Tormore House School

History

Tormore House had its origins in a small school for girls set up by Elizabeth McMinn and her two sisters Mabel and Ann on Molesworth Street, North Adelaide in 1876. This may have been their family home, in which their father Joseph died two years earlier. In February 1884 the McMinn sisters moved their school to another property on nearby Buxton Street, which they dubbed "Tormore".

Residents of Tormore, Ireland included one Mary Rutherdale (c. 1764 – 3 January 1849) - from Parish Headstones Donaghmore, Down, Ireland
Here lie the remains of Eobert McMinn, of Tormore, who departed this life the 12th October, 1808, aged 70 years. Also the remains of his brother Gilbert McMinn of Tormore, who departed this life on the 12th of April, 1823, aged 77 years. Also the remains of their niece Mary Rutherdale, of Tormore, who departed this life on the 3rd of January, 1849, Aged 84 years. Robert McMinn, of Castle Ennigan, died 15th December, 1879, Aged 80 years.

It had been John Whinham's North Adelaide Grammar School, which he relinquished to move to larger premises at the corner of Ward and Jeffcott Streets. The school was taken over by Ann and Caroline Jacob towards the end of 1897, and the McMinn sisters left Adelaide on 15 December, retiring to Ealing Common, England. The school moved to new premises at 211 Childers Street in January 1899, with a house for boarders alongside.

Some maps show an L-shaped private lane off Childers Street, between Childers and Buxton and close to Hill Street, named "Tormore Place" which, it can be assumed, was named for the school.

In 1907 Caroline Jacob took over the Unley Park Grammar School and ran the two institutions concurrently. Around this time substantial improvements were made: separate facilities for the younger (8–12 y.o.) students and additional premises for boarders, art studies and a kindergarten. Joseph McMinn père financed the construction of a gymnasium, which also served as a large meeting-hall.

School enrolments declined alarmingly during World War I; negotiations with (Anglican) Bishop Nutter Thomas for incorporation into the Church education system came to nothing, and in 1918 the school moved to smaller premises in Barton Tce. and the Childers Street premises became the "Andover" residential flats; the School closed in 1920. "Andover" later became the site of the Kindergarten Teachers College, then the Kingston College of Advanced Education in 1974.

Notable students

(Eileen) May de la Poer Beresford ( – 1978) married Harold Rischbieth MD FRCS (1875–1943) in 1916. She was a granddaughter of John Acraman. He was a son of Charles Rischbieth.

Esther Gwendolyn "Stella" Bowen (1893–1947)

Phyllis Dorothy Cilento née McGlew (1894–1987)

Nursing sister Maria Elisabeth Anna "Rea" Dorsch (1889–1946)

Joanna Agnes Reed née Du Vé ( – ) mother of Ethel Reed, later Lady Florey.

Ida Muriel Forsyth née Brummit (1884–1953)

Heather Doris Gell (1896–1988)

Francisca Adriana "Paquita" Mawson (1891–1974)

Grace Rees ( – ) married English cricketer R. O. Fox ( – ) in 1907. She was a stage actor with the Comic Opera Company.

Gladys Reynell (1881–1956)

Lucy Webb ( – )

Maida Wright ( –1929) painter

Teaching staff

Florence M. Barnes

Ellen Ida Benham, B.Sc. (1871 – 1917) taught science until 1912, then bought Walford School (later Walford Church of England Girls' Grammar School) in Malvern

M. Burgess BSc. ( – ) taught at Unley Park

Violet de Mole (1874 – August 1946) was French teacher 1900– ; she was vice-president of the Adelaide Lyceum Club. She was a grand-daughter daughter of George Stevenson and educated at Advanced School for Girls.

John Millard Dunn (1865–1936) organist and choirmaster for St. Peter's Cathedral, taught singing and music theory

Dorothea Landon Poole MA (1882 – ) on staff from 1907.

Miss Hamilton ( – ) drawing teacher

Hilda Farsky BA (1880–1950) married Frederick William Eardley (1874–1958) in 1909

Rosa C(atherine) Fiveash (1854–1938) drawing teacher

Miss E. Milvain Good ( – )

Mabel Phyllis Hardy (1890–1977) student at Tormore then taught at Unley Park campus, later proprietor and headmistress of Stawell School, Mount Lofty

S. E. Holder BA ( – )

Ann "Annie" Jacob (17 December 1853 – 11 January 1913), Caroline's sister

Arabella Aldersey Manning (1868–1949) married Charles Mather Leumane (c. 1845–1928) on 21 December 1907. She was drawing teacher, 1900 to 1907. He was an operatic tenor and singing teacher; James Riley was a notable student.

Miss Overbury ( – )

Hilda Tucker ( – ) vice principal from c. 1915

McMinn family

Joseph McMinn (c. 1794 – 6 April 1874) was married to Martha McMinn, née Hamill, perhaps Hammill, (c. 1805 – 13 December 1861), left Newry, Ireland, arrived in South Australia with eight children aboard Albatoss in September 1850.

Susanna Draper McMinn (c. 1829–1872) married Luke Michael Cullen ( –1880) in 1851

Mary McMinn (c. 1830–1918) married William Brewer ( –1877) in 1857, lived at Kapunda. They had four children.

Jane McMinn (30 September 1831 – June 1914) married Frederick Simeon Carus Driffield (c.1825–1889) in 1856. He was secretary of RAHS and Adelaide Chamber of Commerce. They had one daughter and eight sons.

Martha Hammill McMinn (c. 1834 – 21 March 1923) of Tormore School

Sallie McMinn ( – died around 1923) of Tormore School

Elizabeth "Lizzie" McMinn (c. 1840 – c. February 1938) of Tormore School. One of the sisters, identified as "E. J. McMinn" won a "Tattersalls" sweep prize of ₤2,000 in 1895. Did this have any bearing on the sisters' decision to retire?

Gilbert Rotherdale McMinn (1841 – 18 October 1924) married Anna Gore ( – ) on 28 November 1874; he married again on 15 November 1884 to Madge Fleetwood-Marsh. He was surveyor with Goyder, later Government Resident, Northern Territory.

William McMinn (1844–1884) married Mary Frances Muirhead ( – 1929) in 1877. He was noted architect.

Joseph McMinn (c. 1846 – 9 February 1888) married Charlotte Isabella "Chatty" Wells ( – ) in 1880. She was a sister of Mother Mary Agnes Wells of the Convent of Mercy, Mount Gambier, Mother Mary Joseph Wells and explorer Larry Wells.

Allen Hamill McMinn (1883 – 1 July 1916) a Sunday school teacher, he assaulted a girl under 13 in WA in 1903. Killed in action in France.

William D'Urncy McMinn (1884– ) born at Penola

Harry Tudor McMinn (1887 – 4 June 1949) born at Willowie near Wilmington, died in Perth

An Old Scholars' association, restricted to students of the McMinn era, was formed in 1934 by Mrs. E. Harold Davies and Mrs. H. R. Adamson.

Jacob family

John Jacob (30 July 1816 – 28 August 1910) came to SA via Tasmania in 1838 and settled at "Woodlands", Sevenhill. He was a friend of explorer John Ainsworth Horrocks (1818–1846); his sister Ann Jacob (c. 1824 – 12 January 1874) married Arthur Horrocks (c. 1819 – 7 July 1872), brother of the explorer. John Jacob was Clerk of Court, Mount Gambier for 20 years, retired to North Adelaide. He married Mary Cowles (c. 1819 – 11 May 1894) in 1848. Caroline Jacob (1861–1940) was their sixth child and third daughter. See separate page.