but mainly in large cities and affiliated in some way to a university. Standards were rising, and in 1893 the bishops of the Church of England agreed that a common entrance exam must be taken before non-graduates could enter a theological college. This dramatically affected the numbers at St Bees as it channelled theological candidates down the graduate route, which St Bees was unable to support. In addition it was still a private institution, and was run at financial risk by the principal. Consequently, Knowles, who was now 75, decided to give notice to close the college in December 1895. Legacy St Bees Theological College had an productive and influential life in the history of the Church of England. It trained over 2,600 clergy for the ministry, and had been the model for the new breed of theological colleges. However, the seeds of failure were sown because of its remote geographical position, and the refusal of Parkinson to allow it to come fully under Church management. Present-day use of the buildings The closure of the college resulted in three substantial halls becoming available for parochial use. The original lecture room, in the re-roofed monastic chancel, known as the Old College Hall, has had various uses, including as a music room by St Bees School, with which the college has sometimes been confused. It was restored in 2012 and is in regular parish use, and the rehearsal room for the priory choir. The additional lecture rooms designed by Butterfield became known as the "New College Halls", and the lower hall was for a while a public library. They are now in parochial use for meetings and village organisations. A few of the college archives survived within the St Bees parish records, now deposited with the Cumbria Archive Service at nearby Whitehaven. Principals of St Bees Theological College 1816–1895 1816 William Ainger 1840 Richard Buddicom 1846 Richard Parkinson 1857 George Henry Ainger 1871 Edward Hadarezer Knowles Notable alumni of St Bees David Anderson, first bishop of Rupert's Land, Canada Frederic Hicks Beaven, bishop of Southern Rhodesia Charles Bullock, rector and author Charles Farrar Forster (before 1873) Henry Inman, pioneer of South Australia, rector at North Scarle. William Sowerby (1799–1875), the first Anglican clergyman at Goulburn, New South Wales, Australia. External links History of the college with illustrations on St Bees website References Anglican seminaries and theological colleges Bible colleges, seminaries and theological