John Wesley arrived infrequently at the school he had founded in 1748 'Behold Paradise opened in the wild!' and generally found fault. 

1781: 'Some of the rules had not been observed at all; particularly that of rising in the morning. Surely Satan has a peculiar spite at this school.'

1782: At the time of Adam Clarke's visit, 'the school consisted of the sons of itinerant preachers and parlour boarders, the latter taken in because public collections were not sufficient to support the institution.

'As a religious seminary, and under the direction of one of the greatest men in the world, Mr J. Wesley, the school had great character, both over Europe and America, among religious people. Independently of several sons of opulent Methodists there were in it at that time several from the West Indies, Norway, Sweden and Denmark.'

Thomas Simpson K. A. was headmaster, and a man of learning and piety; a gentleman but too easy for his situation'. Mrs Simpson, - ('the Bengal tiger'), was housekeeper and Miss Simpson, assistant. Cornelius Bayley, in holy orders and 'of strictest morals and exemplary piety' taught English for £12 a year and board with the help of the youthful C.R. Bond, a half boarder of limited experience, shallow in talents, but affectionate'. Vincent de Boudry, 'a man of plain sense and true godliness' was occasional French teacher.

Despite the above, not altogether unfavourable references, the school was badly organised, each of the masters 'doing what was right in his own eyes' and Clarke thought 'it was the worst school I had ever seen.' The 'young gentlemen' who had been introduced as paying boarders ran amok with scant regard for the rules, yet received every respect whilst the little preachers' boys suffered neglect and 'great indignities' enough to put them off religion for life, said Clarke. Had their fathers known, they would surely have preferred them to die in ignorance rather than send them to a place where there was scarcely any care taken of either their bodies or souls.

Clearly, Clarke reported to the founder who arrived to see for himself. Wesley found his rule that 'the children ought never to be alone, but always in the presence of a master' flouted, and the scholars playing and fighting in the wood with the colliers' sons. Both masters and scholars could be found sluggardising in bed after 5 a.m. The institution, he declared was slack, lacking in religion and learning.

Not surprisingly there was a change of management. The Simpsons were eased out after twelve years on a pretext that Mr Simpson wished to be itinerant. Cornelius Bayley left with them and only the Frenchman, Monsieur de Bouciry renamed. Thomas McGeary succeeded as Headmaster, though must have been very shorthanded. Boudry left in 1787. In March that year Wesley wrote to McGeary,

'Dear Tommy, It is a wonderful strange thing that in all the three kingdoms we cannot find such a schoolmaster as we would. I have sent to every part of England. His final line 'love to S.McGeary allows us surely, the merest trace of a glimpse of Mrs McGeary? Eventually McGeary was supported by 'three pious and able assistants' probably Richard Dodd, Robert de Joncourt and either Samuel Green or William Winsbeare who left that year. Now the old preacher was well satisfied: 'I walked over to Kingswood School, one of the pleasantest spots in England. I found all things according to my desire, the rules being well observed and the behaviour of the children showing that they are now managed with the wisdom that cometh from God.'

1792: The sons of preachers made up three quarters of the scholars and many 'useful preachers, who must otherwise have sunk under the weight of their families' were enabled to devote their whole time to God's service. McGeary, said Wesley's biographers in 1792, had given great satisfaction. Nevertheless he ceased to be headmaster in 1794, caught up in the crisis which threatened to disrupt the Connection when the Kingswood Methodists chose the option of separating from the Church of England. He became a schoolmaster at Keynsham but sadly died three years later and was buried in the chancel of Keynsham parish church. He was succeeded at Kingswood by John Clarke, of Coleraine, the father of Adam Clarke.

MASTERS

Cornelius Bayley 1773-83 - William Carr 1789-90 - William Collins 1790-95 - Vincent K. De Boudry 1780-87 - Robert de Joncourt 1787-89 - Richard Dodd 1787-90 - William Farrant 1789-91 - Samuel Green 1787-89 - William Noore Johnson 1794-96 - William Hind, 1793-94 - James Vindsor 1795-98 - William Vinsbeare 1787-87

The tradition of having a Frenchman to teach his native tongue was discontinued in 1789, presumably as a patriotic gesture. In any case, Wesley had a poor opinion of the merits of the French language.

The PUPILS were made up of Students of University standard, lay boarders who were charged between £16 and £20 and the sons of itinerant preachers, aged between eight and twelve who were funded by collections.

These itinerant preachers were the poorest of the poor,~ receiving no stipend but relying on the generosity of their hearers to provide them with life's necessaries. Further, their work took them away from home to trudge threadbare from place to place, leading to much privation for their families. Only after 1774 were preachers wives awarded 'lodging, coals and candles' or £15 a year.

The boys would be dressed from top to toe in A broad Brimmed Hat - A long tail-coat made of broadcloth reaching below the knees - A vest - Knee breeches of white fustin, fastened round the knee with a 'ribband' - Stockings - Plain shoes brown or black.

