

Competitions

Various competitions are held at the schools throughout the school year to foster comradery and school spirit. One of the most notable is the Monica Sterling Essay Competition, running throughout the Easter Term. Mrs. Sterling was an English teacher at the school from 1982-1994.

Curriculum

Wolmer’s Boys’ and Girls’ Schools follow the traditional English grammar-school model used throughout the British West Indies, which incorporates the optional year 12 and 13, collectively known as Sixth Form. The first year of secondary school is regarded as first form, or grade seven, and subsequent year groups are numbered in ascending order up to sixth form, or grade twelve and grade thirteen. Students are exposed to the CSEC subject offerings throughout their first-third form years, with a Careers Day session held near the end of their third form year to curate their CSEC programs. The schools over a variety of subject offerings inclusive of the Humanities, Arts, and Sciences, which students pursue throughout their CSEC and CAPE years (fourth-sixth form). Wolmer’s Boys’ has been known for being the only all-boys school to consistently rank in Jamaica’s top ten high schools. The Girls' School is also placed highly in various sources and is considered one of the best all-girls schools in the country.

Rhodes Scholars

Since 1904, Wolmer's Schools has educated 24 Rhodes Scholars.

Cricket

Wolmer's Boys School has the most wins of the Sunlight Cup for Inter-Scholastic Under 19 Cricket. Moreover, the school continues to produce cricketers that have represented Jamaica and the West Indies Cricket Team. The school is noted in cricket in the West Indies for having produced six test wicket-keepers. The Daily Telegraph once wrote: "One school: six Test wicket-keepers. There has never been any nurturing like it."

Notable alumni

Arts, culture and entertainment

Cherine Anderson, international recording artiste, actress, President of The Reach One Child R.O.C. Foundation

Peter Ashbourne, composer

Maurice Ashley, chess player, author and commentator

James Aubrey, Austrian-born English actor

Harry Belafonte, actor and singer, winner of Tony, Emmy, Grammy and Oscar Awards

Marlon James, novelist

Diana King, international recording artiste

Sean Paul, Grammy-winning artiste

Kei Miller, novelist and poet

Wayne Marshall, artiste

Henry Wilcoxon, actor

Paul Williamson, tenor

Dahlia Harris, media personality, playwright and actress

Business, finance and politics

Lloyd Carney, American businessman

Amy Jacques Garvey, wife of Marcus Mosiah Garvey

Sir Florizel Glasspole, Governor General of Jamaica 1973–1991

Keble Munn, former Minister of Agriculture and Minister of National Security