Background:

Born in November, 1799 at Wandsworth , England.

Educated at Eton College.

Became one of the Founders of the “Etonian”, the Eton College Magazine

Represented Eton at 1st XI Cricket

Entered Kings College, Cambridge University in 1819

Became a Master at Eton in 1821 and thereafter admitted as a Deacon.

In 1844, Rev. James Chapman was offered two jobs –  headmaster of Harrow and the Bishopric of Colombo .

He accepted the job as Bishop – and landed in Colombo on 1st November, 1845.

His Vision on being appointed as Bishop

Quote;

“My first objective would be a Cathedral Church and a school connected with it, so planned as to admit of extension and enlargement at any future period, by myself or my successors:

The one to be a real Cathedral and the other to be a College, worthy of a prospering colony”

End quote.

The Founding and Funding of S. Thomas’s College
 

-                     Bishop Chapman’s original site was the headland at Mount Lavinia. A lack of Funds prevented the College being built at this site.

-                     67 years later Warden Stone, identified the present site and then established STC at Mount Lavinia in 1918.

-                     In 1847, Bishop Chapman  purchased a 9 acre plot of land, including a bungalow at Mutwal for 2000 Pounds.

-                     Mutwal was the then fashionable quarter of the City of Colombo and it was the intention of the Bishop to build his church and school in this locality.

-                     Bishop Chapman began work on the College in 1848 – and applied to the Governor for financial assistance. However the Kandyan rebellion of 1848 and the collapse of the coffee industry prevented the Govt., from providing Funds.

-                     The Bishop then appealed to the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in UK, for funds.   He received a positive response and this funding relationship was to support the College until 1932.

-                     The Foundation stone for the new College was laid on St. Thomas’s Day in 1849 – and thus, the origin of the name of the new College.

The Sermon of Bishop Chapman at the laying of the Foundation Stone in 1849 includes the following;

Quote;

“… in building for God, we run no venture, we hazard no loss, we cherish no vague or uncertain hopes. Though unseen ,when founded on true faith, hope is never unreal .

Enduring works are often of humble beginnings. The few fishermen of Galilee were the evangelists of the world. The noblest Cathedrals were once but unhewn masses of stone.

England whose missions now encircle the globe , was once a nation of idolaters; the greatest university was at first no more than an alphabetical school . The Son of God Himself had but a manger cradle ….”

Bishop Chapman’s plan was to establish a Preparatory School and a College proper.  The Prep School was to be a public school where boys were trained to enter the College.

The College itself was to train boys to enter the Priesthood – but was not confined to Theology or Theology students.

Bishop Chapman served as the Bishop of Colombo until August 1861.

He achieved his second dream of building a Cathedral for his Diocese. The new Cathedral Church of Christ was consecrated on the 21st of September, 1854.  This church served a three fold purpose by becoming the College Chapel and a District Church, in addition to being the Cathedral of the Diocese.

The consecration of the Cathedral included a Sinhalese service, which was well attended by the Mudliyars and the Muhandirams of that time in full state.

The Bishop is on record as saying that he wanted to give a national character to the solemnity of the occasion.

The Vision of our Founder

        His First objective was to start a Cathedral & A School connected with it, so planned as to admit of extension & enlargement at any future period by himself or his successors. The College was to be worthy of a prospering colony.
 

        The objectives of missionary English schools were:
 

        First to train Christians in Ceylon so to preach Christ that their hearers may realise He is no foreigner, but the real & true fulfillment of all that is highest in their aspirations & past.

      
        Second to make pupils good citizens of their own land-

(a)       By carefully relating all that is taught them to the needs, problems & language of their own people;

(b)      By deliberately striving to foster & encourage their sense of responsibility & readiness to act, & so work for leaders.

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