New College London - Predecessor Institutions

Predecessor Institutions

New College London came into being in 1850 by the amalgamation of three dissenting academies.

Coward College was named after William Coward (died 1738), a London merchant who used his money to train ministers for the "protestant dissenters". The trustees of his will supported, among others, the academy started by Philip Doddridge, taking it over after Doddridge's death in 1751. This establishment, founded at Market Harborough, moved to Northampton, Daventry, back to Northampton, then to Wymondley, and finally in 1833 to London. Its final home was built by Thomas Cubitt the year before, and was located in Byng Place, south of the Catholic Apostolic Church. "Here it took the name of Coward College and remained as a residential College for Theological Students until May, 1850." Two of its principals were the Rev. Thomas Morell and Dr. Thomas William Jenkyn. It is probably best known as the Daventry Academy, which educated Joseph Priestley.

Highbury College (Dissenting Academy) started out in Mile End in 1783, moved to Hoxton in 1791, and then to Highbury in 1826. Its most famous student was Christopher Newman Hall.

Homerton College was split into two. Its theological function became part of New College, whereas the rest of it, refounded as a teacher training college, became part of the University of Cambridge).

The initial programme of New College London is laid out in the final chapter of The introductory lectures delivered at the opening of the college: October, 1851

Meanwhile the Village Itinerancy Society (1796–1839) was transformed into Hackney Theological Seminary (1839–1871), which was renamed as Hackney College in 1871. Later this was relocated from its origins in Hackney to a fine new building in Hampstead, and became associated with Peter Taylor Forsyth.