On Tuesday 29th April, Governor and Buchan alumna Elaine Higgins led a moving wreath-laying ceremony at Kensal Green Cemetery in London, held in honour of Laura, Lady Buchan. The event marked two important anniversaries: the anniversary of Lady Buchan’s passing on 10th May 1888 and the 150th anniversary of her visionary gift on 22nd April 1875, which led to the founding of what would become The Buchan School.
Pictured alongside Elaine at the memorial was KWC alumna Victoria Carling, known to many from her school days and now widely recognised for her distinguished career in radio, television, and film.
For those unable to attend, the words shared by Elaine Higgins at the ceremony offer a powerful reflection on Lady Buchan’s life and legacy:
“We have come today to commemorate the life, foresight and generosity of Laura, Lady Buchan. 150 years ago, on 22nd April 1875, she had the vision to donate £1,200 for ‘the provision of higher class female education in this Isle’. Together with further funds from her cousin, Eliza Newton, this endowment enabled the opening in 1878 of the Castletown High School for Girls at Stanley House, opposite Castle Rushen, with a total of eight pupils.”
Born into a family of distinction, Laura’s grandfather was Vicar of Kirk Michael and her father, Colonel Mark Wilks, built Kirby at Braddan. Colonel Wilks served as Governor of St Helena during Napoleon’s exile and later became Speaker of the House of Keys.
Laura herself was remembered by a contemporary as “elegant, amiable and beautiful,” praised for her modesty and charm. Despite being 78 years old when she made her historic donation, she remained formidable and determined to make a lasting impact on education for girls on the Isle of Man.
Since its founding, the School has relocated seven times and educated hundreds of pupils. It was renamed The Buchan School in 1928 in honour of its remarkable founder. From its earliest days, the School was pioneering in its ambition – aiming to prepare girls not only for traditional roles but also for careers and contributions in all areas of public life.
Sciences were taught from the outset, alongside drawing, needlework and dancing. At the very first Speech Day, the Reverend Hugh Gill remarked that “everyone would admit that girls are ten times sharper and quicker in picking up an idea than boys of the same age.”
The School has continued to be at the forefront of girls’ education: it was among the first schools established after the founding of the Girls’ High School Association in 1872, one of the earliest in the British Isles to open a kindergarten, and proudly fielded a hockey team in 1911, shortly after the founding of the Ladies Hockey Association in England.
Today, 150 years on from Lady Buchan’s founding gift, the School celebrates a proud legacy. Its alumni include lawyers, doctors, engineers, academics, actors, senior civil servants, Olympic athletes, and even a Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations.
Laura, Lady Buchan would no doubt be astonished and proud to see how her vision has flourished. All who have benefitted from her generosity and determination continue to honour the legacy of a woman whose belief in the power of education changed lives – and still does.
