King William's College (nicknamed KWC or King Bill's; gv, Colleish Ree Illiam) is an independent school for pupils aged 3 to 18, located near Castletown on the

Isle of Man ) , anthem = "O Land of Our Birth" , image = Isle of Man by Sentinel-2.jpg , image_map = Europe-Isle_of_Man.svg , mapsize = , map_alt = Location of the Isle of Man in Europe , map_caption = Location of the Isle of Man (green) in Europe ...

. It is a member of the

International Baccalaureate The International Baccalaureate (IB), formerly known as the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO), is a nonprofit foundation headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, and founded in 1968. It offers four educational programmes: the IB D ...

and

Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference The Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference (HMC) is an association of the head teachers of 361 independent schools (both boarding schools and day schools), some traditionally described as public schools. 298 Members are based in the Unite ...

organisations. The College operates at two sites in or near Castletown: a main

senior school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

campus on the shore of Castletown Bay, and a prep school (called The Buchan School) in the Westhill part of Castletown, two miles from the main campus. The College was originally for boys only, but became

co-educational Mixed-sex education, also known as mixed-gender education, co-education, or coeducation (abbreviated to co-ed or coed), is a system of education where males and females are educated together. Whereas single-sex education was more common up to t ...

in the 1980s. It has roughly five hundred pupils, many from beyond the

British Isles The British Isles are a group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-western coast of continental Europe, consisting of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Inner and Outer Hebrides, the Northern Isles, ...

. The UK Department for Education categorises it as an Overseas British school.

History

The establishment of the College was funded principally by the Bishop Barrow Trust, originally set up in 1668 to provide education in the Isle of Man. When founded in 1833, the College opened its doors with only 46 boys. The shield in the centre of the College's

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in its ...

is that of Bishop Isaac Barrow. The school was named after

King William IV William IV (William Henry; 21 August 1765 – 20 June 1837) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from 26 June 1830 until his death in 1837. The third son of George III, William succeeded hi ...

, who is said to have been asked for a financial contribution and to have offered the founders "my most valuable possession, my name". King William's College, Isle of Man (crop)

King William's College, Isle of Man (crop)

The school features, thinly disguised, in the Victorian schoolboy book '' Eric, or, Little by Little'' by Dean Farrar who had himself been a boy at the school. Though the school name was changed to Bishop’s College, it is the central location, too, in the book 'The Zone' by Graham Hamer who was educated at King William's College in the 1960s. The college is also famous for its annual open water half-mile swim in Derbyhaven Bay, which usually takes place in late June, depending on tides and weather conditions. Around thirty pupils and staff take part each year. It is compulsory for all other students to watch the swim.

General Knowledge Paper (GKP)

King William College near Castletown - geograph

Since 1904, the College has set an annual general knowledge test, known as the General Knowledge Paper (GKP). In the past pupils sat the test twice: once unseen on the day before the

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year ...

holidays, and again when they returned to school in the

New Year New Year is the time or day currently at which a new calendar year begins and the calendar's year count increments by one. Many cultures celebrate the event in some manner. In the Gregorian calendar, the most widely used calendar system to ...

, after spending the holiday researching the answers. The test is now voluntary. It is well known to be highly difficult, a common score for the unseen test is just two correct answers from the list (180 questions in 2018). The best scores are 40 to 50 for the unseen test and about 270 out of 360 for the second sitting. Traditionally, the best scorers were given a half day free from school, while anyone doing particularly badly was given a detention. The quiz is always introduced with the following

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

motto A motto (derived from the Latin , 'mutter', by way of Italian , 'word' or 'sentence') is a sentence or phrase expressing a belief or purpose, or the general motivation or intention of an individual, family, social group, or organisation. Mot ...

