Founded in 1841 by Royal Charter

As it enters another century, the College looks back on more than 150 years of teaching theology at Queen's in Kingston.

It looks back to its origin in 1841, the year when Kingston was proclaimed the capital of the united provinces of Upper and Lower Canada. Historian Ian E. Wilson sees it as a time when Kingston had at last achieved the summit of its ambition.

"Since the War of 1812, Kingston had prospered, catering to the British military garrison, attending to the needs of the flood of immigrants passing up the St. Lawrence, and handling a major portion of the imports and exports of the newer communities to the west," he writes. "Kingston society blended the rough but lively habits of the sailor and soldier with the vigour of a mercantile class."

It was a time of great excitement and grand optimism.

The churches wanted to educate a local ministry instead of sending students to Britain or the United States. As a result, the Synod of The Presbyterian Church in Canada, in connection with the Church of Scotland, obtained a royal charter on October 16, 1841 to found Queen’s College. Classes in Arts and Theology began on March 7, 1842 with 11 students.

In due course Queen’s College grew to be Queen’s University, and Arts and Theology became separate faculties within the university.

In 1911, the Presbyterian Church withdrew its control of the University, and in the following year the Dominion Parliament passed an act incorporating the Faculty of Theology as Queen’s Theological College.

Under the act, the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church was to appoint its Board of Management, which in turn would appoint the teaching staff. In 1925, with the union of Presbyterian, Methodist and Congregational churches, Queen’s Theological College entered into The United Church of Canada, whose General Council holds the same relation to the College as had the General Assembly.