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Otago Girls' High School

A Connection Across the World: Miss M.E.A. Marchant and Monkton Combe School

Cheree Henderson - January 27, 2025

We were delighted to receive a fascinating piece of history from Jacqueline Burrows, volunteer historian for Monkton Combe School, near Bath, England. She recently uncovered a paragraph in a 1901 edition of the Monkton Junior School "Magpie" magazine that references Miss M.E.A. Marchant, then Headmistress of Otago Girls’ High School.

The article notes that Miss Marchant, described as the Headmistress of "the largest [school] in the Colony," gifted a beautiful collection of New Zealand shells and seaweeds to the Junior School museum during her visit. This generous gesture reflects her strong connection to education and international goodwill.

While it is unclear what brought Miss Marchant to the small Evangelical boys’ preparatory school in 1901, her legacy continues to remind us of the rich and unexpected ties our school has formed across the globe. Unfortunately, the fate of her gifted collection is unknown following Monkton Combe’s relocation in 1907.

We thank Jacqueline for sharing this intriguing historical gem, which adds another layer to our school’s remarkable story.