: ', which translates as: "To know where you can find anything is, after all, the greatest part of erudition." The quiz is popular with non-pupils. It appears on the school's website, and has been published in ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' since 1951. The current quizmaster is Dr Pat Cullen, a retired general practitioner, who has been setting the quiz since 1997. He reports that he now checks questions by typing them into

Google Google LLC () is an American Multinational corporation, multinational technology company focusing on Search Engine, search engine technology, online advertising, cloud computing, software, computer software, quantum computing, e-commerce, ar ...

and changing them if necessary to make sure the answers cannot be found immediately. Today the GKP is sent home to parents; there is a prize, presented at Founders' Day, for the winning family. There is great competition between the local Manx families over this test.

Houses

* Colbourne House – mixed boarding house * Dickson House – mixed day house * Walters House – mixed day house The original house system was replaced in 2003–2004 with form centres. Whilst the house system was kept by name only, the main social function of the house system was lost. Many OKWs still refer to the original house names. Colbourne house was the boys boarding house with School house being the girls boarding house. School house is situated in the main school, where the female boarders reside and are still referred to as the ''School house girls'', but are now a part of Colbourne house. Original houses * Hunt house – day boys' house (now occupied by the 5th Form Centre) * Raglan house – day boys' house (now occupied by the 6th Form Centre) * Barrow house – day girls' house * Wilson house – boarding boys' house * Colbourne house – Boarding boys' house * Dickson house – Boarding boys' house * School house – Boarding boys' house

Praepositors

A praepositor is an equivalent of a

prefect Prefect (from the Latin ''praefectus'', substantive adjectival form of ''praeficere'': "put in front", meaning in charge) is a magisterial title of varying definition, but essentially refers to the leader of an administrative area. A prefect's ...

: a member of the Upper

Sixth Form In the education systems of England, Northern Ireland, Wales, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and some other Commonwealth countries, sixth form represents the final two years of secondary education, ages 16 to 18. Pupils typically prepare for A-l ...

who has considerable responsibility within the school. The title

Head of School A head master, head instructor, bureaucrat, headmistress, head, chancellor, principal or school director (sometimes another title is used) is the staff member of a school with the greatest responsibility for the management of the school. In som ...

is given to the most senior Praepositor. The Head of School can be either male or female. Depending on the gender of the Head of School, their subordinate colleague will be known as either the

Head Boy Head boy and head girl are student leadership roles in schools, representing the school's entire student body. They are normally the most senior prefects in the school. The terms are commonly used in the British education system as well as in Aus ...

or the

Head Girl Head boy and head girl are student leadership roles in schools, representing the school's entire student body. They are normally the most senior prefects in the school. The terms are commonly used in the British education system as well as in Aus ...

. The Head of School is a long-established post, with the first recorded appointment in 1846.

Combined Cadet Force

The King William's College Combined Cadet Force (CCF) is a voluntary youth organisation sponsored by the UK Ministry of Defence. The College has a long and proud military history; its Officers' Training Corps (OTC) was the only contingent to see active service in the Great War, guarding prisoners of war at Douglas and provided the first recruits from the Island. 546 members of the College community served in the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

with 45 killed and 45 wounded from the OTC alone. In the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

696 served. Former cadets have won many honours in times of war, including 7

Distinguished Service Order The Distinguished Service Order (DSO) is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, as well as formerly of other parts of the Commonwealth, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, ty ...

s, 2

Distinguished Service Cross The Distinguished Service Cross (D.S.C.) is a military decoration for courage. Different versions exist for different countries. *Distinguished Service Cross (Australia) The Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) is a military decoration awarded to ...

es, 25

Military Cross The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level pre-1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth countries. The MC ...

es, 2 Croix de Guerre, 3

Military Medal The Military Medal (MM) was a military decoration awarded to personnel of the British Army and other arms of the armed forces, and to personnel of other Commonwealth countries, below commissioned rank, for bravery in battle on land. The award ...

s and 3

Distinguished Conduct Medal The Distinguished Conduct Medal was a decoration established in 1854 by Queen Victoria for gallantry in the field by other ranks of the British Army. It is the oldest British award for gallantry and was a second level military decoration, ranki ...

