The school was founded by the Religious Society of Friends’ in 1774, originally to provide an education for the children of Quakers in the area. Originally known as the Ulster Provincial School, it was unusual for its time in that it provided for both boys and girls, something which encapsulates the value of equality which has remained central to its ethos ever since.
Our Story
Friends' School Lisburn
Our Story
As the Quakers were at the forefront of the linen industry in the area at the time, it is no surprise that it was a linen merchant, John Hancock, who bequeathed the sum of £1000 for the purchase of the land here on Prospect Hill. The first headmaster was John Gough, a Quaker from Kendal, whose seminal textbooks on arithmetic and English grammar were widely used at the time.
From its beginnings as a school for 35 children, Friends’ is now a thriving school providing for over 1000 pupils from across the community in Lisburn and beyond. Over the past 250 years, it has borne witness to the often troubled history of Lisburn and, although much has changed, it remains true to the Quaker principles on which it was founded.
"I leave and bequeath to my loving Friends Thomas Greer, John Christy, and my loving kinsmen Robert Bradshaw, and John Hill, one thousand pounds sterling, in trust...to purchase Lands...to establish a School within the present bounds of Lisburn Meeting for the Education of the Youth of the people."
John Hancock