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THE  LIBRARY 


The  Ontario  Institute 


for  Studies  in  Education 


Toronto,  Canada 


The  mB.  Jackson 

Libraty 

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_M_^iiiilii^ 


A     POPULAR     HISTORY 


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AT   HEATH,    Near    HALIFAX, 


BY    THOMAS    COX,    M.A., 


MASTER   OF   THE    SCHOOL. 


"Wbilest  that  the  childe  is  young,  let  him  be  instructed 
in  vertue  and  lytterature ". 

(Euphues,  hy  John  Lily,  about  1580.J 


In  tenui  labor,  at  tenuis  non  gloria  ". 

(Virgil) 


HALIFAX  :  ^ 

F.    KINO,    PRINTER,    EXCHANGE    BUILDINGS,    NORTHGATE. 
1879. 


r'f 


m 


To  the  Memory 

of  my  School  Masters, 

The  Eight  Keverend  Francis  Jeune,  D.C.L., 

late  Bishop  of  Peterborough : 

The  Right  Eeverend  James  Prince  Lee,  D.D., 

late  Bishop  of  Manchester; 

aftd  To  my  College  Tutors, 

The  Reverend  John  Hymeks,  D.D., 

now  Rector  of  Brandsburton,  Yorkshire ; 

The   Very    Reverend   Charles   Merivale,    D.D., 

now  Dean  of  Ely, 

I  dedicate  this  little  Book, 

in  gratitude  for  the  many  advantages  which 

I  received  from  them 

at  School  and  at  College. 

> 

Thomas  Cox,  M.A. 


THE  CONTENTS  OF  THIS  BOOK. 


The  preface vii— xii. 

The  List  of  Subscribers xiii-xiv. 

Chapter  I.  Grammar  Schools  and  their  Founders 1. 

„        II.  The  Foundation  of  Heath  School 7. 

„  III.  §1.  The  School  Seal.  §2.  Inscription  on  the 
House.  §3.  Stipend  of  the  Master  of  a  Grammar 
School.    §4.  Subscriptions  to  the  Original  School.     14. 

„        IV.  History  of  the  School  from  1600  to   1629.      ...     18. 

„        V.  §1.  School  Hours.    §2.  School  House.   §8.  Statutes.     22. 

„        VI.  The  History  continued  to  1728 24. 

„        VII.  The  Confirmation  of  the  Charter.     ...     31. 

„        VIII.  The  History  continued  to  the  present  time.  38. 

IX.  The  Statutes  of  the  School 49. 

„        X.  Additional  information  about  the  Masters.         ...      59. 

„  XI.  Lists  of  Masters,  Ushers,  and  Special  Examiners.  80. 
XII.  §1.  Celebrated  Scholars  to  1789.  §2.  Scholars 
under  Mr.  Wilkinson.  §3.  Complete  List  of 
Scholars  from  1840  to  1879.  §4.  Scholars 
who  have  graduated  since  1840.  §5.  Scholars 
who  have  passed  the  Oxford  and  Cambridge 
Local  Examinations  since  1861 83. 

„        XIII.  The  Story  of  Laurence  Sterne.        103. 

XIV.  §1.  The  Old  School.     §2.  The  New  School.         109. 

„  XV.  §1.  The  early  Governors.  §2.  The  Governors 
under  the  Charter  of  1729.  §3.  List  of 
Governors  from  1584  to  1875.  §4.  The 
Governing  Body  under  the  New  Scheme.        ...    115, 

„        XVI.  On  some  of  the  early  Subscribers X29. 

„        XVII.  Scholarships  at  the  Universities  in  which  the 

School  has  an  interest 140. 


The  Present  Prospectus  of  the  School 143. 

Corrections  and  Additions ]45. 


PEEFACE 


Several  years  ago  I  collected  for  my  own  information 
some  particulars  relating  to  the  History  of  Heath  School, 
from  Watson's  History  of  Halifax,  The  Parish  Church 
Registers,  and  Documents  belonging  to  the  Governors.  As 
a  suitable  time  was  come  for  putting  these  together  in  a 
readable  form,  I  thought  of  drawing  up  a  paper  to  be  read 
at  a  public  opening  of  the  New  Buildings.  I  soon  found, 
however,  additional  matter  to  such  an  extent  that  I  laid 
aside  the  notion  of  a  temporary  paper,  and  aspired  to  be  the 
writer  of  a  permanent  book.  Then  I  found,  that,  if  I  printed 
the  important  documents  in  full,  I  should  produce  something 
too  expensive  for  the  public,  and  satisfactory  only  to  anti- 
quarians. So  I  thought  that  by  digesting  the  information 
supplied  by  manuscripts  and  books  I  might  write  a  popular 
history,  suitable  to  the  pockets  and  pleasure  of  all  who  cared 
for  the  School.  But  I  found  it  a  more  difficult  task  than 
I  expected.  There  were  conclusions  to  be  drawn  from 
imperfect  data ;  contradictions  to  clear  up ;  and  often  a  want 
of  continuity  in  the  history.  There  had  been  so  little  interest 
taken  in  the  School  that  scarcely  anything  was  known  of  the 
Masters  beyond  their  existence ;  and,  for  nearly  two  hundred 
years,  there  was  nothing  certain  of  the  scholars  which  they 
had  made.  For  some  seventy  or  eighty  years,  even  the 
names  of  the  Governors  were  wanting;  and  yet,  as  they 
had  property  to  manage,  they  must  have  signed  documents, 
though  I  do  not  know  of  any.  However,  I  have  carefully 
gone  through  the  Parish  Church  Registers,  Brearcliffe's  MSS, 


Till. 

of  his  own  times,  the  Governors'  Books  and  Documents,  and 
the  Papers  which  under  the  name  of  "  Our  Local  Portfolio  " 
appeared  in  the  Halifax  Guardian  some  twenty  years  a.go. 
I  have  also  gone  through  all  the  books  in  the  Library  of 
the  Literary  and  Philosophical  Society  which  I  thought  might 
possibly  contribute  something  to  the  accuracy  of  a  statement, 
or  even  a  word  or  name,  though  not  furnishing  a  paragraph 
or  supplying  a  sentence.  I  have  gone  over  several  large 
volumes  more  than  once,  as  names  forced  themselves  on  my 
notice  which  seemed  to  have  no  connection  with  my  subject 
when  I  first  read  them.  But  I  must  beg  pardon  of  my 
readers  beforehand,  if  sometimes  they  find  my  knowledge 
inferior  to  theirs :  for,  twelve  months  ago,  I  was  entirely 
ignorant  of  the  old  West  Riding  families,  which  happen  to 
be  mentioned  in  this  book ;  and  even  now  I  have  only  such 
knowledge  as  a  temporary  sojourner  in  their  land  might  get. 
I  must  also  say,  that,  where  I  have  had  recourse  to  conjecture, 
I  have  honestly  reasoned  out  the  matter,  and  suspended  my 
judgment  for  months,  until  I  found  statements  in  books 
to  render  that  conjecture  probable,  and  I  have  had  no  one 
to  help  me. 

I  must  ask  readers  to  bear  in  mind  that  this  is  a  popular 
account  of  the  School,  and  therefore  documents  are  out  of 
place.  I  have  nevertheless  introduced  one  or  two,  for  reasons 
given  where  they  occur.  Nor  have  I  gone  into  details  about 
subscriptions,  donations,  or  legacies  ;  for  they  are  very 
numerous,  and  very  small  in  amount  in  general,  and  seem 
as  forced  as  charity  often  is  for  the  sake  of  appearances. 
I  have  forborne  too  to  dwell  on  the  fact,  which  surprised 
me  in  my  researches,  that  Halifax  as  a  town  took  very  little 
interest  in  the  School,  either  in  promoting  its  foundation 
or  in  supplying  it  with  scholars.  Even  when  the  School 
flourished  most,  it  seems  to  have  owed  its  success  to  foreigners. 


IX. 


not  natives ;  and  its  very  locality  near  the  town  was  accidental. 
Still  I  hope,  that,  if  any  interest  in  the  School  is  aroused 
by  the  present  publication,  all  the  documents  connected  with 
it  will  some  day  be  given  to  the  world  in  full  (either  by 
private  liberality  or  by  public  subscription) ;  and  I  shall  be 
glad  to  contribute  to  such  a  work  all  the  other  particulars 
that  this  History  is  based  on. 

I  may  add  that  I  have  generally  preserved  the  old  way 
of  speaking  of  people,  as  for  instance,  John  Lacy,  though 
we  may  now  think  it  too  familiar ;  that  I  have  spelled  words 
as  we  now  spell  them,  except  there  is  a  point  in  keeping 
the  old  form;  and  that  P.E.  means  "Parish  Eegisters", 
and  L.P.  "Our  Local  Portfolio".  I  have  quoted  very  few 
Authorities,  because  they  would  take  up  too  much  space  in 
a  popular  Work,  so  condensed  as  this. 

My  readers  must  not  measure  the  value  of  the  book  by 
the  price  which  I  have  put  upon  it;  that  was  fixed  low  to 
induce  people  to  buy  it;  and  though  I  have  not  got  sub- 
scribers enough  to  pay  for  its  publication,  I  print  it  because 
I  promised  to  do  so  when  a  certain  number  of  copies  had 
been  subscribed  for.  It  has  cost  me  many  hundred  hours 
of  research,  to  say  nothing  of  the  trouble  which  I  have  had 
in  writing  over  again  passages,  which  I  thought  contained 
all  the  information  that  could  possibly  be  got  when  I  first 
wrote  them.  It  has  however  given  me  a  great  deal  of 
pleasure,  such  as  no  reader  can  possibly  feel:  yet  I  have 
endeavoured  to  write  for  his  satisfaction ;  and  I  hope  he  will 
not  think  that  he  has  thrown  his  money  away,  nor  that  the 
book  is  smaller  than  he  expected. 

I  have  especially  to  thank  Mr.  S.  T.  Rigge  for  the  loan  of 
several  important  books ;  and  Mr.  Craven,  of  Clapton  Lodge, 
and  Mr.  Lister,  of  Shibden  Hall,  for  some  communications 
relating  to  Sterne.  Mr.  C.  J.  Fox  and  Mr.  Stopford  have 
kindly  prepared  the  drawings  for  the  illustrations,  and  deserve 


z. 

thanks  both  from  me  and  from  the  readers  of  the  book.  I 
am  indebted  also  to  the  Governors  of  the  School,  and  to  those 
of  the  Waterhouse  Charity,  for  kindly  allowing  me  to  search 
into  their  documents.  The  Architects  of  the  New  Buildings 
have  also  kindly  contributed  an  account  of  them,  and  a 
Photolithograph  of  the  Front  as  seen  from  Free  School  Lane. 

Now,  I  feel  that  I  have  an  apology  to  make  for  the  style 
in  which  the  work  is  written.  After  six  months  research 
I  thought  that  I  had  got  all  the  information  that  I  could 
possibly  get;  and  I  tried  to  put  it  into  a  readable  shape. 
As  far  back  as  February  I  wrote  the  history  of  the  School, 
and  many  of  the  other  chapters,  feeling  a  strong  dissatisfaction 
with  the  result  of  my  labours  :  but  afterwards  by  going 
over  the  ground  again  I  was  enabled  to  glean  a  few  more 
grains,  and,  even  while  the  work  was  passing  through  the 
press,  I  was  enabled  to  clear  up  some  doubts  which  detracted 
from  the  merits  of  the  work.  The  consequence  was  that  I 
had  to  insert  words  or  phrases  or  even  whole  sentences,  and  to 
alter  others,  so  that  in  many  places  I  find  the  flow  of  the  style 
sadly  obstructed.  I  have  likened  it  myself  to  what  takes 
place  on  a  rapid  stream  when  the  ice  breaks  up,  and  huge 
lumps  collect  here  and  odd  masses  float  there  to  spoil  the 
even  tenour  of  its  current.  Had  I  had  a  sufficient  number 
of  subscribers,  I  would  have  torn  the  book  to  pieces  and 
re-written  it ;  but  those  who  have  promised  me  their  support 
have  unfortunately  to  suffer  because  so  many  whom  I  had 
hoped  to  attract  have  kept  themselves  aloof  from  a  work, 
in  which  I  nevertheless  believe  that  they  feel  an  interest. 

I  will  say  but  a  few  words  in  conclusion.  First,  this 
School  may  be  called  "  The  School  of  the  three  Queens ". 
Its  original  Charter  in  1585  was  signed  by  Elizabeth :  the 
confirmation  of  the  Charter  in  1729  was  signed  by  Caroline, 
the  Queen  of  George  II.,  and  its  recent  Scheme  was  signed 
by  Victoria. 


Secondly,  I  quote  from  the  original  prospectus  the  sources 
of  this  History,  and  a  statement  of  what  I  intended  to  give  to 
the  subscribers. 

The  materials  made  use  of  are  collected  from : — 

1.  The  documents  in  the  Parish  Church  Eegisters; 

2.  The   Registers    themselves    in    reference    to    births, 

marriages,  and  burials; 
S.^Brearcliffe's  MSS.  on  matters  connected  with  Halifax, 
in  the  early  part  of  the  17th  century; 

4.  The   Sterne   correspondence    concerning    the    School 

from  1725  to  1730; 

5.  The  various  Histories  of  Halifax; 

6.  "  Our   Local   Portfolio,"   a   series   of    papers,   which 

appeared    in    the    "  Halifax    Guardian "    between 
1856  and  1861; 

7.  The  Minute  Books  of  the  Governors  of  the  School. 

Besides  these,  many  books  relating  to  the  History 
of  Yorkshire  have   supplied  items  of  importance. 

The  Book  will  not  be  encumbered  with  documents,  but 
will  consist  of  information  supplied  by  them,  or  of  inferences 
drawn  from  them.  It  will  be  illustrated  by  engravings  of 
the  old  and  new  buildings,  and  some  other  objects  of  interest. 
It  will  also  contain  Lists  of  the  Masters  and  Governors  from 
the  earliest  time,  and  of  all  the  pupils  since  1840,  and  of 
some  other  earlier  ones. 

Thirdly,  I  quote  a  passage  from  the  Life  of  a  celebrated 
Critic,  Gilbert  Wakefield,  which  I  have  but  recently  seen, 
respecting  the  advantages  of  such  Schools  as  that  at  Heath. 

*  This  compilation,  which  was  once  in  the  Parish  Church  Library,  and  is  now 
in  the  keeping  of  the  Waterhouse  Charity  Trustees,  was  made  by  John  Brearcliffe, 
an  Apothecary  in  Halifax,  who  was  the  son  of  Edmond  Brearcliffe,  Parish  Clerk 
in  Dr.  Favour's  time.  He  died  December  4th,  1682,  aged  63.  Caution  is  necessary 
in  the  use  of  the  work.  I  have  found  about  sixteen  mistakes  in  those  parts,  with 
which  I  have  had  to  do. 


xu. 

He  says  that  it  is  in  the  Preface  to  Plutarch's  Treatise  on 
Education  by  Dr.  Edwards.  "I  am  so  far  from  lamenting 
the  years,  which  are  usually  passed  in  a  Grammar  School, 
that  I  consider  them,  if  well  employed,  as  the  most  important 
period  of  life.  The  peculiar  exercise  of  the  understanding, 
which  is  requisite  to  investigate  and  ascertain  the  precise 
meaning  of  an  ancient  author,  is  the  best,  if  not  the  only 
method  of  training  up  the  juvenile  mind  to  form  just 
conclusions  on  more  momentous  subjects.  If,  on  the  other 
hand,  boys  are  permitted  or  encouraged  to  wander  from  one 
pursuit  to  another,  and  to  remain  satisfied  with  a  superficial 
knowledge  of  each;  we  shall  in  vain  look  forward  to  those 
mature  fruits,  without  which  it  will  be  impossible  to  establish 
a  character". 

Halifax, 

Oct.  Slst,  1879. 


ZIU. 


TO    SUBSCEIBERS. 

This  Book,  according  to  Prospectuses  issued  in  June  and 
July,  is  published  in  four  forms,  distinguished  in  the  annexed 
List  by  the  letters  A.,  B.,  C,  and  D. 

(A.) — The  original  Form,  consisting  of  the  History  and 

some  Illustrations,  price  4s. 
(B.) — A,  with  two  Lectures  attached,  illustrative  of  the 
state  of  Education  in  England  when  the  majority 
of  our  present  Grammar  Schools  were  founded, 
price  5s. 
(C.) — A,   with   four   Photographs   of   Masters   and   some 

additional  Illustrations,  price  6s.  6d. 
(D.) — C,  with  the  two  Lectures  attached,  price  7s.   6d. 

*,*  The  above  prices  apply  only  to  Copies  subscribed  for:  the  remaining 
Copies  will  be  supplied  at  a  higher  price,  but  only  in  the  Forms  C.  and  D ;  very 
few  of  the  latter  are  left. 


List    of    Subscribkrs. 


Governors. 

Edwards,  Sir  H 

Hill,  J.  E 

Hope,  Kev.  J 

Longbottom,  J.  W 

llawson,  J 

iawson,  W.  H 

Llotbwell,  W 

Mvallow,  J.  H. 

\Yaterhouse,  Major      

Masters  and  Ex-Mastert. 

irookes,  Eev.  W.  J 

i,\ton,  J 

uishaw,  Eev.  J.  W. 

.  -eh,  Eev.  J 

,  Eev.  T 

,H.  C 

;bia,  W.  E 

A'hitehead,  Eev.  W.  C 

Past  or  Present  Scholars  or 
their  Parents. 

Unley,  D 

Oexander,  Dr 

^shwdrth,  Eev.  J.  A; 

iaines,  F 


A 

B 

C 
1 

D 
1 

1 

1 

1 

2 

1 

1 

1 

1 

1 

1 

1 

1 

1 

1 

1 
1 

1 

1 
1 

1 

1 

1 

1 

i 

Bamford,  J 

Bancroft,  J 

Birtwhistle,  Mrs.  . . 
Blackburn,  Mrs.    . . 
Bonser,  J.  W. 
Booth,  E.W. 
Brown,  Eev.  J.  F. 
Caw,  J.  (Senr.)       . . 

Clegg.J 

Crossley,  Mrs. 
Dawes,  Captain     . . 

Denison,  J 

Dewhirnt,  W.  T.    . . 
Dyson,  Eev.  W.     . . 

Edgar,  D.  E 

Edleston,  Eev.  Dr. 
Edwards,  H.  , . 
Farrar,  T.  H. 
Finch,  Eev.  T. 

Firth,  W 

Fletcher,  Eev.  E.  C. 

Fox,  C.  J 

Francis,  E 

Hall,  Eev.  J 


XlV 


Hill,  A.  S 

Holmes,  Eev.  C.  R 

Holroyde,  J.  B 

Hoyle,  G.  (Senr.) 

Hoyle,  G.  (Junr.) 

Huntriss,  E 

Jeffery,  Rev.  S 

Jessop,  J.       ,  

Kenny,  C.  S 

Kenny,  W.  F 

Kirk,  J.  M 

Marshall,  Rev.  J 

Maude,  W.  W 

Mitchell,  J 

Moflett,  Rev.  R 

Newman,  E 

Norris,  H.  A 

Norris,  S.  P 

Parkinson,  T 

Patchett,  M 

Rankin,  M.  H 

Robinson,  H.         

Robinson,  R.  H 

Rhodes,  S 5 

Rouse,  J.  0 1 

Rouse,  Rev.  W.  A 1 

Salmond,  D 1 

Shoesmith,  J 

Smeeton,  G.  F 

Snow,  T,  G 

Stansfeld,  Colonel        

Storey,  W 

Swallow,  R.D.      

Thomas,  W.  F 

Town,  Rev.  B 

Turner,  T 

Waghorn,  H.  R 1 

Wainhouse,  J.  E 1 

Warneford,  Rev.  J.  H 

Wbitaker,  W.  H 1 1 

Woodhead,  D | 

Residents  in  Halifax  or  the 
Neighbourhood. 

Bagot,  Rev.  G 

Barber,  W.O 


Browne,  G.  B 

Craven,  W 

Clark,  Mrs 

Greenwood,  J.  H 

Highley,  H.  H 

Hughlings,  H 

Jackson,  B.  W 

Leeming,  Messrs.         

Leyland,  F.  A 

Literary  &  Philosophical  Society 

Lister,  J 

McCrea,  H.  C , 

Mechanics'  Institute 

Millson,  Rev.  F.  E 

Perkinton,  J.         

Prescott,  Mrs 

Eigge,  S.  T 

Roberts,  Dr 

Sagar,  (    )      , 

Spencer,  W 

Stafford,  R.  P 

Thackrah,  A 

Thomas,  J 

Walker,  F 

Ward,  J.  W 

Wright,  J.  H 

Subscribers  residing  at  a  distance 
Ainsworth,  T.  (Blackburn)  . . 
Butterton,  Rev.  Dr.  (Rhyl)  . .      . . 
Brandt,  Miss  (Leamington) 
Brookes,  Eev.  T.  (Wakefield)     . .      , 
Elborne,  H.  (Cambridge)     . . 
Finch,  Miss  (Cambridge)     . . 

Fisher,  A.  (Gosport)     

Gorst,  J.  E.  (London) 

Heppel,  G.  (Weston  super  Mare) 
Hopkinson,  G.  H.  (London) 
Hulbert,  Rev.  Canon  ;(Almondbury)  , 
Landon,  Rev.  J.  T.  B.  (Ledsham) 

Robson,  Miss  (London)        

Robson,  T.  (Cambridge)       

Shaw,  Rev.  F.  (Fen  Drayton)     . .     . 
Shaw,  Miss  (Waltham)        ..... 
Weston,  Rev.  W.  R.  (Hexthorpe) 


CHAPTER  I. 

GBAMMAE  SCHOOLS  AND  THEIR  FOUNDERS. 

SHORTLY  after  the  beginning  of  the  reign  of  Henry  the 
Eighth,  Richard  Pace"^  the  King's  chief  Secretary,  was 
present,  as  he  tells  us,  at  a  feast  where  there  were  many 
guests,  and  a  conversation  was  carried  on  about  the  best  way 
of  educating  children.  A  gentleman,  who  was  present,  fell 
into  a  great  rage  at  the  praise  bestowed  on  learning.  "What 
nonsense  !",  said  he,  "  a  curse  on  your  learning !  Your  learned 
"men  are  all  beggars.  Why,  Zounds,  I  had  rather  my  son 
"  were  hanged  than  become  a  student !  Learning  be  left  to 
"  peasants'  sons !  "  Pace,  who  was  unknown  to  him,  with 
a  gentle  reproof  told  him  that  the  King's  service  would 
require  better  men  than  fowlers  and  hunters;  but  fowling 
and  hunting  was  all  that  many  then  cared  for;  and  the 
King's  service  had  to  be  carried  on  by  ecclesiastics  rather 
than  laymen.  But  what  a  change  had  come  over  the  country 
before  that  century  came  to  an  end !  Such  an  effect  was 
produced  by   the    establishment   of    Grammar    Schools    that 


*  Eichard  Pace  held  a  Prebendal  Stall  ia  York  Minster  in  1514,  became 
Archdeacon  of  Dorset  in  the  same  year,  and  Dean  of  St.  Paul's  in  1519.  He 
held  several  other  preferments.  He  was  a  friend  of  the  celebrated  Erasmus. 
He  wrote  a  work  on  the  Advantages  of  Learning.  It  is  possible  that  he  is  the 
same  Eichard  Pace  as  was  Eector  of  Barwick-in-Elmet,  the  resignation  of  which 
living  by  a  Eichard  Pace  took  place  in  the  year  when  Eichard  Pace  became  Dean 
of  St.  Paul's. 


peasants'  sons  had  it  in  their  power  to  rise  to  the  highest 
offices  in  Church  and  State,  and  men  of  birth  were  forced  to 
adopt  a  different  tone  to  recommend  them  to  their  Sovereign. 
By  degrees  laymen  became  educated,  and,  leaving  the  eccle- 
siastical rewards  to  peasants'  sons,  fitted  themselves  for  civil 
employmentsf ;  but  the  learning  of  Grammar  Schools  was  still 
useful  for  what  were  called  the  Three  learned  Professions, 
Divinity,  Law,  and  Physic ;  and  they  did  the  country  good 
service  for  many  generations.  At  length  however  the  supply 
exceeded  the  demand,  and  with  the  lack  of  competent  scholars 
the  teachers  became  in  many  instances  careless,  and  such 
schools  lost  their  repute.  In  1562,  the  Speaker  of  the  House 
of  Commons  in  an  address  to  the  Queen  took  notice  of  the 
want  of  schools ;  a  hundred  were  wanting  which  before  that 
time  had  been ;  there  was  a  decay  of  learning  to  the  dishonour 
both  of  God  and  the  commonwealth ;  the  people  were  trained 
up  and  led  in  blindness  for  want  of  instruction,  and  became 
obstinate;  he  therefore  advised  that  this  should  be  seen  to. 
And  seen  to  it  was,  and  in  good  earnest ;  but  not  so  much 
by  the  Authorities  as  by  local  exertions.  But  there  was  a 
shortsightedness,  though  not  altogether  to  be  blamed ;  it  was 
due  to  want  of  experience  as  to  what  was  really  needed ;  and 
zeal  ran  riot.  The  zealous  founders  of  Grammar  Schools 
had.  thought,  that,  being  in  advance  of  the  age,  the  age  would 


t  W,  Harrison  in  1577  writes  of  the  Courtiers  of  Queen  Elizabeth  : — "There 
are  very  few  of  them,  which  have  not  the  use  and  skill  of  sundry  speeches, 
besides  an  excellent  vein  of  writing  beforctime  not  regarded. . .  .Truly  it  is  a  rare 
thing  with  us  now,  to  hoar  of  a  courtier  which  hath  but  his  own  language."  Sir 
Philip  Sidney,  writing  to  his  brother  Bobert  in  1580,  recommends  him  to  read  for 
practical  use  the  Greek  Historians  Herodotus,  Thucydides,  Xenophon,  and  Diodorus, 
and  the  Roman  Historians  Livy  and  Tacitus :  and  "  to  take  delight  in  the 
Mathomaticals  "  i.  e.,  in  Matliematics,  as  wo  should  now  say.  Robert  was  at  this 
time  travelling  in  Germany  witli  a  Tutor  "Master  SavoU  "  ;  I  wonder  whether 
this  was  one  of  our  Saviles.  Sir  H.  Savilo,  fellow  of  Merton,  was  abroad  in 
1578,  &c.     Thomas  Savile,  his  brother,  was  abroad  about  1580. 


never  overtake  them,  and  what  was  best  for  the  present  need 
would  be  good  for  all  future  time.  Such  schools  had  no 
power  of  adapting  themselves  to  altered  circumstances,  and 
in  the  long  run  thousands  of  pounds  were  wasted  which  might 
have  been  turned  to  good  account.  Even  in  the  reign  of 
James  I.  the  celebrated  Bacon  thought  that  too  many 
Grammar  Schools  had  been  founded,  yet  their  number  has 
been  greatly  increased  since  his  time.  Within  the  present 
century  (though  not  for  peasants'  sons  or  those  of  limited 
means)  Proprietary  Schools  have  been  established  in  great 
numbers  and  on  a  large  scale  after  the  fashion  of  the  old 
Grammar  Schools.  This  too  is  a  disadvantage  to  the  com- 
munity in  some  respects :  the  good  leaven  of  gentility,  which 
leavened  the  whole  lump  in  days  gone  by,  has  been  withdrawn, 
and  the  comparatively  poor  have  no  example  set  before  them 
to  lift  them  upwards,  so  that  the  gulf  between  class  and 
class  widens. 

Let  us  now  look  a  little  to  the  origin  of  Grammar  Schools. 
The  charter  of  Heath  School  states  the  object  of  the  School 
to  be  "for  the  bringing  up  teaching  and  instructing  of 
children  and  youth  in  Grammar  and  other  good  learning". 
If  we  refer  to  contemporary  accounts,  we  find  that  Grammar^ 
was  confined  chiefly  to  elementary  Latin  and  Greek,  so  far 
as  to  enable  students  at  the  University  to  fit  themselves  for 
the  Trivium,  or  threefold  course  of  study  required  for  all 
Graduates,  which  consisted  of  Grammar,  B-hetoric,  and  Logic ; 
whence  these  schools  were  often  called  Trivial  schools. f    The 


*  Brinsley's  Ludus  Literarius,  published  in  1012,  says  "  Such  only  should  be 
sent  to  the  Universities  who. . .  .in  a  love  of  learning  will  begin  to  take  pains  of 
themselves,  having  attained  in  some  sort  the  former  parts  of  learning;  being 
good  Grammarians  at  least,  able  to  understand,  write,  and  speak  Latin  in  good 
sort."  "  Grammar  "  embraced  a  good  deal,  for  a  Candidate  for  the  B.  A.  degree 
was  said  "  to  commence  in  Grammar." 

t  "  It  is  a  trivial  Grammar  School  Text."    Bacon's  Essays,  XII. 


4 

Quadriviunij  or  fourfold  course,  consisted  of  Arithmetic, 
Music,  Geometry,  and  Astronomy  J.  Grammar  Schools  then 
had  to  fit  a  man  especially  for  Speaking  and  Eeasoning, 
and  for  acquiring  all  knowledge  that  could  be  gained  from 
a  study  of  the  best  Classical  Authors  of  Eome  and  Greece, 
and  this  was  considered  so  essential,  that  Degrees  in  Divinity, 
Law,  and  Physic,  were  only  granted  to  those  who  had 
mastered  the  Trivium,  or  had  graduated  in  Arts,  as  it  was 
termed.  Next,  the  phrase  "good  learning"  has  to  be 
interpreted  in  reference  to  the  usage  of  the  times.  It  was 
pure  classical  Literature  as  opposed  to  the  Scholastic  learning, 
which  before  the  sixteenth  century  formed  the  basis  of  the 
University  Course.  We  find  such  language  as  this  used  of 
the  Universities :  "  Nothing  was  known  there  but  Latin, 
and  that  in  the  most  depraved  style  of  the  Schoolmen " : 
"in  process  of  time  good  letters  were  brought  in,  and  some 
knowledge  of  the  Mathematics." 

In  times  antecedent  to  the  Eeformation  Free  Grammar 
Schools  had  been  founded,  (1)  in  connection  with  Eeligious 
Establishments,  as  Cathedrals  and  Collegiate  Churches  ; 
(2)  in  combination  with  Chantries  ;  (3)  by  Trade-guilds  ; 
and  (4)  by  Individuals,  whether  Ecclesiastics  or  Laymen. 
After  the  confiscation  of  Ecclesiastical  estates  by  the  Crown, 
most  of  these  schools  were  ruined ;  but  as  the  country  suffered 
in  consequence,  many  were  after  the  lapse  of  a  few  years 
brought  into  existence  again  and  endowed  by  the  Crown  on 
petition  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  parish  in  which  there  had 
formerly  been  a  school ;  others  were  founded  by  Gentlemen 
who  had  been  successful  in  their  trade  or  profession;  and 
some   by  those   whose   estates   had    been    increased    by  the 


{  A  Poem  written  about  1480  says  "  Clerkis  that  the  VII  artez  cunne,"  i.  e., 
Clerks  that  know  the  seYeu  arts. 


acquisition  of  Church  lands.  In  the  reigns  of  Edward, 
Mary,  Elizabeth,  a  very  large  number  of  Schools  received 
Charters  by  these  means.  The  Report  of  the  Schools  Inquiry 
Commission  mentions  63  in  the  reign  of  Henry  VIII,  51 
under  Edward  VI,  19  from  Mary,  and  138  from  Elizabeth. 
But  the  School  of  Heath,  near  Halifax,  differs  in  its  foundation 
from  nearly  all  the  others  throughout  the  country;  for  on 
enquiry  it  will  be  found  that  it  had  no  endowment  from  the 
Crown,  nor  any  private  endowment  from  an  individual  or 
individuals,  when  its  Charter  was  obtained.  It  is  charitable 
to  suppose  that  it  was  started  in  hope  by  its  promoters ;  and 
fifteen  years  elapsed  from  the  date  of  the  Charter  before  a  . 
Master  was  appointed,  so  little  interest  did  the  people  in 
general  take  in  its  foundation.  The  Charter  makes  Queen 
Elizabeth  speak  of  "the  humble  suit  made  unto  us  by  the 
inhabitants  of  the  parish  and  vicarage  of  Halifax",  but  that 
seems  to  refer  only  to  the  twelve  mentioned  in  it  as  the 
Governors,  who  were  formally  the  inhabitants.  Of  these 
twelve,  three  (John  Lacy  of  Brearley  ;  John  Savile  of 
Bradley;  and  Brian  Thornhill  of  Fixby;)  are  described  as 
Esquires,  one  (Francis  Ashburn,  Vicar  of  Halifax)  as  Clerk; 
two  (Henry  Savile  of  Blaidroyd,  and  Henry  Farrar  of  Ewood) 
as  Gentlemen;  and  the  remaining  five  (William  Deane  of 
Exley,  Eobert  Wade  of  Sowerby,  John  Deane  of  Deanehouse, 
Anthony  Hirst  of  Greetland,  George  Firth  of  Firthhouse,  and 
John  Hanson  of  Woodhouse,)  as  Yeomen.  Not  one  of  these 
besides  the  Vicar  resided  in  the  Township  of  Halifax,  and 
some  of  them  four  or  five  miles  off;  nor  do  we  know  that 
more  than  three  were  ever  connected  with  a  University,  the 
Vicar  and  the  two  Saviles.  It  would  be  interesting  to  know 
what  suggested  the  idea  of  a  Grammar  School  to  them,  and 
who  was  the  prime  mover  in  realising  it. 