s. Established in 1911 by Lt K.A.R. Sugden the OTC comprised two platoons. After the First World War the OTC continued in its role of providing basic military training in the inter-war years. Notably it mounted a guard of honour for the visit of King George V and Queen Mary to the Isle of Man in July 1920. This OTC unit later evolved into the Junior Training Corps (JTC) about a year before the beginning of the

. Again in 1945 the JTC provided a guard of honour as the College welcomed King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, the first Royal guests to the College. In 1948 Field Marshal Viscount Montgomery visited the school. In that same year, the CCF was established as the JTC was integrated with the

Air Training Corps The Air Training Corps (ATC) is a British volunteer-military youth organisation. They are sponsored by the Ministry of Defence and the Royal Air Force. The majority of staff are volunteers, and some are paid for full-time work – including C ...

(ATC) and Sea Cadet Corps (SCC) at King William's College. Membership of the CCF was compulsory for all students in their 3rd, 4th and 5th years until 2005. From 2011 students from Castle Rushen High School have been invited to join the Force. To this day the CCF provides a guard of honour on

Tynwald Day Tynwald Day ( gv, Laa Tinvaal) is the National Day of the Isle of Man, usually observed on 5 July (if this is a Saturday or Sunday, then on the following Monday). On this day, the Island's legislature, Tynwald, meets at St John's, instead of ...

. Under the auspices of the CCF, King William's College joined the Duke of Edinburgh's Award scheme in 1966. Since 2007, however, the scheme has been run independently of the cadet force. The modern day CCF consists of three sections: Army, Royal Navy (RN) and Royal Air Force (RAF). Cadets in the Army Section learn basic military skills, such as marksmanship and fieldcraft, in addition to expedition skills. Senior cadets are responsible for the development of the training programme and the instruction of junior cadets. The training programme follows the Army Proficiency Certificate (APC) syllabus and a practical approach is adopted together with integrated scenarios. At the end of each academic year, the cadets have the chance to participate in a week-long camp at a military establishment. The RN Section provides cadets with the opportunity to experience different water-based activities, for example sailing and kayaking. The Naval Proficiency Certificate syllabus is followed to develop seamanship knowledge and skills, such as rope-work. The RAF Section follows the prescribed Air Cadet Proficiency (ACP) syllabus, including airmanship and navigation. Essential qualities, like self-discipline, teamwork and leadership, are developed through the conduction of practical leadership tasks and navigation activities. The Cadet Vocational Qualifications Organisation ( CVQO) has offered cadets the opportunity to receive internationally recognised BTEC Diploma qualifications. All cadets over the age of 16 may register for any of the qualifications on offer.

Notable former pupils

Former pupils, staff, and governors of King William's College may place the letters OKW after their name. *

Sir William Henry Bragg Sir William Henry Bragg (2 July 1862 – 12 March 1942) was an English physicist, chemist, mathematician, and active sportsman who uniquelyThis is still a unique accomplishment, because no other parent-child combination has yet shared a Nobel ...

, OM, KBE, FRS ( PRS 1935–40), Nobel Laureate in Physics 1915 *

Sir James Gell Sir James Gell (13 January 1823 – 12 March 1905)''Ramsey Courier.'' Tuesday, 14.03.1905 Page: 3 was a Manx lawyer, who was the First Deemster and Clerk of the Rolls in the Isle of Man. He was also the first Manxman to become Attorney General ...

CVO, QC,

First Deemster A Deemster ( gv, briw) is a judge in the Isle of Man. The High Court of Justice of the Isle of Man is presided over by a deemster or, in the case of the appeal division of that court, a deemster and the Judge of Appeal. The deemsters also pro ...

and the first Manxman to be appointed Attorney General of the Isle of Man * T.E. Brown, poet and writer *

David Cannan John David Qualtrough Cannan (24 August, 1936 – 2022) was the Member of the House of Keys for Michael and Chairman of the Isle of Man Water Authority. He was the son of former Chaplain of the House of Keys, Rev Canon Charles Cannan. He was ...

