Origins
The School's past extends back to the British Raj and the Victorian era. The School had its beginnings in a house on High Grounds. It was started in the year 1865 by Rev. S. T. Pettigrew, the then Chaplain of St. Mark's Cathedral who had a vision of starting a school for the education of children of European and Anglo-Indian families. In his own words, he wanted to "establish a day and boarding School for the Children of Christian residents in the station and its vicinity." The school was named in honour of Bishop Cotton of Calcutta, under whose stewardship a scheme of education was organized for the Anglican Churches in India.
In the first five years of the School it had three principals. It was only with the arrival of Reverend [[George Uglow Pope, a distinguished Tamil Scholar that the present site was acquired. The Boys' school and the Girls' School functioned on the same campus but under different heads. Under the stewardship of Rev. Pope, the school grew from strength to strength. A collegiate section was started and the School obtained recognition from the University of Madras. He gave the School its motto - 'Nec Dextrorsum Nec Sinistrorsum' means 'neither to the right nor to the left '.
. But when Rev. Pope left India in the year 1892 to take up the post of Reader at Oxford University, the standard of the School began to decline. By the year 1906, closure of the school was contemplated.It was Reverend Whitehead, Bishop of Madras, who as the Chairman of the Board of Governors, as a last resort to save the School from closure, invited the members of the Saint Peter's Brotherhood to prevent such an eventuality. Rev. Herbert Pakenham-Walsh, of the Brotherhood of St. Peter, later to become Bishop, revived the school. The school still celebrates St. Peter's day amongst other traditions such as Guy Fawkes' bonfires. In 1911, the Girls' School was moved across the road. Rev. Canon Elphick worked for a quarter of century for the growth of the school.
The last living member of the Brotherhood of St Peter in India, Father David, died a few years back of old age. He lived and worked in the school as the school chaplain.
Read more about this topic: Bishop Cotton Boys' School
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