But  it  seems  to  me  that  the  origin  of  the  School  was  due 
to  the  Sftvile  family.*  Several  of  them  had  been  or  were  at 
the  time  members  of  the  University  of  Oxford,  and  two  at 
least  distinguished  themselves  in  learning.  Several  of  the 
first  Governors,  as  Lacy,  Thornhill,  Hanson,  were  connected 
with  the  Saviles  by  marriage;  Ashburn,  Farrer,  and  John 
Deane,  had  married  into  the  Lacy  family;  three  others  are 
mentioned  as  executors  in  wills  in  connection  with  the  Hansons 
and  Saviles.  The  connection  of  the  Governors  then  with  the 
Saviles  seems  very  clear.  If  we  look  at  their  places  of  abode, 
we  find  Lacy,  Hanson,  Thornhill,  William  Deane,  Hirst,  and 
Firth,  residing  in  the  neighbourhood  of  John  Savile,  and 
John  Deane  and  Wade  close  neighbours  of  Farrer.  These 
may  be  said  to  represent  the  valley  of  the  Calder,  and  were 
away  from  the  town  of  Halifax,  Ashburn  alone  seeming  to 
represent  Halifax,  and  he  not  connected  with  it  by  birth. f 


*  "  Since  your  father's  time  (Sir  John  Savile)  no  man  hath  done  so  much  in 
the  School  affairs  as  myself"  says  Dr.  Favour  in  1618,  to  Sir  H.  Savile. 
(L.P.  No.  LUX.) 

t  An  examination  of  the  names  of  the  principal  subscribers  in  both  of  Dr. 
Favour's  Subscription  Lists  points  to  the  same  conclusion.  Soe  Chap.  XIV,  §1, 
and  Chap.  XVI. 


CHAPTER     II. 

THE     FOUNDATION     OP     HEATH     SCHOOL. 

AS  to  the  time  when  the  promoters  of  the  School  determined 
to  apply  for  a  Charter,  we  know  nothing.  John 
Savile  was  at  Oxford  in  1561,  and  some  time  after:  he  then 
became  a  barrister,  residing  for  the  most  part  at  the  Temple 
in  London,  and  not  spending  much  time  in  Yorkshire.  He 
could  pay  but  little  attention  to  the  matter.  The  petition 
for  the  Charter  was  probably  laid  before  the  Queen  by  the 
Earl  of  Shrewsbury,  as  he  was  closely  connected  with  the 
Saviles,  and  such  petitions  were  generally  presented  through 
a  Nobleman  at  Court.  It  was  favourably  received,  and  a 
Charter  was  granted  aiil  signed  in  February,  1584-5.  Henry 
Farrer  paid  all  the  expenses  incurred,  which  was  no  doubt 
a  pretty  good  sum :  but  he  could  perhaps  better  afford  it  than 
the  other  Governors,  as  he  had  a  few  years  before  obtained 
the  manor  of  Midgley  by  his  marriage  with  the  daughter 
of  John  Lacy.  At  any  rate  it  was  a  generous  act  on  his 
part,  but  I  wonder  who  thanked  him  for  it? 

Yet  all  seemed  in  vain.  The  newly  formed  Corporation 
had  no  revenues  or  possessions  to  be^  Governors  of,  and 
nobody  stirred  to  give  effect  to  the  Cliarter.  John  Savile, 
as  I  have  said,  seemed  most  concerned  in  the  foundation  of 
the   School,   but  he   was    seldom    at  his    house,    Bradley   in 


*  We  must  remember  that  Governors  wore  so  callod  as  Trustees  of  the  Property', 
and  not  as  managers  of  the.  details  of  the  Schools.  See,  for  an  instance,  the  Deed 
iu  Chap.  XVI. 


Stainland,  being  engaged  in  London  by  his  official  duties 
as  Barrister  and  Judge,  or  with  the  Council  of  the  North  at 
York.  John  Lacy  and  Vicar  Ashburn  died  within  a  few 
months  after  the  Charter  was  signed.  There  seemed  no 
anxiety  on  the  part  of  the  people  that  were  to  be  benefited  by 
it.  Nobody  came  forward  to  urge  the  Governors  to  make  the 
School  a  reality.  It  existed  only  in  parchment.  Those  that 
were  children  and  youth  when  the  Charter  was  obtained 
became  men  before  anything  further  was  done.  Farrer  had 
paid  his  money  for  nothing.  The  hopes  at  first  entertained 
seemed  never  to  be  realised,  and  Halifax  sent  none  of  her 
poor  men's  sons  to  either  University.  The  decaying  great 
families  of  the  neighbourhood,  who  sought  to  acquire  the 
means  of  living  by  positions  in  Church  or  State,  when  their 
estates  got  less  by  division  or  by  sale,  were  however  well 
represented  at  Oxford  at  the  end  of  the  16th  century  and 
the  beginning  of  the  17th.  The  Saviles,  the  Drakes,  the 
Clays,  the  Ramsdens,  the  Deaues,  the  Waterhouses,  the 
Wilkinsons  of  Elland,  and  others  were  distinguished  at  the 
Universities,  principally  at  Oxford  ;  but  they  were  able  to 
support  themselves  during  the  necessary  education.  But 
nobody  lent  a  helping  hand  in  turning  to  a  good  account  the 
ability  which  God  had  given  the  tradesman's  or  peasant's  son. 
It  was  not  till  1593  that  an  advocate  raised  a  voice  on  their 
behalf,  and  he  a  stranger  to  the  place  by  birth  or  marriage, 
the  celebrated  Dr.  Favour,  Vicar  of  Halifax.  He  had  been 
educated  at  the  then  most  famous  School  in  England, 
Winchester  College,  and  had  become  a  Scholar  and  Fellow 
of  New  College,  Oxford,  which  William  of  Wykeham  had 
established  for  those  who  had  profited  most  by  bis  Winchester 
foundation.  Dr.  Favour  naturally  wished  that  the  Halifax 
boys  should  have  an  opportunity  of  getting  a  University 
education  as  far  as  they  were  fit  for  it.     After  he  was  settled 


9 

in  his  Vicarage  and  had  time  to  look  about  him,  he  set  to  the 
work  with  his  usual  energy.  He  found  a  Charter  for  a  School 
and  a  few  Governors  without  anything  to  govern.  There  was 
no  property  given,  no  Master,  no  School-house.  Of  the 
original  Governors  several  had  died,  one  spent  his  time 
principally  in  London,  and  others  lived  some  four  or  five 
miles  off.  Some  ten  years  had  elapsed  since  the  Charter 
had  been  petitioned  for,  and  we  may  imagine  the  indifference 
which  the  survivors  would  feel,  when  they  had  seen  the 
nonfulfilment  of  their  early  hopes.  The  places  of  those  who  had 
died  had  been  filled  up  by  successors  to  keep  the  Corporation 
in  existence,  but  they  had  not  felt  the  interest  in  the  matter 
which  was  once  felt  when  John  Savile  was  an  active  man 
among  them,  so  that  owing  to  their  neglect  there  were  only 
three  properly  qualified  Governors  in  existence  in  1607,  and 
application  had  to  be  made  to  the  Archbishop  of  York  to 
fill  up  the  vacancies  before  any  valid  act  could  be  done.  For 
ten  years  before  this  Dr.  Favour  had  bestirred  himself  to  get 
the  School  established,  though  he  does  not  seem  to  have 
been  legally  a  Governor  himself  until  the  end  of  1607.  He 
seems  to  have  considered  it  part  of  his  duty  as  Vicar  of 
Halifax :  he  fought  hardly  for  the  rights  of  "  the  poor  School 
and  the  poor  people,"  as  he  at  a  later  period  calls  those 
who  had  been  deprived  of  their  dues  by  mismanagement  both 
in  this  respect  and  in  others.  He  had  enlisted  Sir  John 
Savile  on  his  side,  and  a  great  deal  of  correspondence  passed 
between  the  two  on  the  subject  of  the  School. 

It  is  singular  that  such  a  state  of  things  should  have 
existed.  We  can  only  imagine  that  the  Charter  was  carefully 
locked  up  somewhere,  and  the  Governors  were  never  informed 
of  its  terms.  Else  how  could  so  many  elected  Governors 
have  never  qualified?  and  how  was  it  that  the  defect  was 
not  found  out  for  so  many  years? 


10 

It  was  not  until  the  beginning  of  1597  that  anything 
definite  could  be  done.  In  February  of  that  year  the 
Governors  got  possession  of  two  acres  of  land  given  by  the 
Farrers  of  Ewood,  a  corporate  seal*  was  provided,  and  steps 
were  taken  to  get  up  a  subscription  for  erecting  a  suitable 
building.  Some  arrangement  seems  to  have  been  made  for 
this  purpose  between  Sir  John  Savile  and  Dr.  Favour  on  a 
visit  of  the  former  to  his  country-house.  An  appeal  in 
writing, t  dated  Halifax,  July  16th,  was  made  by  a  letter 
signed  (not  by  the  Governing  body  but)  by  "Your  loving 
friends  Jn.  Savile  and  John  Favour "  to  some  Gentlemen 
of  the  neighbourhood,  intimating  that  unless  the  School 
were  "  erected  within  a  certain  time "  it  would  lose  certain 
possessions  conditionally  promised,  and  asking  them  to  set 
down  the  sum  they  would  bestow  towards  so  charitable  an 
action,  as  it  was  intended  the  work  should  begin  immediately 
after  Sep.  20.  An  agreement  was  made  by  Dr.  Favour  with 
a  builder  of  Hipperholme,  named  MartinJ  Akroyd,  a  free- 
mason, and  particulars  were  sent  with  a  plan  to  Sir  John 
in  London.  The  builder  was  to  receive  £120  together  with 
the   materials  of  an  old  house   which  stood  on  the   ground 


*  I  draw  this  inference  from  the  date  on  the  present  seal;  but  see  Chap.  III.  §1. 

t  The  letters  to  be  found  in  L.  P.  Nos.  CXLIX.  and  CL. 

j  In  the  Parish  Begisters  under  Nov.  8,  1591,  his  marriage  with  Sara  Ramsden 
occurs  and  under  March  20,  1617  (i.  e.  1618  N.  S.)  his  burial. 

It  is  curious  to  find  his  name  spelled  differently  in  the  same  letter.  Altogether 
there  are  found  seven  different  forms  of  it :  Akroyd,  Akroyed,  Acroid,  Acroyd, 
Acroyde,  Ackeroyd,  Eaycroyd.  Such  was  the  disregard  of  spelling  in  those  times. 
Martin,  Abraham,  and  John,  are  mentioned  in  various  documents.  Whether  they 
were  brothers  or  the  Christian  name  of  the  builder  was  not  accurately  known, 
does  not  appear.  Wm.  Ackroyd  who  founded  a  Scholarship  in  1517,  has  his  name 
spelled  Aikeroide,  Akeroide,  Akerode,  Akeroyde,  in  one  and  the  same  document, 
and  outside  it  Aykroyde,  Aikroyde,  (L.  P.  CLXIII) ;  in  another  Ackroyd ;  in 
another  Acroyde,  Acroide,  Acrode.  A  member  of  the  builder's  family  (perhaps) 
appears  in  the  Waterhouse  Charity's  Accounts :  "  1651  Paid  Akeroyde  for  the 
Hospitali  house  5s." 


11 

and  such  timber  as  should  be  voluntarily  given.  Dr.  Favour 
asked  Sir  John's  advice  about  the  means  of  assuring  the 
money  to  the  workmen,  about  making  the  collections,  and 
for  his  good  help  in  general  that  the  work  might  "be  done 
with  reasonable  beauty  and  comeliness."  This  was  on  Sep. 
29th,  and  the  agreement  with  the  builder,  if  satisfactory  to 
Sir  John,  was  to  be  concluded  about  the  middle  ot  October. 
We  hear  nothing  more  of  the  School  until  the  following 
summer,  so  that  some  unexpected  difficulty  had  probably 
arisen ;  indeed  there  was  afterwards  a  good  cause  of  complaint, 
for  men  who  had  promised  subscriptions  hung  back^  as  the 
Doctor  says,  not  wishing  to  subscribe  unless  they  saw  others 
do  so,  and  even  expecting  the  liberality  of  "other  towns" 
to  make  up  their  deficiency.  He  persevered,  however, 
determined  not  to  be  beaten  in  so  good  a  cause :  he  pressed 
it  on  his  neighbours  in  public  and  in  private;  he  wrote  to 
every  township  with  his  own  hand,  and  sent  collectors  round 
to  make  sure  of  the  slow.  At  last,  on  Thursday  in  Whit- 
sun  week,  June  8th,  1698,  after  the  sermon  on  the  usual 
Lectureday,  he  went  (as  he  says)  "with  all  his  clergy  and 
some  other  neighbours,   and  consecrated  the  ground  with  a 

short  prayer   and   a  psalm and   committed   the    blessing 

of  the  work  to  God."  But  his  satisfaction  on  seeing  the 
favourable  progress  of  his  good  work  was  damped  by  the  fact 
of  a  smaller  attendance  than  he  had  expected.  No  doubt  he 
often  visited  the  spot  afterwards,  but  from  some  cause  or 
other  the  workmen  were  dilatory :  he  longed  for  the  presence 
of  Sir  John  to  stir  them  up,  but  he  did  not  come;  and  we 
find  that  the  building  was  not  finished  in  the  time  agreed  on, 
so  that  Sir  John  at  last  refused  to  give  the  builder  his  full 
pay.  Among  the  debts  owing  to  his  estate  in  1617,  his 
Executors  mention  £13  10s.  as  due  from  Sir  John  Savile, 
perhaps  on  this  very  account. 


12 

But  what  were  the  other  Governors  doing  all  the  while  ? 
Did  they  appoint  none  of  their  body  to  look  after  the  progress 
of  the  work  and  keep  the  builder  to  his  duty  ?  None,  alas ! 
is  mentioned  as  feeling  any  interest  in  the  work  either  then 
or  afterwards;  and  the  Doctor  is  obliged  after  the  lapse  of 
some  twenty  years  to  say  in  self-defence  that  he  had  himself 
procured  almost  all  the  revenues  of  the  School,  and  that 
some  of  the  Governors  had  never  been  present  at  the  meetings 
though  he  had  sent  for  them. 

But  to  go  back  to  1598.  About  two  months  after  the 
foundation  of  the  School  was  laid,  Gilbert,  Earl  of  Shrewsbury,* 
Edward  Savile,  Esq.,  and  Sir  George  Savile,  gave  six  acres 
of  ^'  weak,  stony,  and  bruery  landf "  with  ^'  a  house  called 
a  Schole-houseJ  lately  built,"  altogether  "  of  the  annual  value 
of  eightpence "  (!),  to  the  Governors  of  the  School,  which 
they  obtained  possession  of  in  the  following  January,  1598-9. 


*  In  1515  the  then  Eai-1  of  Shrewsbury  was  guardian  of  Henry  Savile  of 
Thornhill.  His  son  Edward  Savile  (who  was  supposed  to  be  weak  of  intellect) 
afterwards  put  himself  under  the  protection  of  the  Talbots,  and  his  family  tried 
to  get  him  out  of  their  hands.  Sir  Henry  willed  the  bulk  of  his  property  away 
from  Edward  to  the  Lupset  branch  of  the  family,  which  was  represented  by  Sir 
George,  who  afterwards  married  Mary,  the  daughter  of  George,  and  sister  of 
Gilbert,  Earls  of  Shrewsbury.  It  was  consequently  through  the  Saviles  that  the 
Earl  of  Shrewsbury  had  any  connection  with  the  School,  so  that  the  land  given 
probably  formed  part  of  the  estate  of  Sir  Henry  Savile. 

t  terra  debilis  lapidosce  et  bruerce."  This  is  alluded  to  in  the  Inscription 
over  the  School-house  door.  Bruera,  a  corruption  of  an  older  form  brugaria 
(French,  bruyere),  which  was  used  for  "heather"  in  the  Middle  Ages,  is  defined 
in  Dictionaries  of  Medieval  Latin  as  'Mgrer  sterilis,  vepribus  et  dumetis  horridus" 
i.  e.,  barren  land,  horrid  with  brambles  and  thickets.  I  quote  this,  as  illustrating 
the  Inscription. 

J  In  Brearcliffe's  MSS.  this  is  called  "  Scale-house."  It  was  probably  a  rude 
erection,  a  sort  of  permanent  hut,  which  was  very  common  in  former  times.  In 
many  places  in  the  West  Riding  and  in  Lancashire  there  are  houses  still  called 
"  Scholes  "  or  "  Scale-house."  So  that  we  are  not  to  suppose  that  the  School  was 
given  with  the  land.  The  School  in  fact  seems  to  have  been  built  on  the 
Farrere'  gift. 


13 

There  seems  to  have  been  a  small  addition  made  to  this 
a  few  years  afterwards''^ ;  so  that  on  the  whole  there 
were  about  eleven  acres  of  land  for  the  support  of  the 
School.  All  this  however  required  a  great  deal  to  be  done 
to  it  before  it  became  profitable.  For  several  years  '^  plowing 
and  hacking  and  manureing"  were  gradually  carried  on,  as 
we  find  it  stated  in  an  old  document.  And  there  seems  to 
have  been  no  provision  for  any  other  stipend  for  a  Master. 
Dr.  Favour  found  only  a  Charter  when  he  began ;  and  now 
after  the  lapse  of  several  years  there  is  nothing  further 
than  a  School  and  a  few  acres  of  stony  land.  But  in  1600 
he  got  a  Master,  a  Graduate  of  a  local  family  perhaps,  who 
had  energy  and  patriotism  enough  to  work  for  the  good  cause 
with  a  soul  above  filthy  lucre.  In  August  1600,  one  Eichard 
Wilkinson,  Bachelor  of  Arts,  was  elected  Master,  and  in  a 
few  days  was  presented  to  the  Archbishop  of  York  for 
admission  to  the  office,  according  to  the  provisions  of  the 
Charter.  A  copy  of  the  formal  document,  which  was  written 
in  Latin,  and  (no  doubt)  by  Dr.  Favour,  is  still  preserved 
in  the  Parish  Registers.  It  is  dated  from  Bradley,  the  seat 
of  Sir  John  Savile.  A  copy  of  it  will  be  found  in  Chap.  X, 
under  "Mr.  Wilkinson". 


*  Brearcliffe  tells  us  of  a  lease  of  lands  granted  to  the  Governors  in  lf)02  from  the 
Governors  of  Hedbergh  School,  which  was  liberally  endowed  by  William  Harrison. 


CHAPTEE    III. 

§1.    THE    SCHOOL    SEAL.  §2.    INSCRIPTION    ON    THE    HOUSE. 

§3.    STIPEND    OP    THE    MASTER   OP    A    GRAMMAR    SCHOOL. 

§4.    SUBSCRIPTIONS    TO    THE    ORIGINAL    SCHOOL. 

THE  School  being  now  establislied^  we  will  stop  for  a 
few  moments  to  consider  some  points  of  interest  con- 
nected with  the  School  before  we  proceed  with  our  History. 
§1.  The  corporate  body  had  a  conimon  seal.  I  had  always 
thought  that  the  present  seal  was  the  one  which  had  been 
in  use  from  the  beginning,  but  Brearcliflfe  gives  a  description 
of  the  only  seal  which  he  knew,  thus : — "  Ther  is  a  free 
schoole  scale  in  an  ovall  form  with  Sigil :  Scholam  R :  Eliz : 
vicar  Eav :  Hallifax  writt  about  it  and  in  ye  midst  [some 
words  in  cipher*^  letter  writt  in  ^t  a  rose  at  Top  and 
p'cuUis  at  bottom."  1  append  a  copy  of  the  present  seal, 
so  that  the  difference  is  seen  at  once. 
There  is  no  record  of  the  time  when 
an  alteration  was  made,  but  it  was 
probably  made  because  of  the  intro- 
duction of  the  word  "  Eav : "  in  it. 
The  rose  and  portcullis  are  the  badges 
of  the  Tudor  family.  The  legend  "  Qui  j 
mihi  discipulus  puer  es  cupis  atque," 
consists  of  part  of  the  first  line  of  an 
exhortationt  to  youths  in  Lily's  Latin 
Grammar.  This  is  written  in  Latin 
Elegiac  verse,  and  the  first  two  lines  are 

*  Possibly,  "form  of  a  book  ['book'  is  certain]  or." — I  cannot  help  thinking 
that  Brearcliffe'has  made  some  mistake.  His  MSS.  is  hurriedly  and  badly  written 
here.  Not  being  very  well  acquainted  with  Latin,  he  has  written  Scholam  for 
Schol.  and  left  out  Gram.  He  also  read  VICAEIAT.  as  VICAR  lAT.  and  then 
changed  I  into  P.  The  final  letter  is  so  written  that  it  may  be  taken  either  for 
t  or  V  ;  but  F  is  clear  and  bold.  The  legend  on  the  seal  is  sigillum  liberse 
grammaticalis  scholae  reginae  Elizabethse  vicariatus  HaUfaxensis,  i.  e.,  the  seal  of 
the  free  gi'ammar  school  of  Qiteen  Elizabeth,  of  the  vicarage  of  Halifax. 

t  This  is  entitled  "  Guilielmi  Lilii  ad  suos  discipulos  mouita  Psedagogica ;  seu 
carmen  de  Moribus." 


IS 

Qui  milii  discipulus,  Puer,  es,  cupis  atque  doceri, 

Hue  ades,  haec  animo  concipe  dicta  tno. 

(Thou   who   art  my   pupil,  boy,   and  desirest   to   be   taught, 

come  here,  grasp  these  sayings  with   thy  mind.) 

§2.    Over  the  entrance  to  the  present  School-house  is  a 

stone,   which    was    probably    removed    from    the   old   house, 

containing  the  following  Inscription : — 

In  Favorem  Reipvbl. 

Terra  mala  et  sterilis  dvmetis  obsita,  saxis 
Horrida,  que  nvllis  inveta  est  frvgib'  apta, 
Sed  bona  gens  popvlvs  sact',  pietatis  et   ardens 
Relligionis  opvs  tantu  prodvxit,  vt  inde 
Terra  bona  et  possit  bona  gens  benedicier  ec*"* 
Sic  dm  terra  dominos  non  terra  beavit. 
Elizabetha  div  vivat,  qvae  talia  nobis 
Indvlsit  monimeta.     Devs  sic  svme  secvdes 
Hoc  opvs  vt  vigeat,  perq'  onia  saecvla  dvret. 
Sic  nos  Christe,  tvo  sic  nostra  dicam'  honori. 

Jacta  svnt  Fvndam  8°  Jvnii  A°  Dm  1598 : 
Elizab.  Reginae  40. 

This  may  be  expressed  in  English  as  follows : — 
For  the  Favour^  of  the  Country. 

The  land  was  bad  and  barren  all,  with  thickets    overgrown ; 
Not  fit  for  crops  of  any  kind,  but  rough  with  horrid  stone  ; 
Then  people  warm  with  piety,  and  holy  in  their  thought. 
This  greatest  of  religious  works  into  existence  brought. 
To  make  the  land  of  greatest  good  and  bless  the  people  too : 
.   And  so  a  blessing  to  the  land,  not  to  the  owners  grew ; 
'^P^ong  tiiftc  the  Queen  Elizabeth,  who  granted  us  such  grace ; 
And  prosper  Thou,  0  God,  this  work,  that  it  may  never  cease, 
But  live  in  vigour  through  all  time.  So,  Christ,  with  this  intent. 
We  give  ourselves,  we  give  our  means,  unto  Thine  honour  bent. 

The  Foundations  were  laid  June  8th,  a.d.  1598, 
In  the  fortieth  year  of  Queen  Elizabeth. 

*  I  have  put  "Favour"  when  "Benefit"  would  better  suit  the  sense,  because 
I  think  that  the  Doctor,  who  composed  the  verses,  had  a  love  of  his  own  name. 
It  seems  also  to  nave  been  on  the  School  Seal,  if  Brearcliffe  is  right  in  his 
statement.  In  the  presentation  too  of  Kichard  Wilkinson  to  the  Abp.  he  goes 
out  of  his  way  to  pray  His  Grace  to  admit  him  to  the  ofiSce  of  Schoolmaster 
"cum  favore",  with  favour.     See  Chap.  X. 


16: 

§3.  In  the  latter  half  of  the  16th  century,  the  usual 
stipend  of  the  Master  of  a  School  was  20  marks  i.  e., 
£13  6s.  8d.,  and  that  of  the  Usher  10  marks,  besides  a 
residence  for  each.  We  find  these  sums  fixed  in  many 
Grammar  Schools,  and  paid  out  of  the  Endowment.  The 
liberality  of  the  Founder  of  Harrow  assigned  40  marks  for 
the  Master;  and  even  in  the  reign  of  Henry  YIII  as  much 
as  £20  and  a  house  was  to  be  set  apart  for  the  Master  of  the 
Cathedral  School  at  Exeter.  In  reducing  this  to  the  present 
standard  we  should  have  to  multiply  by  a  much  larger  sum 
than  in  the  former  case.  If  10  or  12  were  the  multiplier 
in  Henry's  reign,  it  would  be  6  or  8  towards  the  end  of 
Elizabeth's.  But  authorities  differ.  The  income  of  a  Master 
then  in  1600  might,  if  referred  to  the  present  value,  be  about 
£100  a  year,  That  is  small,  no  doubt,  but  we  must  remember 
that  people  then  had  to  confine  themselves  to  the  bare 
necessaries  of  life.  Now  the  poorest  housekeeper  has  comforts 
unknown  to  a  superior  class  in  1600.  £40  was  considered 
a  good  stipend  for  a  University  Professor  by  Henry  VIII. 
Cooper  in  his  "  Annals  of  Cambridge "  mentions  an  Act  of 
Parliament  in  1650,  proposing  an  increase  to  the  stipends 
of  Masters  of  Colleges  ;  from  which  we  learn  that  the  stipend 
proposed  was  from  £120  to  £150  per  annum,  which  was  in 
many  cases  double  the  sum  enjoyed  before.  Small  as  was 
the  usual  stipend  of  Masters  of  Schools,  the  poor  Master 
of  Heath  School  was  to  live  on  hope  of  getting  something 
(and  that  not  fixed)  as  subscriptions  came  in.  In  a  curious 
document  in  No.  LV.  of  "  Our  Local  Portfolio,"  we  find  that 
the  Master  received  for  several  years  from  Dr.  Favour  the 
sum  of  £3  !  It  was,  subsequent  to  1607,  considerably 
increased,  so  that  he  and  the  Usher  got  more  than  £20 
between  them.  But  even  in  1720  the  whole  income  of  the 
School  was   under  £40.      It   was   not  until    1773    that  the 


25 

pupil  of  his,  who  in  1637  at  13  years''^  of  age  was  qualified 
to  enter  the  University  of  Cambridge ;  and  John  Milner  too 
(afterwards  Vicar  of  Leeds  and  a  celebrated  writer)  in  1642 
at  14  years  of  age  entered  the  same  University.  Samuel 
Stancliffe  also,  of  St.  John's  College,  Cambridge,  was  at  this 
School  about  the  same  time :  he  valued  the  School  so  highly 
that  he  bequeathed,  in  1705,  £100  for  "  improving  and 
adorning"  it,  as  a  tablet  still  in  the  School  testifies.  The 
name  of  Cockman  is  so  unusual  that  I  should  like  to  connect 
with  our  Master  Thomas  Cockman,  who  graduated  M.A.  at 
Oxford  in  1697  and  became  Master  of  University  College? 
a  College  with  which  I  can  find  nearly  Twenty  Yorkshiremen 
connected  in  this  century.  If  so,  he  would  be  his  grandson 
probably. 

The  good  work  done  by  the  School  attracted  the  attention 
of  the  Vicar,  Henry  Ramsden ;  and  finding  the  endowment 
unsatisfactory,  he  made  a  collection  in  1635  for  the  purchase 
of  lands.  There  is  a  list  in  the  Parish  Registers  of  sums 
given  (1)  "by  such  as  live  out  of  the  Vicarage,"  (2)  "by  the 
Governors  of  the  said  School,"  and  (3)  "by  the  various 
townships ; "  these  are  respectively  £31,  £41  6s.  8d.,  and 
nearly  £125.  In  the  first  Mr.  Greenwood,  Vicar  of  Thornhill, 
gives  £20,  leaving  £11  for  three  other  subscribers;  Eight 
Governors  make  up  the  second  list.  Sixty-three  subscribers 
of  the  Township  of  Halifax  are  required  for  about  £36 ; 
and  a  corresponding  number  of  small  subscribers  make  up 
the  remainder.  There  are  only  two  of  these  who  exceed 
£2,  viz.,  Rev.  Robert  Booth  of  Sowerby  Bridge,  and  Mr. 
James  Gates  of  Southowram. 


*  Edmund  Spenser  went  to  Cambridge  when  16.  The  celebrated  Lord  Fairfax 
went  there  before  he  was  16.  Chief-Justice  Scroggs  went  to  Oxford  in  1639  at 
the  age  of  16, 


/ 


26 

Out  of  this  sum  the  Vicar  had  to  pay  for  "  rebuilding  the 
School-chimney  "  and  for  "  the  boarding  of  the  school  where 
the  boards  were  wanting  and  defective,"  no  large  sum  indeed, 
but  enough  to  shew  that  work  was  scamped  even  in  those  days. 

In  1631  the  plague  raged  violently  in  Heptonstall  and 
Ovenden,  and  alarm  was  felt  in  Skircoat,  for  we  find  in  a 
letter  dated  18  July,  1631,  "The  fear  of  infection  hath 
driven  many  from  School."  It  seems  to  have  been  written 
to  some  Governor  asking  advice,  but  the  writer's  name  is 
not  mentioned.  However,  Halifax  and  Skircoat  fortunately 
escaped,  and  the  work  of  the  School  was  not  much  interfered 
with. 

According  to  Watson  one  Marsh  (not  mentioned  at  all 
by  Wright)  was  "Master  in  1649  according  to  a  book''^ 
belonging  to  the  Waterhouse  Trustees."  But  he  must  remain 
among  "the  mute  inglorious"  ones.  In  the  year  1651 
one  Paul  Greenwoodf  was  appointed  to  the  Mastership.  To 
what  family  he  belonged,  we  do  not  know ;  but  there  were 
many  Greenwoods  who  adapted  themselves  to  the  new  state 
of  things.  A  Paul  Greenwood,  Gent.,  is  on  the  Commission 
for  Pious  Uses  in  1651 ;  a  Daniel,  Principal  of  Brasenose 
College,  Oxford,  about  the  same  time;  and  another  Daniel, 
his  nephew,  transferred  from  Christ's  College,  Cambridge, 
to  a  cozy  fellowship  under  his  Uncle  and  in  a  few  years  to 
a  College  Living,  marrying  one  Mary  Firth  of  Sowerby. 
He  found  no  difficulty  in  adapting  himself  again  after  the 
Restoration,   and   so   died   a   Parish    Priest,   in    1679.       Our 


*  Since  writing  the  above,  I  have  found  the  book,  and  the  entry.  It  is  as  I 
conjectured,  among  the  payments  made  to  the  Master  of  the  School  and  the 
Curates  of  the  twelve  old  Chapelries.     It  stands  thus  : — 

"  Paid  to  Mr.  March  the  Mayster  of  the  freskoU  2.  0.  0".  It  is  evidently  not 
Marsh.  A  careful  scrutiny  of  the  handwriting  has  convinced  me  that  it  is  March. 
Under  the  payments  of  1650,  however,  the  name  is  written  Marshe. 

t  He  receives  his  first  payment  from  the  Waterhouse  Charity,  Dec.  2J:th,  1651. 


27 

Master  seems  to  have  been  equally  flexible;  for  he  held  the 
Curacy  of  lUingworth  from  1658  to  1666,  in  which  year  he 
became  Vicar  of  Dewsbury.  From  his  days  until  the  beginning 
of  the  next  century  we  hear  nothing  of  scholars :  we  only 
know  that  there  were  masters :  even  the  Lists  of  Governors 
are  wanting. 

For  want  of  information  about  the  School,  the  following 
curious  documents  in  the  Parish  Registers,  in  which  the 
Master  is  concerned,  may  open  the  reader's  eyes  to  a  state 
of  things  unknown  to  him. 

"Mr.  Paule  Greenwood  clerke  Mr.  of  ye  fPreeschoole  in 
Skircoate  &  Judith  Newton  of  Hallifax  spinster  was  published 
in  ye  publique  meetinge  place  called  Hallifax  Church  att 
ye  close  of  ye  mourninge  Exercise  upon  3  Lords  dayes  (to 
witt)  ye  28  &  30  of  Aprill  &  ye  7  of  May  1654." 

"  The  marriage  betweene  ye  above  named  Paule  Greenwood 
aged  [a  hlot]^  yeare  &  ye  said  Judith  Newton  aged  XIX  was 
solempnised  before  Sir  John  Savill  Knight  barr*  one  of 
ye  justices  of  ye  peace  for  ye  west  riding  in  ye  County  of 
Yorke  in  ye  presence  of  Anthony  Westerman  &  Thomas 
Rigge,  two  credible  witnesses  according  to  ye  form  of 
ye  Statute  in  y*  case  made  &  p'uided  the  eight  day  of 
May  1654." 

His  first  child,  prematurely  born,  was  buried  before  the 
year  expired.  In  1658,  1661,  &  1664  he  had  other  children 
baptised.     This  is  all  we  know  of  him. 

He  was  succeeded  by  John  Doughty,  equally  unknown 
to  fame,  who  was,  possibly,  the  same  as  graduated  B.A.,  1663, 
and  M.A.,  1667,  at  Cambridge,  being  a  member  of  Cains 
College.  He  buried  a  child  in  1668  within  a  fortnight  after 
its  Baptism,  and  his  wife  in  a  few  months  afterwards.  He 
himself  was  buried  on  Oct.  14th,  1688. 

*  Seemingly  XfV  (i.e.,  XXV.) 


