CENTRE FOR NEWFOUNDLAND STUDIES TOTAL OF 10 PAGES ONLY MAY BE XEROXED (Without Author's Permission) National Library Bibliotheque nationale 1+1 of Canada du Canada Acquisitions and Direction des acquisitions et Bibliographic SeNices Branch des se;vices bibliographiques 395 Wellington Street 395, rue Wellington Ottawa, Ontano Ottawa (Ontario) K1AON4 K1AON4 NOTICE AVIS The quality of this microform is La qualite de cette microforme heavily dependent upon the depend grandement de Ia qualite quality of the original thesis de Ia these soumise au submiHed for microfilming. micro1ilmage. Nous avons tout Every effort has been made to fait pour assurer une qualite ensure the highest quality of superieure de reproduction. reproduction possible. If pages are missing, contact the S'il manque des pages, veuillez university which granted the communiquer avec l'universite degree. qui a confere le grade. Some pages may have indistinct La qualite d'impression de print especially if the original certaines pages peut laisser a pages were typed with a poor desirer, surtout si les pages typewriter ribbon or if the originates ont ete university sent us an inferior dactylographiees a l'aide d'un photocopy. ruban use ou si l'universite nous a fait parvenir une photocopie de qualite inferieure. Reproduction in full or in part of La reproduction, meme partielle, this microform is governed by de cette microforme est soumise the Canadian Copyright Act, a Ia Loi canadienne sur le droit R.S.C. 1970, c. C-30, and d'auteur, SRC 1970, c. C-30, et subsequent amendments. ses amendements subsequents. Canada AN EDUCATIONAL HISTORY OF TilE SOCIETY FOR THE PROPAGATION OF TilE GOSPEL IN NEWFOUNDLAND, 1703 - 1850 by James B. Healey A thesis submitted to the School of Graduate Studies in partial fuirtlment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Education Department of Educational Foundations Memorial University of Newfoundland October, 1994 St. John's Newfoundland National Library Bibliotheque nationale 1+1 of Canada du Canada Acquisitions and Direction des acquisitions et Bibliographic Services Branch des services bibliographiques 395 Wellington Street 395, rue Wellington Ottawa, Ontario onawa (Ontario) K1AON4 K1AON4 Your lllo Votre r(}tt)(once Out fda Notra t~l~rence The author has granted an L'auteur a accorde une licence irrevocable non-exclusive licence irrevocable et non exclusive allowing the National Library of permettant a Ia Bibliotheque Canada to reproduce, loan, nationale du Canada de distribute or sell copies of reproduire, preter, distribuer ou his/her thesis by any means and vendre des copies de sa these in any form or format, making de quelque manii~re et sous this thesis available to interested quelque forme que ce soit pour persons. mettre des exemplaires de cette these a Ia disposition des personnes interessees. 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The conditions of deposit are: (a) that two copies are to be made available to users at the discretion of their custodians, OR (b) that access to, and quotation from, this thesis/report is to be granted only with my written permission for a period of one year from -the date on which the thesis/report, after the approval of the award of a degree, is entrusted to the care of the University, namely, October 31, 19 ..9...5.,_, after which time the two copies are to be made available to users at the discretion of their custodians, OR (c) that access to, and quotation from, this thesis/report is to be granted only with my written permission for a period of years from the date on which the thesis/report, after approval for the award of a degree, is entrusted to the care of the University: namely, ------------· 19 __; after which time two copies are to be made available to users at the discretion of their custodians. NOTES 1. Restriction (b) will be granted on application, without reason given. However, applications for restriction (c) must be accompanied with a detailed explanation, indicating why the restric­ tion is thought to be necessary and justifying tbe length of time requested. Restrictions required on the grounds that the thesis is being prepared for publication, or that patents are awaited, will not be permitted to exceed three years. Restriction (c) can be permitted only by a Committee entrusted by tbe university with the task of examining such applications, and will be granted only in exceptional circumstances. 