press on to the goal
History of Mowbray College
The centre of women s work in the Central District is the Mowbray Home. This embodies a development of the village work begun by Miss Denyer, who first came out in 1889 with Miss Bellerby and Miss James of the C.E.Z.M.S., but afterwards attached herself to the C.M.S. as an honorary worker.
After some years of itinerating work with Kandy as her centre, she was joined in 1897 by Miss A. L. Earp from the parish of Mowbray, S. Africa. During their village they became convinced that it was necessary to get enquirers away from their heathen surroundings, at any rate until their faith was established, and to this end they obtained help from Miss Earp s home parish and took up their quarters in various rented houses one after another. Here they gathered round them various grades of enquirers, some with their families, and also received village women sent on from the C.E.Z. Mission in Gampola to be tested and taught. There were some real conversions, and some converts of that day are still Christian workers, as are also their children. Rescue work was attempted, but experience showed that it could not be carried on with the other work and accordingly it was handed over to the Salvation Army. The work found a permanent home in 1906 after the purchase and adaptation of the bungalow and grounds now known as Mowbray. Here enquirers from many villages were taken in and taught, not only Christianity, but elementary secular subjects and lace-making.
Miss Hargrove came out in 1908 and was located to Mowbray for language study. In 1910 Miss Earp writes : Sixteen have been admitted into the Home this year, and two of the girls baptized. These two are the first fruits of an old girl s work in a village school. Five of the girls confirmed at Kegalle were sent to school there from Mowbray, and another girl, confirmed at Gampola, is a probationary Biblewoman there. Three of the old girls are now employed as teachers in the Home. There have been no less than six Christian marriages this year, five of them with C.M.S. workers. The new Maternity Home and Biblewomen s House are nearing completion and the Mission House in Hurikaduwa is finished.
In 1911 Miss Earp mentions the opening of a Training. Home for Biblewomen and the admission of four women for training. She also reports the baptism of seven con verts. Miss Earp resigned in 1914 and Miss Denyer, with the help of Miss Findlay, an honorary worker from S. Africa, carried on the work, the Biblewomen’s Training Class being given up. Miss Hargrove returned from furlough early in 1915 and was put in charge of the Homework, Miss Josolyne also living at Mowbray and doing evangelistic work among the women and girls of the district- Miss Denyer left for England in 1915 after sixteen years of dedicated service. Mowbray College was founded on the 17th of May 1922 by the Ceylon Church Missionary Society (CMS). Ms Howes and Ms Taylor took charge for short periods as principal of Mowbray and Ms Mabel Simon who ended up at Ladies spent a few decades of service with the school. The first Sri Lankan principal was Ms Ebenesier Doss who was also the first past Mowbrarian. She was at the helm through the independence, school takeover and defranchisement of the plantation community. Mrs Kamala Issac then took over the reins and led the school through the political changes in the country in the 70’s and when the ethnic conflict took place. The last principal of the past century was Mrs Princess Theogarajah.