26 

His  successor  was  Thomas  Lister,  M,B.,  of  Jesus  College, 
Cambridge.  It  is  somewhat  curious  that  a  graduate  in  Medi- 
cine should  have  sought  such  a  post,  and  that  the  Governors 
should  have  chosen  such  a  graduate.  There  was  probably 
a  good  deal  of  laxity  at  the  time.  We  know  for  certain 
nothing  about  him.  He  held  the  post  for  nearly  40  years, 
but  for  several  years  before  his  death  he  was  superannuated, 
and  the  School  was  in  a  deplorable  condition :  there  was  an 
Usher  in  1727  of  only  "about  19  or  20"  years  of  age,  who 
had  the  sole  charge  of  the  School,  but  was  "  far  from  being 
capable  of  discharging  his  duty."  The  Master  died  April 
1728.'^  The  Governors  were  recommended  by  the  Archbishop 
"to  hire  a  Schoolmaster  by  the  week  or  month  till  the  Charter 
was  confirmedf;"  but  a  year  later  they  say  in  a  letter  to 
his  Grace's  Secretary  : — "  at  present  I  question  whether  there 
be  any  [scholars]  but  what  the  Usher  can  learn  who  for  two 
or  three  years  before  the  old  Master  died  took  care  of  them." 
A  letter  dated  March  14th,  1728,  {i.  e.,  at  the  end  of  1728, 
or,  according  to  our  reckoning,  in  1729,)  was  written  by  a 
lawyer  of  Halifax  to  one  of  the  tenants  of  the  School,  in 
which  he  says : — "  The  country  suffers  basely  for  want  of  a 
good  Master  at  the  School,  where  there  hath  not  been  a 
Master  rightly  qualified  for  nigh  40  years  last  past,  and  if 
the  Trustees  and  the  Bishop  had  any  concern  for  the  public 
good  since  the  old  little  good  for  naught  fellow  died,  they 
have  had  time  enough  to  have  placed  a  good  Master  in  the 
School,  but  there  is  only  now  a  few  petty  scholars  taught 
there  by  a  young  lad."  Mr.  Lister  had  evidently  given 
little  satisfaction.  Now  it  is  said  that  the  famous  Laurence 
Sterne  was  a  pupil  here  from  1724  to  1730.     He  tells  us  in 


*  A  letter  from  Eichard  Sterne  to  Vicar  Burton,  dated  Nov.  7tli,  1727,  speaka  of 
the  Scholars  having  to  their  great  loss  for  many  years  been  ue^jlected. 
t  See  the  next  Chapter. 


29 

Lis  Memoirs  tliat  his  father  fixed  him  at  School  near  Halifax 
"with  an  able  Master":  he  wrote  these  Memoirs  just  before 
his  death ;  but  in  his  Tristram  Shandy,  published  some  ten 
years  previously,  he  gives  an  account  of  a  pedagogue  such 
as  his  hero's  father  would  not  have  for  his  son.  As  most 
of  his  characters  seem  drawn  from  the  life  either  for  praise 
or  blame,  some  schoolmaster  that  he  had  known,  probably  sat 
for  this  pedagogue's  portrait.  If  so,  the  original  must  have 
been  anything  but  suitable  for  the  office  which  he  held, 
notwithstanding  his  ability.  I  refer  my  readers  to  Chapker 
XIII  for  fuller  particulars.  During  Mr.  Lister's  Master- 
ship, in  1705,  Samuel  Stancliffe,  an  old  pupil  under  Mr. 
Cockman,  died,  leaving  £100  for  "  improving  and  adorning  " 
the  School.  We  do  not  know  how  it  was  spent.  At  any  rate 
the  Governors  put  up  an  expensive  Tablet  in  the  School  to 
commemorate  the  Donor,  but  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  the 
expenses  were  not  defrayed  out  of  the  bequest.  It  was 
probably  not  erected  till  sometime  afterwards,  as  there  was 
but  one  Governor  for  many  years,  and  the  Trust  had  very 
nearly  come  to  an  end.  The  sad  state  of  things  then  in 
existence  wiU  require  our  attention  for  a  little  time,  for  there 
was  in  1728  no  Master  to  teach,  and  no  one  to  receive  the 
rents  of  the  School,  and  the  Charter  narrowly  escaped  being 
forfeited.  We  will  so  far-  anticipate  the  good  that  was 
evolved  out  of  the  evil,  as  to  give  a  copy  of  the  Tablet 
and  its  inscription,  hoping  that  there  may  be  yet  some  good 
benefactor  to  follow  such  a  noble  example  as  that  afforded 
by  Stancliffe^,  and  do  for  the  scholars  what  he  did  for 
the  School. 


*  "  The  Stancliffes  were  an  ancient  family  in  Shibden-dale :  they  took  their 
name  Stank-cliffe  from  an  ancient  stank  (stagnum)  at  the  foot  of  a  chff,  probably 
that  now  called  the  Scout."  "  John  Stanckcliffe  (aged  26)  married  Phebe  Lum 
(aged  24)  iu  June  1657 :  she  died  March  1U78."  L.  P.  XOV,  Was  this  a  brother 
ol  Samuel  7 


30 

Tlie  inscription  on  the  Tablet  is : — 

In  Memory  of  the  Reverend 

Mr.     SAMUEL     STANCLIFFE 

descended    of   the   Ancient    Family 

of  ScarclifFe  (vere  Standiffe 

of  8cowte)    in   the   west   Riding   of 

this  County  of  York,  sometime  of 

St.  Johns  Golledge  in  Cambridge 

&  Minister  of  Stanmore  Magna 

in  ye  County  of  Midd :  who  departed 

this  life  Decem:  ye  12tli  An:  Dom  :  1705 

Ag-ed  75  years.* 

By  his  last  will  bequeathed  100^^ 

for  the  improving  and  adorning 

tliTs  free  8chuole  where  he  was 

Educated. 


1G30-1  Feb.  23  (B)  Samuell  John  Staucliflfe  South  :     (P.R.) 
The  hirge  bell  at  the  Parish  Church  has  ou  it  the  name  Stauclitfe,  1091,  and 
was  probably  the  gift  of  this  family. 


Photographed  by  T.  iLLiNCWORTir,  Halifax* 


CHAPTEE    VII. 

THE     CONFIRMATION     OP     THE     CHARTER. 

IN  the  year  1719  a  commission  was  apj)ointed  to  enquire 
into  the  mismanagement  of  a  chartered  Corporation^' 
which  had  existed  for  more  than  three  quarters  of  a  century 
in  connection  with  the  fielief  of  the  Poor.  The  result  of 
it  was  that  the  members  had  to  pay  expenses  and  to  make 
up  all  deficiencies.  Exception  was  taken  to  this  decision, 
and  a  new  Commission  was  appointed,  but  their  decision 
also  was  unfavourable.  Mr.  Henry  Gream  who  was  the  onl}^ 
surviving  member  in  1723  transferred  his  ofiice  to  others 
including  Vicar  Burtonf.  In  1724  these  Gentlemen  exercised 
powers  under  the  old  Patent,  though  the  commissioners  had 
declared  the  necessity  of  getting  a  renewal  of  the  Patent. 
Now  Simon  Sterne,  J. P.,  of  Woodhouse,  and  Samuel  Lister, 
one  of  the  Shibden  Hall  Listers,  had  been  Governors  of 
the  old  Corporation,  and  were  of  course  liable  for  their  share 
of  the  expenses.  Richard  Sterne,  J.P.,  as  his  father's  heir, 
and  husband  of  the  widow  of  Mr.  Lister,  had  two  shares  to 
pay.      Naturally  indignant   at  this,  and  smarting  under  the 


*  It  owed  its  origin  to  Nathaniel  Waterhouse's  gift  of  a  Workhouse  for  the  poor 
in  1635,  and  the  necessity  of  having  magistrates  to  carry  out  the  Laws  for  Relief 
of  the  Poor. 

t  The  Greams  (name  spelled  Gream,  Greama,  Graime ;  the  family  probably 
from  Cumberland)  lived  at  Heath,  Shaw-Hill,  and  Exley,  the  latter  estate  being 
bought  of  the  Deanes  by  Henry. — They  subsequently  acquired  the  Manor  of 
Southowram. 


32 

loss,  lie  looked  out  for  some  means  of  gratifying  a  spiteful 
disposition,  which  was  unfortunately  a  failing  in  the  Sterne 
family*.  He  soon  finds  out  a  flaw  in  the  proceedings  of  the 
new  Governors ;  he  indicts  them  for  illegal  conduct  and  gets 
them  arrested ;  they  were  liberated  only  under  heavy  bail ; 
the  case  was  removed  from  the  West  Riding  to  Westminster ; 
the  defendants  were  condemned,  and  had  to  pay  all  the 
costs  of  the  action.  But  Richard  Sterne  was  not  satisfied : 
there  was  still  a  grievance  to  be  redressed,  in  which  he  could 
annoy  the  old  Vicar.  He  found  Heath  School  in  very  low 
water;  all  the  writings  connected  with  it  were  kept  at  the 
Vicarage,  and  he  could  not  get  them.  We  can  imagine  him 
working  on  the  sole  Governor  of  the  School,  Henry  Greamf, 
who  had  had  to  suffer  in  1719  for  his  connection  with  the 
old  Corporation,  and  getting  him  to  help  in  making  further 
difficulties  for  the  Vicar.  He  does  not  seem  to  know  much 
of  the  School,  or  of  its  Government,  if  we  may  judge  from 
his  letters;  but,  with  Gream  on  his  side  and  some  others, 
(who  suspiciously  have  the  same  names  as  those  against 
whom  the  original  commission  was  issued,)  he  opens  a  com- 
munication with  the  Archbishop  of  York,  who  was  Visitor 
of  the  School,  and  gets  him  interested  in  the  case.  The  first 
step  was  to  fill  up  the  vacancies  in  the  Governing  body, 
which  were  so  numerous  that  it  became  a  question  whether 
the  Corporation  of  the  School  was  not  dissolved.  For  some 
time  before  1713  there  were  but  eight  Governors,  and  as 
the  other  four  were  not  elected  at  the  proper  time,  the  then 
Archbishop  (Dr.  John  Sharpe)  filled  up  the  vacancies  according 
to  the  provisions  of  the  Charter.     Mr.  Burton,  who  became 


*  Of  E.  Sterne,  his  uncle,  Tboresby  says  "  not  so  hot  as  I  feared,  being  the 
Archbishop's  son  ".     Diary  i,  p. 154. 

t  He  had  been  connected  with  the  old  Corporation  since  1700,  and  was  now 
probably  advanced  in  years. 


17 

Master's  Income  reached  £50,  and  even  then  rent  had  to  be 
paid  for  the  House  and  Land.  So  poverty-stricken  was 
the  place ! 

§4.  In  the  Parish  Eegisters  and  the  Brearchflfe  MSS. 
there  are  Lists  of  the  subscriptions  and  legacies  which  the 
School  received  during  the  first  50  years  of  its  existence. 
They  a.re  very  numerous,  but  out  of  place  in  a  popular  work 
like  this,  as  they  would  occupy  many  pages.  There  were 
about  16  oaks  given  by  the  Saviles,  Thornhills,  and  Lacys, 
at  the  building  of  the  School,  about  £205  collected  by 
Dr.  Favour,  and  about  £195  by  Dr.  Henry  Ramsden  in  1635. 
The  legacies  were  small,  with  the  exception  of  Brian 
Crowther's,  which  was  about  £300,'^  It  was  very  singular 
that  the  Saviles  gave  no  exhibitions  or  scholarships  for  youths 
going  to  the  University,  and  that  Charles  Greenwood,  Vicar 
of  Thornhill,  gave  only  £20  to  Ramsden's  Collection,  preferring 
to  found  another  School  at  Heptonstall,  and  to  leavB  the 
bulk  of  his  money  to  University  College,t  Oxford,  for  the 
benefit  of  Yorkshire  in  general.  The  free  education  at  Heath 
School  was  consequently  useless  to  poor  men's  sons,  as  a 
preparation  for  the  University. 


*  Hipperholme  School  was  better  off  than  that  at  Heath,  for  it  had  a  Legacy 
of  i500. 

+  University  College  was  a  favorite  College  with  the  South  Western  parts  of 
Yorkshire  in  the  beginning  of  the  seventeenth  century.  It  had  several  Fellow- 
ships and  Scholarships,  founded  by  Yorkshiremen  for  the  benefit  of  natives  of 
those  parts. 


CHAPTER  lY. 

HISTORY  OF  THE  SCHOOL  FROM  1600  TO  1629. 

LET  US  now  return  to  the  School  itself.  In  1600  Richard 
Wilkinson  was  Master.  But  the  land  was  yet  unfenced, 
and  the  house  wanted  much  to  mahe  it  habitable.  So  the 
Doctor  had  to  play  the  beggar  again.  At  the  end  of  the 
year  he  sent  a  letter  subscribed  with  Sir  John's  name  and 
his  own  to  the  Incumbents  of  the  twelve  Chapelries;  they 
were  requested  to  publish  it  in  their  Chapels,  and  to  make  a 
collection  "among  the  richest  and  best  able  persons";  and, 
to  induce  people  to  contribute,  they  were  to  set  down  the 
names  of  the  givers  with  the  sums  given,  that  they  might 
be  registered  and  kept  in  memory.  (Happy  thought !  and 
they  are  to  be  seen  to  the  present  day  in  the  Parish  Registers.) 
The  collection  was  to  be  brought  to  the  Eree  School  on  a 
day  to  be  fixed.  The  plan  was  so  far  successful  as  to  bring  in 
nearly  £150,  so  that  the  new  year  1601 — (the  year  then  began 
March  25th) — had  a  joyful  beginning.  The  fences  were  now 
got  up,  suitable  out-houses  were  built,  proper  school  furniture 
was  obtained,  and  "  the  good  work "  was  on  the  road  "  to 
be  speedily  brought  to  absolute  perfection."  We  know 
nothing  however  of  the  time  when  the  Master  began  his 
work,  nor  of  the  scholars  who  came  to  him.  For  some  cause 
or  other  the  post  soon  became  vacant.  Mr.  Wilkinson  passes 
away  without  a  sign.  Whether  he  got  better  preferment 
or  pined  away  we  do  not  know.     There  is  no  trace  however 


19 

of  the  latter  in  the  Parish  Eegisters ;  and  it  is  to  be  hoped 
that  he  fared  better  somewhere  else,  either  as  Schoolmaster 
or  as  Parish  Priest.  But  in  1603  Eobert  Byrron  appears  as 
the  Schoolmaster,  and  not  long  after  his  appointment  Dr. 
Favour  "  bestowed  on  the  School  a  fair  Couper's  Dictionary, 
and  a  fair  Greek  Lexicon,  and  procured  a  fair  English  Bible 
in  the  largest  volume,  for  reading  some  chapters  at  [the] 
ordinary  prayers  morning  and  evening."  He  values  these 
books  at  £3  6s.  8d,,  which  would  perhaps  be  equivalent  to 
some  £20  of  our  time.  These  Dictionaries  (Couper's  Latin, 
and  Scaf  ula's  Greek)  are  still  in  existence  at  the  School, 
in  good  condition  as  if  very  little  used,  except  that  the  title- 
pages  and  many  of  the  first  leaves  are  wanting.  The  Bible 
is  gone.  In  fact,  being  of  a  Translation  older  than  the 
present,  it  would  soon  become  superannuated.  It  might 
possibly  be  the  one,  which  now  graces  the  shelves  of  the 
Literary  and  Philosophical  Library. 

Byrron  had  hopes  of  a  comfortable  life,  for  on  October 
16th,  1604,  he  took  as  a  helpmeet  Grace  Deane;  and  he 
continued  at  his  post  until  1629,  being  buried  on  April  28th, 
according  to  the  Parish  Register.  He  is  there  mentioned 
as  "publicae  scholae  Gramaticalis  secundus  a  fundatione 
magister'';  language  that  shews  also  the  departure  of  his 
Patron,  who  entered  him,  when  married,  as  "  Informator," 
as  he  had  styled  his  predecessor  in  his  presentation  to  the 
Archbishop.  I  suppose  Byrron  was  a  reading  man,  for  he 
gave  to  the  Parish  Church  Library  (according  to  Brearcliffe) 
two  books,  "  Aretinus  Pelinus^  on  the  Psalms  "  and  "  Thomas 
Aquinas  on  the  Evangelists."  He  and  the  Usher  taught 
the  Doctor's  children  ;  they  were  paid  by  him  "  very  bounti- 
fully," as  he  tells  us,  so  that  they  were  perhaps  regarded  as 
private  pupils.     This  is  all  we  know  of  both  Master  and  pupils. 

*  This  was  a  name  adopted  by  Martin  Bucer. 


20 

But  an  event  of  importance  to  the  School  and  a  blessing 
to  him  and  his  partner  happened  at  the  end  of  1607,  or 
(as  we  should  rather  say)  the  beginning-  of  1608.  Bryan 
Crowther,  a  wealthy  Clothier  of  Halifax,  who  had  been  one 
of  the  Churchwardens  in  the  first  year  of  Dr.  Favour's 
vicariate,  and  who,  being  childless,  was  probably  worthy  of 
the  Vicar's  cultivation,  dies  and  leaves  £300  for  the  benefi^i 
of  the  School.^  He  was  buried  on  Jan.  12th,  1607-8,  and 
the  Doctor  lost  no  time  in  securing  the  money.  Brearcliffe 
tells  us  that  there  were  then  only  three  surviving  governors, 
Farrer,  Firth,  and  Hanson,  and  they  wrote  a  letter  on  Jan. 
15th  to  "  my  lord  grace  of  York "  about  electing  new 
Governors.  Although  vacancies,  as  we  have  seen,  had  been 
filled  up,  and  Dr.  Favour  and  several  others  had  been  reputed 
Governors,  the  terms  of  the  Charter  had  not  been  complied 
with,  and  a  difficulty  was  found  when  the  Governors  had  to 
deal  with  property.  There  is  a  significant  entry  in  the  Parish 
Registers.  "The  18th  day  of  January  1607,  the  Governors 
met  and  assembled  together  at  the  said  School  and  made 
fthen   and   there   an   election   of    Sir   Henry    Savile... Daniel 

Foxcroft Antony  Wade Isaac  Waterhouse....by  the  full 

consent  and  agreement  of  us  the  Governors  of  the  said 
School,  whom  we  nominate  and  appoint  as  Governors  by 
these  presents."  "  Signed  Jo :  Favour,  Richard  Sunderland, 
Robert  Deane."  It  is  singular  that  the  three  surviving 
Governors  do  not  sign.  The  arrangement  made  was  satis- 
factory to  the  Archbishop,  whose  confirmation  is  dated 
Jan.    26th,    1607.       Brearcliffe    also    tells    us    that    Favour, 


*  John  Hauson,  one  of  the  Original  Governors  says  in  a  Letter  to  Dr.  Favour 
in  1615  : — "  You  know  that  annuity  is  the  fairest  flower  in  that  garden. .  ..Brian 
Crowdr.  had  a  good  intention  (partly  by  your  direction)  to  further  the  revenues  of 
the  School." 

t  Notice  the  determined  character  of  the  phrase. 


21 

Sunderland,  Wade,  and  Waterhouse,  took  their  Corporal 
Oaths  to  do  and  execute  their  office  well  and  truly  on 
Feb.  12th,  IGOT"^.  Thus  the  legacy  was  secured,  and  could 
be  legally  dealt  with:  and  its  proceeds  were  added  to  the 
stipends  of  the  Master  and  Usher,  as  Byrron  tells  us. 

In  1611  a  demand  had  to  be  made  on  Thomas  Thornhill 
for  the  arrears  of  a  Rent-charge  left  by  Bryan  Thornhill. 
The  Governors  wish  to  make  him  a  Fellow-Governor,  but 
they  want  him  first  to  pay  up  the  arrears  due  and  to  promise 
future  payment. — He  promises  and  is  elected .'  but  in  1624 
there  were  twelve  years  of  arrears,  and  a  Chancery  suit 
had  to  enforce  paymentf. 

In  1618  the  Vicar  had  to  defend  himself  against  false 
statements  made  to  Sir  H.  Savile  by  one  Robert  Lawe, 
respecting  the  way  in  which  he  had  dealt  with  Crowther's 
bequest.  He  wrote  a  warm  letter  in  self-defence,  in  which 
we  hope  he  was  successful.     It  is  given  in  L.  P.  No.  LIII. 


*  He  writes  1617,  but  that  is  evidently'i  an  [error. 

t  Brearcliffe  says,  "  10^)  spent  in  Mr.  Tiiornliill  suite 


CHAPTER    V. 

§1.    SCHOOL    HOURS.         §2.    SCHOOL-HOUSE.         §3.    STATUTES. 

§1  TT  will  not  perhaps  be  out  of  place  to  say  a  few  words 
i  about  the  school  hours  and  school  subjects  of  our 
forefathers.  In  a  book^  published  in  1612  we  find  it  stated 
that  the  school-time  should  begin  at  six  o'clock,  and  the 
first  hour  be  employed  in  making  Latin  exercises,  and 
preparation  of  class-work  should  be  carried  on  until  nine : 
then,  after  a  quarter  of  an  hour's  recreationf,  the  scholars 
should  continue  until  eleven ;  then  two  hours'  interval ;  then 
school  again  till  three  or  half-past;  then  a  quarter's  relaxation, 
and  so  work  till  half-past  five.  The  School  was  to  end  with 
reading  a  part  of  a  chapter,  two  staves  of  a  Psalm,  and 
prayers  by  the  Master.  So  it  is  coolly  recommended  that 
youth  and  children  (some  of  only  seven  years  of  age)  should  be 
engaged  in  Latin  for  nine  hours  every  day.  This  was  still 
the  custom  at  Heath  School  in  last  century.  The  Statutes 
of  1 730  say  "  The  Master,  Usher,  and  scholars  shall  constantly 
repair  to  School,  and  the  Schoolmaster  and  Usher  shall  begin 
to  teach  at  six  o'clock  in  the  morning,  and  there  continue 
till  five  at  night,  saving  betwixt  eleven  o'clock  and  one, 
from  the  10th  of  March  to  the  10th  of  October,  and  from 
thence  to  the  10th  of  March  again,  from  eight  o'clock  till 
four,  saving  betwixt  eleven  o'clock  and  one."  According  to 
some  Statutes  in  BrearclifPe  boys  were  under  the  Usher  until 
they   were   perfect    in    the    Grammar,   both    Accidence    and 

*  Brinsley's  Book,  quoted  on  p.  3. 

t  Called  at  some  schools  bevcr  time  t.  c,  drinking  time,  from  the  old  French 
bevere,  Latin  bibere. 


28 

Syntax,  and  could  "  apply*  their  lectures "  in  simple  books, 
one  of  which,  Corderius'  Colloquies,  is  especially  mentioned. 
Under  the  Master  they  had  to  speak  Latin ;  and  the  authors 
they  had  to  read  more  or  less  were  Tully,  Terence,  Ovid, 
Virgil,  Csesar.  The  Greek  Testament  is  also  mentioned,  and 
Hesiod  or  Homer  together  with  Hebrew  Grammar.  Latin 
Themes,  and  Greek  and  Latin  verses  had  to  be  practiced,  and 
the  study  of  Logic  was  begun.  No  Mathematics,  no  English 
Literature,  no  Drawing,  no  Drill,  and  no  ologies  of  any 
kind !  What  barbarians  our  forefathers  must  have  been  ! 
yet  some  of  them  had  a  reputation  as  learned  men. 

§2.  We  have  no  description  of  the  School  and  School-house, 
but  in  1727  a  return  made  to  the  Archbishop  of  York  says 
"  There  is  a  house  of  three  rooms  on  a  floor  joining  to  the 
School,  and  a  Garden."  Li  1738  Wright  describes  it  as  "a 
stately  Grammar  School,  whose  building  is  fair,  fine,  and  large, 
all  of  free  stone,  with  a  good  school-house  with  handsome 
and  convenient  apartments  for  the  Head -Master  and  his 
family  to  dwell  in."  He  also  says  "  Over  the  school-house 
door  are  [some]  verses,  cut  in  a  fair  stone,  plain  and  legible." 
These  I  have  already  quoted. 

§3.  In  1729  the  Archbishop's  Secretary  speaks  of  the 
necessity  of  "  drawing  up  a  full  body  of  Statutes  for  the 
future  Government  of  the  School  :  'tis  expressly  contrary 
to  the  interest  of  the  original  Charter  that  such  a  body  of 
Statutes  has  not  been  hitherto  framed."  But  Brearcliffe 
gives  us  what  he  calls  "  Statutes  or  Orders  to  be  observed 
in  the  Free  Grammar  School  of  Queen  Elizabeth."  These 
however  were  rather  for  the  direction  of  the  Masters  and 
Scholars,  and  were  possibly  drawn  up  by  Dr.  Favour.  As 
they  contain  many  curious  illustrations  of  the  manners  of 
the  times,  I  quote  them  fully  in  Chap.  IX. 


*  i.  e.,  apply  or  devote  themselves  to  their  readings,  as  we  should  say. 


M 


CHAPTER     VI. 

THE    HISTOEY    CONTINUED    TO    1728. 

R.   Bjrron's  death  in  April  1629,  left  the  School  for  a 


Cockman  was  appointed  his  successor.  A  curious  letter  from 
Henry  Hoile  (of  Hoyle-house  ?)  to  R.  Sunderland,  dated  June 
3rd,  1629,  says  : — "  S'",  I  have  sent  this  bearer  Mr.  Cokma 
home  [i.  e,  whom]  I  latlye  recommended  for  yo^"  schole- 
master,  he  is  willing  and  redy  to  atend  y^  divine  dis- 
pensation :    and  to  abide  any  faire  tryall  for  yo^^  aprobation 

and  your  satisfaction "As    soon    as   he    got   settled   in 

his  house,  he  felt  the  need  of  a  partner,  and  on  Aug.  24th, 
1630,  he  finds  a  place  in  the  Parish  Registers  as  married 
to  Grace  Ward,  and  the  unusual  words,  "per  Li'am"  i.  e.,  by 
Licence,  are  put  beside  their  names.  Between  that  date 
and  1643  the  baptisms  of  six  of  his  children  are  recorded  in 
that  same  book,  but  in  1645  Jan.  28th  {i.  e.  at  the  end  of  the 
year)  the  burial  of  Francis  the  son  of  Francis  Cockman  of 
Southowram  occurs.  Whether  this  was  the  son  of  our 
Francis,  I  do  not  know,  but  he  was  a  well-known  youth,  for 
Brearcliffe,  speaking  of  the  plague,  says,  "  27th  January  1645 
yong  franc.  Cockman  low  brer^  buryed."  John  and  Thomas 
are  the  only  sons  of  Francis  mentioned  among  the  baptisms. 
There  is  nothing  more  to  guide  us  to  his  death  or  resignation. 
He  must  however  have  been  a  good  Master,  for  John  Lake 
(afterwards  Yicar  of  Leeds  and  a  celebrated  Bishop)   was  a 


i.  e..  Low  Brear  in  Southowram  as  opposed  to  Upper  Brear. 


33 

Vicar  in  1712,  was  probably  not  elected,  as  in  1727  he  writes 
to  R.  Sterne,  who  had  asked  him  to  take  the  oath  before 
"  Mr.  Gream  who  is  the  surviving  Trustee  "  : — "  I  have  no 
account  from    mj  Lord  Archbishop    of  me   being   appointed 

a   Governor   of    the    Free    School Considering   my   bad 

circumstances  of  health,  I  cannot  think  myself  capable  of 
executing  the  Trust  and  therefore  desire  to  be  excused  from 
having  any  share  in  it".  However,  in  1726  and  for  some 
years  previous,  Henry  Gream,  one  of  the  four,  was  the  only 
surviving  Governor.  There  must  have  been  great  neglect ; 
there  was  no  body  left  qualified  to  receive  rents,  or  to 
choose  new  Governors.  The  then  Archbishop  (Dr.  Lancelot 
Blackburn),  when  he  came  to  enquire  into  the  matter,  doubted 
whether  it  was  in  his  power  to  elect  new  Governors,  as  the 
Charter  seemed  to  require  the  consent  of  two  to  his  pro- 
ceedings. By  his  advice  a  petition  was  presented  to  the 
King  (George  I)  for  a  renewal  of  the  Charter.  His  Majest}^ 
referred  it  on  July  Ist,  1726,  to  his  Attorney  and  Solicitor 
General  for  their  opinion,  but  through  pressure  of  public 
business  it  was  not  until  June  2nd,  1727  (the  day  before  the 
King  started  for  Hanover,  never  more  to  return)  that  they 
made  their  report.  To  save  the  Corporation,  they  recommended 
a  liberal  interpretation  of  the  old  Charter,  which  said : — 
"  He  shall  be  chosen  Governor  whom  the  Archbishop  of  York 
for  the  time  being  Sede  Archiepiscopali  plena  or  8ede  eadem 
vacante  the  Dean  of  the  Cathedral  Church  of  York  with 
consent  of  two  of  the  Governors  aforesaid  shall  name 
shall  be  taken  and  reckoned  for  a  Governor".^  They 
recommended  that,  as  there  was  a  doubt,  the  words  "with 
consent    of    two    of   the    Governors "    should    be    taken    as 


*  I  put  the  words  as  I  find  them.  I  have  endeavoured  to  use  as  much  as 
possible  the  language  of  "  the  Stonie  Correspondence  "  in  this  Chapter,  and  that 
must  be  my  excuse  for  many  awkward  expressions. 


34 

applicable  only  to  the  Dean  and  not  to  the  Archbishop.  So 
narrowly  did  the  Charter  escape;  and  the  scholars  might 
defend  their  own  disregard  of  stops  by  the  benefit  that  once 
accrued  to  their  school  by  it. 

Richard  Sterne  was  the  chief  man  in  this  business. 
A  copy  of  the  correspendence  between  him  and  the  Arch- 
bishop's Secretary  (Thomas  Haytor)  and  the  London  Legal 
Agent  is  still  in  existence,  and  shews  what  difficulties  there 
were  in  the  way  before  the  question  was  finally  settled.  In 
consequence  of  the  opinion  given,  Mr.  Sterne'^  chooses  ten 
other  Gentlemen  "  above  24  years  of  age,  men  of  worth, 
and  of  the  Established  Church,  and  entire  friends  of  the 
Government ",  as  he  reports  to  the  Archbishop.  This,  we 
must  remember,  was  the  time  when  men  feared  the  Jacobites 
and  the  encroachments  of  Popery.  The  Archbishop  accepts 
the  nominees,  confirms  the  election  (Oct.  23rd,  1727),  and 
recommends  them  to  apply  to  Mr.  Gream  and  take  before 
him  the  oath  of  qualification.  •  Eight  of  them  did  so,  but 
the  Vicar  refused  to  act,  being  dissatisfied  with  the  other 
Trustees  who  were  not  willing  "  to  act  under  his  directions ; 


*  The  following  extracts  from  two  Letters  now  at  Shibden  Hall  and  kindly 
communicated  by  John  Lister  Esq.  will  confirm  my  statements. 

"  Mr.  Stern  and  Mr.  Burttous  Quarrel  now  I  suppose  is  not  a  Lawsuit  but  an 
affront  upon  Mr.  Sterne  by  denying  him  the  Sacrament.  The  names  of  the 
ffeoffees  as  far  as  I  can  learn  are  Mr.  Burtton  Mr.  Stern  Mr.  Booth  Mr.  Taylor 
Mr.  Eamsbothom  Mr.  Stott  Mr.  Eamsden  of  Sydall  Hall  Mr.  Eamsden  of 
Wbarlehouse  Mr.  James  and  Mr.  John  Batley  Mr.  Eleaua  Farrar  Mr.  Heuery 

Haigh I  fancy  they  all  voted  for  Turner  however  yt  they  are  nominated 

by  Mr.  Sterne  is  unquestionable ".  {Letter  dated  Dee.  20,  1727.)  "  Anything 
yts  worth  enquiring  after,  Mr.  Burtton  can  give  you  an  account  of,  as  consaruing 
the  method  of  Electing  Goverurs  for  ffree  school  how  far  Mr.  Burtton  and  his 
company  proceeded  And  also  what  encouragemt  Mr.  Stern  has  because  as  I  have 
heard  there  is  occasion  for  laying  down  some  money  wch  makes  severall  wch 
otherwise  would  be  Goverurs  to  decline  ".  [Dated  Dec.  25,  1727.)  I  find  that  on 
May  16th,  1729,  Eichard  Sterne  and  Eev.  Thomas  Burton  were  elected  Governors 
of  Hipperholme  School.    I  wonder  if  they  had  become  friendly  by  this  time. 


35 

and,  not  being  able  to  have  all  the  power,  he  would  not  accept 
of  any  share  of  it".  So  says  His  Grace,  who  also  through 
his  Secretary  writes  that  "he  would  not  be  surprised  at 
anything  he  (the  Yicar)  does  when  his  intentions  are  dis- 
appointed ".  Two  others  were  afterwards  led  away  by  him, 
and  resigned.  There  were  difficulties  also  about  the  old 
Charter  and  the  Deeds  belonging  to  the  Trust,  which  had 
been  in  the  Vicar's  keeping,  but  the  Charter  was  found  to 
have  been  sent  to  Bishopthorpe,  and  the  particulars  of  the 
EentaF  were  afterwards  sent  by  the  Vicar  to  His  Grace. 
It  seems  also  that  the  Vicar  had  once  been  ^  solicitous '  about 
the  affair,  and  money  had  been  collected  and  £70  lodged  in 
a  London  Attorney's  hand.  The  new  Governors  were  averse 
to  having  anything  to  do  with  the  old  Agent,  and  would 
not  advance  any  money  out  of  their  own  pocket,  and  the 
matter  was  brought  to  a  standstill.  His  Grace's  Secretary 
informed  them  that  the  "petty  jealousies  and  suspicions  of 
some  of  the  Governors"  would  "make  it  impossible  for  him 
(the  Archbishop)  to  do  them  any  service;  and  he  must  lay 
aside  all  thoughts  of  concerning  himself  any  further  '*.  This 
roused  Sterne,  who  was  determined  to  make  the  work  good, 
if  only  to  spite  the  Vicar.  He  persuaded  his  father-in-lawf 
(Timothy  Booth),  one  of  the  Governors  to  join  him  in 
advancing  sufficient  money  for  the  purpose.  But  money 
was  not  easy  to  find.  He  had  repeated  demands  from  the 
London  Attorney  for  "money  out  of  pocket".  However, 
the  originally  named  Governors  were  urged  by  His  Grace 
to    petition    the    Crown    for    the    Charter,    notwithstanding 


*  This  amounted  to  only  £39  12s.  Od.  per  annum. 

t  E.  Sterne  married  for  his  first  wife,  in  1703,  Dorothy,  relict  of  Samuel  Lister 
and  daughter  of  Thomas  Priestley;  and  for  his  second  Esther  Booth,  in  September, 
1714.  The  Priestleys  were  connected  by  marriage  with  a  family  in  Mixenden 
named  Booth. 


36 

the  refusal  of  tliree  to  act ;  and  a  confirmation  of  the  Charter 
was  at  length  obtained ;  and  Sterne  was,  no  doubt,  rejoiced 
to  read  the  words : — "  In  witness  whereof  we  have  caused 
these  our  Letters  to  be  made  Patents.  Witness'^  Caroline, 
Queen  of  Great  Britain,  France,  and  Ireland,  Guardian  of 
the  said  Realm,  at  Westminster,  the  one  and  thirtieth  day 
of  Julyt^  in  the  third  year  of  our  Reign  (^.  e.  1729).  By 
writ  of  Privy  Seal.    Cocks ". 

