Brief History of the College

Bishop’s College was founded by the first Anglican Bishop of Calcutta, Bishop Thomas Middleton on 15th December 1820 at Shibpur, on a site next to the Botanical Gardens by the side of Hoogly river. The original buildings still survive as part of the Bengal Engineering College. It was originally intended to serve as an Arts and Science College, as well as for the training of Indian Christians for the priesthood, and as catechists and teachers in Christian Colleges and Schools. The first students were received on March 9th 1824. The first Indian and the first student of the College to receive ordination was Christian David, a Tamil, working in Ceylon (Sri Lanka).

Since 1918 Bishop’s College became purely a Theological college, serving the whole Anglican province of India, Burma and Ceylon. Between 1918 and 1970 nearly 300 priests received their training in the college among whom a good number belonged to CSI, Mar Thoma and Syrian Orthodox Churches beside the Anglicans, Methodists, Presbyterians and others.