William Harris Rule

William Harris Rule
A Carte de Visite card given to Manuel Matamoros
Born	15 November 1802 Penryn, Cornwall
Died	25 September 1890 Addiscombe
Nationality	British
Known for	Methodism in Gibraltar
Spouse(s)	Mary Ann Dunmill

William Harris Rule (born 15 November 1802 – 1890) was a British Methodist missionary and writer. Rule and his wife started schools building to 400 pupils in Gibraltar. He tried to establish missions in Spain.

Rule was born in Penryn in Cornwall to John Rule, who was an army surgeon, and Louise, his wife (born Harris). Rule did not get on with his family and left to work as an artist at the age of seventeen. Rule was converted to Methodism at the age of twenty and moved from the career of artist to schoolmaster. He decided he wanted to become a missionary, and he started studying Latin and Greek. In 1825 he was summoned to London to await a missionary position, and early in 1826 he married Mary Ann Dunmill. In March they were sent to Malta to train for a mission in Palestine. However, war broke out and they were redirected to Gibraltar.

Rule arrived in Gibraltar in 1832 although he had briefly visited before, where he had made a favourable impression on the church there. Rule was of the belief that he was in charge and that lay volunteers were welcome to assist, but it was Rules's role to make decisions. This led to some friction and resignations, but Rule appears to have been unrepentant.

The start of free schools can be assigned to Mary Ann Rule. They had both learnt Spanish, and Mary was asked informally to teach a neighbour's child to read. Her first student was joined by her brother and then other Catholics and then Jewish children. Rule was obliged to get himself involved. Rule noted that he (sic) became unawares the "founder of the first charity school in the garrison". The Jews eventually withdrew on religious grounds, and Rule was involved when Lieutenant Governor William Houston set up the first official free school on Flat Bastion Road in 1832 and he sent his own children there.

The new school was secular although it was led by a committee which included the major religious leaders, but not Rule. The following year Rule announced that he would reform his school and it would not only include religious instruction for girls and boys but students would be required to attend the Methodist church on a Sunday. The school thrived, and he took on assistants, and in 1835 he appointed William Lyon to be master of the school. This allowed him and Lyon to start up another Sunday School targeted at Spanish children. Rule was also interested in the families, and he would survey the population so that he could distribute Bibles translated into Spanish, Portuguese and Italian. He had few refusals. The Catholic population realised that they needed to establish their own school, and in 1835 two Irish Brothers arrived to found the Christian Brothers School. However, progress was slow as the children did not speak English and the new teachers did not speak Spanish. The brothers were overworked and nearly left when they realised that they were not expected to take a holiday.