"We  will  simply  add  to  this  that,  Mr.  Sterne  sent  the 
agent  about  £100  by  1730,  and  then  owed  about  £60.  As  he 
expected  this  to  be  repaid,  the  school  revenues  were  hampered 
for  some  years.  He  did  not  live  long  to  enjoy  his  victory; 
he  died  in  October  1732,  and  the  Governors  were  then 
indebted  to  his  Estate.  He  probably  took  very  little  part 
in  the  school  affairs,  after  the  appointment  of  a  new  Master, 
as  he  spent  his  last  days  principally  at  the  family  estate  of 
Elvington,  near  York,  though  he  was  buried  at  Halifax. 
His  son  Timothy,  to  whom  he  bequeathed  Woodhouse,  seems 
to  have  had  too  great  a  liking  for  horses  to  have  cared 
much  for  boys. 

On  March  26th,  1730,  there  was  to  be  a  general  meeting 
of  the  Governors.  The  Archbishop  had  requested  through 
Mr.  Sterne  that  they  would  furnish  him  with  a  particular 
account  of  the  state  of  the  School  and  its  revenues;  what 
money  they   had    for    defraying    the    expense   of   procuring 

*  Schoolboys  if  thoughtful,  may  be  surprised  at  this  :  but  school-histories  do 
not  record  this  Eegency  of  the  Queen.  Larger  Histories  will  however  tell  them 
that  George  II  went  to  Hanover  on  May  17th,  1729,  and  did  not  return  until 
Sep.  11th.  They  may  feel  interested  in  knowing  that  what  one  Queen  gave, 
another  Queen  confirmed. 

t  Wright  (p.  26)  dates  the  Charter  "  July  21,  1729  " ;  Crabtree  (p.  175.)  "  7th 
July,  1730:  The  Schools  Inquiry  Commission  Report,  "  30  July,  1730  "  A  copy 
of  the  Statutes  made  in  1842  gives  "the  twenty-first  day  of  July"  as  the  date 
of  the  Charter,  and  "One  thousand  sevenhundred  and  thirteen"  as  that  of  the 
Statutes,  (!)     Somuch  for  Authorities  1 


37 

the  Charter ;  how  the  land  was  leased,  and  what  improvement 
the  Estate  was  capable  of;  and  he  promised  that  he  would 
then  send  them  a  complete  body  of  Statutes"'^.  We  hope 
that  they  did  so.  Mr.  Wilkinson,  Mr.  Jackson,  and  Mr.  Sharp 
offered  themselves  as  Candidates  for  the  Mastership,  and 
it  was  agreed  to  send  them  to  His  Grace's  Chaplain  for 
examination.  But  probably  Mr.  Sharp  withdrew,  as  he  had 
just  obtained  a  nomination  to  Sowerby  Bridge  Chapel,  and 
Mr.  Christopher  Jackson  was  eventually  elected  Master.  In 
a  letter  of  Dec.  29th  1730,  Mr.  Sterne  writes  that  he  had 
had  a  great  deal  of  trouble  about  the  School,  but  hoped 
that  the  Master  would  answer  expectation. 


*  The  Statutes  were  sent,  discussed  by  the  Governors,  and  signed  by  them, 
three  new  Governors  having  been  previously  elected  in  the  place  of  those  who 
refused  to  act. 


CHAPTER    VIII. 

THE    HISTORY    CONTINUED    TO    THE    PRESENT    TIME. 

WHATEVER  might  have  been  Mr.  Stern's  expectation, 
Mr.  Jackson's  was  not  answered,  for  he  resigned 
some  time  in,  1731,  and  the  Governors  had  to  elect  again. 
Mr.  Jackson's  successor  was  Mr.  Edward  Topham  (B.A., 
1729;  M.A.,  1733.,)  who  became  a  fellow  of  Trinity  College 
Cambridge,  and  probably  looked  down  on  such  an  humble 
post  as  the  Mastership  of  Heath  School,  for  he  resigned 
in  1733.  Then  came  the  Rev.  John  Holdsworth,  of  St.  John's 
College,  Cambridge,  who,  having  graduated  B.A.  in  1710, 
and  M.A.  in  1717,  was  a  man  of  some  experience.  Why 
he  should  take  the  post  at  his  age,  we  cannot  tell;  but 
perhaps  he  had  it  in  his  power  to  attract  "  foreigners ", 
as  the  non-foundationers  were  called;  for  in  1738  Wright 
says: — "The  School  is  now  in  a  very  flourishing  condition 
under  the  care  and  conduct  of  the  Rev.  John  Holdsworth 
M.A.,  the  present  worthy  and  learned  Master".  But  his 
income  was  increased  a  few  pounds  per  annum  on  his 
appointment  at  once  to  the  cure  of  Coley  by  Dr.  Legh,  the 
Vicar  of  Halifax.  In  1740  he  was  presented  to  the  Lectureship 
of  Halifax,  a  dignity — for  it  was  then  a  dignity — which  he 
did  not  enjoy  msmy  years,  for  in  1744  death  deprived  him 
of  all  his  earthly  employments. 

When  the  Governors  proceeded  to  elect  a  new  Master, 
they  found  themselves  in  a  difficulty  again,  as  they  had 
several  times  been  since  the  foundation  of  the  School !  In 
the  place  of  the  three  who  refused  to  act  under  the  new 


39 

Charter,  W.  Walker,  James  Tetlow  (or  Tetlay),  and  John 
Lodge  had  been  elected.  But  before  1744  six  of  the  twelve 
were  dead  and  one  had  left  the  parish.  The  five  surviving 
Governors  had  nominated  four  others,  who  had  taken  the 
oath  of  qualification ;  but  when  they  came  to  act,  no  record 
was  found  of  their  having  been  appointed  within  the  month 
prescribed  by  the  Charter.  Fearful  lest  their  acts  might 
be  disputed,  they  took  Counsel's  advice,  who  satisfied  their 
scruples  by  recommending  them  to  apply  to  the  Archbishop 
to  "establish  the  persons  so  appointed  in  the  office  of 
Governors ".  They  did  so ;  and  also  about  the  same  time 
they  appointed  three  others.  Feeling  confident  that  they 
were  now  fit  to  fill  up  the  vacancy  caused  by  the  death  of 
Mr.  Holdsworth,  they  elected  Samuel  Ogden,  of  St.  John's 
College,  Cambridge,  (B.A.,  1737,  M.A.,  1741,)  to  the  Master- 
ship, who  "took  his  corporal  oath"  June  11th.  Mr.  Ogden"^ 
had  been  curate  of  Coley  since  the  end  of  1740,  and  continued 
there  until  1747,  when  he  succeeded  Mr.  Alderson  (who  had 
been  promoted  to  the  Rectory  of  Burghwallis)  in  the  curacy 
of  Elland.  He  had  been  elected  Fellow  of  his  College  in 
1739,  but  he  was  not  too  proud  to  hold  a  position  of  usefulness 
in  conjunction  with  one  of  dignity,  and  he  continued  Master 
of  the  School  until  1753.  He  was  one  of  the  most  learned 
Masters  of  Heath  School,  yet  what  was  his  income  as  such  ? 
It  varied  between  £37  and  £30  a  year !  for  the  debt  incurred 
by  the  new  Charter  was  not  wiped  off  yet,  and  some  years 
brought  a  less  return  than  others.  However  he  got  tired 
at  length  of  the  School,  and  feeling  that  he  was  ill  repaid 


*  In  Dr.  Hallifax's  brief  Memoir  of  Ogden,  prefixed  to  his  Sermons,  he  is  stated 
to  have  been  elected  Master  in  1744  and  afterwards  appointed  to  Coley :  but  in  the 
Parish  Registers  there  is  a  copy  of  his  Licence  to  Coley  dated  Feb.  9,  1740,  i.  e., 
1741.  N.  S.  If  this  date  is  correct,  he  was  ouly  in  Deacon's  Orders,  having  been 
ordained  in  June  1740  at  Chester. 


40 

even  by  the  Mastership  and  Curacy  combined,  which  did 
not  give  him  any  position  worthy  his  deserts,  he  resigned 
the  School  in  1753,  though  he  kept  the  Curacy  till  the  end 
of  1762.  He  retired  to  Cambridge  and  lived  on  his  Fellowship, 
and  became  very  popular  as  a  preacher  in  the  University. 
He  does  not  seem  to  have  resided  in  the  School -house  for 
some  years  before  his  resignation,  for  the  Grovernors  had 
in  1748  given  him  permission  to  let  it  and  the  lands  belonging 
to  the  School.  "  He  was  an  excellent  classical^  scholar ", 
we  are  told,  "  a  scientific  divine,  and  a  proficient  in  the 
oriental  languages :  as  schoolmaster,  he  left  a  blessing  behind 
him,  in  having  communicated  to  some  who  afterwards  became 
teachers  themselves  his  own  exact  grammatical  mode  of 
institution".  This  however  was  not  a  judgment  pronounced 
by  anybody  at  Halifax. 

After  his  resignation  the  Usher,  Mr.  Richard  Sutcliffe,  who 
was  then  curate  of  Lightcliffe  and  afterwards  became  Master 
of  Hipperholme  School,  (where  he  had  the  credit  of  educating 
Mr,  Knight,  subsequently  Vicar  of  Halifax,)  taught  the  whole 
school  for  several  months  until  Thomas  West^  who  was 
elected  April  25th  and  qualified  Aug.  22nd,  entered  on  his 
duties  at  the  beginning  of  September.  He  was  (probably) 
of  Emmanuel  College,  Cambridge,  and  graduated  B.A.  in 
1736;    but   there  is   no  account   in   the   List  of    Cambridge 


*  It  was  the  practice  of  the  University  to  send  congratulatory  verses  to  the  King 
on  the  occasion  of  any  public  event.  Among  the  contributors  in  1762,  on  the 
occasion  of  the  marriage  of  the  King,  we  find  "  Samuel  Ogden,  D.D.,  Senior 
Fellow  of  St.  John's".  We  may  also  add  the  name  of  Joah  Bates,  of  King's 
College,  a  Halifax  man  and  son  of  the  parish  Clerk.  He  probably  received  his 
early  education  at  the  School  when  Mr.  Ogden  was  Master,  having  been  born 
in  1740. 

We  may  also  add  that  Dr.  Craven,  who  became  Professor  of  Arabic  at  Cambridge 
in  1770,  declined  a  bequest  of  money  which  Dr.  Ogden  had  given  him  in  a  will 
made  sometime  before  his  death,  and  begged  he  would  leave  him  instead  his 
Arabic  Books. 


41 

Graduates  of  his  having  proceeded  to  a  superior  Degree. 
He  seems  to  have  been  successively  curate  of  Luddenden  and 
Eipponden.  For  some  cause  or  other  he  gave  dissatisfaction 
to  the  Governors:  he  had  "to  quit  the  School-house  and 
land  at  Candlemas  and  Mayday"  1770.  The  Master  had  at 
this  time  and  long  afterwards  to  pay  rent  for  the  house  and 
land,  and  perhaps  Mr.  West  was  unable,  like  many  other 
men  of  learning,  to  cultivate  land  and  boys  equally  well. 
This  notice  to  quit,  no  doubt,  offended  him,  and  there  was 
so  much  ill-will  displayed,  that  the  Governors  gave  him  a 
"New  Year's  gift"  of  £10  in  1771  on  condition  that  he 
"quit  the  School". 

In  1770  we  find  one  Eichard  Hudson  Lecturer  of  the 
Parish  Church.  Now  Mr.  Hudson  was  not  a  graminivorous 
animal,  and,  though  he  was  a  fellow  of  Queen's  College, 
Cambridge,  would  hardly  have  come  to  the  Parish  Church 
for  the  sake  of  a  house  and  garden :  he  must  have  had  some 
pay  besides, — but  what  has  become  of  that,  for  there  has 
been  none  for  many  years? — yet  it  was  not  enough  for  his 
wants,  and  therefore  he  gladly  accepted  the  appointment 
of  Master  of  Heath  School  on  Jan.  11th,  1771,  although  the 
income  was  then  only  £35  a  year.  But,  having  a  house 
as  Lecturer,  he  does  not  seem  to  have  had  his  mind  disturbed 
by  farming  operations  at  Heath,  and  the  house  and  land 
were  let  to  the  Usher.  The  School  under  his  management 
flourished.  In  a  few  years  we  find  the  Governors  spending 
£14  16s.  Od.  "for  globes  &c."  though  the  wonderful  things 
contained  in  the  "  &c."  will  never  be  known.  The  thirsty 
souls  on  the  premises  were  increased,  for  we  find  about  £32 
expended  on  boring  a  well  and  erecting  a  pump.  Perhaps 
in  Mr.  Hudson's  time  the  birch-tree  was  planted  by  the 
Master's  house,  as  twigs  were  in  request.  But  Mr.  Hudson 
was   not   satisfied  :    there   was    not    sufficient    attraction    at 


42 

Heath.  The  Governors  seemed  to  have  tiied  to  please  him; 
for  in  July,  1773,  there  is  an  entrj  in  the  Minute-book  of 
this  kind: — "The  present  Master  and  Usher  behaving  much 
to  the  satisfaction  of  us  the  Governors  we  agree  to  advance 
the  Master's  Salary  to  £50  per  ann:  and  the  Usher's  to 
£30  per  annum  to  commence  the  24th  June  last".  At  a 
later  period,  "in  consideration  of  the  great  increase  of 
scholars ",  six  pounds  were  given  tow^ard  the  salary  of  an 
additional  Usher,  "the  Masters  to  provide  a  person  and  out 
of  their  salaries  to  pay  him  such  further  sum  as  may  be 
necessary,  in  proportion  to  the  number  of  foreigners  each 
Master  hath  under  his  care  "*.  There  must  therefore  have 
been  a  good  number  of  Boarders.  In  1 777  "  Subscriptions 
towards  improvements  at  the  School "  were  received  to  the 
amount  of  £240t.  The  Governors  were  now  so  well  off  that 
they  presented  Mr.  Hudson  with  "  3  pair  Blankets  "  at  the 
cost  of  £2  12s.  6d. !  What  the  improvements  were  we  must 
imagine :  whether  they  consisted  in  erecting  the  dormitories 
over  the  School-room  or  not,  we  cannot  tell,  but  certainly 
£12  Is.  Od.  was  spent  on  the  School  Chimney,  and  enlarging 
the  Kitchen.  But  there  was  a  stir;  the  golden  age  seemed 
coming  for  Heath :  yet  Mr.  Hudson  was  not  content.  He 
thought  he  could  better  himself;  and  he  was  elected,  April 
25th,  1782,  Master  of  Hipperholme  School,  in  place  of  the 
Rev.  Eichard  SutcliflPe,  who  had  died  on  March  17th.  He 
seems  to  have  entered  on  his  duties  after  the  Midsummer 
holidays,  as  the  Eev.  Matthew  Moss,  the  Usher,  "  ofiiciated  as 
School  Master  "  for  some  months,  the  School  having  probably 
but  few  scholars.  On  Jan.  15th,  1788,  the  Rev.  Gougli 
Willis  Kempson  was  elected  Master  on  a  Salary  of  £80  per 
annum.     Money  was  now  borrowed  by  the  Governors  at  five 

*  But  the  rent  of  the  School-house  was  at  the  same  time  advanced  £5  per  amium. 
t  In  1777-8  Bills  were  paid  to  the  amount  of  over  £300. 


43 

per  cent,  interest,  in  addition  to  subscriptions  of  £126  odd. 
There  is  entered  in  tlie  Accounts  of  Mar.  12tli  "  Cash  for 
Plans  and  Estimates  for  erecting  a  new  School-house 
£1  Is.  Od.",  and  June  26th  "Cash  for  rearing  Free  School 
House  £1  Is.  Od ".  So  that  the  present  house  was  probably- 
erected  in  1783,  nearly  100  years  ago.  The  Master  himself 
*'laid  out  several  hundred  pounds  in  the  improvement  of 
the  School  and  House  and  Premises  thereto  belonging ". 
But  he  resigned  in  1788,  the  cause  unknown;  and  the 
Governors  allowed  him  the  sum  of  £100  ^^as  a  consideration" 
for  the  outlay. 

On  the  death  of  Mr.  Sutcliffe  in  1782  the  Eev.  Eobert 
Wilkinson  became  Curate  of  LightcliflPe,  entering  on  his  duties 
on  July  7th.  I  have  not  ascertained  whether  he  was  then 
a  Graduate  of  a  University,  or  whether^  he  was  connected 
with  the  neighbourhood.  In  1787  he  subscribes  one  guinea 
to  the  new  set  of  Bells  at  the  Parish  Churcji  and  is  put 
down  under  Hipperholme,  He  might  have  been  resident 
in  the  Township  or  even  Assistant  Masterf  at -the  School. 
At  any  rate  he  was  looked  on  as  a  competent  man  to  fill  the 
vacancy  at  Heath,  and  on  Feb.  4th,  1789,  he  Was  elected 
Master  on  a  salary  of  £75  a  year,  which  in  1797  was  raised 
to  £80.  The  School  gained  a  celebrity  under  his  tuition, 
and  many  "  foreigners "  resorted  to  it.  At  one  time  the 
number  was  so  great  that  several  boarded  at  a  house  at 
Moor-bottom,  which  was  pulled  down  a  few  years  ago.  I 
once  heard  an  old  pupil  say  that  there  were  a  hundred 
scholars  at  the  School,  but  most  of  them  were  boarders. 
Houses  however  were  wonderfully  elastic  in  those  days ! 

Mr.  Wilkinson  had  probably  entered  his  name  on  the 
books  of  Trinity  Hall,  Cambridge,  which  enabled  him  after 


*  I  have  heard  it  said  that  he  was  a  Cumberland  man. 
t  I  have  been  told  that  he  was  Second  Master. 


44 

ten  years,  on  satisfying  the  authorities  that  he  had  devoted 
himself  to  the  study  of  Theology,  to  take  the  Degree  of 
B.D.,  without  going  through  the  usual  course  of  residence  at 
the  University.  Having  thus  obtained  a  Degree  in  1790,  he 
proceeded  no  higher  in  Divinity,  and  devoted  himself  to  the 
duties  of  his  Mastership.  For  many  years  the  School  had  a 
great  notoriety  in  the  West  Riding ;  and  there  was  a  rivalry 
between  Heath  and  Hipperholme,  the  latter  claiming  a  sup- 
eriority in  "  manners  "  and  the  former  in  "  brains  ".  In  1826 
notwithstanding  the  age  of  the  Master  there  were  several 
boarders  and  about  35  free  scholars.  But  for  some  years 
before  his  death,  which  took  place  at  the  end  of  1839,  there 
were  very  few  scholars ;  and  one  of  them  tells  me  that  all 
the  time  was  wasted  for  the  three  years  he  was  at  the  School. 
Mr.  Hudson  had  also  given  up  Boarders  at  Hipperholme. 
Both  Schools  consequently  ceased  to  attract  any  scholars 
from  a  distance  for  classical  education,  and  became  more 
or  less  local  Schools.  Mr.  Hudson  died  in  1835  and  Mr. 
Wilkinson  in  1839  ;  the  former  had  been  Lecturer  at  the  Parish 
Church  for  65  years,  and  the  latter  Curate  of  Lightclifi'e 
for  57  years.  It  is  no  wonder  then  that  their  names  should 
have  once  been  as  Household  Words  in  the  Parish.  Mr. 
Wilkinson  continued  in  harness  till  almost  the  last  moment 
of  his  life.  He  was  able  to  attend  a  dinner  given  him  in 
the  Town  by  some  lifty  of  his  old  pupils  on  Dec.  19th,  1839, 
and  in  ten  days  after  he  breathed  his  last.  On  Dec.  3rd 
the  Governors,  who  had  for  some  cause  allowed  him  and 
his  predecessor  to  appoint  the  Usher,  had  resolved  to  adhere 
to  the  Statutes  for  the  future  and  to  make  the  election 
themselves.  This  proceeding,  which  probably  concealed  some 
dissatisfaction,  and  the  excitement  of  the  Dinner,  may  have 
hastened  his  end.  He  was  buried  on  Jan.  7tli  in  Lightclifl'e 
Churchyard.      A    tablet   was   erected  to  his  memory   in   the 


4& 

Parish  Church  over  the  North  entrance.  The  Latin 
Inscription  on  it  was  written  by  Dr.  Lonsdale,  Principal  of 
King's  College,  London,  and  afterwards  Bishop  of  Lichfield, 
who  before  he  went  to  Eton  was  a  pupil  of  Heath  School. 
Dr.  Lonsdale  left  his  name  behind  him  on  a  pane  of  the 
old  windows  of  the  School,  which  were  removed  in  1861, 
and  on  the  old  Organ  Gallery  of  the  Parish  Church. 

I  have  about  150  names  of  pupils  who  were  under  him, 
which  were  scribbled  in  the  old  Dictionaries  that  I  have 
mentioned,  and  a  few  of  those  pupils  are  still  alive. 

The  Statutes  fixed  a  period  of  6  weeks  after  a  vacancy 
of  the  Mastership,  within  which  a  new  Master  was  to  be 
appointed,  and  in  the  beginning  of  February,  1840,  the  choice 
of  the  Governors  lighted  on  Edward  Sleap,  M.A.,  of  Brasenose 
College,  Oxford.  He,  however,  being  a  Bachelor  and 
frightened  at  having  to  become  a  house-keeper,  immediately 
resigned  on  seeing  the  House.  In  a  few  days  after,  the 
late  Archdeacon  Musgrave  wrote  to  the  Rev.  John  Henry 
Gooch,  M.A.,  who  was  next  best  candidate ;  and  he  accepted 
the  office,  and  was  elected  on  Feb.  24th.  He  had  been  a 
scholar  of  Trinity  College,  Cambridge,  and  was  at  the  time 
one  of  the  Masters  at  Wakefield  Proprietary  School,  under 
the  Rev.  Dr.  Butterton.  Having  commenced  his  duties  there, 
he  'was  unable  to  enter  at  once  on  those  of  Heath  School ; 
but,  as  there  were  no  scholars  at  the  death  of  the  late 
Master  and  the  house  required  much  to  be  done  to  it,  he 
was  allowed  to  put  off  residence  until  July.  During  the 
first  half-year  he  entered  34  pupils,  and  gradually  increased 
the  number  until  he  had  in  1854  more  than  70.  Many  of 
his  pupils  went  to  the  University,  and  several  were  successful 
Candidates  for  the  Milner  Scholarship.  In  1841  he  had 
been  appointed  to  the  New  Parochial  district  of  Stainland, 
but  for  some  time  exchanged  duties  with  the  Lecturer  of  the 
Parish  Church,  Mr.  Gilderdale,  who  resided  at  Hudderstield, 


46 

He  died  in  July,  1861*,  and  was  succeeded  by  the  Rev. 
Thomas  Cox,  M.A.,  who  was  formerly  scholar  of  St.  John's 
College,  Cambridge.  He  entered  on  his  duties  in  October. 
He  found  27  boys  in  the  school,  which  were  increased  to  38 
by  the  end  of  the  year.  Gradually  the  School  increased 
to  68,  when  in  1875  the  New  Scheme  promulgated  by  the 
Endowed  School  Commission  came  into  operation.  This  has 
hitherto  lessened  the  numbers,  as  the  Fees  were  considerably 
increased  and  boys  had  to  leave  the  School  at  the  age  of 
14,  unless  they  were  fit  for  the  higher  teaching  of  the  Head 
Master.  Several  boys  went  to  the  University,  among  whom 
were  a  Senior  Classic  of  1870  and  a  successful  Candidate 
for  the  Milner  Scholarship.  Mr.  Cox  has  been  Lecturer  of 
the  Parish  Church  since  August  1871,  having  been  appointed 
to  the  post  by  Archdeacon  Musgrave,  so  that,  as  he  said, 
some  position  might  be  given  to  the  Master  of  the  School. 

Prior  to  Mr.  Gooch's  time  nothing  seemed  to  have  been 
taught  but  Latin  and  Greek.  He  however  boldly  introduced 
Mathematics  in  all  their  branches.  To  these  Mr.  Cox  added 
a  systematic  study  of  English  Literature  and  the  French 
Language,  and  a  more  extensive  acquaintance  with  Divinity. 
The  New  Scheme  provides  for  Drawing,  Drill,  Science, 
Chemistry,  and  other  subjects ;  and  it  is  to  be  hoped  that 
when  it  comes  fully  into  operation  on  the  completion  of  the 
New  Buildings,  the  School  will  be  found  inferior  to  none 
in  the  West  Eiding. 

The  History  of  the  School  will  not  be  complete  without 
something  being  said  about  the  efforts  of  Mr.  Cox  to  raise 
the  position  of  the  School  in  the  eyes  of  the  general  jjublic. 
So  little  was  it  regarded  that  the  Local  Newspapers  would 
not  for  several  years  after  his  appointment  admit  a  paragraph 

*  Shortly  after  his  death  a  stained-glass  -window  was  erected  by  former  pupils 
and  friends  to  his  memory  in  the  Holdsworth  Chapel  at  the  Paiish  Church.  The 
^■ubject  is  Christ  among  the  doctors  in  the  temple. 


47 

about  the  proceedings  on  the  day  of  delivery  of  the  prizes, 
unless  it  was  paid  for  as  an  advertisement ;  but  at  last  they 
yielded  and  even  sent  reporters.  The  examination  of  the 
boys  was  conducted  at  Midsummer  and  Christmas  by  the 
Masters,  until  1866,  when  the  Governors  were  induced  to 
provide  a  special  Examiner  for  the  Summer  Examination. 
They  also  out  of  their  own  pockets  provided  two  valuable 
prizes  for  Classics,  and  Archdeacon  Musgrave  two  of  equal 
value  for  Divinity.  The  Rev.  J.  H.  Warneford  also  gave 
three  prizes  for  the  encouragment  of  boys  under  thirteen 
years  of  age  in  Divinity,  English  Literature,  and  Arithmetic. 
These  were  in  addition  to  those  given  by  the  Masters.  But 
from  circumstances,  which  need  not  be  mentioned,  these  all 
ceased  when  the  New  Scheme  was  acted  on;  and  prizes  are 
now  annually  given  from  the  School  Funds ;  though  the 
Governors  formerly  thought  that  they  were  not  allowed  to 
provide  them  from  such  a  source. 

Such  is  the  uneventful  history  of  Heath  School.  There 
is  no  record  of  the  honest  efforts  of  the  Masters  to  make 
their  pupils  into  scholars  in  the  best  sense  of  the  word. 
It  is  impossible  to  tell  the  good  which  each  produced  in 
his  own  day.  But  I  have  no  doubt  that  the  experience  of 
most  was  the  same  as  my  own.  I  have  had  the  most  com- 
plimentary letters  from  parents,  and  the  most  grateful  letters 
from  pupils.  Many,  whom  circumstances  in  after  life  have 
brought  into  the  neighbourhood,  have  called  on  me,  and 
some  have  gone  out  of  their  way  even  50  miles  to  spend  an 
hour  at  the  School.  Many  remarks  which  I  have  made  have 
produced  an  effect  which  I  never  thought  of  at  the  time 
that  I  made  them,  and  no  examination  could  possibly  have 
brought  out  their  advantage;  yet  they  have  influenced  for 
ever  the  lives  of  those  who  heard  them.  But  I  am  also 
bound  to  say  that  I  have  received  from  the  parents  of  some 
the  bitterest  letters  that  could  ever  have  been  written. 


48 

I  sliall  say  nothing  at  present  abont  the  Report  of  "  The 
Schools'  Inqnirj  Commission ",  besides  mentioning  the  in- 
sertion in  it  of  a  long  letter  from  Mr.  Cox,  which  was 
considered  very  valuable.  I  have  taken  the  following 
complimentary  extracts  from  the   General  Report. 

"It  will  be  seen  by  reference  to  the  Report  on  Halifax, 
that  the  interests  of  the  majority  of  the  scholars  are  not 
always  sacrificed  to  those  of  the  few  who  are  going  to  College. 
The  whole  are  taught  together ;  all  share  in  the  supervision 
of  the  Head  Master ;  and  the  whole  teaching  resources  of  the 
School  are  available  for  every  boy.  Some  are  far  advanced 
in  Classical  learning ;  while  the  rest  are  receiving  an  Education 
in  all  respects  adapted  to  their  wants,  and  more  liberal  in 
its  character  than  that  of  a  Commercial  School." 

"At  Halifax  great  attention  has  been  devoted  by  the 
Head  Master  to  English  Literature ;  and  the  result  has  been 
most  satisfactory.  The  following  passage  occurs  in  the 
Report  of  the  Rev.  H.  G.  Robinson  (the  Examiner  of  the 
School)  ;  and  my  own  observation  fully  bears  out  his 
testimony : — '  I  may  refer  to  the  Papers  in  English  Literature, 
as  giving  evidence  of  careful  teaching  and  intelligent 
study.  .  .  A  very  considerable  number  of  boys  showed  a 
really  good  knowledge  of  the  subjects.' " — Vol.  ix.  p.  120. 

"All  the  ordinary  school  lessons,  the  task-work,  and 
written  exercises,  struck  me  as  being  much  above  the  average, 
both  as  to  the  skill  with  which  they  had  been  devised,  and 
the  accuracy  with  which  they  were  performed.  .  .  .  There 
is  evidence  of  great  diligence  in  study The  dis- 
cipline of  the  School  is  excellent." — Vol.  xviii.  p.  103. 


" '  The  old  order  changeth ',  but  the  old  School  by  no 
means  fades  from  the  memory  and  affection  of  whilom 
scholars  ". — (Extract  from  a  letter  of  an  old  pupil.) 


CHAPTER    IX. 

THE     STATUTES     OP     THE     SCHOOL. 

THE  Statutes,  by  which  for  the  most  part  the  School 
was  governed  until  1875,  are  said  to  have  been  drawn 
up  by  Dr.  Hayter,  afterwards  Bishop  of  Norwich.  In  1727 
the  Rev.  Thomas  Hayter  was  Secretar}'^  to  the  Archbishop 
of  York,  and  carried  on  the  correspondence  on  behalf  of 
His  Grace  with  R.  Sterne  Esq,  J.P.,  when  the  Archbishop 
as  Visitor  of  the  School  was  prayed  to  nominate  a  new  set  of 
Governors.  Mr.  Hayter  told  him  in  1729,  after  the  new  Charter 
was  obtained,  that  it  was  for  want  of  Statutes  that  the 
difficulty  had  arisen  at  Heath  School,  as  if  there  had  never 
been  any  before^,  and  that  His  Grace  would  send  "  a  complete 
Body  of  Statutes "  as  soon  as  he  was  informed  of  certain 
particulars  which  he  required.  He  did  so  in  1730  or  1731* 
But  in  BrearclifPe's  MSS.  there  exist  certain  "  Statutes  or 
Orders  to  be  observed  in  the  Free  Grammar  School  of  Queen 
Elizabeth  erected  for  the  Vicarage  of  Halifax ".  By  whom 
they  were  drawn  up  is  not  known,  but  they  are  so  curious 
that  they  are  worth  insertion.  The  bad  spelling,  the  utter 
disregard  paid  to  stops,  the  numerous  abbreviations,  and 
a  peculiar  kind  of  short-hand,  make  them  often  very  difficult 
to  interpret  or  decipher,  so  that  I  am  not  sure  always  of 
the  words.  I  think  however  that  I  have  succeeded  in  every 
case  but  one. 

1  "  We  the  present  Governors  considering  the  necessity  of  statutes  to  be  made 
without  which  we  do  adjudge,  and  have  by  experience  found  the  School  to  be 

maimed  and  imperfect   in   itself do   ordain   and   decree  &o."     So  say  the 

Statutes,  as  if  they  had  emanated  from  the  Governors. 


50 

1.  The  schoolmaster  must  be  painful  in  teaching  his 
scholars,  a  man  fearing  God,  zealous  of  the  truth,  of  a  godly 
conversation^,  not  partial,  diligent  to  train  up  his  scholars 
not  only  in  other  learning  and  moral  virtue,  but  also  in  the 
principles  of  Christian  religion  and  farther  understanding 
of  the  Holy  Scriptures. 

2.  The  Usher  of  the  School  shall  be  a  man  sound  in 
religion,  sober  in  life,  able  to  train  up  the  scholars  in  learning 
and  good  manners,  obedient  to  the  School-master  in  all  things 
concerning  his  office  for  his  manner  of  teaching  and  correcting, 
and  shall  take  upon  him  the  regiment^  of  the  whole  School 
in  the  absence  of  the  Master,  and  then  supply  his  office  both 
in  teaching  and  correcting. 

3.  The  scholars  must  endeavour^  themselves  to  serve  God, 
obey  their  parents  and  masters,  and  be  of  a  sober  behaviour 
toward   all   men,  whose  particular  duties  be  all  following: — 

(1).  That  upon  the  Lord's  day  and  appointed  Holydays 
they  come  reverently  and  in  due  time  unto  the  Church, 
take  a  convenient  place,  hear  attentively  the  Word  of  God,  lay 
it  up  in  their  memories,  abuse  not  those  days  in  play  or 
other  vanities ;  they  meditate  of  the  Word  and  practice  it 
in  their  lives,  pray  and  praise  God  publicly  in  the  congregation 
and  privately  in  their  own  habitations. 

(2).  That  they  take  not  God's  Name  in  vain  by  swearing 
in  their  ordinary  communication,  by  forswearing,  cursing 
themselves  or  others,  lying,  laughing,  and  vain  sporting,  idle 
and  light  use  of  God's  titles,  works,  and  Word. 

2  '  Conversation ',  as  in  the  Bible,  always  means  '  conduct ',  never  *  language ', 
which  was  '  Communication  '  as  in  No.  (2). 

3.  i.  e.  regimen,  or  government,  as  Bacon  calls  his  Essay  XXX.  "  Of  Begiment 
of  Health  ". 

4.  This  expression  '  to  endeavour  oneself '  is  very  common  at  this  time.     "  That 

we  may daily  endeavour  ourselves  to  follow  "  (Coll :  for  2  S.  aft.  Easter)  ,- 

"  they  will  evermore  endeavour  themselves  to  observe  "  ( Order  of  Confirmation) ; 
"I  will  endeavour  myself"  (The  Ordering  of  Beacons). 


