Tintype photograph (unidentified student between 1865-1868)

Trinity College School had its start in the village of Weston, Ontario. It officially opened in the "Rectory," the home of William A. Johnson, the School's founder, on May 1, 1865. There were nine students and faculty. The little school grew and flourished, and in three years' time larger quarters were needed. Sites were considered at Guelph, Thorold, Niagara and Whitby, Ontario.

William A. Johnson

The Reverend William A. Johnson was the pastor at St. Philip's Church in Weston, Ontario. He had three sons to educate and there was no church school nearby, so he began teaching them at home. Shortly thereafter, other parents requested permission to send their children to him for schooling. In 1864, Father Johnson approached the Corporation of Trinity College in Toronto with a proposal to establish a school for boys in Weston with an affiliation to the university. He collected $900 from his friends to start the School. Father Johnson became warden of the new Trinity College School and hired a classical scholar, Reverend Charles H. Badgely, as its first headmaster. TCS opened its doors in 1865 with nine students.

The First Nine Students

Arthur Jukes Johnson, James Borell Johnson, Andrew William Johnson, Edwin Worth Musson, Alfred Aglett Musson, Forbes Whitney, Arthur Hamilton Harvey Price, Sebastian Carruthers and Wilmont Mortimer Nicols were the first students of Trinity College School.

Read about how "TCS moves to Port Hope."