MHK, former

Speaker of the House of Keys The Speaker of the House of Keys () is the principal officer of the House of Keys, the lower house of the Isle of Man legislature. The Speaker is elected from the membership of the House at its first sitting after an election. He is responsibl ...

, Treasury Minister and former MHK for Michael *

Alfred Cannan Alfred Louis Cannan MHK is an independent Member of the House of Keys for Ayre & Michael and is the current Chief Minister of the Isle of Man. He was previously the Minister for the Treasury. Cannan sought the position of Chief Minister in 2 ...

MHK, Treasury Minister *

Lieutenant-Colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colo ...

Jack Malcolm Thorpe Fleming Churchill DSO MC, notable

commando Royal Marines from 40 Commando on patrol in the Sangin">40_Commando.html" ;"title="Royal Marines from 40 Commando">Royal Marines from 40 Commando on patrol in the Sangin area of Afghanistan are pictured A commando is a combatant, or operativ ...

commander in the

* Andrew Corlett, the

of the Isle of Man * Joseph George Cumming, MA Cantab.,

geologist A geologist is a scientist who studies the solid, liquid, and gaseous matter that constitutes Earth and other terrestrial planets, as well as the processes that shape them. Geologists usually study geology, earth science, or geophysics, althoug ...

and archaeologist * Thomas Wortley Drury, DD, MA Cantab.,

Bishop of Sodor and Man The Bishop of Sodor and Man is the Ordinary of the Diocese of Sodor and Man (Manx Gaelic: ''Sodor as Mannin'') in the Province of York in the Church of England. The diocese only covers the Isle of Man. The Cathedral Church of St German where t ...

1907–1911 *The Rev.

John Ellerton The Rev. John Ellerton (16 December 1826 – 15 June 1893) was a hymnodist and hymnologist. Life He was born in Clerkenwell, Middlesex, England, to George Ellerton, the head of an evangelical family. He was educated at King William's College ...

, hymn writer and hymnologist. Wrote "The day Thou gavest, Lord, is ended" *The Very Reverend

Frederic William Farrar Frederic William Farrar (Bombay, 7 August 1831 – Canterbury, 22 March 1903) was a cleric of the Church of England ( Anglican), schoolteacher and author. He was a pallbearer at the funeral of Charles Darwin in 1882. He was a member of the Camb ...

, DD

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a College town, university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cam ...

, FRS,

Dean of Canterbury The Dean of Canterbury is the head of the Chapter of the Cathedral of Christ Church, Canterbury, England. The current office of Dean originated after the English Reformation, although Deans had also existed before this time; its immediate precur ...

1895–1903 *

Major-General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

Francis John Fowler CB DSO, Commander of the Derajat Brigade 1914–16 * Henry Higgins (bullfighter), also known as Canadas and El Ingles,

matador A bullfighter (or matador) is a performer in the activity of bullfighting. ''Torero'' () or ''toureiro'' (), both from Latin ''taurarius'', are the Spanish and Portuguese words for bullfighter and describe all the performers in the activit ...

* Major Robert Johnston VC, recipient of the VC – South African War *

George Robert Stephenson George Robert Stephenson (20 October 1819 – 26 October 1905) was a British civil engineer. Life Stephenson was born to Robert Stephenson Senior (brother of the famed George Stephenson) in Newcastle upon Tyne. In a family of civil engin ...

, pioneer English railway engineer *Sir James Haldane Stewart Lockhart,

KCMG KCMG may refer to * KC Motorgroup, based in Hong Kong, China * Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George, British honour * KCMG-LP, radio station in New Mexico, USA * KCMG, callsign 1997-2001 of Los Angeles radio station KKLQ (FM) ...

, Registrar General and Colonial Secretary of

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delta i ...