51 

(3).  That  they  rise  early  in  the  morning,  reverence  their 
parents,  love  and  obey  both  father  and  mother,  and  give 
good  example  to  the  whole  family. 

(4).  That  they  come  early  to  the  School  without  lingering, 
play,  or  noise  by  the  way,  saluting  those  they  meet,  bareheaded. 

(5).  When  the  Master  or  Usher  or  any  stranger  entereth 
into  the  School,  that  they  salute  them,  rising  up  dutifully, 
and  presently  sit  down  again  with  silence  and  applyS  their 
books. 

(6).  That  they  wander  not  up  and  down  in  the  School, 
but  rest  orderly  in  their  appointed  place,  labour  their  morning 
task  and  appointed  lectures  with  great  diligence,  striving 
rather  for  high  commendations  of  their  Master  and  strangers 
than  for  rebuke  and  blame. 

(7).  They  must  join  with  the  Master  and  Usher  both 
morning  and  evening  in  prayer  for  remission  of  sins,  accept- 
ation in  Christ,  direction  by  the  Spiiit  to  illuminate  their 
understanding,  enlarge  their  capacities,  certify  their  judg- 
ments, and  confirm  their  memories ;  and  hear  some  chapters 
daily  out  of  the  Old  and  New  Testament  read  publicly  in 
the  school  with  all  reverence  and  attention,  that  they  may 
repeat  the  principal  contents  thereof,  if  they  be  called  forth  by 
the  Master ;  and  sing  daily  some  place '^  of  David  in  metre  to 
the  praise  of  God  for  all  his  mercies  with  feeling  understanding 
and  spiritual  rejoicing,  with  thanks  unto  God  for  the  founder 
of  the  School,  and  the  good  benefactors. 

5.  We  should  now  rather  say  "  apply  to  their  books  ",  In  No.  (8)  we  have 
•'apply  their  lecture".  So  in  an  old  Book  called  "The  Schoole  of  Vertue^' 
(a.d.  1557).  "Thy  bokes  take  out,  thy  lesson  then  leame,  Humbly  thy  selfe 
Behave  and  governe.  Therein  takying  payne,  with  all  thine  industrye,  Learnynge 
to  get,  thy  boke  well  applye  ".  "  Apply  your  study  earnestly  ".  (Sii-  H.  Sidney, 
A.D.  1566). 

6.  i.  e.  passage,  as  in  the  i^hrase  "Common  places  of  a  book".  One  of  the 
books  used  in  Schools  in  1612  was  "The  Psalms  in  Metre",  "because  children 
will  learn  that  book  with  most  readiness  and  delight  through  the  running  of  the 
metre,  as  it  is  found  by  experience  ".    (Brinsley). 


52 

(8).  The  scholars  under  the  Usher  must  learn  perfectly  the 
grounds  of  the  Latin  tongue  accordmg  to  the  Accidence^  and 
Grammar,  skill  to  decline  their  nouns,  know  the  declensions, 
case,  genders,  and  numbers ;  to  join  substantive  and  adjective 

together  accordingly,  to  conjugate  their  verbs ^  all  moods 

and  tenses  with  understanding;  to  understand  the  concords 
and  conjunctions  of  all  parts  of  speech,  and  apply  their 
lectures  in  Colo  Corderius9«  and  the  like  authors  perfectly 
to  the  Grammar  rule,  which  being  learned  by  long  practice 
the  most  days  have  one  hour  given  to  learn  to  write  and  be 
overseen  and  instructed  by  the  Usher  or  some  at  his  appoint- 
ment, that  when  they  can  write  a  legible  hand  they  may 
from  the  Usher  be  promoted  to  the  Master's  teaching. 

(9).  The  scholars  under  the  Master  must  all  speak  the 
Latin  tongue ;  the  lowest  form  learn  to  translate  their 
lectures  into  English,  and  out  of  the  English  read  them 
again  in  Latin;  the  next  form  be  reading  Tully,^^  Terence, 
and  other  classic  authors,  learn  to  indite  epistles  scholarlike, 
first  in  English,  then  in  Latin,  and  learn  to  make  themes 
with  good  phrase;  the  next  form  beside  themes  must  read 
poetry,  make  verses  with  Ovid  and  Virgil,  join  Caesar's 
Commentaries,  TuUy's  Orations,  and  Greek  Grammar;  and 
the   highest   form   beside   Virgil   and   Ovid   and   Terence   for 


7.  That  part  of  Grammar  which  relates  to  the  outward  form  of  words  was  till 
recently  called  "  The  Accidence  ",  as  opposed  to  the  essence  of  Language.  In  the 
Statutes  of  St.  Olave's  School,  Southwark,  we  find  "  As  well  in  Grammar  as  in 
Accidence  and  other  Low  Books  ". 

8.  Here  is  a  word  which  I  cannot  decipher.  It  is  certainly  not  "thorow"  as 
"  Our  Local  Portfolio  "  makes  it. 

9a  i.  e.  in  "  Colloquiis  Corderii",  a  series  of  dialogues  in  Latin  drawn  up  for 
the  use  of  Schools.  I  have  seen  mention  of  an  edition  as  late  as  1706  by  a 
Master  of  Eton  School. 

96  TuUy  was  the  name  by  which  Cicero  was  generally  spoken  of  in  former  dayp. 


5g 

Latin  must  read  the  Greek  Testament  Greek  HoracelOa 
Hesiod  or  Homer,  the  Hebrew  Grammar, lo^  and  be  entered 
into  Logic,  make  orations,  Greek  verses,  be  able  to  refer 
their  phrases  to  the  places  in  their  authors. 

(10).  All  the  scholars  under  the  Master  (if  Thursdayll  be 
a  play-day)  must  on  Friday  in  the  morning  bring  epistles 
with  good  invention,  orthography,  and  disposition,  the  lowest 
form  in  English,  the  two  next  in  Latin ;  the  first  form  every 
third  Friday  in  verse,  every  second  Friday  in  Greek  prose. 

(11).  No  scholar  or  scholars  of  what  degree  so  ever  shall 
absent  himself  from  School  any  day,  especially  the  day 
either  now  or  after  to  be  appointed  for  exercisesl2,  without 
special  licence  first  obtained  of  the  Master,  and  a  true 
testimonial  per  the  hands  of  his  parents  for  his  absence  that 
day,  and  for  the  first  and  second  time  of  absence  he  shall 
be  corrected  with  a  rod;  if  he  be  absent  the  third  time  he 
shall  be  expelled  the  School.  [No.  (12)  is  omitted;  or  else 
the  following  are  wrongly  numbered.] 


lOa  Brearcliffe  has  here  made  some  mistake:  I  think  it  should  be  "  Poets  ^' 
instead  of  "  Horace ".  It  is  singular  that  even  in  the  Old  Statutes  of  Harrow 
School,  no  Greek  Poet  but  Hesiod  is  mentioned. 

106  Never  was  the  Hebrew  Language  more  cultivated  than  in  the  17th 
century.  The  celebrated  John  Milner  taught  his  son  Hebrew  at  an  age  when 
others  were  only  beginning  Latin. 

11.  In  the  Statutes  of  Sandwich  School,  a.d.  1580,  it  was  appointed  that  every 
Thursday  after  dinner  [which  was  early  then,  so  that  boys  came  to  School  after 
dinner  at  one  o'clock],  when  a  certain  specified  thing  was  done,  the  children  were 
to  be  dismissed  to  play.  In  the  Statutes  of  Merchant  Taylors'  School,  a.d.  1561, 
the  holiday  is  to  be  on  Tuesday  in  the  afternoon  or  Thursday.  I  mention  this 
because  an  attempt  has  been  made  to  fix  these  Statutes  of  Heath  to  a  time 
subsequent  to  1647,  when  the  second  Thursday  in  every  month  was  by  law  set 
apart  for  recreation.  But  it  was  evidently  the  usual  day  at  an  earlier  period ;  for 
in  a  book  published  in  1612  it  is  recommended  that  the  afternoon  holiday  should 
be  "  either  the  Thursday  after  the  usual  custom  or  according  to  the  best  oppor- 
tunity of  the  place  ". 

12.  The  Exercises  or  Prophesyings  were  held  on  the  last  Wednesday  in  each 
month.  They  consisted  of  Sermons  by  one  or  more  preachers,  which  were 
generally  discussed  by  the  clergy  after  the  laity  had  retired. 


54 

(13).  If  any  scholar  shall  run  or  go  out  of  School  at  any 
time  into  the  town  or  fields  without  leave  first  obtained  of 
the  Master,  upon  his  return  he  shall  be  severely  punished 
or  taxed  by  his  Master. 

(14).  If  any  scholar  shall  give,  buy,  sell,  or  change  his 
books,  apparel,  or  any  other  thing,  or  filch  or  steal  any 
thing  out  of  the  School,  he  shall  be  severely  punished :  if 
he  be  convincedi^  of  any  like  fault  the  second  time,  he 
shall  be  expelled  the  School. 

(15).  They  must  ever  have  books,  pen,  paper,  and  ink  in 
readiness,  and  not  rent^^  or  lose  their  books  but  handsomely 
carry  and  recarry  them. 

(16).  If  any  scholar  use  railing,  wrangling,  fighting,  giving 
by-names,  or  offer  any  the  like  abuse  to  his  fellows^^  or  any 
stranger  in  the  ways,  he  shall  be  severely  punished,  and  if 
he  continue  thus  to  molest  and  harm  others,  he  shall  be 
expelled  the  School. 

(17).  If  any  scholar  brave  out  contempt  against  his  Master 
or  the  Usher,  or  give  out  evil  words,  or  be  repugnant  and 
refractory  to  their  commandments  and  rebelliously  withstand 
their  correction,  or  complain  of  correction  moderately  given, 
or  tell  abroad  who  are  corrected  in  the  School ;  if  he  do 
not  presently  humble  himself  and  obey  the  Master  and  Usher, 
he  shall  be  expelled  the  School. 

(18).  If  any  scholar  shall  go  undecently  in  his  apparel,  and 
not  carry  himself  reverently  in  his  gesture,  words,  and  deeds, 
or  use  long  hair  on  his  head^^  undecently  or  come  with  face 


13.  i.e.  "Convicted"  as  we  should  now  say.     See  John  viii.  46.     "Which  of 
you  convinceth  me  of  sin  ?  " 

14.  "  Kent "  was  formerly  used  where  we  now  say  "  Rend '". 

15.  i.e.  "Companions".     "The  virgins  that  be  her  fellows   shall  bear   her 
company".     Ps.  XLV.  (Prayerbook  Version). 

16.  In  "  The  Book  of  Demeanor  "  a.d.  1557  we  have  : — 

"  Thy  head  let  that  be  kembd  and  trimd,  let  not  thy  haire  be  long, 
It  is  unseemly  to  the  eyes,  rebuked  by  the  tongue  ". 

I  cannot  help   inserting  an   amusing    direction  at   the   Grammar    School  of 
Lewisham.    The  boys  were  not  "  to  wear  long  cuiied,  frizzled  or  powdered,  or 


55 

and  hands  unwashed,  he  shall  be  severely  punished,  and 
upon  the  second  admonition,  if  he  do  not  reform,  he  shall 
be  expelled  the  School. 

(19).  If  any  scholar  upon  due  proof  first  had  shall  findi7 
either  altogether  negligent  or  uncapable  of  learning,  at  the 
discretion  of  the  Master  he  shall  be  returned  to  his  friends 
to  be  brought  up  in  some  other  honest  trade  and  exercise 
of  life. 

(20).  Finally  there  shall  be  two  prepositors  or  monitors 
appointed  weekly  or  longer  at  the  Master's  discretion  for 
order  and  quietness,  both  in  the  Church  on  the  holyday  and 
daily  in  the  School  and  abroad  in  the  town  and  highways, 
to  set  down  the  faults  committed  by  the  scholars  without 
any  partiality,  and  to  present  their  billsl^  to  the  Master  and 
Usher  when  they  call  for  them ;  if  they  fail  herein,  they  must 
be  punished  for  the  faults  committed  by  others,  and  what 
scholar  so  ever  doth  not  obey  these  monitors,  he  shall  be 
subject  to  the  severe  censure  of  the  Master  or  Usher. 


Such  are  the  Statutes  preserved  by  Brearcliffe :  but  as 
appears  from  note  1,  p.  49,  they  seem  to  have,  unknown 
in   1730.      Even  if  they  had   been   known,    they   would    not 


Euffin-like  hair,  but  shall  cut  their  hair  and  wear  it  in  such  sort  and  manner  that 
both  the  beauty  of  their  foreheads  may  be  seen,  and  that  tlieir  hair  shall  not  grow 
longer  than  above  one  inch  below  the  lowest  tips  of  their  ears  ".  The  School  was 
founded  in  1647. 

17.  So  in  Brearcliffe.  It  may  be  an  error  for  "  be  found  ",  but  yet  "  find  "  may 
be  used  as  a  neuter  verb,  though  I  do  not  remember  an  instance.  This  regulation 
often  occurs  in  old  Statutes  ;  for  instance  in  those  of  Harrow  School :  — "  Those 
who  are  unapt  to  learn  shall  after  one  year's  pains  taken  with  them  to  small  profit 
be  removed  from  the  School ".  "  Trade  "  is  not  used  as  we  use  it  now  :  it  simply 
means  "  course  of  life '',  as  could  be  abundantly  illustrated.  I  may  mention  the 
•'Trade  Winds"  as  meaning  "the  regular  or  usual  Winds",  and  not  "Winds 
suitable  for  trade  ". 

18  i.  e.  the  records  of  the  faults  committed. 


66 

have  answered  the  requirements  of  the  Archbishop,  for  it 
was  through  the  neglect  of  the  Governors  that  the  School 
had  nearly  lost  its  Charter.  New  Statutes  were  consequently- 
required  which  should  define  the  duties  of  the  Governors. 
No  doubt  a  draft  copy  came  from  His  Grace  which  they 
discussed  and  altered  and  returned  to  Bishopthorpe,  and 
then  they  received  the  "authentic  seal"  of  the  Archbishop, 
as  allowed  by  him.  More  than  two-thirds  of  them  refer  to 
the  duties  of  the  Governors,  which  are  fully  detailed.  It  is 
not  necessary  to  mention  any  of  the  regulations  referring  to 
them;  but  a  few  particulars  may  be  welcome  concerning 
the  others.  The  Master  was  to  be  well  affected  to  the  present 
settlement  in  Church  and  State,  (^.  e.  in  1730),  to  have  been 
a  student  at  Oxford  or  Cambridge  for  five*  years  at  least, 
and  to  be  well  skilled,  especially  in  Grammar  and  the  Latin 
and  Greek  tongues.  He  was  to  instruct  his  scholars  in  the 
grounds  of  religion,  and  to  take  to  church  such  as  lived  in 
or  near  his  house ;  and  every  Saturday  to  examine  them 
in  the  Church  Catechism.  He  was  to  read  to  them,  in  Latin, 
Phsedrus,  Nepos,  Csesar,  Terence,  Livy,  TuUy,  Ovid,  Virgil, 
and  Horace ;  in  Greek,  the  Greek  Testament,  Xenophon, 
Isocrates,  Demosthenes,  Hesiod,  Homer,  and  Sophocles.  He 
was  no  longer  expected  to  teach  Logic,  or  Hebrew ;  and 
the  number  of  Latin  and  Greek  writers  was  much  enlarged. 
He  was  however  still  to  "inform  his  youth  in  good  nature 
and  good  manners ",  to  teach  them  "  to  reverence  their 
betters  in  all  places,  to  be  courteous  in  speech  to  all  men, 
in  their  apparel  always  cleanly,  and  in  their  whole  carriage 
joining  decency  with  modesty,  and  good  manners  with  good 


*  I  do  not  understand  why  five  years  should  be  fixed  on,  for  the  degree  of  B.A. 
was  conferred  about  tbree  years  and  a  half  after  entrance ;  unless  at  the  date  of 
the  Statutes  further  residence  was  required  for  the  degree  of  M.A. 


67 

learning".  Besides  the  ordinary  Grrammar,  the  Usher  was 
to  read  to  his  pupils  the  Sententise  pueriles,  Cato"^,  and 
-^sop's  Fables. 

The  Master  could  be  absent  only  twenty  days  a  year  and 
the  Usher  sixteen;  they  might  take  those  days  ^^at  once  or 
separately",  but  both  were  not  to  be  absent  together.  I 
suppose  this  must  have  been  in  addition  to  the  fixed 
holidaysf. 

The  School-hours  were  from  6  a.m.  to  5  p.m.  between 
March  10th  and  October  10th,  and  from  8  a.m.  to  4  p.m. 
the  remainder  of  the  year,  with  a  rest  between  11  and  1. 

The  vacations  were  to  be  for  15  days  at  Easter,  10  at 
Whitsuntide,  and  21  at  Christmas. 

There  were  considerable  alterations  made  in  these  Statutes 
in  1842.  The  Greek  and  Latin  Authors  were  to  be  such 
as  were  approved  of  by  the  Governors  from  time  to  time. 
The  Usher  was  to  take  such  part  of  the  Education  as  should 
be  prescribed  by  the  Master,  subject  to  the  sanction  and 
control  of  the  Governors.  The  Masters  were  to  be  at  liberty 
to  absent  themselves  during  the  Vacations  (as  if  the  Governors 
had  supposed  that  throughout  the  year  one  or  other  was 
to  be  present  at  the  School).  The  attendance  was  to  be 
from  9  to  12,  and  from  2  to  5.  The  number  of  Free  Scholars 
was  limited  to  60. 

In  1873  new  regulations  were  drawn  up  by  the  Endowed 
Schools'  Commissioners,  and  are  now  in  force. 


*  '  Cato '  was  the  title  of  a  Book  on  "  Good  Manners  "  :  it  consisted  principally 
of  some  couplets  in  Latin  Hexameter  verse  on  various  duties  of  the  young.  It 
was  a  favourite  book  with  schoolmasters  in  the  Middle  Ages.  Its  author,  and  the 
time  of  its  production,  are  quite  unknown.  Chaucer  quotes  it.  Caxton  printed  a 
Translation  of  it. 

t  This  is  especially  provided  for  at  some  Schools,  e.  gr.  at  St.  Bees,  by  the 
insertion  of  "except"  hifore  the  fixed  holidays ;  at  others,  by  stating  "at  such 
time  as  School  is  kept ",  or  similar  language. 


58 

The  subjects  of  instruction  fixed  by  them  are,  in  the 
Junior  Department,  English  Grammar,  Composition,  and 
Literature ;  Arithmetic ;  Elements  of  Algebra  and  Geometry  ; 
History ;  Geography ;  Latin ;  Some  modern  language  other 
than  English ;  Natural  Science ;  Drawing ;  Vocal  Music  : 
and  in  the  Senior  Department,  Greek,  and  Mathematics, 
in  addition. 


CHAPTER    X. 

ADDITIONAL     INFORMATION     ABOUT     THE     MASTERS. 

ALTHOUGH  mention  has  already  been  made  of  the 
Masters  so  far  as  they  affect  the  history  of  the  School, 
it  will  perhaps  not  be  amiss  to  collect  together  all  that  is 
known  of  them,  partly  for  the  sake  of  those  who  take  an 
interest  in  the  School,  and  partly  that  others  may  be  guided 
in  their  search  for  additional  information  about  it.  Before 
Newspapers  afforded  facilities  for  advertising,  the  Governors 
would  have  to  make  enquiry  among  their  friends  for  a  suitable 
candidate;  or  some  member  of  a  College,  hearing  of  the 
vacancy,  would  recommend  a  young  friend  to  the  Governors. 
Hence  we  see  many  local  names  among  the  early  Masters. 
The  qualification  of  a  Master  according  to  the  Charter  was, 
that  he  should  be  "a  meet  man  learned  and  cunning*  which 
'^hath  been  student  in  one  of  the  Universities  of  this  realm 
"of  England  the  space  of  five  years  at  the  least  and  hath 
"profited  in  learning".  As  this  part  of  Yorkshire  seems 
to  have  preferred  Oxford  to  Cambridge  in  Elizabeth's  reign 
and  that  of  James,  most  of  the  early  Masters,  (and  the 
contemporary  Vicars  too,)  were  Oxford  men.  It  is  doubtful 
whether   they   had   been    students    at    either    University   for 


*  The  substantive  "cunning"  was  a  good  old  Englisli  word,  meaning  "  skill". 
Every  body  knows  the  phrase  in  the  Psalms,  "  Let  my  right  hand  forget  her 
cunning"  !  i.  e.  skill  in  playing  on  the  harp.  By  the  Statutes  of  Stockport  School 
the  Master  is  required  to  "  be  a  discrete  man  and  conning  in  Gramer  and  be  able 
of  connyng  to  teche  Gramer  ". 


60 

five  years ;  but  they  must  so  far  have  profited  by  their 
residence  there,  as  to  be  fit  to  prepare  others  to  become 
University  students.  In  fact  Learning  was  then  a  business, 
and  no  one  was  fit  to  practise  it,  until  he  had  gone  through 
a  certain  course  in  a  manner  satisfactory  to  the  Authorities 
of  the  Universities.  It  is  singular  that  nothing  is  said  of 
the  necessity  of  the  Master  being  in  Holy  Orders,  as  was 
generally  the  case  in  Grammar  Schools ;  nor  can  we  tell 
whether  the  early  Masters  were  so,  as  it  was  not  the  practice 
then  to  put  "  Rev."  before  the  names  of  clergymen.  Mr. 
Greenwood  in  1651  is  the  first,  of  whom  we  can  positively 
say  that  he  was  ordained.  In  the  Registers  of  the  time 
Mr.*,  i.  e.,  '  Magister '  seems  put  only  before  Graduates  of 
the  University,  whether  clerical  or  lay,  and  the  landed 
Gentry ;  a  clergyman  being  more  especially  designated  by 
'  clericus '  or  '  clerk ',  put  after  his  name.  At  first,  the 
Schoolmaster  was  called  '  informator ',  and  his  duty  was 
'  to  inform ',  i.  e.,  to  form  or  train  his  pupils  to  learning  or 
good  manners :  afterwards  he  is  called  '  ludimagister '  or 
'  schoolmaster ',  i.  e.,  master  or  head  of  the  school.  It  was 
the  Master's  duty  to  read  Authors  tof  his  pupils,  and  call 
on  them  to  repeat  to  him  what  he  had  taught  them,  as 
books  were  scarce.  Hence  it  was  that  an  Usher  was  required 
to  prepare  the  pupils  for  profiting  by  the  Master's  teaching. 
I  will  now  proceed  to  give  some  account  of  the  Masters. 


*  "  He  shall  be  called  Maater,  vrhich  is  the  title  that  men  give  to  esquires  and 
gentlemen,  and  be  reported  ever  after  ".  (Harrison,  abt.  1577).  "  He  could  not 
be  reckoned  among  the  gentry,  though  he  was  called  by  the  name  of  Mr.  Lomax  ". 
( Memoirs  of  Colonel  Hutchinson).  'Esquire'  was  not  so  common  then  as  now: 
its  use  in  1602  may  be  seen  from  a  passage  in  a  Comedy  of  that  date,  called  "  The 
Beturn  from  Parnassus  ",  in  which  occurs  the  line, 

"  They  purchase  lands,  and  now  Esquiers  are  made  ". 

t  The  Statutes  of  Sandwich  School  are  very  particular  in  stating  what  books 
each  "  form  shall  have  read  to  them  ". 


61 

I.     1600—160..        RICHARD    WILKINSON,    B.A. 

This  Master  seems  to  have  been  elected  August  20th, 
1600,  according  to  a  statement  of  the  Governors  before  a 
Commission  of  Enquiry  in  a  chancery  suit  in  1627.  (L.  P. 
CLII.)  The  letter  of  his  Presentation  to  the  Archbishop 
is  dated  Aug.  29th ;  a  copy  of  it  is  preserved  in  the  Parish 
Registers,  which  I  will  give  for  the  pupils  to  try  their 
learning   on. 

Presentatio  Rich :  Wilkinson  ad  officiii  M"  Inform- 
atoris  ScholsG  Vicariat :  de  Halifax. 
Reverendissimo  in  xpo  patri  ac  dnd,  dnu  Matheo  Archiepo 
Eboru,  Anglise  Primati  et  Metropolitano,  v'ri  humiles 
filii  Gubernatores  possessionu  revenconu  et  bonoru  Liberse 
Gramaticalis  Scholse  dnse  Reginse  Elizabeth  in  p'ochia 
et  vicariatu  de  Halyfax  in  com  :  Eboru  v'rseque  Eboril 
dieces  :  Salutem  in  dno  sempiterna.  Ad  Scholam 
Gramaticale  p'dictam  iam  vacant'  Richardu  Wilkinson 
in  artib^  baccalauriii  p'  nos  electu  ad  officiii  m'ri  inform- 
atoris  eiusde  scholse  domination!  v'rse  p'sentams  humiliter 
rogantes  ut  p'dictii  Richardu  in  magistru  informatore 
Scholse  p'dictse  admittatis,  ceteraq  :  oia  et  singula  p'ficere 
et  p'implere  quse  v'ro  in  hac  p'te  incubet  officio,  pastorali 
velitis  cu  favore,  dat'  apud  Bradley  in  vicariatu  p'dict' 
vicesimo  nono  die  Augusti  ao  p'dictse  d'nse  n'rse  Elizabeth 
Dei  gra  Anglise,  ffrancise  et  hybernise  Reginse  fidei 
defensor'  Quadragesimo  secundo.  In  cuis  rei  testimoniil 
Sigillu  n'rm  comune  apposuims  die  et  anno  supradictis. 


I  know  nothing  more  of  this  Master.  His  name  was  a 
very  common  one.  There  was  a  family  of  this  name  at 
Brackenbed,  a  member  of  which  was  Vicar  of  Halifax, 
1438-1480.  There  was  another  at  Elland,  connected  with 
the  Saviles,     One  member  of  it  was   great  grandmother  of 


d2 

Sir  John  Savile,  and  his  sister  Janet  also  married  a  William 
Wilkinson.  Three  of  the  Elland  family,  Henry,  John,  and 
William,  were  students  at  Oxford.  Henry  was  afterwards 
Incumbent  of  Waddesdon,  Bucks.,  and  one  of  the  Assembly 
of  Divines,  and  John  was  Principal  of  Magdalen  Hall,  and 
afterwards  of  Magdalen  College.  He  was  appointed  Tutor 
to  Henry,  Prince  of  Wales,  when  he  matriculated  at 
Magdalen  College.  There  was  another  family  of  the  name 
at  Bradford.  Euphemia,  a  daughter  of  Richard  Wilkinson  of 
this  family,  was  married  to  George  son  of  Robert  Waterhouse 
of  Harthill,  and  seems  to  have  lived  at  Siddal.  Another 
daughter  of  this  Richard  seems  to  have  married  William 
Rookes  of  Rookes'  Hall,  Hipperholme  :  their  son  Jonas 
became  a  Fellow  of  University  College. 

I   have   found   the   following,  but  do    not   know  whether 
any  of  them  refers  to  our  Master : — 

1594  Married  Sep.  15,  Rich:  Wilkinson  &  Grace  Whitwham.     (P.E.) 

1598        „        July  14,  Eich :  Wilkinson  &  Dorothy  Wilkinson.     (P.E.) 

1608        ,,        Feb.     7,  Eichardus  Wilkinson  et  Jana  Eamsden. 

(Elland  Eegister.) 


II.     160.— 1629.        ROBERT    BYRRON*. 

His  name  is  also  spelled  in  the  Parish  Register  Byron 
and  Birron,  in  Brearcliffe  Burron,  as  well  as  Byrronf.  There 
is  also  Biron,  among  the  disbursements  of  money  for  the 
School,  in  L.P.  CLI.  In  L.P.  No.  LV.,  there  is  a  copy  of  an 
account  of  sums  of  money  received  by  him,  from  which  it 
appears  that  he  was  Master  in  1603.  He  there  signs  himself 
Byrron. 


*  He  may  have  been  of  a  Halifax  family,  as  there  occurs  in  P.E.  under  7  Feb. 
1000,  the  burial  of  "  Thorns  :  Byron  Hal". 

t  There  was  a  Curate  of  Sowerby  at  the  end  of  the  century  whose  name  is 
written  Baron,  Barron,  Berron,  Burren,  Burron,  and  Byron  in  the  Waterhouse 
Charity  Accounts. 


63 

Married  1604,  Oct.  16.  [  ^«^^-  ?i^^^"  Informator  Schol«.  Gra. 
'  (.  Grace  Deane     (P.R.) 

Buried  1629,  April  28.     Robt.    Birron    Sk.    publicse    Scholso 

Gramatica.lis  secundus  a  fundatione 

mag-ister.   (P.E.) 

He  is  said  to  have  given  two  books  to  the  Parish  Church 
Library"^,  viz,  "  Aretinus  Felinus  {i.  e.  Martin  Bucer)  on  the 
Psalms  ",  and  "  Thomas  Aquinas  on  the  Evangelists  ". 

One  Daniel  Foxcroft,  of  Weetwood  near  Leeds,  who  was 
Mayor  of  Leeds  in  1665  and  died  1691,  the  son  of  Samuel 
Foxcroft  and  Grace  Lister,  married  "Abigail,  daughter  of 
Mr.  Birronf ".  She  might  have  been  a  relation  of  our 
Master.  A  Daniel  Foxcroft  acted  as  one  of  the  Attorneys 
of  the  School  in  connection  with  the  lands  given  by  the 
Saviles,  was  a  Churchwarden  in  1599,  a  Subscriber  of  £3 
towards  the  completion  of  the  School-buildings,  and  a 
Governor  in  1607.  A  Daniel  Foxcroft  also  gave  £5  in  1635 
towards  the  Endowment.  He  is  described  as  "living  out 
of  the  Vicarage  "  ;  also,  "  late  of  Ealand  Hall,  Gent ".  One 
of  the  Wades  married  a  Judith  Foxcroft,  of  New  Grange, 
near  Leeds. 

IlL     1629—164..         FRANCIS    COCKMAN. 

This    Master    seems   strangely   to   have   escaped   the 

notice   of  Watson,    although   he   is    three   times   in   the 

Parish     Registers    called     '  ludimagister '    or    '  publicus 

ludimagister  \     His  marriage  is  thus  entered : — 

1  r^O    A         9.4.     ^    Francis  Cockman  publ.  ludimag. 

^*        '    \   Grace  Ward  per  Liam.  Skir. 


•  This  Library  received  a  large  number  of  Books  from  Simon  Sterne,  tli9 
Father  of  Kichard  Sterne.  They  seem  to  have  been  principally  presentation  copies 
made  by  their  authors  to  Abp.  Sterne,  his  father. 

t  See  The  Pedigree  of  Foxcroft  in  Ducatus  Leodiensis. 


64 

Six  Children  are  mentioned  as  baptised  between  1631 
and    164'3,   Esther,   Anna,   Mary,  John,   Grace,   and    Thomas. 

There  was  a  family  at  Lightcliffe  of  that  name  in  1649, 
for  we  find  a  Mr.  Cockman  rated  to  LightclifFe  Chapel,  as 
the  occupier  of  a  seat ;  and  it  was  Mr.  Henry  Hoile  of 
Lightcliffe,  who  recommended  Francis  Cockman  to  R. 
Sunderland,  a  Governor  of  the  School,  as  a  suitable  Master. 
The  Registers  also  tell  us  of  a  Francis  Cockman  of  Southowram 
in  1645 ;  and  of  one  Elizabeth  Cockman  of  Southowram, 
buried  in  1679 :  also  of  the  burial  of  the  Widow  of  Richard 
Cockman  of  Warley  in  1669. 

In  conjunction  with  the  Governors,  H.  Ramsden  and 
R.  Sunderland,  in  1629,  he  signs  a  recommendation  of  one 
Mr.  Crag  for  the  office  of  Usher;  and  in  1634  he  is  thrice 
mentioned  as  witness  to  a  document  concerning  the  transfer 
of  property  to  the  Governors.     (L.P.  CLV,  GLVI.) 

Thomas  Cockman,  Master  of  University  College  (1722- 
1744)  was  son  of  a  Clergyman  in  Kent.  I  have  also  met 
with  the  marriage  of  the  daughter  of  a  John  Cockman,  M.D., 
about  1725  or  so. 


IV.     16..— 1651.         MARSH,   or  MARCH. 

Watson  merely  says   "  Master  in  1649,  as   appears  from 
the  book  belonging  to  Mr.  Waterhouse's  Trustees". 
In  this  book  I  find  the  following  two  entries : — 

1649  "Paid  to  Mr.  March  Mayster  of  the  ffre  skoll". 

1650  "  To  Mr.  Marshe  Mr  of  ffreeschoole  ". 


V.     1651*— 1666.         PAUL    GREENWOOD. 

The  Greenwoods  seem  to  have  been  as  numerous  in  the 
Parish  of  Halifax  as  they  are  now.      In  the  early   part   of 


*  1651  Dec.  24  "To  Mr.  Greenewood  Mr  of  the  freschoole  £1  Os.  Od."  This 
eatry  in  the  Waterhouse  Charity  Books  shews  that  Watson  was  wrong  iu  giving 
1652  as  the  date  of  his  appointment. 


65 

the  century  a  Charles  Grreenwood,  who  had  been  fellow 
of  University  College,  was  a  travelling  Tutor  to  Thomas 
Wentworth,  afterwards  Earl  of  Strafford,  and  subsequently 
Rector  of  Thornhill  from  1612  to  1644,  and  his  friend  and 
counsellor  concerning  his  estates.  He  was  also  one  of  the 
trustees  to  whom  the  estates  of  the  Earl,  which  had  been 
lost  by  his  attainture,  were  conveyed  on  their  restoration 
by  the  King.  He  was  a  benefactor  to  University  College. 
In  1635  he  gave  £20  to  Heath  School,  and  subsequently 
bequeathed  money  for  a  School  at  Heptonstall,  by  a  will  dated 
July  14th,  1642.  There  were  also  two  Daniel  Greenwoods 
of  Sowerby,  of  whom  I  have  already  spoken,  and  others. 
But  I  do  not  find  how  our  Master  was  connected  with  them. 
In  1654  he  married  one  Judith  Newton,  and  had  several 
children,  mentioned  in  P.E.  There  is  a  daughter  of  one 
Mr.  Paul  Greenwood  of  Methley,  mentioned  as  buried  at 
Halifax  in  1670.  But  I  do  not  find  that  our  Master  was 
connected  with  Methley  at  all.  He  is  mentioned  in  1658 
and  1664  as  Curate  of  Illingworth.  He  resigned  the  Master- 
ship on  being  appointed  to  the  Vicarage  of  Dewsbury,  to 
which  he  was  instituted  May  29th,  1666'^.  He  died  Feb.  1st, 
1667-8.  The  only  mention  I  have  found  of  him  is  that  on 
Jan.  31st,  1659,  he  preached  a  sermon  at  the  funeral  of  Jonas 
Hemingway  of  Mytholme,  an  abstract  of  which  in  shorthand 
is  still  presei-ved  at  Shibden  Hall. 


