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Combermere School

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Combermere School
Combermere School

Combermere School is a school in Barbados, notable as one of the oldest schools in the Caribbean, established in 1695.[1] Its alumni include several leading cricketers, David Thompson, sixth prime minister of Barbados and other politicians, several authors and the singer Rihanna. In its first 75 years, the school "provided the Barbadian community with the vast bulk of its business leaders and civil servants " and it is "perhaps the first school anywhere to offer secondary education to black children".[2]

History

The school was initially established in 1695 as the Drax Parish School, under the 1682 will of plantation owner Colonel Henry Drax (great-uncle of the Whig politician Henry Drax), who had left 200 pounds sterling for the establishment and endowment of a "free school or Colledge" "to continue forever".[3]: 52  The executors not having acted in a timely manner, the parish authorities eventually did. The oldest secondary school on Barbados and one of the oldest schools in the Caribbean,[1] it underwent several name changes and relocations before settling, withn the Parish of St Michael, at Waterford on the outskirts of the capital of Barbados, Bridgetown, in 1819.[4][5]

The school, named after a colonial governor of Barbados, Stapleton Cotton, 1st Viscount Combermere, bears tribute to some of the school forefathers through the naming of areas such as the Drax Square, the De Vere Moore Gardens, and the Major Noot Hall. It was the first school to offer secondary education to poorer coloured students on the island. Having started as a co-educational institution, it returned to a mixed approach in the 1970s, eventually reaching a gender ratio of around 50%.[4]

In 1995, Barbados issued a set of postage stamps commemorating the school's 300 years.[6]

In 2016, the school was closed due to environmental concerns. The remediation efforts were slowed by alleged sabotage, but the school eventually reopened in 2017.[7][8][9]

Discover more about History related topics

Henry Drax

Henry Drax

Henry Drax of Ellerton Abbey, Yorkshire and Charborough, near Wareham, Dorset was a British Whig politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1718 and 1755.

Saint Michael, Barbados

Saint Michael, Barbados

The parish of St. Michael is one of eleven parishes of Barbados. It has a land area of 39 km2 (15 sq mi) and is found at the southwest portion of the island. Saint Michael has survived by name as one of the original six parishes created in 1629 by Governor Sir William Tufton.

Bridgetown

Bridgetown

Bridgetown is the capital and largest city of Barbados. Formerly The Town of Saint Michael, the Greater Bridgetown area is located within the parish of Saint Michael. Bridgetown is sometimes locally referred to as "The City", but the most common reference is simply "Town". As of 2014, its metropolitan population stands at roughly 110,000.

List of governors of Barbados

List of governors of Barbados

This article contains a list of viceroys in Barbados from its initial colonisation in 1627 by England until it achieved independence in 1966. From 1833 to 1885, Barbados was part of the colony of the Windward Islands, and the governor of Barbados represented the monarch in all the Windward Islands. In 1885 Barbados became an independent colony again.

Stapleton Cotton, 1st Viscount Combermere

Stapleton Cotton, 1st Viscount Combermere

Field Marshal Stapleton Cotton, 1st Viscount Combermere, was a British Army officer, diplomat and politician. As a junior officer, he took part in the Flanders Campaign, in the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War and in the suppression of Robert Emmet's insurrection in 1803. He commanded a cavalry brigade in Sir Arthur Wellesley's Army before being given overall command of the cavalry in the latter stages of the Peninsular War. He went on to be Commander-in-Chief, Ireland and then Commander-in-Chief, India. In the latter role he stormed Bharatpur—a fort which previously had been deemed impregnable.

James Drax

James Drax

Sir James Drax was an English planter in the colonies of Barbados and Jamaica. Born in England, Drax travelled to the English colony of Barbados, acquiring ownership of several sugar plantations and a number of enslaved Africans. Drax was expelled from Barbados by Royalists due to being a Parliamentarian, though he returned in 1651 when the island was returned to Parliamentarian control. Drax returned to England where he died in 1662. He would go on to establish a dynasty of wealthy slave owning sugar planters.

Staff and structure

Combermere is led by a principal, assisted by a deputy principal; there are also six year heads for first form through to the upper sixth. There are over 70 staff in total, including a guidance counsellor.[4]

Departments and subjects

The school has 12 departments, each headed by a senior teacher. The departments are: chemistry, mathematics, geography/social studies and environmental science, physics, biology and home economics, English, music and fine arts, physical education, technical and vocational studies, history, foreign languages, and business studies. There are dedicated labs and rooms for chemistry, biology, geography, physics, languages, music, computer science, and food and nutrition.[10] The school has a pavilion equipped with a gym and changing rooms. There are two playing fields, a cricket pitch, shooting range, basketball/netball and tennis/volleyball courts. Also included on the premises are a library and an auditorium — the Major Noot Hall[1] — and it one of the few secondary schools on Barbados, if not the only one, with a meteorological station.

Combermere offers a music programme. It is also home to the Number 3 Cadet Company.

Notable alumni

Discover more about Notable alumni related topics

Carlos Brathwaite

Carlos Brathwaite

Carlos Ricardo Brathwaite is a cricketer from Barbados and a former captain of the West Indies Twenty20 International (T20I) team.

Kraigg Brathwaite

Kraigg Brathwaite

Kraigg Clairmonte Brathwaite is a Barbadian cricketer who captains the West Indies in Test cricket. He bats right-handed and occasionally bowls right arm off break. On 6 November 2011, he became only the second West Indian to score two Test fifties before his 19th birthday when he made 63 (212) against India in Delhi. He has also effectively stood as stand-in-captain in place of Jason Holder in seven test matches before becoming the permanent captain of the test team taking over from Holder. He idolises Shivnarine Chanderpaul and his batting style.