Though the paying boarders might - appear more extravagantly clad. From about 1788 onwards, they were phased out and supplanted by the preachers' sons. It is possible the colliers' own day schools, boys and girls, continued in the 'Old House' though nothing is known about these apart from the fact that the twain evidently mixed, if only to fightl The colliers twitted the Kingswood scholars as Cockie Booades' as a former inmate heard it and interpreted as 'Cuckoo Boarders' but it is surely the much ruder 'Cockie Boogets'. The Cockie is obvious. A Booget was an ITINERANT tinker's BASKET.

An engraving of the school made in 1790, shows Wesley walking in the garden with another man, thought to be either Joseph Bradford, a frequent travelling companion of Wesley's or McGeary himself. A trio of boys stand in a huddle. Two talk together; one admires a garden plot while another strolls with his back to us, engrossed in an open book. One leads a horse and most interesting of all, two are actually playing with pet dogs, within sight of the august founder, which perhaps gives the hint that even Wesley mellowed with age. Not a collier's son (or daughter!) is to be seen.

The Roll

1772 - Thomas Capiter (1772-79 (yeoman farmer at Grimsby, d 1856) James Whitestone (BA Trinity, Dublin)

1773 - Joseph Greenwood - John Hamilton - Benjamin Harris Pool -
William Snowdon - Edward Keil - John Keil

1774 - James Greenwood - Charles Whatcoat

1775 - John Greenwood - Francis Hem - John Payne - Richard Rodda

1776 - John Morgan - William Morgan - John Robins - William Shent

1778 - Isaac Shearing (died 1778) - John Bourke - James Mitchell -
Cornelius Peacock (Peacock is a common surname in Kingswood. - A local boy?) - Joseph Finder

1779 - John Barry - Charles Wargate - George Snowden

1780 - James Hanby - Thomas Harrison (Wesleyan Minister 1790. d 1830) - Thomas Warwick. (Doctor demonstrated his oxy-hydrogen microscope at the school, 1836 having shown same to King & Queen of France)

1781 - Thomas Brisco (1781-89) - James Barry - Joseph Collins - David Evans (1781- 89) - James Pool - James Rowell

1782 - Adam Clarke (MA, LLD, Aberdeen. MRIA, FGS, Author & Divine) - Joshua Collins (1782-89) - John Mitchell - James Morgan (1782-89)

1783 - David Pool - Isaac Brown - Michael Harrison - Isaac Barry - Samuel Roberts (1783-89)

1784 - Jonathon Hem (1784-91) - John Leech (1784-91)

1785 - William Farr

1786 - Samuel Barry - Matthias Morgan - John Rodda - William Thorn

1787 - Wesley Hern - Benjamin Rogers - William Hern - Henry Malone (1787-90) - John Younger (1787-92)  - Laurence Kane (1787-91)

1788 - James Bannister (1788-90) - Charles Cooper (1788-93) - James Cooper (1788-93) - Joseph Child (1788-92 ) - George Gilbert (1788-92) - Edward Price - Joseph Rogers - John Slocomb (HM Customs, Bristol)

1789 - Martin Rodda (1789-96) - Thomas Hale - John Rosevear - Gilbert Webb - Thomas Snowdon - John Braune - Thomas Leech - Thomas Jones - Joseph Spicer - William Smith - John Hart - Francis Hill - William Collins - John Delamore - John Edward Gilbert - Joseph Goodwin (cotton manufacturer) - John Baker (1789-90) - Nathaniel Lynch (1789-92) - William McGeary (probably son of the headmaster?) - George Moore (1789-93) - Peter Morgan - James Norman - Benjanin Peacock (another local boy? See Cornelius Peacock above) - James Wood (Magistrate, member Bristol Corpn d 1846) - William Sheppard (d 1858) - Edward Stamford - William Stamford - Joseph Trueman (left 1792; brewer) - Thomas Trueman (1789-92] (brewer) - William Lane - James Kane (1789-96)

1790 - Edward Barry - Paul Grut - Samuel Squires - Joseph Hanby 1790-96) - Joseph Empringham (1790-96) - William Dieuade - William Carr - John Lynch (1790-94) - James McBurney (1790-97)

1791 - William Child - William Matthews - William Rutherford (1791-96) - Andrew Inglis (1791-93) - Richard Summers (1791-93) - John Vilshaw (1791-96; Excise Office, d.1857) - Samuel Wood (1791-97) - Philip Laby

1792 - George Bradburn - Joseph Bradford (1792-99) - Francis Cooper - Josiah Goodwin (1792-98; Wesleyan Minister 1808. d 1866) - John Pritchard - Charles Stewart (1792-96) - James Inglis (1792-98) - John Inglis (1792-98)

1793 - Ernest Bern (1793-98)  - Matt Stewart (1793-96) - Charles Graham (1793-96) - James Roe Rogers (Rogers was the boy who is at the foot of the bed (in the well known picture of Wesley s deathbed) - William Williams - William West - Charles Tunnycliffe - Natthias Joyce (1793-99)

1794 - William Blair - Elijah Harrison - William George Homer (1794-1800; Master at KS, 1800-04) - John Nowat - George Yasey - Boston King (Wesleyan Negro Evangelist') - Theophilus Lessy (1794-1801)

1795 - Joseph Algar (Wesleyan Minister) - Matthew Lessey (1795-99)