Hampton School is an all-girls boarding school located in

Malvern, Jamaica Malvern is a village in the Santa Cruz Mountains in Jamaica's St. Elizabeth parish. It is the site of Bethlehem Moravian College, Munro College (151-year-old boys' secondary school) and Hampton School Hampton School (formerly Hampton Gra ...

. It is one of the oldest boarding schools in Jamaica, and was founded in 1858, two years after its all boys counterpart

Munro College Munro College is a boarding school for boys in St Elizabeth, Jamaica. It was founded in 1856 as the Potsdam School (named for the city of Potsdam), a school for boys in St. Elizabeth as stipulated in the will of plantation owners Robert Hugh Mun ...

. The school was originally named Fort-Rose, and was constructed from funds received from the Munro and Dickenson Trust. The school's motto is in Latin, "''Summa Virtute Et Humanitate''", which means: "With Utmost Courage and Courtesy".

History

On 21 January 1797 Robert Munro left a residuary request in his will, addressed to his nephew Caleb Dickenson and the Churchwardens of St Elizabeth. Included were instructions to establish a school for the marginalized children in St. Elizabeth. In his lifetime Dickenson would augment his uncle's estate, increasing its value. Upon his death in 1821, Dickenson left instructions in his will for the trustees of his wealth to perform his uncle's wishes. This request would go unaddressed until 1855, when a new Trustee Board was established, known as "The Governors and Trustees of Munro and Dickenson Free School and Charity". In 1856 an all-boys school named Potsdam College was erected in Black River; later removed to Potsdam in 1857 and renamed to

during World War I. In 1858, a year later, an all-girls school was erected on the same campus. This all-girls school was known as Fort-Rose. The location of the all-girls school was moved several times, first to Torrington, then to Mt-Zion. The institution saw a change in 1885, moving to Malvern House. It would not reach its final and current location, Hampton, property of the Boxer family, until 1891. The year 1891 holds further significance in being the date of the renaming of the school to Hampton School for Girls. In 1896, on the decease of Mr. Boxer, the Hampton property was purchased by the Munroe and Dickenson Trust for £800.

Historic Buildings

Chapel The Hampton School Chapel was built over a 10-year timespan (1922 to 1932). The chapel hosts a stained-glass window designed by

James Ballantine James Ballantine (11 June 1806 – 18 December 1877) was a Scottish artist and author. His son, Alexander (1841–1906), later joined his stained-glass window business.

of Edinburgh. A piece of granite left over from the construction of

Usher Hall The Usher Hall is a concert hall in Edinburgh, Scotland. It has hosted concerts and events since its construction in 1914 and can hold approximately 2,200 people in its recently restored auditorium, which is well loved by performers due to its ...

in Edinburgh was donated by the builder of the Scottish War Memorial, Neil McLeod. Calder Hall Calder Hall was officially opened on 8 October 1913, after three and a half years of construction. Its erection was supervised by Henry Maxwell, one of the then trustees of the school. Calder Hall was named after John Vassal Calder, who served as Chairman of the Trust for more than 30 years.

Notable Hamptonians

Una Marson Una Maud Victoria Marson (6 February 1905 – 6 May 1965) was a Jamaican feminist, activist and writer, producing poems, plays and radio programmes. She travelled to London in 1932 and became the first black woman to be employed by the BBC d ...

Olive Lewin Olive Lewin OD OM (28 September 1927 – 10 April 2013) was a Jamaican author, social anthropologist, musicologist, and teacher. She is best known for her recorded anthologies of old Jamaica folk songs, researched and collected over her lifeti ...

Past headmistresses

* Miss Elizabeth Ramson (1858–84) * Miss McCutcheon (1885–89) * Mrs Julia Comrie (Principal)*, Miss Geddes (Headmistress) (1890–93) * Miss Holden (1894–1904) * Miss Maud Barrows (1905–22) * Miss Campbell (1923–34) * Mrs Joliette Sutherland (1993 - 2003 * Mrs Heather Murray (2003 -) ''* For the period (1890–93) Hampton School had attempted to change its leadership structure, introducing both a Principal and Headmistress in 1890, this was done away with in 1894.''

References

External links

* https://web.archive.org/web/20050210112806/http://www.hamptonschool.edu.jm/ {{Schools in Jamaica Schools in Jamaica Boarding schools in Jamaica Educational institutions established in 1858 Girls' schools in Jamaica Buildings and structures in Saint Elizabeth Parish 1858 establishments in Jamaica