VI.     1666—1688.        JOHN    DOUGHTY. 

There  are  several  Doughtys  mentioned  in  connection  with 
Ovenden ;  for  instance  Michael,  whose  name  occurs  in  Dr. 
Favour's  first  list  of  subscribers  to  the   School;    and  John, 


*  Here  again  Watson  is  wrong  in  his  date.  He  appears  in  the  Waterhonse 
Charity  Books  as  "  maister  of  ye  ffroeschool  "  under  Dec.  30, 10G5,  though  Watson 
says  he  resigned  in  1664. 


66 

who  is  mentioned  as  being  of  the  University  of  Oxford  in 
1640.  There  was  also  a  John  Doughtj-,  fellow  of  Merton 
College  in  1618,  which  may  be  the  same  as  the  preceding. 
A  John  Doughty  graduated  B.A.  at  Cambridge  in  1663, 
being  of  Caius  College  :  but  there  is  nothing  to  shew  whether 
our  Master  was  an  Oxford  or  Cambridge  man.  The  entries 
in  P.R.  which  relate  to  him  are : — 

Bap.      1668  Feb.  22")     t        tv/t,-;   t      -n       i  ^  oi  • 

Buried     „      Mar.    7  j   Jana  Mn.  Jo :  Doughty         Skircoat 

„       1 669  Oct.    31   Ux  :  [i.e.  wife]  Mri-  Jo  :  Doughty  Skircoat 

„       1688  Oct.    14  Mr-  Jones   Doughty  de    Skircote    Ludi 
Magister. 

He  received  his  last  payment  from  the  Waterhouse  Charity 

on   Sep.  5th,  1688. 

In  1681  a  John  Doughty,  perhaps  a  relative,  became  Master 

of  Repton  School. 


Vri.     1688—1728.        THOMAS    LISTER,    M.B*. 

There  were  several  families  of  Lister  in  this  neighbourhood, 
but  I  have  not  been  able  to  connect  him  with  any.  There 
was  a  Craven  family  of  the  name,  some  of  whom  were  noted 
physicians,  but  our  Master  does  not  appear  in  their  pedigree. 

Thomas    Lister    graduated    M.B.    at   Cambridge   in    1688, 
being   of   Jesus    College.       Among    the    subscribers   to    new 
Almshouses  for  the  Waterhouse  Charity  in    1724  are 
"Timothy  Booth  Is.  Od. 

"  Mr.  Lister  of  freeschool  10s.  Od.. 

I  have  said  so  much  about  him  in  the  History,  and  in 
the  account  of  Laurence  Sterne,  that  I  have  nothing  more 
to  say  here.  The  only  entry  in  P.R.  is,  "Buried  1728, 
April  25,  Mr.  Thos.  Lister,  Skircoat,  Schoolmaster". 


*  The  qualifications  of  the  Master  in  Bristol  School  were  "  Master  of  Arts,  a 
Bachelor  of  Laws  or  Physic,  of  two  years  standing  ". 


67 

A  Thomas  Lister,  B.A.,  wiiom  Wright  calls  M.A.,  was 
Curate  of  Southowram  from  1718  to  1730,  perhaps  a  relation. 
His  successor's  Licence  at  any  rate  bears  date  August  1730. 
(P.R.)  He  may  have  been  a  son  of  the  Master.  The 
signatures  of  the  two  in  the  Waterhouse  Charity  Accounts 
are  very  much  alike;  and  the  younger  one  signs  for  the 
elder  in  1727. 

*»*  Since  the  above  was  in  type,  I  have  seen  a  memorandum  book  of  Mr.  James 
Lister,  of  Shibdeu  Hall,  for  1703,  in  which  ho  says  "  Paid  to  Coz.  Lister  of  free 
school  .  .  .  ten  shillings ".  I  have  also  seen  the  Ledger  of  the  principal 
Apothecary  of  Halifax,  in  which  there  are  numerous  accounts  due  from  Thomas 
Lister  of  free  school,  and  among  them  "  Harry  Scolfeild's  bill ",  he  being  probably 
a  boarder. 


VIII^.     1730—1731.         CHRISTOPHER    JACKSON,    B.A. 

There  were  many  Jacksons  who  held  livings  at  Doncaster 
and  the  neighbourhood,  Adel,  Penistone,  and  Sowerby,  just 
before  his  time.  Two  were  named  Christopher,  one  at 
Doncaster  and  one  at  Sowerby.  Perhaps  he  was  connected 
tvith  their  family. 

He  soon  resigned  his  post :  and  nothing  more  is  found 
about  him.  Even  his  signature  does  not  occur  in  the 
Waterhouse  Charity  Books. 


IX.    1731—1733.        EDWARD    TOPHAM,    B.A. 

Topham  seems  to  have  been  a  common  clerical  name 
in  Yorkshire.  Seven  of  that  name  held  livings  in  Craven 
within  100  years.  The  most  celebrated  one  of  that  name 
was  Francis  Topham,  LL.D.,  1739,  Dean  of  the  Arches  in 
York  in  the  middle  of  the  eighteenth  centuryf.  There  was 
a  monument  in  old  Doncaster  Church  to  an  Edward  Topham, 
who  was  born  about  1752,  and  had  been  educated  at 
Trinity  College,  Cambridge. 

*  There  was  no  Master  from  April  1728  to  some  time  in  1730. 

t  He  was  satirised  by  Laurence  Sterne.     See  Fitzgerald's  Life  of  Sterne. 


68 

Our  Master  graduated  B.A.  at  Cambridge  in  1729,  being 
of  Trinity  College,  of  which  he  afterwards  became  a  Fellow. 
Wright  gives  Matthew  as  the  name  of  our  Master.  It  is 
singular  that  there  was  a  Matthew  Topham  of  St.  John's, 
who  graduated  B.A.  in  1727,  and  was  consequently  at  St. 
John's  when  Wright  was.  Perhaps  he  was  a  relation  and 
assisted  Edward. 

Edward  Topham,  according  to  Watson,  published  a  sermon 
preached  in   Selby  Church,  of  which  I  know  nothing. 


X.    1733— 1744.         JOHN    HOLDSWORTH,    M.A. 

This  Master  may  have  been  a  relation  of  Thomas 
Holds  worth,  who  had  the  Cure  of  Southowram  from  1730 
to  1746. 

He  was  licenced  Curate  of  Coley  in  Nov.,  1733,  but  I 
do  not  know  whether  that  was  before  or  after  his  appoint- 
ment to  the  Mastership.  He  vacated  that  Cure  on  being 
appointed  Lecturer  of  the  Parish  Church  in  July  1 740, , 
apparently  on  the  resignation  of  the  Eev.  Fraacis  Parratt*, 
who  had  been  Lecturer  for  50  years.  He  was  married, 
for  shortly  after  his  death  there  appears  in  the  Governors' 
accounts  an  entry  of  a  sum  of  money  paid  to  "  Widdow 
Holdsworth  ". 

His  burial  is  thus  entered  in  P.R. : — 
"  1744,  Apr.  27.,  The  Eev.  John  Holdsworth  M.A.  Lecturer 
and  Master  of  the  Free  School  of  Halifax ". 


XI.    1744—1753.         SAMUEL    OGDEN,    M.A. 

"June  11.  Mr.  Samuel  Ogden  was  on  the  .  .  .  day 
of  this  instant  duly  nominated.  The  said  (S.  0.)  has  took 
his  Corporall  Oath."      (Governors'  Minute   Book.) 


*  Spelled  Parrott,  Parrot,  Perrott,  Parratt,  Parrat.  Mr.  Holdsworth's  Licence 
is  dated  July  8th,  17^0,  but  Mr.  Parratt  did  not  die  till  December  23rd,  1741. 
He  spells  the  name  himself  Parratt  in  signiug  a  receipt. 


Rev.  SAMUEL  OGDEN,  D.D. 


From  a  Chalk  Drawing  in  the  Master'' s  Lodge,   St.  John^s   College,  Cambridge, 
by  the  kind  permission  of  the  Rev.  W.   II.  Bateson,  D.D. 


PHOTOGRArllED  BY  T,    IlLINGWOKTU,    HALIFAX. 


69 

He  was  the  most  celebrated  of  all  who  became  Masters 
of  the  School,  and  we  have  a  good  deal  of  information 
about  him.  He  was  born  at  Manchester,  July  28th,  1716, 
the  son  of  Thomas  Ogden  a  dyer,  and  the  grandson  of  an 
old  Puritan  Divine.  He  was  educated  at  the  Grammar 
School  of  Manchester,  Henry  Brooke  of  Oriel  College  being 
then  Master.  He  went  up  to  Cambridge  in  1733  as  subsizer^ 
of  King's  College,  but  in  1736  migrated  to  St.  John's,  where 
he  became  Scholar,  and  in  March  1739  Fellow.  He  graduated 
B.A.  1737,  M.A.  1741,  B.D.  1748,  D.D.  1753.  He  was 
appointed  Curate  of  Coley  when  only  in  Deacon's  Orders, 
in  Feb.  1740-1 1,  and  Curate  of  Elland  in  June  1747.  He 
was  ordained  Deacon  by  the  Bishop  of  Chester  in  June  1740, 
and  Priest  by  the  Bishop  of  Lincoln  in  November  1741. 
He  resigned  his  Mastership  in  March  1753,  and  then  went 
to  reside  on  his  Fellowship  at  St.  John's,  but  he  continued 
to  hold  the  Curacy  of  Elland  until  1762.  His  successor 
Avas  George  Burnet,  whose  Licence  is  dated  Jan.  19th,  1762. 
Watson  puts  Burnet's  appointment  in  Nov.  1747,  but  he 
probably  became  Ogden's  deputy  then.  In  1753  the  Duke 
of  Newcastle,  Chancellor  of  the  University,  visited  Cambridge, 
and  was  present  at  the  Disputation  which  Mr.  Ogden  con- 
ducted for  his  Degree  of  D.D.  His  Grace  was  so  pleased 
with  his  performance,  that  he  afterwards  presented  him 
to  the  Vicarage  of  Damerhani  in  Wiltshire,  an  appointment 
which  he  could  hold  with  his  Fellowship.  In  1758  he 
published    two     sermons     which     he     preached     before     the 


*  A  subsizer  would  be  one  of  the  lowest  of  the  sizars,  or  waiters  on  the  fellows. 
This  institution  helped  to  raise  many  men  of  greater  wits  than  means  to  high 
positions  in  the  University. 

t  How  little  we  can  depend  on  printed  books !  In  a  Memoir  prefixed  to  his 
sermons  by  Dr.  Hallifax  he  is  spoken  of  as  being  elected  Master  in  1744,  and 
then  appointed  to  Coley,  bu.t  his  Licence  is  dated  1740,  according  to  the  copy 
in  P.R.  Thoresby  also  says  that  he  was  afterwards  appointed  to  Coley, 


70 

University,  and  prefixed  to  tiiera  "a  handsome  dedication" 
to  His  Grace.  In  1764  he  was  appointed  to  the  Woodwardian 
Professorship  of  Geology:  it  shews  the  sad  state  of  things 
at  that  time,  that  he  had  to  pay  100  guineas^  for  his 
appointment.  In  1765  and  1776  he  was  an  unsuccessful 
Candidate  for  the  Mastership  of  the  College.  In  1766  he 
exchanged  the  living  of  Damerham,  which  was  so  far  from 
his  beloved  Cambridge,  for  the  Rectory  of  Stansfield  in 
Suffolk ;  and  in  the  same  year  was  presented  by  his  College 
to  the  Rectory  of  Lawford  in  Essex.  He  had  never  been 
an  idle  man :  for  some  time,  after  he  went  to  reside  on  his 
Fellowship,  he  had  the  charge  of  St.  Sepulchre's  Church 
in  Cambridge,  where  he  "  was  constantly  attended  by  a 
numerous  audience,  consisting  principally  of  the  younger 
members  of  the  University  ".  It  is  a  pity  that  Halifax  could 
not  retain  him,  but  Schoolmasters  do  not  find  much  favour 
anywhere ;  and  it  is  a  wonder  that  he  stayed  here  so  long 
as  he  did,  for  his  income,  varying  with  the  proceeds  of  the 
School  estates,  was  in  1744  only  £36,  in  1745  £37,  in  1738 
£31  10s.,  and  1748  £30,  though  in  the  latter  year  the  Governors 
gave  him  "  liberty  to  let  the  School-house  and  lands ",  he 
probably  having  a  house  at  Elland  to  reside  in.  He  had 
a  paralytic  stroke  in  1777  and  died  March  22nd,  1778;  he 
was  buried  in   St.   Sepulchre's  Church. 

I  will  add  to  this  a  brief  description  of  him,  derived 
from  Whitaker's  edition  of  Thoresby's  Ducatus  Leodiensis. 
He  was  stout,  athletic,  sallow,  stern,  and  had  vivid  black 
eyes.  The  tone  of  his  voice  was  deep  and  solemn.  His 
manner  in  preaching  was  impressive;  his  sentences  were 
concise  and  pointed  ;  his  style  was  of  the  purest  taste. 
"He  was  one  of  those  gifted  orators  who  equally  attract 
the   learned   and  the   illiterate;    who  are   heard   with  equal 

*  So  savs  Nichols  ia  his  Literary  Anecdotes, 


71 

admiration  and  delight  in  the  pulpit  of  a  University  or  by 
a  congregation  of  peasants^ ".  Add  to  this  what  T  have 
said  in  Chap.  YIII.  I  have  also  found  in  the  writings  of  a 
contemporary  the  following  statements,  worth  preserving. 
After  speaking  of  him  as  "a  very  eccentric  character ",  he 
says : — "  He  was  a  man  of  good  property ;  and,  although  in 
many  instances  very  penurious,  yet  he  was  remarkably  fond 
of  good  living,  and  had  upon  one  occasion  characterised  the 
goose  as  a  silly  bird — too  much  for  one,  and  not  enough  for 
two.  He  would  dine  out  whenever  he  had  an  opportunity,  but 
pleaded  his  age  and  infirmities  for  asking  no  one  in  return  ". 

"He  was  always  unsaccessful  in  his  applications  for  pre- 
ferment. It  was  only  his  reputed  wealth  that  made  him 
a  produceahle  man,  for  he  was  singularly  uncouth  in  his 
manner,  and  spoke  his  mind  very  freely  upon  all  occasions  ". 
"  Prom  the  singularity  of  Dr.  Ogden's  manner,  as  well  of 
his  matter,  he  was  very  popular  in  the  pulpit :  he  preached 
at  the  Round  Church  [i.  e.,  St.  Sepulchre's],  which  was 
always  crowded.  His  successor  in  the  parish  was  Dr.  Hallifax, 
who  affected  his  tone  and  manner  of  delivery,  but  did  not 
succeed  in  attracting  so  numerous  a  congregation ". 

Dr.  Hallifax  published  a  volume  of  Dr.  Ogden's  sermons, 
which  he  had  prepared  for  the  press  before  his  death. 
They  are  52  in  number,  and  so  brief,  that  each  would  take 
about  ten  minutes  to  read  aloud :  in  fact  he  had  adopted 
the  unusual  method  of  reducing  them  to  the  smallest  possible 
compass,  so  that  the  passages  of  Scripture  which  are  quoted 
seem  out  of  all  proportion  to  the  rest  of  the  sermon.  They 
were  popular  enough  to  be  reprinted :  indeed  the  copy  which 
I  possess  is  the  Fourth  Edition.  In  the  Memoir  prefixed 
to  them  Dr.  Hallifax  says : — "  In  common  life  there  was 
a   real   or   apparent   rusticity   attending   his    address,    which 

*  "  The  celebrated  preacher,  Dr.  OgJen  ".     Nichols'  Illustrations. 


72 

disgusted  those  who  were  strangers  to  his  character.  But 
this  prejudice  soon  wore  oS,  as  the  intimacy  with  him 
increased  ;  and  notwithstanding  the  sternness  and  even 
ferocity  he  would  sometimes  throw  into  his  countenance,  he 
was  in  truth  one  of  the  most  humane  and  tender-hearted 
men  I  have  known". 

I  will  conclude  this  account  with  a  bon  mot  attributed 
to  him.  One  day  he  was  at  a  dinner  given  by  Lord 
Hardwick  to  the  Authorities  of  the  University,  when  a  butler 
drew  a  bottle  of  pale  brandy  by  mistake  for  champagne. 
The  Doctor  emptied  his  glass.  His  Lordship  at  once 
expressed  his  surprise  that  he  had  not  noticed  the  mistake. 
"  I  did  not  remark  it  to  you,  my  Lord ",  said  he,  "  because 
I  felt  it  my  duty  to  take  whatever  you  thought  proper  to 
offer,  if  not  with  pleasure,  at  least  in  silence". 

"  He  published  two  sermons,  preached  before  the  University 
in  1758;  one  from  1  Thess.  v.  13,  on  May  29th,  being  the 
anniversary  of  the  Restoration  of  King  Charles  II;  the 
other  from  Deut.  iv.  6,  on  June  22nd,  being  the  anniversary 
of  His  Majesty  King  George  II".  "He  also  published 
some  sermons   on  the  efficacy  of  Prayer  and   Intercession". 

"  Soon  after  the  death  of  his  father  in  1 766,  he  wrote 
a  Latin  Epitaph  to  his  memory,  and  caused  it  to  be  fixed 
at  his  own  expense  on  a  marble  tablet  in  the  Collegiate 
Church  in  Manchester". 


XII.     1753—1771.        THOMAS    WEST,    B.A. 

He  was  elected  in  April  1753,  and  sworn  in  on  August 
22nd;  he  entered  on  his  duties  in  September.  He  was  in 
Orders,  when  elected.  The  only  Graduate  of  the  name,  that 
I  can  find,  was  of  Emmanuel  College,  Cambridge,  B.A.  1736. 

A  Thomas  West  was  Curate  of  Luddenden  from  1761 
to  1769,  and  of  Ripponden  from  1770  to  1795.  The  Ripponden 
Register  says  "The  Rev.  Mr.  T.  West  A.B.  entered  to  the 


Rev.   RICHARD   HUDSON,   M.A. 
^.T.  86. 


From  ail  Engraving  in  the  possession  <?/"  Rev.  James  Hope, 
and  by  his  kind  permission. 


PllOTOGKAl'lIHU    liY    T.    Il.LINGWOKTII,    HaLIKAX. 


73 

curacy  of  Eipponden  15  July  1770".  On  his  gravestone 
he  is  mentioned  as  having  died  Nov.  1st,  1795,  in  the  82nd 
year  of  his  age.  His  wife  Mary  died  March  27th,  1784, 
in  the  74th  year  of  her  age. 

Among  the  marriages  in  1747,  in  P.R.,  we  find  "July  14, 
Tho :  West,  Clerk,  and  Mary  Allenson  Hal.  Spr. ",  so  that 
he  was  probably  resident  in  this  neighbourhood  before  his 
appointment  to  Heath  School.         , 


XIII.     1771—1782.         RICHAED    HUDSON,    M.A. 

He  graduated  B.A.  at  Cambridge  in  1768,  being  of 
Queen's  College.  He  was  the  Eighth  Wrangler  of  his  year, 
and  became  Fellow  of  his  College.  He  proceeded  M.A.  in 
1771.  In  1770  we  find  him  Lecturer  of  the  Parish  Church; 
and  on  June  11th,  1771,  he  was  elected  Master  of  the  School, 
an  ofiice  which  he  held  until  his  election  to  Hipperholme 
School,  April  25th,  1782.  He  removed  there  in  the  following 
June.  He  is  mentioned  in  1787  under  Halifax  as  subscribing 
£5  5s.  Od.  to  the  New  Bells  at  the  Parish  Church.  He 
seems  to  have  been  connected  with  Hipperholme  by  birth. 
In  1739  one  Rev.  Thomas  Hudson  is  described  as  "late  of 
Hipperholme"  in  a  tablet  to  the  memory  of  a  child  buried 
at  Coley.  He  became  Master  of  Bingley  School  and  died 
in  1756.  He  had  another  son  Thomas  who  became  Fellow 
of  Christ's  College,  and  was,  if  I  am  not  mistaken,  Vicar  of 
Idle,  and  died  Master  of  Bingley  School,  in  1785.  He  had 
also  a  daughter  Martha,  who  was  the  second  wife  of  the 
Rev.  Richard  Hartley,  Vicar  of  Bingley.  Their  son,  who 
was  also  named  Richard,  was  Master  of  the  School  and 
Vicar  of  Bingley,  and  married  as  his  second  wife  Martha, 
the  daughter  of  our  Master.  But  there  are  earlier  notices 
of  the  Hudsons  both  at  Bingley  and  Hipperholme.  Thomas 
Hudson  of  Bingley  brings  before  the  Pious  Uses  Commission 
in  1619  notice  of  the  will  of  Michael  Broadley.      Matthew 


'74 

Broadley   the    founder   of    the   School   at   Hipperholme,   had 

lands  there,   and   Mr.    Sunderland   afterwards   added  to   the 

endowment  out  of  lands  at  Bingley,     A  Richard  Hudson  had 

a  seat  in  Lightcliffe  Church  in  1634 ;    and  a  Martha  Hudson's 

name    also   occurs  in  a  List  of  Missionary  Subscriptions  in 

1653j  preserved   by   Brearciiffe.      Hence   "we  may  infer   that 

when  Richard  Hudson  left  Heath  for  Hipperholme,  he  went 

there  for  the   sake  of  old  associations,  many   generations  of 

his  family  having  lived  in  that  Township.      He  died  March 

28th,  1835,  and  was  buried  at  Coley.      There  is  a  Tablet  to 

his   memory   in   the    Church,    on   which    it  is   recorded   that 

he  was  "Master  of  Hipperholme   53  years,  C5  yrs   Lecturer 

of  Halifax,  Incumbent  of  Bolderstone*  n''  Sheffield,  and  Vicar 

of  Cockerham  n^^-  Lancaster.      Integer  Vitse  ". 

In  P.R.  1661  Oct.  16.  buried,  "Eich:  Rich:  Hudson     Hipp". 

„        1727  June  11.  married  "Abraham   Speight  Clothi'  & 
Drusillah  Hudson  of  Hipperholme  ". 

In  1731,  Thomas  Hudson  had  a  lease  (£9  per  ann :) 
from  the  Waterhouse  Charity,  as  appears  in  the  Charity's 
Accounts. 

In   1734,      Thomas   Hudson   is    a    Trustee    under    Grace 

Ramsden's   will   by   which   lands  in  Bingley  were  given  for 

a  School  in  Elland. 

1746.    Dec.  5,  married  at  Lightcliffe,  "Mr.  Josh.   Garthside 

and  Mrs.  Unice  Hudson". 

1790.  Jan.  21,  buried  at  Coley,  "Elizli  Wife  of  Rich<l  Hudson, 

Clerk,  Hip". 


XIV.     1783—1788.        GOUGH  WILLIS  KEMPSON,  M.A. 
He  was  of  Christ  Church,  Oxford,  B.A.,  1773;    M.A.,  1779. 
He  was  in  Orders :    he  is  styled  Rev.  as  a  subscriber  to 
the   Parish   Church  Bells  of  £1   Is.  Od.  in   1787.      He   was 

*  Called  also  Bolsterstone,  aud  Bolterstone,  near  Woitley. 


75 

"nominated  and  elected"  Jan.  15tli,  1783,  Mr.  Moss^  having 
carried  on  the  School  from  June  to  December  1782.  He 
was  evidently  of  an  antiquarian  family,  as  both  Gough  and 
Willis  were  celebrated  antiquarians.  He  resigned  his 
Mastership  Dec.   11th,   1788. 


XV.     1789—1839.        EGBERT    WILKINSGNf. 

He  was  'nominated'  Dec.  18th,  1788,  and  'elected' 
Feb.  4th,  1789,  according  to  the  Governors'  Book.  In  1790 
he  was  appointed  Vicar  of  Darton  near  Barnsley  on  the  death 
of  Mr.  Fisher  in  August,  by  Col.  Beaumont.  His  salary 
was  at  first  £75,  afterwards  increased  to  £80.  In  1826, 
the  Charity  Commission  recommended  an  increase  to  his 
salary,  the  Governors  having  been  saving  up  money  for 
other  purposes ;  they  say  "  It  appears  to  us,  regard  being 
had  to  the  amount  of  the  revenues  and  to  the  services  of 
the  present  Master  (to  whose  stipend  no  addition  appears 
to  have  been  made  for  upwards  of  thirty  years)  that  he  has 
a  fair  claim  to  a  very  considerable  increase  of  salary,  and 
that  however  commendable  it  may  be  to  provide  for  the 
future  prosperity,  in  point  of  revenue,  of  the  charity,  that 
object  has  in  this  instance  obtained  too  exclusive  a  degree 
of  attention,  at  the  expense  of  him  who  is  to  be  considered 
principally  interested  in  the  trust  property,  as  tenant  for 
life".      (Crabtree,  p.  177;.      In   March   1827   the   Governors 


*  I  am  told  that  the  Eev.  Anthony  Moss,  who  was  afterwards  Curate  of 
lUingworth,  was  one  of  the  Masters  of  the  School :  but  the  Governors  speak  of  a 
Bev.  Matthew  Moss,  whose  widow  is  mentioned  in  1799  in  their  Books. 

t  He  was  in  Orders  before  1777,  for  he  signs  a  marriage  certificate  in  P.E.  on 
Jan.  5th,  1777,  as  "Assistant  Curate  of  Lightchffe ".  He  became  Curate  of 
Lightcliffe  in  1782,  entering  on  the  Curacy  on  July  7th.  On  July  15th,  1782,  he 
married  Sarah  Eobinson  of  Hipperholme  at  the  Parish  Church.  He  is  said  to 
have  been  a  native  of  Cumberland,  which  county  he  visited  often ;  but  in  Coley 
Register  there  occurs  a  baptism  of  a  daughter  of  llobt.  Wilkinson  of  Hipperholme 
in  1763,  and  a  burial  of  Robt.  Wilkinson  of  Shelfe  in  1789, 


76 

resolved  that  "  the  Mr.  receive  the  whole  Income  of  the 
Charity,  deducting  the  actual  expenses,  and  also  receive  the 
interest  on  sum  reserved  for  contingencies  .  .  .  and  exercise 
his  discretion  in  the  choice  and  payment  of  an  Usher  ". 

There  is  an  account  of  the  dinner  given  him  just  before 
his  death  in  the  Halifax  Guardian  of  Dec.  21st,  1839. 

The  Tablet  erected  to  his  memory  in  the  Parish  Church 
is  as  follows  : — 

M.    S. 

Eoberti  Wilkinson       S.  T.  B. 

Scholae  Pvblicae  in  agro  Skircotiano 

Annos  plvs  qvam    L. 

Praefecti  Optvmi. 

Vixit  ann.   LXXXVI.      Decessit  A.   S.   MDCCCXXXIX. 

•  Et  Sarae  vxoris  eivs  praestantissimae. 

Vixit  ann.   LXXIII.      Decessit  A.   S.  MDCCCXXXIII. 
Erat  ille  si  qvis  alivs 
In  pveris  institvendis 
Strenvvs    Solers    Sanctvs. 
Haec   vero   in  domestica  discipvlorvm  cvra 
Cvstos   vniee   fidelis 
Patrona   benignissima 
Et  tantvm   non  mater. 
Ossibvs   amborvm   in   eodem   sepvlcro 
Provt   mvtvvm   amorem   decebat 

Alibi   conditis 

Hoc   monvmentvm    pietatis   ergo 

Grati   alvmni 

P.   C. 

All  his  old  pupils  speak  highly  of  Mrs.  Wilkinson,  who 
is  described  in  the  epitaph  as  "tantum  non  mater",  i.  e., 
"■  all  but  a  mother  ".  He  had  a  large  family.  I  have  counted 
eight  in  the  Lightcliffe  Register,  sons  and  daughters,  but 
they  died  young  except  three  (?)  daughters,  two  of  whom 
were  married. 


Rev.  JOHN  HENRY  GOOCH,  M.A. 


From  a  Pkctography  by  t/ie  kind  permission  of  Mrs.  Smith  aw^  Miss  GoocH, 


Photographed  by  T.  Illincwokth,  Halifax. 


77 

XVI*.     1840—1861.        JOHN    HENRY    GOOCH,    M.A. 

Mr.  Gooch  was  a  native  of  SuiTolk,  and  educated  by 
his  father,  until  he  went  up  to  Trinity  College,  Cambridge, 
where  he  gained  several  Prizes  and  a  Scholarship.  He 
graduated  B.A.  in  1834,  when  he  was  14th  Wrangler,  and 
in  the  3rd  class  of  the  Classical  Tripos.  He  became  M.A. 
1837.  From  1838  to  1840  he  was  Assistant  Master  at 
Wakefield  Proprietary  School,  under  the  Eev.  G.  A.  Butterton, 
B.D.  He  was  for  two  years  Incumbent  of  Alverthorpe,  near 
Wakefield.  By  marrying  the  daughter  of  F.  Maude,  Esq., 
of  Alverthorpe,  he  brought  back  into  the  parish  of  Halifax 
a  descendant  from  the  old  family  of  the  Maudes  who  lived 
in  Stainland  more  than  300  years  ago,  a  member  of  which 
family  was  Vicar  of  Wakefield  in  Dr.  Favour's  time,  and 
figures  in  his  subscription  List. 

Mr.  Gooch  published  a  Sermon  on  the  death  of  Mr. 
Atkinson,  Curate  of  EUand;  an  Address  to  "the  Halifax 
Church  School  Teachers'  Association"  in  1854;  and  a  book 
on  the  Church  Catechism  for  Schools,  which  reached  a 
second  edition  in    1860. 

He  died  July  22nd,  1861,  leaving  behind  him  a  widow, 
but  no  children. 


XVII.     1861.        THOMAS    COX,    M.A. 

Mr.  Cox  received  his  education  at  Birmingham  Grammar 
School  under  the  Rev.  Dr.  Jeune  (Late  Bishop  of  Peterborough) 
and  the  Eev.  Mr.  Lee  (Late  Bishop  of  Manchester).  He 
proceeded  to  St.  John's  College,  Cambridge,  where  he  gained 
several  Prizes,  and  became  a  Foundation  Scholar  of  the 
College  and  Sub-sacrist.  He  took  his  degree  of  B.A.  in 
1845  and  M.A.  1848.      He  was  35th  Sen.  Opt.,  and  5th  in 


*  Mr.  Sleap's  name  is  omitted  from  the  list,  as,  though  elected,  he  never  took 
the  Official  Oath. 


78 

the  First  Class  of  the  Classical  Tripos.  He  was  one  of  the 
Masters  at  the  Preston  Grammar  School  from  1850  to  1857, 
and  Principal  of  Avenham  House  School  from  1858  to  1861. 
He  was  elected  Master  of  Heath  School,  August  28th,  1861, 
out  of  45  Candidates,  and  qualified  September  18th. 

In  July  1871  he  was  nominated  by  the  Ven.  Archdeacon 
Musgrave,  Vicar  of  Halifax,  to  the  office  of  Afternoon 
Lecturer  at  the  Parish  Church,  an  appointment  by  which 
he  also  acts  as  Chaplain  to  Waterhouse's  Charity. 

He  has  published  "  Two  Lectures  on  the  state  of  Education 
in  the  Sixteenth  Century",  1869 :  and  "Six  Sermons  delivered 
at  the  Parish  Church,  Hahfax",   1878. 

He  has  also  delivered  in  Halifax  Lectures  on  "  Education 
in  the  Sixteenth  Century ",  "  Universities  and  Degrees ", 
"The  Tale  of  Troy  Divine,  illustrated  by  readings  from 
Homer",  "The  Patron  Saints  of  England,  Scotland,  and 
Ireland ",  "  The  Dark  Ages ",  "  Influence  of  the  Church  on 
the  State  prior  to  the  Reformation",  "The  Amenities  of 
Etymology  ",  "  Words  ",  "  The  History  of  the  Formation  of 
the  Book  of  Common  Prayer ",  "  The  Irruption  of  the 
Barbarians  into  Europe ",  and  some  others.  He  also  wrote 
the  Address  presented  to  the  late  Archdeacon  Musgrave  on 
completing  his  eightieth  year,  the  inscription  on  the  Verger's 
Mace  presented  to  the  Church  by  the  Archdeacon's  sons, 
the  Libretto  of  Dr.  Roberts'  "Jonah",  and  Verses  on  the 
occasion  of  the  public  thanksgiving  for  the  recovery  of  the 
Prince  of  Wales  in  1872. 


The  Election  of  the  Master  had  to  be  confirmed  by  the 
Archbishop  of  York,  until  the  new  Scheme  of  the  Endowed 
Schools  Commission.  I  do  not  know  whether  the  Master-elect 
had  to  appear  in  person  before  His  Grace.  The  only  trace 
of  a  "  Presentation ",  which  I  have  found  since  that  of  the 


THOMAS    COX,    M.A. 


Photographed  1879 


Photogkaphf.d  by  T.  Illingworth,  Hal^ax. 


79 

Fi.'st  Master,  is  in  an  entry  in  the  Governors'  Books  under 
1753: — "Drawing  ye  Presentation  3..  6.",  a  lawyer's  fee, 
probably.  As  I  have  already  given  the  first,  I  will  now 
give  the  last  ^^Presentation". 

To  the  Most  Eeverend  Father  in  God  Charles  Thomas 
by  Divine  Providence  Lord  Archbishop  of  York  primate 
of  England  and  Metropolitan  or  to  any  person  or  persons 
having  sufficient  authority  in  this  behalf. 

We  the  Governors  of  the  Free  Grammar  School  of  Queen 
Elizabeth  in  the  Parish  and  Vicarage  of  Halifax  in  the 
County  of  York  the  true  and  undoubted  Patrons  of  the 
Mastership  of  the  said  Grammar  School  send  Greeting. 

