394:. It was perhaps destined that Noel Wills would also make his mark on the world of education. In 1918, the founder bought Rendcomb Park with a view to forming a 'Transition School' to provide a free boarding education to about forty boys from the elementary schools of Gloucestershire and prepare them for entry to Public School. He envisaged that by giving them 'the best possible education, some would gain entry by scholarship to Public Schools and perhaps, a few, ultimately to University. This initial vision was broad and generous, involving supplements from the endowment to subsidise scholarships and leaving scholarships for those who could not secure entry to Public Schools for 'assistance in beginning professions and trades'. This vision evolved in the next two years in part by the Christmas gift that Mrs Wills had given her husband in 1917: An Adventure in Education by J H Simpson.
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take the founding
Headship of Rendcomb rather than posts at Oundle or Leeds University says much for the respect that the educationalist had for the founder. Simpson's attraction to Rendcomb would have been increased as he learnt more of the founder's intentions in a series of letters between the two in the months after their meeting outlining his intention to provide 'a social, moral and intellectual education rather than mere scholarship'. Simpson clearly saw the potential that such a brief provided.
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would educate boys for five years to sixteen, or seven were the boys of university material. That Noel Wills was prepared to compromise his original intentions says much for his receptiveness to new ideas and the respect that he had for the educationalist; that
Simpson was prepared to leave Rugby to
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A Scottish obituary (1927), records that he was the owner of the
Invergarry Estate and Mansion. A slightly later report records that the estate was to be auctioned; it "only" extended to 160 acres but included the "whole of the angling in the Garry below the falls and in Loch Oich". This report
429:‘Remembering what he wanted us to be – his pride in what has been done well, his indulgence for what has been done less well – we must go forward, humbly, but confidently, in the work of making his vision a reality.’ James Herbert Simpson, founding Headmaster of Rendcomb College
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opened with twelve boys, Simpson at the helm and Noel Wills as chair of governors. The two men shaped the path of the school for a little over seven years, and their relationship was founded on mutual respect and affection. In 1924, the founder wrote an illuminating piece for
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The Wills family was no stranger when it came to educational altruism; the founder's uncle and three of his cousins had founded and endowed buildings at
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Noel Wills died in
Cheltenham in October 1927, aged 40, following an operation. His estate was valued at £5.053 million gross and £4.894 million net
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at the time he was reported missing in Africa in July 1943 and was later confirmed dead. He is remembered on the MEDJEZ-EL-BAB MEMORIAL in
Tunisia.
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332:), design, and writing. He also hunted, played polo, and fished. In 1909, he started a monthly magazine of poetry with
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In 1912, Noel Wills married
Margery Hamilton Fraser, the eldest daughter of Sir Hugh Fraser of Stromeferry House,
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Captain Wills purchased the
Miserden Park Estate from Mr A W Leathham in 1913. The estate contained a fine.
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which gives a fascinating insight into those early years and his progressive educational vision.
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Noel was a very wealthy man and had inherited a third of his late father's estate in 1909
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Wills also developed strong creative interests including painting, music (cellist and
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588:The Collected Prose and Verse of Noel Wills
64:Learn how and when to remove these messages
217:. Please do not remove this message until
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176:Learn how and when to remove this message
121:Learn how and when to remove this message
641:Founders of English schools and colleges
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615:GNU Free Documentation License
386:Foundation of Rendcomb College
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594:A History of Rendcomb College
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646:People from Dulverton
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491:Western Daily Press
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