* Lieutenant-General Sir Terence Douglas Herbert McMeekin KCB OBE * Brian Ivor Dennis McMeekin *

Sir John Mayhew MP, Conservative politician * Prof Alan Muir FRSE (1925–1974) anatomist * Pierre Novellie – South African/Manx stand-up, television and radio comedian *Sir Joseph Davidson Qualtrough

CBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

SHK, former

William Henry Quilliam William Henry Quilliam (10 April 1856 – 23 April 1932), who changed his name to Abdullah Quilliam and later Henri Marcel Leon or Haroun Mustapha Leon, was a 19th-century convert from Christianity to Islam, noted for founding England's first mo ...

also known as Abdullah Quilliam, Muslim convert, born in Liverpool of a wealthy Manx family *Captain William Henry Irvine Shakespear, civil servant and explorer of Northern Arabia * John C. Taylor, inventor and Chairman of Strix Ltd. * Donald Teare, British

pathologist Pathology is the study of the causes and effects of disease or injury. The word ''pathology'' also refers to the study of disease in general, incorporating a wide range of biology research fields and medical practices. However, when used in t ...

* William Arthur White, British diplomat in

Eastern Europe Eastern Europe is a subregion of the European continent. As a largely ambiguous term, it has a wide range of geopolitical, geographical, ethnic, cultural, and socio-economic connotations. The vast majority of the region is covered by Russia, whic ...

and

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in ...

James Wilson James Wilson may refer to: Politicians and government officials Canada *James Wilson (Upper Canada politician) (1770–1847), English-born farmer and political figure in Upper Canada * James Crocket Wilson (1841–1899), Canadian MP from Quebe ...

theologian Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

and

astronomer An astronomer is a scientist in the field of astronomy who focuses their studies on a specific question or field outside the scope of Earth. They observe astronomical objects such as stars, planets, moons, comets and galaxies – in either ...

* George Neilson,

historian A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the st ...

and antiquary

Victoria Cross holders

Three OKWs have won the

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously ...

:Michael Hoy, (2006), ''A Blessing to this Island'' *

Second Anglo-Afghan War The Second Anglo-Afghan War (Dari: جنگ دوم افغان و انگلیس, ps, د افغان-انګرېز دويمه جګړه) was a military conflict fought between the British Raj and the Emirate of Afghanistan from 1878 to 1880, when the l ...

** George Stuart White, VC, GCB, OM,

GCSI The Most Exalted Order of the Star of India is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria in 1861. The Order includes members of three classes: # Knight Grand Commander (:Knights Grand Commander of the Order of the Star of India, GCSI) # ...

GCMG The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George IV, Prince of Wales, while he was acting as prince regent for his father, King George III. It is named in honour ...

GCIE The Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria on 1 January 1878. The Order includes members of three classes: #Knight Grand Commander ( GCIE) #Knight Commander ( KCIE) #Companion ( CIE) No app ...

GCVO The Royal Victorian Order (french: Ordre royal de Victoria) is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the British monarch, Canadian monarch, Australian monarch, or ...

, DCL

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

, LLD

and

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 c ...

, born 1835, died 1912, Commander-in-Chief, India 1893–1898,

Governor of Gibraltar The governor of Gibraltar is the representative of the British monarch in the British overseas territory of Gibraltar. The governor is appointed by the monarch on the advice of the British government. The role of the governor is to act as the ...

1900–1905, hero of Ladysmith, he won the VC while holding the rank of Major. *

Second Boer War The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the South ...

**Major Robert Johnston, VC (1872 to 1950). He was a Captain when he won the VC. *

**Major Robert Henry Cain VC (1909–1974).

References

External links

The College's websiteProfile
on the

Independent Schools Council The Independent Schools Council (ISC) is a non-profit lobby group that represents over 1,300 schools in the United Kingdom's independent education sector. The organisation comprises seven independent school associations and promotes the bus ...

website
The International Baccalaureate's Website
*Jeffries, Stuart

interview with Dr Pat Cullen, quizmaster from 1997; ''The Guardian'', 23 December 2004.
2011–2012 Quiz in ''The Guardian''
quiz answers as of late January {{authority control Educational institutions established in 1833 * Schools in the Isle of Man Boarding schools in the United Kingdom Co-educational boarding schools Registered Buildings of the Isle of Man 1833 establishments in the British Empire Secondary schools on the Isle of Man