We  present  to  your  Grace  our  well  beloved  in  Christ 
The  Reverend  Thomas  Cox,  Clerk,  Master  of  Arts,  (who 
hath  been  duly  nominated  and  elected  by  us  Master  of  the 
said  Grammar  School  in  the  room  of  the  Reverend  John 
Henry  Gooch  Clerk,  Master  of  Arts  deceased  the  last  Master 
thereof)  for  your  Grace's  approval  as  Master  of  the  said 
School.  And  we  do  humbly  pray  that  you  would  be  graciously 
pleased  to  approve  of  such  our  nomination  and  election. 

In  witness  whereof  we  have  hereunto  affixed  our  Common 
Seal  this  twenty  eighth  day  of  August  in  the  year  of 
our   Lord   one   thousand  eijjht   hundred   and   sixty   one. 


CHAPTER    XI. 

LISTS    OP    MASTERS,    USHERS,    AND    SPECIAL    EXAMINERS. 


1.     MASTERS. 


1600—16.. 
16..— 1629 
1629—164. 


1651- 
1666- 
1U88- 
1728- 
1730- 
1731- 
1733- 
1744- 
1753- 
1771- 
1783- 
1789- 
1840- 
1861 


-1666 
-1688 
-1728 
-1730 
1731 
-1733 
-1744 
-1753 
-1771 
-1782 
-1788 
-1839 
-1861 


Richard  Wilkinson,  B.A. 
Robert  Byrron 
Francis  Cockman 

March,  or  Marshe  * 

Paul  Greenwood 

John  Doughty,  M.A. 

Thomas  Lister,  M.B. 

(No  Master) 

Christopher  Jackson,  B.A. 

Edward  Topham,  B.A. 

John  Holdsworth,  M.A. 

Samuel  Ogden,  M.A. 

Thomas  "West,  M.A. 

Richard  Hudson,  M.A. 

Gough  Willis  Kempson,  M.A. 

Robert  Wilkinson 

John  Henry  Gooch,  M.A. 

Thomas  Cox,  M.A. 


Curate  of  Illingworth 


f  Curate  of  Coley 
I  Lecturer  of  Halifax 
f  Curate  of  Coley 
I  Curate  of  Elland 
f  Curate  of  Luddenden 
( Curate  of  Ripponden 
Lecturer  of  Halifax 


( Curate  of  Lightcliffe 
I  and  Vicar  of  Darton 
Curate  of  Stainland 

Lecturer  of  Halifax 


Died,  April,  1629 


Resigned 

Died,  Oct  ,  1688 

Died,  Apr.,  1728 

Resigned 

Resigned 

Died,  Apr.,  1744 

Resigned 

Resigned 

Resigned 

Resigned 

Died,  Dec,  1839 

Died,  July,  1861 


*  Mentioned  in  1649  &  1650. 


Fac-similes  of  Autographs. 


As  many  persons  feel  an  interest  in  Autographs,  I  lay 
before  them  a  page  for  their  gratification.  All  but  Mr. 
Gooch's  and  Mr.  Cox's  are  to  be  found  in  the  Account 
Books  of  the  Waterhouse  Charity,  appended  to  receipts  for 
a  sum  of  money  bequeathed  by  Nathaniel  Waterhouse  to 
the  School.  R.  Sterne  and  E.  Taylor  were  the  Governors 
appointed  in  1730  to  receive  the  sums  payable  to  the  estate. 
Since  Mr.  Wilkinson's  time  the  bequest  has  been  paid 
directly  to  the  Governors. 


ft<n^f^ 


nmt 


Sf.Skn^y.      ^C^^O^ 


^-^(mtoO  ^^^^rS^'?^^*^  J^^T^a^^^ 


yr^7//.4^Wf 


Ja.yn-:      (7  9c6e^(-.  J1i'^'/n^\ 


(ZM-n^-^^a-c^ 


J A^Tf^^a^^-Y^ t^jt' 


81 


Years  in  which  2.     USHERS*. 

their  names  are 
mentioned. 

160.  Hubert     (L.P.) 

1629  Crag,   a  Graduate  of  Cambridge.     (B.) 

1632  Robert  Bolton,  buried  May  11th,   1632.      (P.R.) 

1671  (?)  Thomas   Preston,   described  in  P.R.  as  Ludimagister. 

1727  (?)  Abraham  Milnerf. 

1744.Tan.ll         Richard   SutcUffe,   Curate   of  LightcUffe  in   1752;    Master   of 
Hipperholme  School  before   1771;    died  1782. 

1757  Fish. 

1759  Bland. 

1763  George  Hutchinson,  resigned. 

1770  July  2  David  Sutcliffe,   in  orders  before  1775. 

1782  Houghton. 

,,  Matthew  Moss,  died  about  1799. 

1818  Sutcliflfe  ;     afterwards    Curate    of    Barton,    under    Mr. 

Wilkinson,  and  Master  of  Barnsley  School. 

181 .  Joseph    Edwards  ;     afterwards    a    Master    in    King's    College 

School,  London. 

N.B. — There  was  no  Usher  appointed  by  the  Governors 
for  many  years,  Mr.  Wilkinson  receiving  the  whole  Income 
and  choosing  and  paying  Assistants  at  his  pleasure,  so  that 
it  is  doubtful  whether  the  two  preceding  were  really  Ushers. 
In  1840,  the  Governors  resumed  their  rights,  which  they 
exercised  until  the  Scheme  of  the  Endowed  Schools  Commission 


*  Grammar  Schools  were  generally  provided  with  two  Masters,  technically 
called  '  The  Master '  and  '  The  Usher '.  The  latter  had  half  the  pay  of  the 
former,  but  the  tenure  of  office  was  the  same  in  both  cases.  I  have  never  been 
able  to  trace  the  latter  office  to  its  origin.  It  was  evident^  well  established  at  the 
time  of  the  Reformation.  The  word  itself  is  of  ecclesiastical  origin,  but  there 
seems  a  confusion  of  two  words  Hostiarhis  (a  person  who  provided  the  bread  for 
the  Hostia)  and  Ostiarius  (a  person  who  kept  the  Ostium  or  door) ;  the  one  has 
supplied  the  French  Huissier,  the  other  the  English  Usher.  In  schools,  it  denoted 
the  Master,  who  had  the  charge  of  the  younger  pupils,  sometimes  called  the 
Fettles  or  Pettites,  and  taught  them  the  Latin  Grammar.  At  Heath  School,  the 
Usher  was  appointed  by  the  Governors,  who,  however,  had  to  consult  the  Master 
as  to  his  fitness  for  the  post. 

t  Richard  Sterne  in  one  of  his  letters  in  1727  says  "  One  Mr.  Abraham  Milner, 

a  petty   Schoolmaster,   was  concerned   in   getting   subscriptions "  fer   the   new 

Charter.     I  find  in  P.R.  the  following : — 

•MT      •  A  -iHAn   ^         of  Abrm.  Milner  Schoolmaster 
Married  1740,  Jan.    8  {   ^^^  ^^^^  -^.^^^.^^  ^^1   Sp^._ 

Buried  1748,  Aug.  28  {  ^^"-  ^^'^''''  ^^^-  bookseller 


and  Mary  Milner  his  Wife. 


82 


came  into  operation,  from  which  time  the  appointment  and 
dismissal  of  all  Assistant  Masters  rest  with  the  Head  Master. 


Date  of  appointment. 

1840 

Feb. 

7. 

William  Augustus  Marsh, 

B.A.. 

Pembroke  Coll. 

Camb. 

1841 

Jan. 

Eev,  Joshua  Waltham, 

B.A. 

St.  John's     ,, 

>> 

Nov. 

26. 

John  Gooch, 

B.A. 

Caius             „ 

1843 

Jan. 

30. 

William  Henry  Parr, 

B.A. 

Catherine  Hall 

1844 

July 

24. 

Charles  Wilmot  Hardy, 

B.A. 

Trinity       Coll. 

1849 

Jan. 

8. 

Frederick  Kussell, 

B.A. 

,,               ,, 

1850 

July 

12. 

William  Kirby, 

B.A. 

Jesus             ,, 

1852 

Jan. 

19. 

David  Bellamy, 

B.A. 

Catherine  Hall 

1857 

Feb. 

5. 

John  William  Earnshaw, 

B.A. 

„            ,, 

1859 

Jan. 

31. 

Edward  Carter, 

B.A. 

New  Coll. 

Oxfd. 

1861 

Sept. 

18. 

John  Cox  Edwards, 

B.A. 

Emmanuel  Coll 

Camb 

1862 

Oct. 

20. 

William  Chantler  Whitehead,  B.A. 

St.  John's       ,, 

„ 

1864 

Aug. 

James  Mayo, 

B.A. 

Trinity            „ 

)> 

1865 

Jan. 

2. 

William  John  Brookes 

The  Office  of  Usher  ceased  to  exist  in  1876  on  the  resig- 
nation of  Mr.  Brookes.  The  following  Assistant  Masters  have 
been  appointed  since  the  New  Scheme  came  into  operation  : — 


1875  Jan. 

1876  Sept. 
1878    Dec. 


30. 


William  Edward  Sadd,  B.A.  St.  Catherine's  Coll.  Camb. 

Henry  Eobert  Field  Canham,  B.A.  St.  John's  „        „ 

Joseph  Clayton,  B.A,  Emmanuel  „        „ 


1860 
1867 

1868 
1869) 
1870 1 

1871  i 
1872 1 

1873 

1874 

1875) 

1876  t 

1877  j 
1878 
1879 


SPECIAL   EXAMINEES   APPOINTED    BY    THE    GOVEENOES. 
Eev.  Hugh  George  Eobinson,  M.A.  (Hon.  Canon  of  York  and  late  Principal 

of  the  Training  College,  York.) 
Eev.  George  Ash   Butterton,  D.D.   (formerly  Master  of  Uppingham   and 

Giggleswick  Gramr.  Schools.) 
Rev.  H.  G.  Eobinson,  M.A. 
Eev.    J.   T.   B.   Landon,   M.A.    (formerly   Fellow    of    Magdalen    College, 

Oxford.) 
George  Heppel,   M.A.   (St.  John's   Coll.  Camb.,  late  Principal  of   Nelson 

College,  New  Zealand.) 
Eev.  J.  T.  B.  Landon,  M.A. 
(No  special  Examiner.) 

George  Heppel,  M.A. 

Eev.  Joseph  Schofield,  B.A. 
R.  H.  Elliott,  M.A. 


CHAPTER    XII. 

§1.       CELEBRATED    SCHOLARS    TO    1789. 

§2.       SCHOLARS     UNDER     MR.     WILKINSON. 

§3.       COMPLETE    LIST    OF    SCHOLARS    FROM    1840    TO    1879. 

§4.       SCHOLARS    WHO    HAVE    GRADUATED    SINCE    1840. 

§5.       SCHOLARS     WHO     HAVE     PASSED     THE     OXFORD     AND 

CAMBRIDGE    LOCAL    EXAMINATIONS    SINCE    1861. 


§1.  TT  is  very  likely  that  each  Master  would  keep  a  private 
X  record  of  his  pupils,  but  no  public  register  has  ever 
been  provided.  We  consequently  do  not  know  who  were 
scholars,  or  whether  any  ever  became  distinguished,  with 
two  or  three  exceptions.  There  must,  however,  have  been 
many  such,  to  induce  the  petitioners  for  a  renewal  of  the 
Charter  in  1726  to  say  "that  the  School  had  flourished 
for  a  great  many,  years  next  after  its  foundation,  to  the 
great  benefit  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  parish  and  vicarage  ". 

Mr.  Byrron,  the  second  Master,  speaks  of  Dr.  Favour's 
children  being  taught  by  him  and  the  Usher.  These  would 
be  John  (born  Feb.  1598-9)  and  William  (born  July  1601); 
the  former  of  whom  became  a  Prebendary  of  Southwell  and 
of  Ripon,   and   Rector  of   Sutton-on-Derwent   and   Rainton. 

Mr.  Cockman,  the  third  Master,  had  two  celebrated 
pupils,  John  Lake*,  who  became  Vicar  of  Leeds,  and  Bishop 
of   Man,   Bristol,   and   Chichester  in   succession;    and   John 


*  He  was  born  on  Dec.  5th,  1624,  in  Petticoat  Lane,  now  Eussell  St.,  Halifax. 
He  went  to  St.  John's  College,  Cambridge,  when  only  thirteen  years  of  age.  He 
was  one  of  the  celebrated  seven  Bishops  who  resisted  James  H,  though  he  after- 
wards became  a  Non-juror.  He  died  Aug.  30th,  1689.  His  father,  Thomas  Lake, 
was  Church-warden  in  1639.  His  name  is  in  Vicar  Eamsden's  List  of  subscriptions 
towards  the  endowment  of  the  School  in  1635,  for  6s.  8d. 


84 

Milner^,  who  also  became  Vicar  of  Leeds.  These  were 
brothers-in-law,  Milner  marrying  a  sister  of  Lake.  There 
was  also  a  third  pupil  of  Mr.  Cockman,  Samuel  Stancliffe, 
who  went  to  St.  John's  College,  Cambridge.  His  name  is 
still  kept  in  recollection  by  a  tablet  commemorating  his 
bequest  of  £100  for  adorning  the  Schoolf. 

Mr.  Lister,  the  seventh  Master,  must  have  the  honour  of 
having  found  out  the  genius  of  Laurence  Sterne,  if  tradition  is 
to  be  depended  on,  though  he  could  hardly  have  educated  him. 

Mr.  Ogden,  the  eleventh  Master,  was  in  of&ce,  while 
Jesse  RamsdenJ,  one  of  the  most  celebrated  makers  of 
mathematical  instruments  that  England  ever  produced  was 
at  the  School.  He  could  not,  however,  have  received  much 
benefit  from  it,  though  he  was  a  pupil  for  three  years,  as 
he  left  when  twelve  years  of  age. 

It  is  probable  that  Joah  Bates,  who  became  Fellow  of 
King's  College,  Cambridge,  and  M.A.,  and  was  afterwards 
a  Commissioner  in  the  Civil  Service,  and  Henry  Bates§, 
Fellow  of  Peterhouse  and  D.D.,  received  their  education  in 


*  He  was  born  in  Feb.,  1627-8,  in  Skircoat.  He  went  to  Christ's  College, 
Cambridge,  when  about  fourteen  years  of  age.  He  became  Vicar  of  St.  John's, 
Leeds,  in  1662  ;  and  of  the  Parish  Church  there  in  1677.  Being  a  non-juror,  he 
resigned  in  1689,  and  resided  at  St.  John's  College,  Cambridge,  uutil  his  death  in 
Feb.,  1702-3,  employing  his  time  in  writing  learned  books. 

t  We  might  have  expected  Abp.  Tillotson  to  have  been  at  the  School,  as  his 
father  lived  only  about  three  miles  off,  and  in  1635  subscribed  5s.  towards  the 
Endowment  fund.     He  is  said  to  havo  been  educated  at  Colne. 

I  He  was  born  at  Salterhebble  in  September,  1734.  He  married  the  daughter 
of  the  celebrated  Dollond,  for  whom  he  had  done  a  great  deal  of  work.  He 
improved  the  Theodolite,  Pyrometer,  Barometer,  Micrometer,  &c.,  and  invented 
the  Dividing  Machine.     He  became  F.R.S.  in  1786,  and  died  Nov.  5th,  1800. 

§  These  two  were  sons  of  Henry  Bates,  who  was  appointed  Parish  Clerk  of 
Halifax  in  1735.  Joah  was  a  celebrated  musician,  and  conducted  the  Handel 
Commemoration  in  Westminster  Abbey  in  1784.  Th^se  two  brothers  together 
with  an  Oxford  Graduate,  and  three  Cambridge  students,  took  part  in  the 
performance  of  the  Messiah  on  the  opening  of  the  New  Organ  in  Halifax  Parish 
Church  in  1766.  The  celebrated  Herschel  (father  of  Sir  John  Herschel)  played 
the  Organ.    (L.P.  CIILJ 


85 

the  School  under  Mr.  Ogdeii,  and  his  successor,  Mr.  West. 
Major  Cartwright,  one  of  the  earlier  advocates  of  Parliamentary 
Reform,  is  said  to  have  been  at  the  School  about  this  time. 
I  am  told  also  that  one  Abraham  Thomas  was  at  the 
School  about  1736.  It  shews  how  closely  we  are  connected 
with  the  past,  when  Mr.  John  Thomas,  the  present  Parish 
Clerk  of  Halifax,  his  great-nephew,  who  was  born  in  1804, 
has  heard  him  speak  of  his  times.  Abraham  Thomas  died 
in  1822,  in,  the  hundredth  year  of  his  age. 

Carlisle,  in  his  "Endowed  Grammar  Schools",  mentions 
Dr.  Cyril  Jackson,  Dean  of  Christ  Church,  Oxford,  and 
Dr.  William  Jackson*,  Bishop  of  Oxford,  as  having  been 
educated  at  this  School;  but,  if  so,  they  could  have  been 
there  only  in  their  earliest  days,  as  their  biographers  say 
that  they  received  their  education  at  Westminster  School; 
and  Carlisle  himself  also  includes  them  among  the  celebrated 
Scholars  of  Manchester  School.  Mr.  West  would  have  been 
Master  in  their  time,  as  they  were  born  in  1746  and  1750 
respectively. 

Carlisle  also  mentions  among  the  celebrated  scholars 
"Eev.  Edward  Ellis,  M.A.,   Second   Master  of  Westminster 

School    (appointed   in   1814),    and   Rev.    Sharpef,   then 

Vicar  of  Wakefield ".  These  might  have  been  under  Mr. 
Kempson,  or  Mr.  Wilkinson. 

Dr.  Lonsdale,  Bishop  of  Lichfield  from  1843  to  1867, 
was  at  Heath  School  from  1794,  when  only  six  years  of  age, 
to  1799,  and  then  went  to  Eton. 

*  They  were  the  sons  of  Cyril  Jackson,  M.D.,  of  Stamford,  who  married  the 
widow  of  William  Eawson,  Lord  of  the  Manor  of  Shipley,  who  died  in  1745.  She 
was  named  Judith  Prescott  before  marrying  into  the  family  of  the  Eawsons  of 
Bradford,  and  was  either  a  Prescott  of  Halifax  by  birth  or  the  widow  of  a  Prescott. 
Cyiil  Jackson  resided  in  or  near  Halifax,  as  he  was  nominated  a  Governor  of  the 
School  in  1753,  but  declined  the  office.  He  was  also  one  of  the  Trust  for  carrying 
out  the  Halifax  Water-works  Act,  passed  in  17(i2.  The  Apothecary's  Ledger, 
mentioned  uuder  "  Mr.  Lister  ",  shews  there  was  a  Dr.  Jackson  in  Halifax  before 
1700,  so  that  Dr.  Cyril  Jackson  was  possibly  connected  with  Halifax  by  birth, 

t  i.  e.,  Samuel  Shai-pi  who  wjis  instituted  Vicar,  Feb.  3rd,  1810, 


86 


§2.   SCHOLARS  UNDER  MR.  WILKINSON. 


I  have  about  150  names  copied  from  the  old  School 
Dictionaries,  on  the  pages  of  which  they  were  scribbled  in 
school-boy  fashion,  many  of  them  having  most  absurd  dates 
attached.     I  copy  those  which  have  seemingly  correct  dates. 

N.B.     *  after  a  name  means  "  Graduated  at  a  University  ". 


1807 

Ben.  Gott. 

1818 

J.  Edwards.* 

1809 

A.  Seymour. 

„ 

T.  Lister. 

1810  (16) 

J.  Bebb. 

)) 

Tom  Robson. 

>> 

J.  Bragg. 

)) 

S.  Watson. 

,, 

J.  Ferrand  Deai-den. 

1819 

H.  B.  Cardwell. 

„    (12,20)  T.  Finch.* 

)> 

J.  Dunderdale. 

,, 

W.  T.  Goodall. 

5> 

T.  M.  Gorst*. 

,, 

S.  Walker. 

,, 

Hunt. 

1811 

F.  Peile. 

1) 

C.  Mayer. 

1812  (13) 

G.  Bentley. 

1820 

John  R.  Booth. 

,, 

Joshua  Ingham. 

11 

James  Farrar. 

»» 

F.  Ingram. 

„ 

E.  Sanderson. 

>» 

James  Moore. 

11 

W.  Wainhouse. 

»» 

T.  F.  Sutcliffe. 

1821 

R.  Wainhouse. 

„ 

John  Tuley. 

1823  (25,26)  Matthew  Hy.  Greenup. 

1814 

William  Graven, 

,, 

W.  Sanderson. 

West  House,  Mancbester. 

11 

W.  Smith. 

1815  (16,18)  G.  Dawson. 

1824 

J.  Ashworth*,  EUand  Bank. 

>> 

W.  Hirst. 

i» 

J.  Bailey. 

») 

George  Mercer. 

,, 

D.  Edieston. 

>) 

Frederick  Tucker. 

,, 

J.  Jowett. 

1816 

Joah  Crossley.* 

„ 

J.  H.  Tootal. 

»> 

G.  Stansfeld.* 

1.  (20) 

Thomas  Watson. 

,, 

E.  Stansfeld,  Field  House. 

1825 

R.  H.  Broadhurst. 

1817  (19,23)  H.  Foster. 

„ 

E.  C.  Hurt. 

)> 

W.  A.  Holroyde. 

„ 

R.  Roughton. 

51 

G.  Marriott. 

.1  (29) 

R.  Tucker. 

1> 

J.  Bradley  Mellor. 

1826 

Joshua  Ingham. 

,, 

M.  Mitton. 

,1  (27,28) 

F.  Ingram. 

1817  (18) 

John  Kawson. 

„ 

T.  Parkinson. 

» 

W.  Wards.* 

.1  (28) 

J.  Sanderson. 

87 


1826 


1827 


1828 


1829 


S.  stead. 

1829 

W.  C.  Stead. 

G.  Sutcliffe. 

)i 

John  Wild. 

J.  Wainhouse. 

1831 

[37,38)  Frank  Stead. 

David  Balmforth,  Staiuland. 

1833 

S.  (or  T.)  G.  Booth. 

J.  Broadhurst 

1834 

T.  P.  Eawson, 

E.  Dyson. 

1837 

Alex.  S.  Hill. 

James  Moore. 

1838 

J.  E.  Casson. 

B.  Stocks.* 

)) 

Lewis  Kenny.* 

Thomas  Lambert. 

,, 

G.  Peel. 

B.  Milner. 

„ 

C.  E.  Priestlen. 

•James  Hiley. 

)> 

John  Rawson,  Greenroyd 

In  addition  to  the  above,  I  have  been  enabled  by  the 
kindness  of  some  gentlemen,  who  were  formerly  pupils  of 
the  School,  to  make  np  the  following  List.  The  date  to 
the  left  of  the  name  denotes  some  one  year  or  more  in 
which  the  pupil  was  at  the  School;  '^after  the  name  shews 
that  he  went  to  a  University ;  /  means  "  Fellow ".  Names 
within   [         ]  are  also  in  the  first  List. 

1817     Abbott,   John,   a   name    perpetuated   by    "  The  Abbott   Scholarships "   at 
Oxford  and  Cambridge,  and  "  The  Abbott's  Home  "  at  Halifax. 

Alcock, (of  Skipton),  late  of  the  Craven  Bank. 

Ashworth*,  Arthur  Howard,  (of  Elland),  afterwards  Minor  Canon  of  York. 

1832  [Ashworth*,  John   Ashworth],        ,,         late  /  B.N.C.   Oxford,   and    now 

Eector  of  Didcot. 
Ashworth*,  Philip  Sidney    *  „ 

Ashworth,  Wheelhouse  „ 

1833  Atkinson*,  William  „        late  Curate  of  Elland. 
(and  some  brothers). 

181 .  Baker*,  Eobert,  afterwards  Rector  of  Hargrave. 

181.  Bates*,  Thomas,  afterwards  Curate  of  Trinity  Church,  Halifax. 

1812  [Bentley,  G.] 

1814  (and  three  others). 

1830  Two  Bentleys,  from  neighbourhood  of  Huddersfield. 

1810  Birtwhistle,  William,  late  surgeon  at  Skipton. 

1810  [Bragg,  J.] 

181 .  Bragg,  Raisbeck 


88 

1810    Broinhead*,  Charles  Ffrench,  afterwards/  Trin :  Coll:  Cambridge. 

Brook, (of  Huddersfield). 

Buckley,  (three  from  Saddleworth). 
1810    Btishby*,  Edward,  formerly  /  St.  John's  Coll :   Cambridge. 

Candler, (of  York). 

1823  Cartwiight*,  John,  late  of  Durham. 
1818     Charlesworth*,  Beedam. 

1818    Chamock*,  Thomas  Brooksbank. 

1808  Crabtree*,  ,  formerly /  University  Coll:,  Oxford. 

1815  Crabtree*,  James,  (a  younger  brother). 

1818  Crossley,  James,  late  President  of  the  Cheetham  Society,  Manchester. 

1828  Crossley*,  Joah 

182  .  Crossley,  John,  late  of  Manor  Heath,  Halifax. 

1818  Dearden*,  James  (of  Eochdale). 
181.  Duffin, (of  Edinburgh). 

1819  Dyson,  John  Daniel,  late  Colonel  3rd  Dragoon  Guards. 
[Dyson,  Edwards] 

Dyson,  George,  late  Coroner. 

Dyson,  Thomas 

(and  one  other  at  least) 

1824  [Edleston,  D.] 

1834    Edleston*,  Joseph,  D.D.  late  /  Trin:  Coll:  Cambridge,  and  now  Vicar 
of  Gainford. 

182  .     Edleston,  T.  H. 

1810  Edwards,  Henry,  afterwards  a  Solicitor  in  London. 

1809  Edwards*,  Joseph,  late  a  Master  in  King's  Coll :  School,  London. 

1811  Edwards,  Eichard 

1808—20  Finch*,  Thomas,  now  of  Morpeth. 

1816  Foster,  John  (of  Heptonstall). 

1810  Franks*,  James   Clarke   (of   Sowerby  Bridge),  late  Vicar  of   Hudderfield. 

He  gained  the  Norrisian  Prize,  the  Members'  Prize,  and  three  times  the 
Hulsean  Prize  at  Cambridge. 
1830    GarHck,  


nooA  /n    T  1  ,    not  brothers. 

1830  Garhck, 

Gillmor,  William  (of  Illingworth),  son  of  the  late  Vicar. 

1820  Gorst,  Edward  Chadock,  afterwards  a  soUcitor  at  Preston. 

1819  [Gorst*,  Thomas  Mee] 

1813  Greenwood*,  William,  /  Corpus  Christi  Coll :  Cambridge. 

181 .  Hall*,  Edward 

1815  Hall*,  Bobert,  late  M.P.  for  Leeds,  and  Recorder  of  Hull. 

181 .  Hall,  Stephen,  afterwards  a  solicitor  at  Skipton. 

181 .  HarrisoH,  J.,  now  a  surgeon  at  Chester 


8fl^ 


183  .    Hebden,  W.  H. 

1828  Hiley,  John 

1839     Hiley*,  Simoon  (of  Elland),  late/  St.  John's  Coll :  Cambridge. 

1837  [Hill,  Alexander  Staveley] ,  now  M.P.  for  Coventry. 

1817  [Holroyde,  W.  A.] 
(and  two  others). 

1810     Hopper, 

1816    Horsfall,  Timothy 

1816     Huntriss,  WiUiam,  (now  of  Westfield,  Halifax). 

1829  Ikin, ,  late  Town-clerk  of  Leeds  (?) 

1818  Ingham*,  James  Taylor,   (of  Mirfield),   now  Sir  James,  a  London  Police 

Magistrate. 
1821     Kellett,  Henry 

1838  [Konny*,  Lewis  Stanhope,  now  Rector  of  Kirkby-Knowle.] 
183  .  Kenny,  William  Fenton,  afterwards  a  solicitor  at  Halifax. 
1810    Lambert,  John  (of  Eilaud). 

1818     Lambert,  Eobert  (of  Eliand). 

183))     Lewthwaite*,  Samuel,  late/  Magdalene  Coll :  Cambridge. 

1794 — 99  Lonsdale*,  John,  late/  King's  Coll :  Cambridge,  and  Bishop  of  Lichfield. 

18U     Mc.Bean,  William 

1829—183.")  Mallinson*,  Wuiteley,   now  Vicar  of   Cross-stone,   late  /  Magdalene 

Coll :  Cambridge. 
1818     Maude*,   Daniel,  late  /'  of  Caius  Coll :  Cambridge,   and  a  London   Police 

Magistrate. 
1818    Maude*,  Frank,  late  Vicar  of  Hoyland. 
1818     Maude*,  Ralph,  late  Vicar  of  Mirfield. 

1820     Milnes, 

1814    Mitchell,  John  Herbert 

1823     Moore,  William 

1810    Newall,  Noel,  (of  Littleborough). 

1818    Newman,  Edward,  now  a  Solicitor  at  Barnsley. 

1803    Newman,  William,  late  of  Darley  Hall. 

1814    Norris,  Charles 

1814    Norris*,  James 

1814    Norris,  Sidney 

1832    Nussey*, (fr.  Derbyshire). 

181 .     Oxley,  R.,  late  M.D.  at  Pontefract. 

179 .    Pollard,  George 

1818    Pollard,  James  (of  Manchester) 

181 .     Priestley,  Charles  (of  White  Windows,  near  Halifax), 

181 .     Priestley,  George 

181 .     Priestley,  Heniy 


90 


182 .  Ramsden,  

182 .  Eamsden,  

1813  Rawson,  Edward  (of  the  Shay) 

1813  Eawson,  John  (of  the  Shay). 

179  .  Rhodes,  J.  A. 

1813  Rhodes,  William 

182  .  Richardson,  (of  Sonthowram), 

181 .  Rishworth, ,  afterwards  a  Banker  at  Wakefield. 

Rothwell,  John 

1825  Roughton,  John 

Royds,  Albert 

1816  Royds*,  Charles 

1816  Scot,  ,  afterwards  M.D.  at  Liverpool. 

1816  Scot, ,  (one  of  these  was  named  Roger). 

1815  Serjeantsou,  Charles  (of  York), 

Settle,  Robert,  afterwards  an  attorney  at  Halifax. 

1810  Shaw*,  Edward  Butterworth 

181 .  Shaw,  George,  afterwards  M.D.  at  Leicester. 

1880  Slater,  Joseph  (of  Elland). 

183 .  Slater, (brother  of  Joseph) 

1834  Smith*,  William  Ramsden,  late  Vicar  of  Christ  Church,  Bradford. 

183 .  Sowden*,  Sutcliffe 

1818  [Stansfeld*,  George] 

1818  Stansfeld*,  John 

1816  [Stansfeld,  Robert],  Hony.  Col.  6th  West  York  Militia. 
1810  Staveley,  Henry  (?) 

1810  Staveley,  James 

1810  Staveley,  John 

179 .  Stead,  John 

1827  [Stocks*,  Benjamin] 

1813  Stocks,  George,  afterwards  a  surgeon  in  Blackburn 

Stocks,  Joseph 

18l6  Stocks,  Michael 

181 .  Sunderland*,  Thomas 

181 .  Tennant,  Philip 

1818  Tennant*,  Sanderson 

(and  three  others). 

1818  Tong,  W. 

1815  Turner,  Benjamin  (from  India). 

1810  Turney,  John,  late  of  Leek  Wotton  near  Warwick. 
1823—30   [Wainhouse,  John  Edward] 


91 


1817    Walsh,  Thomas  Selby,  afterwards  Mayor  of  Halifax. 

1817  [Warde*,  William],  afterwards  Vicar  of  Witton-le-wear. 

1818  Watson*,  Charles 
Watson*,  T.  C. 

Watson,  Shipley,  afterwards  M.D.  at  York. 

1819  Whiteley,  Thomas 

1817  Wilson*, (of  York) 

1818  Wright,  Edward 


§3.       COMPLETE    LIST    OP    8CHOLAE8    FROM    1840    TO    1879. 


Mr.  Gooch  and  Mr.  Cox  have  both  kept  private  Eegisters, 
from  which  the  following  names  are  taken  in  the  order 
of  their  admission. 

Admitted  by  MB.    GOOGH. 


1840  Aug.     Gooch,  Charles 

Holroyd,  John  Bailey 
Norris,  Henry  Alexander 
Norris,  William  Arthur 
Barker,  Frederic 
Priestley,  William 
Smith,  Eobert  Harman 
Dew,  John  Wormald 
Dew,  Croft  Worgan 
Akers,  Edward 
Holds  worth,  Tom 
Holdsworth.  John 
Beck,  William 
Speight,  Thomas 
Speight,  John 
Eastwood,  John  William 
Eastwood,  Thomas 
Eastwood,  Charles  James 
Peel,  Lawrence 
Mercer,  Isaac 
Gauki'oger,  Joseph 


1840  Aug.      Kenny,  Lewis  Stanhope 

Casson,  William  John 
Foster,  William  Mitchell 
Jellicorse,  Edward  John 

Brown 
Ewing,  Alexander 
Hirst,  Henry  Alexander 
Dowson,  Edward  Withers 
Barlow,  John 
Catley,  Edwin 
Alexander,  Henry  Hamerton 
Sept.   Wolstenholme,  Edward 

Parker 
Oct.     McNeill,  Malcolm 
Nov.    Hague,  William  Drake 

1841  Feb.    Haigh,  William 

Haigh,  George  Henry 
Whiteley,  Eobert 
Ogden,  William 
Kiley,  George 
Thornton,  John  Varley 


9^ 


1841  Mar.    Ambler,  James  Pearson 
April    Sowdeii,  George 

July     Ogdeu,  John 
Beck,  Robert 

Beaumont,  Thomas  George 
Jackson,  Thomas  Eiley 
Priestley,  Charles  Edwards 
Hirst,  Samuel  Henry 
Hirst,  Edward  Smith 
Stansfield.  Samuel 
Stansfield,  Thomas 
Stansfield,  Joseph  Hudson 
Hanson,  Joseph 
Foster,  Henry 

Sept.     Stead,  Joseph 

Stead,  Richard  WiUiaui 
Stead,  James 
Crowther,  John  Brown 

Oct.      Roberts,  John 

Drake,  George  Vandyke 

1842  Jan.      Emmet,  Cliarles 

Garnet,  Henry  Eli 
Barstow,  William 
Lewthwaite,  Joseph 
Norris,  Charles  Musgrave 
Wrigley,  Watts  Henry 
Norris,  Francis  John 
Stead,  William  Charles 
Kenny,  Alfred  John 
Sugden,  (  ) 

Oldfield,  James 
Wood,  Charles 
Royston,  Thomas 
Midgley,  Francis 
Ward,  William  Maun 
Baker,  Robert  Sibley 

1843  Jan.      Rouse,  John 
Mar.     Hirst,  James 

July     Turney,  Thomas  Henry 
Turney,  Benjamin 
Hurat,  John 


Feb. 
April 


July 


1843  July 

Turner,  Joseph 

Smith,  Walter 

Oct. 

