Description

St. Michael’s, Bognor, later St. Michael’s Petworth (closed in 1994), was founded by Mary Anne Rooper, and moved to Bognor in 1855. Its headmistress was Lady Caroline Eliot, to whom there are a series of payments in CMY's bank account from 1856. It may be that she paid a girl's school fees there. St. Michael's became one of the 'Woodard' schools, under the superintendence of the Rev. Nathaniel Woodard (1811–1891) who had founded a number of schools including St. John's College, Hurstpierpoint, of which Alice Coleridge’s brother-in-law, the Rev. Edward Lowe, was headmaster. Lady Caroline retired shortly before her death in 1866 and was succeeded by Frances Wheeler who was headmistress until 1895.