Charles Prescott
Encyclopedia
Charles John Prescott was an English
born Australia
n army
chaplain
, Methodist minister and headmaster.
, Dorset
, the eldest child of a Wesleyan
clergyman. Educated at Kingswood School
, Bath, he attended Worcester College, Oxford
and graduated BA
in 1880 and MA in 1893. He began theological studies in Birmingham
but on his marriage in 1882 migrated to Sydney
to improve his wife's health.
Wesleyan Circuit and as a part-time tutor at the provisional theological institute. In 1886 he was ordained as a minister and became the founding president and headmaster of the Wesleyan Ladies' College
, Burwood
. He introduced challenging academic studies for girls, as well as music and competitive games. In time ex-pupils excelled at the University of Sydney
, enhancing the college's reputation. He also established a co-educational kindergarten, probably the first in the Australia. The school was given colours, crest, motto, uniform, magazine and other traditions from English public schools
. He was greatly helped by his wife, Annie, who took charge of the domestic arrangements and music. In 1900 he moved to Newington College
, Stanmore
, as president and headmaster, the first to hold dual office. He fostered the ideal of a balanced liberal education within a Christian
environment, with an emphasis on mathematics and classical studies. Other emphases were correct English, team games, and commitment to 'family, school, King and God'. He retired from Newington in 1931 after a record term. The Prescott House, one of the eight Houses within the College, was named after Rev Prescott. The College also named the Prescott Hall after him. The Prescott Hall is often used as the venue where the College hosts important school events such as End of Season Dinners and Awards.
Methodist Conference in 1910 and served as acting senior army chaplain during World War I
, making many visits to camps and barracks. He was senior Methodist chaplain from 1919. In that year he was awarded an honorary doctorate of divinity
by Emory University
, Georgia, USA
. Esteemed by his peers, Prescott became the spokesman for other headmasters in negotiations with governments, the university and Department of Education. He was a founder and several times chairman of the Teachers' Association of New South Wales and the foundation chairman, in 1923, of the Headmasters' Association. In retirement he continued on boards and committees and contributed to the Sydney Morning Herald. On his death he was survived by two sons and two daughters. His portrait in oils hangs in Prescott Hall at Newington College.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
born Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n army
Army
An army An army An army (from Latin arma "arms, weapons" via Old French armée, "armed" (feminine), in the broadest sense, is the land-based military of a nation or state. It may also include other branches of the military such as the air force via means of aviation corps...
chaplain
Chaplain
Traditionally, a chaplain is a minister in a specialized setting such as a priest, pastor, rabbi, or imam or lay representative of a religion attached to a secular institution such as a hospital, prison, military unit, police department, university, or private chapel...
, Methodist minister and headmaster.
Early life
Prescott was born in BridportBridport
Bridport is a market town in Dorset, England. Located near the coast at the western end of Chesil Beach at the confluence of the River Brit and its Asker and Simene tributaries, it originally thrived as a fishing port and rope-making centre...
, Dorset
Dorset
Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...
, the eldest child of a Wesleyan
Wesleyanism
Wesleyanism or Wesleyan theology refers, respectively, to either the eponymous movement of Protestant Christians who have historically sought to follow the methods or theology of the eighteenth-century evangelical reformers, John Wesley and his brother Charles Wesley, or to the likewise eponymous...
clergyman. Educated at Kingswood School
Kingswood School
Kingswood School, referred to as 'Kingswood', is an independent day and boarding school located in Bath, Somerset, England. The school is coeducational and educates some 950 children aged 3 to 18. It is notable for being founded by John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, in 1748...
, Bath, he attended Worcester College, Oxford
Worcester College, Oxford
Worcester College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. The college was founded in the eighteenth century, but its predecessor on the same site had been an institution of learning since the late thirteenth century...
and graduated BA
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in 1880 and MA in 1893. He began theological studies in Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
but on his marriage in 1882 migrated to Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
to improve his wife's health.
