Mount St Mary's College, Spinkhill

Mount St Mary's College was a private, co-educational, day and boarding school situated at Spinkhill, Derbyshire, England. It was founded in 1842 by the Society of Jesus (better known as the Jesuits), and has buildings designed by notable architects such as Joseph Hansom, Henry Clutter and Adrian Gilbert Scott. The school was a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference and the Catholic Independent Schools Conference.

Its affiliated preparatory school was Barlborough Hall School, which is 2.2 miles away by road. In 2025, both the college and school closed after 183 years.

History

Foundation

Since 1580, during the English Reformation, there have been Jesuits living and working in Spinkhill, serving the local Catholic population. In 1580, Robert Persons, Edmund Campion, and Ralph Emerson came to England in secret. These first Jesuits were sheltered at Spinkhill Hall, the house that became Mount St Mary's College. In 1620, a clandestine school was founded in Stanley Grange near Derby. When this school was discovered and dispersed by the authorities, it did not cease to exist. It was moved to Spinkhill. The school was in buildings owned by members of the Pole family who were related to those living at nearby Radbourne Hall. During the 1700s, it was recorded that there was a Catholic chapel in Spinkhill, a house for Jesuit priests and that they travelled to serve the Catholics in Holbeck, Nottinghamshire.

Construction

In 1842, after Catholic emancipation, Mount St Mary's College was founded. It was originally called the College of the Immaculate Conception at Spinkhill and it was founded by Fr Randall Lythgoe, the provincial superior of the Jesuits in Britain at the time.

Developments

In 1939, Barlborough Hall, an Elizabethan manor some two miles from Spinkhill, was acquired to serve as a preparatory school to Mount St Mary's College. On 16 July 1939, the then headmaster, Fr Ralph Baines successfully petitioned the College of Arms to give the college its own coat of arms. This was still used by the college up to its closure. During Baines' Headmastership from 1939 to 1945, he was also accepted into the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference, thus establishing the college as a Public School. In 1979, girls were admitted as day students. From 1984, girls began boarding in the school.

In September 2006, Mount St Mary's became its own charitable trust. The Society of Jesus transferred the two schools to the Mount St Mary's Trust. While legally separate from the Jesuits, the college worked with them to maintain the Jesuit mission and identity of the college.

On 30 July 2025, after the end of the school year, it was announced by the board of governors that the college and Barlborough Hall School would immediately close. The board said that the closure came after "increasing financial pressures, in line with the wider challenges affecting the independent education sector in the UK".

Coat of arms

List of Rectors and Headmasters

Rector and Headmaster

: Fr Bernard Jarret SJ (1842-1843)

: Fr John Polding SJ (1843-1844)

: Fr William Cobb SJ (1844-1846)

: Fr Thomas Seed SJ (1846-1847)

: Fr Francis Clough SJ (1847-1848)

: Fr John Baron SJ (1848-1854)

: Fr Maurice Mann SJ (1854-1859)

: Fr George Tickell SJ (1859-1862)

: Fr Thomas Williams SJ (1862-1867)

: Fr Charles Henry SJ (1867-1868)

: Fr Thomas Hill SJ (1868-1873)

: Fr Thomas Dykes SJ (1873-1879)

: Fr John Clayton SJ (1879-1888)

: Fr Henry Parker SJ (1888-1893)

: Fr George Huggins SJ (1893-1901)

: Fr Francis Payne SJ (1901-1904)

: Fr Patrick Wolfe SJ (1904-1912)

: Fr Daniel O'Neill SJ (1912-1918)

: Fr Arthur Collingwood SJ (1918-1926)

: Fr William Hague SJ (1926-1931)

: Fr Ignatius Scoles SJ (1931-1936)

: Fr Ralph Baines SJ (1936-1942)

: Fr John Brady SJ (1942-1948)

Headmasters

: Fr James Colliston SJ (1948-1967)

: Fr Anthony Nye SJ (1968-1975)

: Fr John Gummitt SJ (1976-1990)

: Paul Fisher (1991-1998)

: Philip MacDonald (1998-2007)

: Lawrence McKell (2007-2014)

: Nicholas Cuddihy (2014-20)

: Dan Wright (2021-2025)

School years

thumbnail|right|250px|Chapel and buildings

Each of the school years are named after different stages of elementary skills, taken from the Jesuit text, Ratio Studiorum: The college also won the National Schools Sevens four times from 1988 to 1995. There was a sporting rivalry against fellow Catholic Public Schools, Stonyhurst College and Ampleforth College.

Mount St Mary's Combined Cadet Force (CCF) was over 100 years old. According to the Independent Schools Inspectorate, "The school's RAF cadet force became the first nationwide to achieve their 'blue wings' gliding licence," and "pupils achieve high success rates in the Duke of Edinburgh award at all levels." The college had music and drama departments that work together for productions. The college's art department includes design and technology, fashion, fine art, and photography. There were also nine rugby pitches, three cricket squares, an astro-turf, two sports halls, and a leisure centre with indoor swimming pool, cardio room, and two weights rooms. The latter was open to the public for use at specific times and is run by Nuffield Health. There was a Sixth Form Centre, and a programme of speakers coming from outside the college. The boarding community comprised UK and international pupils who chose to board either full-time, on a weekly or flexi basis.

Emmanuel Berchmans Devlin KC, Canadian lawyer and politician
Alfred Martin Duggan-Cronin, Irish-born South African photographer
Vincent Esch, British architect
Sir Denis Henry, 1st Baronet, Lord Chief Justice of Northern Ireland
Michael Hills, rugby player
Gerard W. Hughes, Jesuit priest and writer
David Jennings, composer
Paul Lindley, entrepreneur and founder of Ella's Kitchen
Hugh Lofting, author, creator of Doctor Dolittle (attended the college 1894–1904)
Brendan McGuinness, British Army officer
Sir Martin Melvin, 1st Baronet
Kevin O'Shiel, Irish politician and civil servant
Steve Perez, entrepreneur and rally driver
Francis Petre, New Zealand architect
Henry Petre DSO MC, solicitor and founding member of the Australian Flying Corps
Carlos Reygadas, film director
Sir David Rose, former Governor-General of Guyana
Joe Tetley, cricketer
John Wheatley, Lord Wheatley

Notable staff

Sir Norman Adsetts OBE, businessman who sits on the chair of governors
Harold Cartwright, cricketer who taught cricket and mathematics
James Cullen, mathematician, taught mathematics at the school
Paul Fisher, cricketer and classicist who was Headmaster at the school
Gerard Manley Hopkins, poet, taught at the school from 1877 to 1878.
Lesroy Weekes, first-class cricketer, current Head of Cricket

References

External links

Profile on the Independent Schools Council website
Independent Schools Inspectorate Inspection Reports
Charity Overview (Registered Charity No.)