Bishop Mathew Hale

Mathew Blagden Hale (1811-1895) was the first Bishop of Perth, arriving early in 1858 on the Nile [and previously in 1856 on the Guyon - or 1848 on the Champion?], following his consecration at Lambeth the year before. In June, he established at The Cloisters the Bishop's School, which became the High School (according to Battye 1912-13) before becoming Hale School. Hale left WA in 1875 to become Bishop of Brisbane, and was followed in Perth by Bishop Parry.
Mathew Blagden Hale was born in 1811 into the landed gentry in Gloucestershire. He was educated at Trinity College Cambridge and after being ordained as a priest in the Anglican church he spent eleven years working in parishes near his ancestral home. Following the deaths of his wife and mother, Hale was approached in 1847 by the newly consecrated Bishop of Adelaide, Augustus Short, to join him as Archdeacon in South Australia.

Battye 1912-13:
[[img/halestatue.jpg|]]HIGH SCHOOL.
The High School, which may be considered the lineal descendant of Bishop’s School, was established by Act of the Legislature in 1876 as an undenominational institution. For the first few years it was assisted by an annual grant of £500 from the Government, but under the circumstances then existing this amount was found to be too small, and it was increased to £1,000, at which figure it has remained ever since. The progress of denominational schools, however, and the determination of the Government to enter the field of secondary education has recently led to a reconsideration of the position, and during the session of 1912 an Act was passed abolishing the subsidy as from June 30,1915, the opinion being that by that date the school should be in a position to continue without State aid.
The institution is controlled by a Board of Governors appointed by the Governor-in-Council. This Board is a corporate body, empowered to hold lands, goods, and benefactions in trust for the school, as well as to make bylaws and regulations for its management. The Board at present consists of Mr. J. S. Battye, B.A., LL.B. (Chairman), Sir Winthrop Hackett, M.A., LL.D., Sir Walter James, K.C., the Honourable Mr. Justice McMillan, Mr. T. P. Draper, K.C., and Dr. A. J. H. Saw.
The school was opened in March, 1878, being first carried on in a house belonging to Mr. George Randell, but after a while the buildings erected for a military hospital, close by the Barracks in St. George’s Terrace, were handed over to it by the Government. Here it has remained ever since, though the accommodation is far from satisfactory, being old, cramped, and dilapidated. In face of these obstacles, much good work has been done, and many of the boys who have passed through it have left a permanent mark upon the history of the State The question of more up-to-date premises, to be erected upon an excellent site adjacent to the Observatory, is now under consideration, and it is hoped that by the time the grant ceases, new premises, thoroughly equipped on the most modern lines, will be ready for occupation.
The first Headmaster was Mr. R. Davies, B.A., of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, who held office until the end of 1880, when he was succeeded by Mr. T. B. Beuttler, B.A., of Queen’s College in the same University. Mr. Beuttler was in turn succeeded in 1887 by Mr. Raymond Gee, M.A., who gave place in 1890 to the present occupant of the position, Mr. F. C. Faulkner, M.A., of Trinity College, Cambridge. Mr. Faulkner is assisted by an excellent staff of masters, and under his guidance the school has made very considerable progress, winning its way to the highest places both in scholastic and in athletic work. Since the Rhodes Scholarships were inaugurated, no less than four have been secured by boys who have received their education at the High School. (Battye 1912-12, vol. 2: 75)

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HALE (Rev), Mathew Blagden, b. 18.6.1811. d. 3.4.1895 (England), son of Robert & Lady Theodosia Eleanor, arr. 10.1848 per Champion from SA with Bishop Short. m. 1st 1840 (England) Sophia CLOYDE d. 27.3.1845 (Eng), m. 2nd 30.12.1848 (WA) Sabina DunIop MOLLOY b. 7.11.1831 (WA) d. 27 .8.1905, dtr. of John & Georgiana. Chd. (lst), Amy b. 1843. Mary b. 1844 d. 1938, Louisa d. inf., (2nd). Matthew Edward b. 1852 d. 1862 drowned in Swan River, Robert DaIton b. 1853 d. 1856 (SA), Augustus b. 1857 d. infancy (Frem), John Molloy b. 1860 d. 1860, Georgina Theodosia b. 1861 d. 1905, Edward Mathew b. 1864 d. 1921, Harold b. 1867, Ernest Nathaniel b. 1871, Frederick Arthur b. 1873. C/E Archdeacon Adelaide 1847. In charge of SA Aboriginal.Mission 1850. Appointed 1st Anglican Bishop of WA 1857-1875. Established 1st Boys College in WA in 1858 & Girls School 1860. As a member of Chairman of Bd. of Educ. he was influential in policy making at time when
sectarianism was strong. His college suffered from lack of support. Installed as Bishop of Brisbane 1875. Retired in 1885 to England with family. Made several voyages inter-colonial &overseas. Commemorated in 1979 in a brass plaque in Perth pavement for year 1857.

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References and Links

Cowan, Edith Dirksey 1930, 'Bishop Hale and secondary education', Early Days, vol. 1, part 7: 1-11.

Rolfe, J.N. 1958, 'The development of Church of England schools in Western Australia: 1858-1958', Early Days, vol. 5, part 4: 52-66.

Erickson.

Wikipedia page for Bishop Hale, whence all photos. The second one is of the Greg James statue of Hale outside The Cloisters building, Perth.

Battye, J.S. 1912-13, The Cyclopedia of Western Australia, Cyclopedia Co., Perth.

Hale School website.

Wikipedia page for Hale School.

My page for Hale School.

Freotopia

This page incorporates material from Garry Gillard's Freotopia website, that he started in 2014 and the contents of which he donated to Wikimedia Australia in 2024. The content was originally created on 9 June, 2018 and hosted at freotopia.org/people/hale.html (it was last updated on 6 March, 2024), and has been edited since it was imported here (see page history). The donated data is also preserved in the Internet Archive's collection.