Ministry and school career
On arrival in Australia, Prescott was appointed to ParramattaParramatta, New South Wales
Parramatta is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is located in Greater Western Sydney west of the Sydney central business district on the banks of the Parramatta River. Parramatta is the administrative seat of the Local Government Area of the City of Parramatta...
Wesleyan Circuit and as a part-time tutor at the provisional theological institute. In 1886 he was ordained as a minister and became the founding president and headmaster of the Wesleyan Ladies' College
MLC School
MLC School is an independent day school for girls, located in Burwood, Sydney. Founded in 1886, MLC admits students from pre-kinder age through to Year 12, and is a Uniting Church of Australia school.- History :...
, Burwood
Burwood, New South Wales
Burwood is a suburb in the inner-west of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Burwood is located 12 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre for the local government area of Burwood Council....
. He introduced challenging academic studies for girls, as well as music and competitive games. In time ex-pupils excelled at the University of Sydney
University of Sydney
The University of Sydney is a public university located in Sydney, New South Wales. The main campus spreads across the suburbs of Camperdown and Darlington on the southwestern outskirts of the Sydney CBD. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and Oceania...
, enhancing the college's reputation. He also established a co-educational kindergarten, probably the first in the Australia. The school was given colours, crest, motto, uniform, magazine and other traditions from English public schools
Public School (UK)
A public school, in common British usage, is a school that is neither administered nor financed by the state or from taxpayer contributions, and is instead funded by a combination of endowments, tuition fees and charitable contributions, usually existing as a non profit-making charitable trust...
. He was greatly helped by his wife, Annie, who took charge of the domestic arrangements and music. In 1900 he moved to Newington College
Newington College
Newington College is an independent, Uniting Church, day and boarding school for boys, located in Stanmore, an inner-western suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia....
, Stanmore
Stanmore
Stanmore is a suburban area of the London Borough of Harrow, in northwest London. It is situated northwest of Charing Cross. The area is home to Stanmore Hill, one of the highest points of London, high.-Toponymy:...
, as president and headmaster, the first to hold dual office. He fostered the ideal of a balanced liberal education within a Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
environment, with an emphasis on mathematics and classical studies. Other emphases were correct English, team games, and commitment to 'family, school, King and God'. He retired from Newington in 1931 after a record term. The Prescott House, one of the eight Houses within the College, was named after Rev Prescott. The College also named the Prescott Hall after him. The Prescott Hall is often used as the venue where the College hosts important school events such as End of Season Dinners and Awards.
Community service
Prescott was elected president of the New South WalesNew South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
Methodist Conference in 1910 and served as acting senior army chaplain during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, making many visits to camps and barracks. He was senior Methodist chaplain from 1919. In that year he was awarded an honorary doctorate of divinity
Divinity
Divinity and divine are broadly applied but loosely defined terms, used variously within different faiths and belief systems — and even by different individuals within a given faith — to refer to some transcendent or transcendental power or deity, or its attributes or manifestations in...
by Emory University
Emory University
Emory University is a private research university in metropolitan Atlanta, located in the Druid Hills section of unincorporated DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. The university was founded as Emory College in 1836 in Oxford, Georgia by a small group of Methodists and was named in honor of...
, Georgia, USA
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
. Esteemed by his peers, Prescott became the spokesman for other headmasters in negotiations with governments, the university and Department of Education. He was a founder and several times chairman of the Teachers' Association of New South Wales and the foundation chairman, in 1923, of the Headmasters' Association. In retirement he continued on boards and committees and contributed to the Sydney Morning Herald. On his death he was survived by two sons and two daughters. His portrait in oils hangs in Prescott Hall at Newington College.
External links
- Peter L. Swain, 'Prescott, Charles John (1857 - 1946)', Australian Dictionary of BiographyAustralian Dictionary of BiographyThe Australian Dictionary of Biography is a national, co-operative enterprise, founded and maintained by the Australian National University to produce authoritative biographical articles on eminent people in Australia's history....
, Volume 11, MUP, 1988, pp 282-283.