2. Thesis writers are reminded that, if they have been engaged in contractual research, they may have already agreed to restrict access to their thesis until the terms of the contract have been fulfilled. Acknowledgements The author wishes to acknowledge the contribution of Dr. John Netten, Faculty of P.ducation, Memorial University of Newfoundland, for his assistance and advice. As well, special thanks go to the staff at the Centre for Newfoundland Studies and the library of Queen's College at Memorial University for their excellent and courteous service in providing important material. Finally, the author wishes to record his gratitude to Ms. Heather Ivany for her valued contribution in the typing and editing of this manuscript. i Dedication This thesis is dedicated to the author's father, J. Brendan Healey, whose- love for learning and especially for Newfoundland, is much admired and appreciated. ii Abstract This thesis is entitled An Educational History of the Society for the Propaf:ation of the Gospel in Newfoundland. 1703 - 1850. Its purpose is to provide- as far as possible- a detailed history of the educational work of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts (S.P.G.) while it was active in Newfoundland throughout the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The S.P.G. was founded in London, England, in 1701 and served as the educational arm of the Church of England for many years, directing most of its efforts to missionary and pedagogical concerns throughout the British Empire. Its association with Newfoundland began in 1703 and continued well into the next century when, for all intents and purposes, it~ educational endeavours ended around 1850 with a brief foray into Labrador. Since records indicate that the Society greatly reduced its operations after 1833 and eventually withdrew from the Newfoundland educational scene by the eighteen fifties, it seems appropriate to end this account of the Society's activities at the mid-nineteenth century. Largely through the use of primary sources, this thesis elaborates on the following topics: (i) the establishment and early history of the Society; iii (ii) the stated goals and objectives of the Society; (iii) social, economic and educational conditions in Newfoundland in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, as well as political events and their effects or. the Society's operations; (iv) involvement of the Society in Newfoundland, including the assistance to and establishment of schools in seve..U communities; (v) the work of specific missionaries and teachers as indicated in the primary sources; (vi) the gradual decline of the Society's operations in Newfoundland in the niEeteenth century and factors pertaining to the decline; and (vii) an evaluation of the Society's work and effectiveness. This paper focuses on the pedagogical, as opposed to the spiritual, work of the S.P.G., although no description would be complete without some mention of the religious side of this organization, an aspect that, for the most part, is dealt with in the introductory chapters. The auth<'r hopes that, in the final analysis 1 this thesis will provide a concise, convenient record of a her(;tofore little-known era in Newfoundland's educational and cultural history. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgements Dedication . ii Abstract . iii Introduction . 1 Chapter One: Social Conditions in Newfoundland Prior to and During the Eighteenth Century/Foundation of the S.P.G. in England, 1701 . 5 Chapter Two: Society Rules and Orders/Henry Jones and his School in Bonavista . 12 Chapter Three: Early Educational Activity - the Work of '.Villiam Peaseley, Edward Langman and Benjamin Lindsay, 1730 - 1763 . 19 Chapter Four: The S.P.G. in the Late Eighteenth Century/The Work of James Balfour, Lawrence Coughlan and Others, 1764 - 1793 . 27 Chapter Five: Around the Tum of the Century - .Establishing a Network of Schools Throughout Newfoundland, 1791 - 1810 ..........· . 45 Chapter Six: Further Expansion/The Work of John Leigh/The First Woman Schoolteacher/Introduction of the Madras System/Emergence of the Newfoundland School Society/Investigation and Assessment, 1811 - 1828 ........................................... 55 Chapter Seven: Teacher Training/Growth of the Newfoundland School Society/Edward Wix/Cutbacks and the Decision to Close Schools, 1829- 1833 ........................................... 71 Chapter Eight: Cutbacks and Effects/Early Development of the Theological Institution/Bishop Spencer/Bishop Feild/Downsizing of Operations/Foray into Labrador, 1832- 1850 . 82 Chapter Nine: An Evaluation of the Society's Work .