Bishop Edward Feild was a man of single-minded determination. He was appointed to the See of Newfoundland and Bermuda and arrived here from England in 1844 to some pomp and circumstance arranged by the governor of the time Maj. General Sir John Harvey. Boats greeted him in the harbour and he was taken by carriage to meet the governor at Government House with flags flying. This was not Feild's style and he regretted that such a display was caused by his coming to Newfoundland. He was going to need all the detrmination he could muster as he found the state of the church and the education system wanting.
One of the first things he did was to establish a school for boys which he called The Church of England Academy. He procured a building on what is now Forest Road and set up the school and enlisted the help of his friends in England to send masters out to teach the boys along with money. This was the beginning of Bishop Feild College as we know it to day. Not only did he set up the boys' school but also established a school for girls as he was a staunch believer in the education of women. That school was named after his friend Aubrey Spencer.
During the following years of his episcopacy he revitalized The Church of England in Newfoundland and established Queens College Seminary to provide priests for the church. Education improved during his time also. Schools were established and built outside St. John's and through his and Bishop Mullock's work denominationalism was rooted strongly in Newfoundland. Feild persuaded the government of the time to split the allocation of funds to protestants into amounts for Anglicans and Methodists thus getting the same treatment as The Roman Catholic Church.
After years of unstinting work and a climate that was harsh and unforgiving Feild contracted a severe illness. He took a journey to Bermuda to recuperate. There he died and is buried in Hamilton cemetery.
His beloved Bishop Feild School lives on in St. John's and in Kidlington, England where it is called The Edward Feild Junior School. Queens College at Memorial University is still educating priests for the church.
"Floreat Semper Bishop Feild"
1 comment:
A lot of skill goes into calligraphy and I detect a steady hand.
Could this image be sent in a higher resolution? It becomes pixilated when enlarged to view detail
In my opinion the scroll is rather busy with duplication of portion of the building and part of the border. Also, introduction of a 3rd font makes the text appear jumbled.
What is the significance of the tree?
I would have suggested to just have the school crest, motto and the caribou only as graphics.....
What do you think??
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