William Timothy Cape

Who was William Timothy Cape?

William Timothy Cape was an early school master in Sydney, Australia; several of the Premiers of New South Wales attended his school.

Cape was born at Walworth, Surrey, England, the son of William Cape, a London bank manager who emigrated to Australia with his family in 1821. Cape senior became master of a private school, the Sydney Academy, at the end of 1822 and died in 1847.

William Timothy Cape was educated at the Merchant Taylors' School, London, and was intended for the Church of England ministry. However on his arrival in Australia, became an assistant master at his father's school. Though just 20 years of age he was made headmaster of the Sydney public school on 1 July 1827 when his father resigned. He had already made a reputation as a teacher and shortly afterwards, when a number of public school teachers from the country were brought into Sydney for training, Cape was given charge of them as he was considered the only qualified person available. In 1829 he opened a private school in King Street, Sydney, and when the Sydney College was founded in 1835 he transferred his own pupils there on being appointed headmaster.