Austin Clarke (novelist)

Austin Clarke (novelist)

Austin Ardinel Chesterfield "Tom" Clarke,, was a Barbadian novelist, essayist, and short story writer who was based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Among his notable books are novels such as The Polished Hoe (2002), memoirs including Membering (2015), and two collections of poetry, Where the Sun Shines Best (2013) and In Your Crib (2015).

Frank Collymore

Frank Collymore

Frank Appleton Collymore MBE was a Barbadian literary editor, writer, poet, stage performer and painter. His nickname was "Barbadian Man of the Arts". He also taught for 50 years at Combermere School, where he sought out and encouraged prospective writers in his classes, notably George Lamming and Austin Clarke. Collymore was the founder and long-time editor of pioneering Caribbean literary magazine BIM.

Kerryann Ifill

Kerryann Ifill

Kerryann F. Ifill is a Barbadian politician. She served as President of the Senate of Barbados from 2012 to 2018.

Chris Jordan (cricketer)

Chris Jordan (cricketer)

Christopher James Jordan is a Barbadian-born English cricketer who plays for England in One Day International (ODI) and Twenty20 International (T20I) cricket, and previously played for the Test team. In domestic cricket, he represents Surrey, having previously played for Sussex, and has played in multiple Twenty20 leagues, including for Royal Challengers Bangalore, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Punjab Kings and Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League.

Anthony Kellman

Anthony Kellman

Anthony Kellman is a Barbados-born poet, novelist, and musician.

George Lamming

George Lamming

George William Lamming OCC was a Barbadian novelist, essayist, and poet. He first won critical acclaim for In the Castle of My Skin, his 1953 debut novel. He also held academic posts, including as a distinguished visiting professor at Duke University and a visiting professor in the Africana Studies Department of Brown University, and lectured extensively worldwide.

Frank Marshall (priest)

Frank Marshall (priest)

Frank Marshall was the Anglican Dean of Barbados, based at the Cathedral Church of Saint Michael and All Angels in Saint Michael, Barbados, where he served from his installment in 2005 until his retirement on 30 November 2015.

Cathedral Church of Saint Michael and All Angels

Cathedral Church of Saint Michael and All Angels

The Cathedral Church of Saint Michael and All Angels, is an Anglican church located on St. Michael's Row, two blocks east of National Heroes Square; at the centre of Bridgetown, Barbados. The Cathedral is the tallest of the Anglican 's houses of worship within Barbados.

Keith A. P. Sandiford

Keith A. P. Sandiford

Keith Arlington Patrick Sandiford GCM is a Barbadian-born Canadian historian. He has been professor emeritus at the University of Manitoba since 2002.

500 Years Later

500 Years Later

500 Years Later is a 2005 independent documentary film directed by Owen 'Alik Shahadah and written by M. K. Asante, Jr. It has won five international film festival awards in the category of Best Documentary, including the UNESCO "Breaking the Chains" award. It has won other awards including Best Documentary at the Pan African Film Festival in Los Angeles, Best Documentary at the Bridgetown Film Festival in Barbados, Best Film at the International Black Cinema Film Festival in Berlin, and Best International Documentary at the Harlem International Film Festival in New York.

Source: "Combermere School", Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, (2023, January 28th), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Combermere_School.

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References
  1. ^ a b c "Combermere School". Totally Barbados (Education). Retrieved 2022-03-29.
  2. ^ Sandiford, Keith A. P. (1998). Cricket Nurseries of Colonial Barbados: The Elite Schools, 1865-1966. Press University of the West Indies. p. 106. ISBN 9789766400460.
  3. ^ A-Z of Barbados Heritage. Sean Carrington, Henry Fraser, John Gilmore, G. Addinton Forde (2nd ed.). Oxford: Macmillan Caribbean. 2003. ISBN 0-333-92068-6. OCLC 53920419.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link) CS1 maint: others (link)
  4. ^ a b c "Combermere School (MRD | Secondary Schools)". Government of Barbados (Media Resource Department). Retrieved 2022-03-29.
  5. ^ Ray, Michael (March 9, 2016). "A point of clarity on location of Combermere". Nation News. Retrieved March 29, 2022.
  6. ^ "Phildom Philatelly".
  7. ^ "Problems still at Combermere". 21 March 2017.
  8. ^ "Jones gives details of Combermere 'sabotage'". 7 February 2017.
  9. ^ "School to start next week at Combermere". 6 January 2017.
  10. ^ "More Combermere Drama (Ministry and BSTU's reports differ on environmental situation)". Barbados Advocate. 28 January 2017. Retrieved 29 March 2022. ...the Food and Nutrition Lab, the Art Room, ... the Physics Labs, ... the Media Centre
  11. ^ a b c d e f g "Kraigg Brathwaite: Short balls in the nets was my welcome". Cricinfo. Retrieved 2016-01-03.
  12. ^ "Growing up stupid: By one who didn't". Red Deer Advocate. 11 June 1980. p. 30.
  13. ^ Best, Tony (2017-12-10). "Economist Charles Skeete passes away". The Daily Nation (Barbados). Archived from the original on 2017-12-11. Retrieved 2018-01-04.
  14. ^ Carter, Gercine (9 April 2017). "Bajan's wand ready for next oil spill". NationNews.com. St Michael, Barbados. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
  15. ^ "Errol Walton Barrow". Caribbean Elections Biography. Retrieved 2023-01-28.
External links

Coordinates: 13°07′00″N 59°36′08″W / 13.11667°N 59.60222°W / 13.11667; -59.60222

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