Dew,  George  Piatt 

1844  Jan. 

Crossley,  Edward 

Mar. 

Cash,  John 

April 

Emmet,  William  Henry 

1846  Jan. 

Baiues,  George 

Beaumont,  Butterworth 

Feb. 

Rogers,  Thomas  Henry 

Brierly,  Alfred 

April 

Whittaker,  Charles 

Aug. 

Davis,  John  Edward 

Goodall,  William  Tatham 

Cormick,  Richard 

1840  Jan. 

Hill,  John  Edwards 

Feb. 

Gates,  James  Daniel 

April 

Ingham,  Samuel 

May 

Good,  James 

July 

Norris,  Sidney  Perfect 

Stocks,  Joseph  Halliday 

Hammerton,  Stephen 

Edward  Nelson 

Oct. 

Hamerton,  Ernest 

Hamerton,  Joseph 

1847  Feb. 

Crossley,  John  Edward 

Booth,  John  Robinson 

Booth,  Thomas  George 

Mar. 

Taylor,  Alfred 

Fox,  Joseph 

Baiues,  Simpson 

April 

Walker,  Richard  Henry 

Aug. 

Rouse,  Edward  Peake 

1848  Jan. 

Pitchforth,  Aquila 

Garlick,  John  William 

Feb. 

Wood,  Henry 

Wood,  William 

Wood,  Richard  S. 

Mar. 

Bairstow,  Thomas 

April 

Riley,  Edwin 

July 

Swallow,  John  Henry 

Swallow,  Thomas  DawBoa 

9.3 


1848  Hammerton,  Eobert 

Chiseuball 
July    Walker,  Samuel 

Smith,  Charles  Henry 

Dyson,  John  Charles 
Aug.     Nelson,  Tom 

Binns,  Wildon 

Binns,  Cornehus 

Outram,  Edmund 
Oct.     Law,  Joseph  Henry 

1849  Jan.     Wright,  Alfred  William 

Holroyde,  Walter  James 
April   Bayldon,  Joe  Wood 

Lees,  Thomas  Lister 
Aug.    Fox,  Charles  James 
Balmford,  David 
Highley,  Thomas  Sutcliffe 
Turner,  (  ) 

Garlick,  Henry  Grainger 
Earnshaw,  John  William 
Pickles,  Jonas 
Eastwood,  Henry 
Nicholson,  Thomas 
leaner,  Thomas  Henry 
Hobson,  George 
Macaulay,  Francis  Edwin 
Oct.      Gardiner,  Henry  Walter 

1850  Jan.     Edgar,  Donald 

Ingham,  Richard 
Orange,  Wm.  Alexander 

Wildman 
Stainburn,  George 
Swallow,  George  Edward 
Ellam,  Ralph  Bate 

Feb.     Remington,  Frederick  Hardy 
Gar  side,  Joseph 

April    Brown,  James  Laurie 
Wilson,  Alfred  Henry 
Shaw,  Benjamin  Walker 
Macaulay,  Charles 
Stansfield,  William  Farrar 


1850  July     Clegg,  Wesley 

Aug.    Wright,  John  Armstrong 
Paterson 
Highley,  Oliver 
Highley,  Arthur 
Walton,  Keighley 
Winstanley,  Calvin 

Beaumont 
Camm,  John  Brooke  Maher 
Adamson,  Charles 
Knowles,  George 
Slater,  Joseph  Henry 
Sidebottom,  Cuthbert  Gerald 

Sep.     Holroyd,  George  Gomersall 
Highley,  Charles 

Oct.     Hirst,  WiUiam 

Holroyd,  Sutcliffe 

1851  Feb.     Dearden,  Frederick 

Dearden,  Thomas 
Bottomley,  Lawrence 

Whinray 
Crowther,  Frederick 
Dearden,  William 

Mar.    Caw,  John 

April    Hindson,  John  Sanderson 
Smith 
Rawson,  Thomas  Preston 

Aug.     Bottomley,  Wilham  Henry 

Sep.     Tillotson,  Arthur 

Oct.     Fell,  Joseph 

Crapper,  Foster 
Simpson,  John  William 
Simpson,  Frederick 
Rouse,  William  Archibald 
18.'i2  Jan.     Storey,  Walter 
Maude,  William 
Davies,  James  Heywood 
Swallow,  Joseph 
Stott,  Thomas  Dean 

Feb.     Busfeild,  William 
Busfeild,  John 


94 


1852  Feb. 

Busfeild,  Currer  Fothergill 

1854  Feb. 

Gresley,  Charles 

Bedford,  Eobert  Thomas 

Taylor,  Charles 

April 

Booth,  John  Whitley 

Walker,  John  William 

Aug. 

Foster,  Alfred 

Bairstow,  James  Oatea 

Campbell,  James  Thomas 

Foster,  Alfred 

Goodall,  Alfred 

Blagbrough,  Walter 

Smith,  Solomon  Charles 

Walker,  Samuel 

Smith,  Edward  James 

Eobinson,  Frederick  William 

Orange,  John  Edward 

Hey,  David 

Sep. 

Fleming,  Walter 

Thwaite,  Christopher 

Oct. 

Eawnsley,  Albert 

Thwaite,  Edward  Hall 

Nov. 

Scott,  William 

Frobisher,  Frederick 

Scott,  John 

Mar. 

Skelton,  Matthew  Henry 

1853  Feb. 

Hoadley,  Eobert 

Aspinall,  George  Edward 

Fox,  William 

Emmet,  George  Edward 

Boddy,  John  William 

Pitts,  Thomas 

Burton,  Charles  Harryfred 

April 

Cockroft,  Herbert 

Helliwell,  Thomas  WilUam 

Aug. 

Hirst,  Thomas  Henry 

Eastwood,  Joseph 

Franklin,  Harry 

Dyson,  Eowland 

Sutcliffe,  Thomas 

Hadfield,  Wilham 

Hitchen,  Charles  Whiteley 

Green,  Thomas  Foulds 

Prescott,  John  Barrow 

1    ' 

Horsfall 

Prescott,  Cyril  Jackson 

Briggs,  William  Eawdon 

Clark 

Shaw,  William 

Smith,  Charles  Frederick 

Eawson,  Charles  CoUinson 

Dyer,  Francis  WiUiam 

Higham,  Joseph 

Sep. 

Prest,  John  Cooper 

Mar. 

Steele,  Alexander  Denton 

Oct. 

Mallinson,  John  Ealph 

April 

Woodhouse,  Eandal 

Ehodes,  Christopher  Tate 

Eobinson,  Eichard  Henry 

Crossley,  Joseph 

Aug. 

Charnock,  James  Hanson 

Nov. 

Emmet,  Charles  Edward 

Crapper,  Walter 

1855  Jan. 

Kershaw,  John  Edward 

Smallwood,  George 

Mellor,  WiUiam  Wood 

Smallwood,  John  Casson 

Feb. 

Walker,  Thomas  Ibbetson 

Laycock,  George  Diggs 

Smith,  Jonathan 

Laycock,  William 

Eastwood,  Henry 

Laycock,  Samuel  F. 

Eastwood,  Samuel 

Sutcliffe,  Charles 

Tomlin,  Ottiwell 

Oct. 

Blackburn,  Henry 

April 

Hawkyard,  Benjamin 

Barstow,  Charles, 

Kenny,  Courtney  Stanhope 

Baines,  Joseph  Mellor 

Aug. 

Staveley,  Arkyl  John  Arthur 

95 


1855  April 

Kershaw,  William 

1858  Aug. 

Shaw,  John  Edward 

Child,  William  Hall 

Bean.  Alexander  Heniy 

Norris,  Charles  Edwin 

Bennett,  Edward  Eobinson 

Norris,  Wallace  Lea 

Rhodes,  Arthur 

Emmet,  Joseph  Alfred 

Ehodes,  Godfrey 

Walker,  Charles  John 

Warren,  Edward  Walpole 

Sep. 

Lambert,  John 

Coates,  George 

Oct. 

Hudson,  Charles 

1859  Feb. 

Morris,  Thomas  Henry 

Mitchell,  John  Herbert 

Sutcliffe,  John 

1856  Jan. 

Alexander,  Arthur  William 

Broadbent,  John  Henry 

Feb. 

Turner,  Thomas 

Dunderdale,  William  James 

April 

Mc.  Clure,  John 

Dunderdale,  Thomas 

Ang. 

Barrowby,  John 

April 

Norris,  Priestley 

Bowman,  Henry  Hearder 

Aug. 

Caw,  Arthur  Worgau 

Greenwood,  Sidney 

Caw,  Herbert  Kenyon 

Mitchell,  William  Henry 

Claybrough,  John  Fletcher 

Highley,  Joe 

Henrey,  Joseph 

Smith,  Samuel  Vincent 

Henrey,  William  M. 

Sep. 

Elliott,  James 

1860  Feb. 

Hill,  Walter 

1857  Jan. 

Illingworth,  John  Blow 

Jennings,  Walter  Milton 

Patchett,  John 

Swallow,  James  Edward 

Patchett,  Frank 

Mar. 

Kershaw,  Henry  Walter 

Eobinson,  Henry 

April 

Town,  Robert  Samuel 

Sutcliffe,  John 

PoUit,  Charles  Thomas 

Feb. 

Alexander,  Eeginald  (lervase 

Masheder,  Thomas 

Barraclough,  Arthur 

Nuttall,  Lawrence 

Parsons,  John  M. 

Aug. 

Smithies,  John  Fox 

Parsons,  Edwin 

Norris,  Henry  Percy 

Holyday,  Charles  William 

Rawson,  Benjamin  Currer 

Mar. 

Smith,  Sidney 

Coates,  William  Charles 

Aug. 

Foster,  William 

Lepper,  Charles  Harper 

Sutcliffe,  Thomas 

Sept. 

Stephenson,  Thomas 

Parsons,  Oswald 

Bilborough 

Kitchen,  Martin  Mauley 

Oct. 

Mallinson,  William 

Sep. 

Thomas,  Joseph 

1861  Jan. 

Buxton,  George 

Oct. 

Mallinson,  Benjamin 

Feb. 

Ingram,  Richard  Francis 

1858  Feb. 

Clemesha,  Robert  John 

Ingram,  James  Hughes 

Fox,  John 

Appleton 

Mar. 

Pitts,  Bernard 

Aug. 

Empsall,  Samuel 

April 

Hall,  John  William 

Huntriss,  William  James 

Aug. 

Huntriss,  William 

Huutriss,  Frederick  George 

Huntriss,  Edward 

Smithies,  William  Edward 

Swallow,  Eichard  Dawson 

Snow,  Thomas  Collins 

96 


Admitted  hy  MR.  COX. 


18f51  Oct. 

Fletcher,  Robert  Crompton 
Irvin,  John  Spendlove 
Seed,  Thomas 

1863  Jan. 

Seed,  .John 

Feb. 

Barnes,  Francis  Joshua 

Pritt,  Thomas  Evan 

April 

#- 

Kirby,  Cltristopher  John 
Walsh,  Alfred  Ramsden 
Wright,  Robert  Hood 
Kirk,  Joseph  Moxon 

Aug. 

Nov. 

Whitworth,  Joseph  Whitely 

1862  Jan. 

Sandford,  Edward  Armitage 
Sandford,  Henry  Rossall 

Common,  James 

Oct. 

Cliif,  Arthur  Foster 

Mallinson,  William  Crowther 

Farrar,  Edward 

Hebhlethwaite,  Samuel 

1864  Jan. 

Common,  Arthur  Welsh 

Dempster,  Robert 

Sutcliffe,  Francis  Edgar 

Bull.  Henry  Beach 

Feb. 

Maud,  William  Wade 

Hebhlethwaite,  George 

Farrar,  Walter 

Aug. 

April 

Atkinson,  Nelson  Aaron 
Aspinall,  John 

Aug. 

Robinson,  Herbert 
Whitworth,  William 
Mitchell,  John 

Jeffery,  Samuel 

Oct. 

Sep. 

De  Tivoli,  Giuseppe 

Oct. 

Slingsby,  Frederick  William 

Maude,  John 

1865  Jan. 

1863  Jan. 

Price,  Charles 

Feb. 

Price,  William 

Mar. 

Alexander,  John  Barrow 

Murray,  Archiebald  Stavert 

April 

Patchett,  James 
Patchett,  Riley 
Smith,  Arthur  William 
Nicklin,  John  William 
Dow,  Andrew  Munro 
Newton,  George  Alfred 
Garside,  Herbert 
Duncan,  Robert  Leyland 
Farnell,  James 
Stansfeld,  Raywood 

Micklethwaite 
Stansfeld,  George 
Palethorpe,  Henry  John 
Seed,  William  Henrj- 
Bonser,  John  Winfield 
Gaukroger,  Frederic 

Mitchell 
Tasker,  John  William 
Taylor,  Alfred  Henry  Smith 
Gates,  Walter  Holroyd 
Brown,  John  Fisher 
Priestley,  Frederick 
Sutcliffe,  Tom 
Gaukroger,  George  William 
Fawcett,  Joseph 
Crowther,  Allen 
Mallinson,  Arthur 
Kershaw,  Frederick  W^illiam 
Robinson,  Herbert 
Mathias,  Bennett  Seymour 
Lewthwaite,  Joseph 
Macdonald,  James  Alexander 

Donald  John 
Fleming,  George 
Nuttall,  Fred 
Granger,  Henry  Thomas 
Granger,  Thomas  Colpotts 
Robinson,  George  William 


97 


18G5  May     Bland,  William  Edward 
Joseph 
Wynn,  Frederick  Arthur 
Swallow,  Frederick 
Firth,  Henry  Williams 
Bailey,  William 
Parker,  Thomas  Henry 
Fleming,  Albert 
1866  Jun.     Livy,  Frederic  Young 

Salmond,  David  Norman 
Brierley,  Frederick  William 
Feb.     Whitworth.  Robert 

Lupton,  John  Edward 
Aug.     Watson,  Andrew 

Cammack,  Thomas  William 
Walsh,  Alfred 
Haigh,  John  William 
Hoyle,  George 
Fleming,  Edward 
llobinsou,  Richard 
Oct.      Spencer,  William  Isaac 

Robinson,  James  Frederick 
Cheadle,  Alfred  Stanley 
Middlebrook,  Joseph 
1867  Jan.     Stott,  Charles  Thomas 
Schofield,  Simeon 
Rankin,  Henry  Francis 
Wilkinson,  Henry  Newstead 
Ison,  Henry  William 
Miller,  Thomas  James 
Boothman,  Edward 
Feb.     Smith,  Charles  Edwin 
Groodall,  Arthur  Alfred 
Edward 
April   Holroyde,  John 
Willey,  John 
Hey,  Thomas 
Macdonald,  Edward  William 

Jackson 
Macdonald,  Roderick  John 
Johnstone 

Barker,  Ralph  Atkinson 


1867  Aug.     Cox,  Thomas  Buchanan 

Hunt,  John  Frank 
Eudd,  Harold 
Wightman,  Charles 
Scholefield,  John 
Oct.     Tate,  WiUiam 
Tate,  Charles 
Bancroft,  James 
Shoesmith,  Louis  William 
Henry 

1868  Jan.     Jackson,  Lawrence  Hartley 

Gray,  William 
Robert  shaw,  James 
Rhodes,  Herbert  Rothwell 
Swallow,  Herbert 
Cox,  Robert  Stavert 
Morrison,  William  Beamish 

Austin 
Parkinson,  Thomas 
Baines,  Frederick  Horace 
Baines,  James  Arthur 
Berry,  John  William 
Feb.     Booth,  Charles  Oldfield 
Coates,  Richard 
Shoesmith,  Denton 
Aug.    Norris,  Moraston  Ormerod 
Haigh,  Charles 
Keriihaw,  Richard 
Firth,  Thomas  Williams 
Stritch,  Michael  Chute 
Ostler,  Frederick  William 
Ostler,  John 
Ostler,  William  Henry 
1869  Jan.     Mitchell,  Thomas 

Lupton,  Harold  Edgar 
Edleston,  Alfred  Blakey 
Heal,  James  Hardy 
Feb.     Hodgson,  Edward 

Ackroyd,  James  Edward 
Greenwood,  Abraham 
Hebblethwaite,  James 


98 


1869  April    Sowerby,  John  Francis 

Nettleton,  Arthur 
Thomson,  George  Thomas 
Coton,  Frederick 
Kershaw,  Arthur  Noble 
Loskett,  Charles  Alfred 
Mitchell,  John  Holroyde 

Aug.     Pickles,  Walter 
Whiteley,  George 
Frobisher,  John 
Frobisher,  William 
Ellison,  Ernest  Henry 
Womersley,  William  Henry 
Fletcher,  Wilfred  William 

Ernest 
Thompson,  Frederic  William 

Se\j.     Waithman,  Charles  Anthony 
Waithmau,  James  Clarkson 

Oct.      Charlton,  Hairy  Irlam 

Haigh,  Frederick  Wilham 

1870  Jan.     HiU,  Ernest  Hatton 

Kippax,  Smith 

Palethorpe,  Arthur  Shackles 

Warneford,  Harry  Launcelot 

Henry,  George 

Wood,  Frederick 

Whiteley,  Tom  Harry 
Feb.     Turner,  Benjamin 
April   Wood,  John  Edward 

Ostler,  Arthur 

Taylor,  William  Dearnley 
Aug.     Jessop,  Eichard  Henry 

Naylor,  Arthur 

Waddington,  Eli  Wilkiu?on 

Waddington,  Henry 
Sep.     Culpan,!  Eichard 

Cousin,  Albert 
Oct.     Hill,  John  Edwards 

Hope,  John  Basil 
Nov.     Grime,  Edward  Hatton 
Eeynall 


1871  Jan.     Nicholl,  Joseph 

Whiteley,  John  Alfred 
Parsons,  Alfred 
Clayton,  Harry 
Eastwood,  Sam 
Blackburn,  Charles  Henry 
Blackburn,  Herbert 
Oxley,  Frederick  James 
Kenny,  Charles  Willliam 

Fenton 
Snepp,  John 
Naylor,  Jamcr  Herbert 
Swaine,  William 
Fielding,  Albert 

Feb.     Cousin,  Gaston 
Dixon,  Fred 

Mar.     Shaw,  John  Arthur 
Eamskill,  Thomas 

April    Whittell,  Alfred 
Edwards,  Alfred 
Wih'on,  Thomas 
Wood,  Henry  Lees 
Greenwood,  Artliur 

Aug.     Crabtree,  Wallace 
Crabtree,  Fred 
Mitchell,  Joseph  Harger 
Stott,  John  Henry 
Dixon,  Fred 
Hill,  Walter  William 
Hope,  George  Wilfiid 
Chapman,  Arthur  Frederic 
Booth,  Edward  Whitley 
Ainley,  G  orge  Henry 
Patchett,  Percy 
Old  field,  Louis 
C  Lay  tor,  Eeginald  Clervaux 

Oct.     Longbottom,  Louis  Henry 

1872  Jan.     Bamford,  Earnest  Walton 

Lupton,  Clement  Harold 
Lupton,  Clifford  John 
Mooney,  Thomas  Bankin 


90 


1872  Aug.    Child,  Harold  Edward  Akroyd 

Cox,  Edward  Samuel 
Wood,  Arthur  James 
Haiusworth,  Eobinson 
Mellor,  Wilfrid  Arnold 
Stott,  Alfred 
Falkingbridge,  John  Andrew 

Gatenby 
Pohlmann,  Arthur 
Pohlmann,  George 
Oct.     Thomas,  William  Fletcher 
Moore,  William  Thomas 

1873  Jan.     Swaine,  Henry  John 

Armstrong,  Henry 
Turner,  John 
Wilson,  Frederic  William 
Lewthwaito,  Alfred  John 

Mar.    Marshall,  Eobert 
Crowther,  John 
Town,  Wilham  Edward 
Town,  Arthur  Henry 
Francis,  Albert  Edward 

April   Lees,  James  Arthm- 

Aug.     Snepp,  Alfred  Neville 
Snepp,  Eowau  Lee 
Smeeton,  William  Mills 
Smeeton,  Charles  Henry 
'   Jessop,  John  William 
Fox,  John  William 
Thomson,  Charles  Henry 
Lees,  Albert  Ernest 
Pickles,  Harry 
Tuley,  Frank 
Haslam,  Arthur  Stuart 
Hope,  James  Arthur 

Sep.     Jackson,  Arthur  Glenn 

1874  Jan.     Holmes,  Ernest  Percival 

Holmes,  Cyril  Lake 
Longbottom,  Arthur 

Thompson 
Shoesmitb,  Edward  Ernest 


1874  Jan.     Swift,  George 

Clegg,  John  Henry 
Pohlmann,  Fred 
Pohlmann,  Edward 

Mar.    Crossley,  James 

Eiley,  Thomas  Herbert 

April   Jones,  Thomas  WiUiam 
Pickard,  Edwin  Walter 
Holmes,  Howard  Arthur 
Moffett,  John  Eitchie 
Hill,  Charles  Marshal 
Street,  Samuel 
Street,  Ashton 

Aug.    Ingham,  WilUam  Crossley 
Blackburn,  Arthur 
Fox,  Charles  Edward 
Patchett,  John 
Shoesmith,  John  William 

Oct.      Town,  Theodore 

1875  Jan.     Chambers,  Thomas 

Mitnes,  Eobert 
Bottomley,  Francis  Edgar 
Hope,  Clement  Armitage 
Farrar,  Samuel  Arthur 
Collier,  Harry 
Collier,  John  Ernest 
Vickerman,  James  Edward 

Feb.     Kershaw,  John  Herbert 

Sep.    Hoyle,  Samuel 
Hoyle,  John 
Midgley,  Arthur  Walter 
Parker,  Thomas  James    ■ 
Holmes,  Walter  Herbert 
Greame 

1876  Jan.     Pilcher,  Arthur 

Holmes,  Fred 
Hill,  Harold 
Cox,  WilUam  Francis 
Davis,  John  Henry  Grant 
Eeid,  Thomas  Bernard 
April    Appleyard,  Scott 


100 


1876  April  Appleyard,  John 

Earby,  Thomas 

Sep. 

Davis,  Francis  Henry 

Kershaw,  Brunei 

Kershaw,  John  Buckley 

Oct. 

Whitaker,  Sidney  Morgan 

1877  Jau. 

Wilms,  Louis  Armiu 

. 

Hirst,  Charles 

Storey,  Louis 

April 

Brierley,  James 

Hatton,  William  Douglas 

Sep. 

Hooson,  Evan 

Hope,  Charles  Stuart 

Firth,  Sidney 

Longbottom,  Eigby  Sharp 

Sep. 

Taylor,  George 

Nov. 

Dawes,  Francis  Spearman 

1878  Jan. 

Woodhead,  Arthur 

Clegg,  Charles 

Wright,  Sam  Ayrton 

Stott,  Frauk  Charles 

1878  Jan.     Craven,  Fred  Morris 

Dawes,  George  Douglas 
Feb.    Stansfield.Frederick William 
April   Dyson,  Frank  Watson 
May     Horsfall,  James  Herbert 
Sep.     Eouse,  Charles  Herbert 

Cox,  Richard 

1879  Jan.     Dewhirst,  Joseph  Brook 

Waghorn,  Christopher 

Brook,  Edgar  Deighton 
April   Denisou,  William  Ernest 

Stott,  Ernest  Herbert 

Fox,  Samuel 

Holmes,  Charles  Gerard 
de  Gorham 
Sep.     Marshall,  John 

Ingham,  Wilfrid 

Lockwood,  James 

Eamsden,  Harry  Walton 

Eawnsley,  Leonard 

Eiley,  John 


101 


§4.       SCHOLARS    WHO    HAVE    GRADUATED    SINCE    1840. 

N.B. — '  Cambridge  '  is  meant  except  otherwise  stated. 


B.A. 

1845  Sow  den,  George 

1846  Baker,  Robert 

1847  Gooch,  Charles 
1847  Koberts,  John 

1847  Wolstenholme, 

Edward  Parker 

1850  Kenny.  Lewis 

Stanhope 
1852  Dew,  Croft  Worgan 

1852  Garnet,  Henry  Eli 

1853  Ogden,  WilHam 
1855  Winstanley,  Calvert 

Beaumont 

1855  Beaumont,  Thomas 

George 

1856  Smith,Robert  Harman 
1856  Stainburn,  George 

1856  Wood,  WiUiam 

1857  Earnshaw,  John 

William 

1858  Eouse,  Edward  Peake 
1858  Bayldon,  Joe  Wood 
1860  Remington,  Frederic 

Hardy 

1860  Barrowby,  John 

1861  Rouse,  WiUiam 

Archibald 
1861  Warren,  Edward 

Walpole 
1865  Pitts,  Thomas 
1870  Bonser,  John  Winfield 
1870  1  Swallow,  Richard 

Dawson 
1872  ISwallow,  James 

Edward 
1874  *2Snow,  Thomas 

Collins 

1874  »Mitchell,  John 

1875  iJeffery,  Samuel 


College. 


Trinity 


Trinity,  Oxfd. 

Jesus 

Trinity,  Dublin 
St.  John's 
Jesus 

Magdalene 


Trinity 

Jesus 

St.  Catherine's 

Trinity 
Sidney 
Magdalene 

St.  John's 
Trinity 

Magdalene 

Emmanuel 

Christ's 

Corpus 

Jesus 

Corpus,  Oxfd. 

University,  Oxfd 
Magdalene 


Honours. 
Milner  Scholar 


40th  Wrangler 
,  and  Fellow   f  39th  Sen.  Opt. 
( 5th  in  Class  I. 
I  30th  Wrangler 
\  13th  in  Class  IH. 


S  holar 


Milner  Scholar 


Scholar 

Scholar,  and  Fellow 

Milner  Scholar 

Scholar 

Milner  Scholar 

Scholar,  and  Fellow 
Scholar,  and  Fellow 
Scholar 

Scholar 

Scholar  of  Corpus ; 
Fellow  of  St.  John's. 

Milner  Scholar 


11th  Jim.  Opt. 
Class  I  (in  Law) 

(18th  Jun.  Opt. 
t     Class  III. 


18th  Sen.  Opt. 
10th  Wrangler 

24th  Wrangler 


Itith  Wrangler 
Senior  Classic 


Brd  in  Class  II. 

First  Class 

Second  Class  in 
Theology 

20th  in  Class  U. 


*  Snow  and  Mitchell   did   not   proceed  to  the  University  directly   from   this 
School,  but  were  pupils  of  it  for  4^  years  and  3  years  respectively. 

1.  R.  D.  Swallow,  J.  E.  Swallow,  and  S.  Jeffery  obtained  also  a  Goldsmith's 
Company's  Exhibition  in  competitive  examinations. 

2,  Snow  was  also  Craven  University  Scholar. 


102 


§5.        SCHOLAES     WHO     HAVE     PASSED     THE     OXFORD     AND 
CAMBRIDGE    LOCAL    EXAMINATIONS    SINCE    1861. 


1864  Swallow,  Eichard  Dawson 

1805  *  Smith,  Arthur  William 

1867  tJeffery,  Samuel 

1868  do.  do, 

1869  Hoyle,  George 

1809  Bobiuson,  George  William 

1872  Parkinson,  Thomas 

1873  Cox,  Thomas  Buchanan 

1873  Hey,  Thomas 

1874  Cox,  Thomas  Buchanan 
1874  Hey,  Thomas 

1876  Hill,  Ernest  Hatton 

1877  Hoyle,  John 

1877  Chambers,  Thomas 

1877  Holmes,  Howard  Arthur 

1877  Hoyle,  John 

1878  Stott,  Alfred 

1878  Cox,  Edward  Samuel 

1878  Francis,  Albert  Edward 

1878  Fox,  Charles  Edward 


Oxford         (Senior) 


Cambridge 
Oxford 

Cambridge 

II 
Oxford 

») 
Cambridge 
Oxford 
Cambridge 


(Junior) 
(Senior) 
(Senior) 
(Junior) 
(Senior) 
(Junior) 


Class  I. 
Class  I. 


Mark  of  distinction 
in  Latin. 


Class  III. 
Class  in. 
Class  II. 
Class  m. 
Class  III. 

I    Class  I.  with  a 
mark  of 
distinction  in  both 
Latin  &  Greek. 


*  A.  W.  Smith  also  obtained  tho  First  Prize  at  Guy's  Hospital  in  Classics. 
t  Jeffery  was   not   in  the  School  for  a  year  preceding  this,  but  had  been  a 
pupil  for  four  years  previous. 


George  Coates  obtained  by  Examination  in  1865  a  Commission  without  purchase, 
Henry  Thomas  Granger  was  very  high  in  Examination  for  a  Commission  iu  1868. 


CHAPTEE    XIII. 

THE  STORY  OP  LAURENCE  STERNE. 

SHOETLY  before  his  deatli  in  1768,  Sterne  wrote  a  short 
Memoir  of  himself,  in  which  he  says : — "  The  autumn 
"of  that  year  [1723]  or  the  spring  afterward  my  father 
"  got  leave  of  his  colonel  to  fix  me  at  school,  which  he  did 
*'  near  Halifax,  with  an  able  master ;  with  whom  I  staid 
"  some  time,  till  my  cousin  Sterne^  of  Elvington  [near  York] 
"  became  a  father  to  me,  and  sent  me  to  the  University, 
"&c.  &c. "  "My  poor  father  died  March  1731.  I  remained 
"  at  Halifax  till  about  the  latter  end  of  the  year,  and  cannot 
"  omit  mentioning  this  anecdote  of  myself,  and  schoolmaster. 
"  He  had  the  cieling  of  the  schoolroom  new  whitewash'd  : 
"the  ladder  remained  there.  I  one  unlucky  day  mounted 
"it,  and  wrote  with  a  brush,  in  large  capital  letters,  LAU. 
"  STEENE,  for  which  the  usher  severely  whipped  me.  My 
"  master  was  very  much  hurt  at  this,  and  said,  before  me, 
"that  never  should  that  name  be  eflPaced,  for  I  was  a  boy 
"  of  genius,  and  he  was  sure  I  should  come  to  preferment : 
"this  expression  made  me  forget  the  stripes  I  had  received. 
"  In  the  year  thirty -twof  my  cousin  sent  me  to  the  university, 
"where  I  staid  some  time". 


*  i.  e.,  the  son  of  Bicharcl  Sterne  of  Woodhouse,  who  was  the  brother  of 
Laurence's  father,  Eoger. 

t  He  was  admitted  of  Jesus  College,  July  (ith,  1733,  as  sizer  under  the  tuition 
of  Mr.  Cannon.     He  graduated  B.A.  January,  1736 ;  M.A.  July,  1740. 


104 

It  has  always  been  believed  that  Heath  School  was  the 
place  where  Sterne  received  his  education  and  displayed 
his  genius;  but  who  first  mentioned  Heath  in  print,  I  have 
not  been  able  to  find  out.  Wright  and  Watson  in  their 
histories  say  nothing  of  Sterne's  school  or  of  his  freak, 
though  the  former  was  curate  of  Halifax  in  1732,  and  the 
latter  succeeded  him  in  1750.  The  latter  indeed  says,  when 
speaking  of  Woodhouse  in  Copley,  where  Sterne's  uncle, 
Eichard  Sterne,  lived  : — "  The  Eev.  Mr.  Sterne,  author  of 
Tristram  Shandy  &c.  was  of  this  family  ".  Crabtree  mentions 
Heath  School,  but  gives  no  authority  for  his  statement. 
In  a  copy  of  Sterne's  works  in  the  Library  of  Mr.  John 
Turney^,  of  Leek  Wotton  in  Warwickshire,  at  the  foot  of 
the  page  where  the  anecdote  is  told,  there  occurs  this  note 
in  manuscript : — "  These  Letters  were  as  Sterne  wrote  them 
"when  I  was  at  Heath  School  in  the  Year  1809-10,  since 
"  which  time  they  have  been  effaced  by  a  stupid  Whitewasher 
"who  washed  them  out  as  little  known  to  the  Master  of  his 
"day  as  Sterne  wrote  them.  John  Turney". — The  White- 
washing seems  confirmed  by  the  Governors'  account  books, 
which  in  1811  have  this  entry  "Jno.  Edwards,  Plaistering 
at  the  School  £12  3s.  6d."  In  a  letter  to  Wm.  Craven,  Esq.,t 
of  Clapton  Lodge,  Mr.  Turney  writes  — "  The  name  of  Sterne 
"  was  marked  on  the  cieling  of  the  School  Room  in  irregular 
"Characters,  as  if  done  by  some  one  who  knew  he  was  doing 
"wrongly  &  was  fearful  of  being  detected  in  the  Act.  They 
"  were  large  Letters,  say  (I  speak  from  memory  of  course)  about 
"4^  inches  high  all  Capitals.  They  were  black  as  if,  as  I 
"  thought,  burnt  in  with  a  Candle,  the  smoke  from  the  Candle 

"causing  them  to  be  black Lau  Sterne  was  inscribed 

"  about  3  yards  from  the  Head  Master's  desk.     It  ran  obliquely 

*  This  gentleman  died  Sep.  20th,  1879. 

t  I  am  iudehted  to  Mr.  Craven  for  a  kind  commuDication  of  these  particiUars. 


105 

"from  S.  W.  with  rather  a  turn  to  the  East*".  In  one  of  the 
old  Dictionaries  (see  p.  19)  there  is  written  "  L.  Stearn  ",  which 
may  or  may  not  be  his  writing,  but  some  branches  of  his 
family  spelled  the  name  with  'a'  in  it.  Edward  Newman, 
Esq.,  Solicitor,  of  Barnsley,  writes  me  thus : — "  The  place 
"  where  Sterne  wrote  his  name  on  the  Ceiling  of  your  School 
"was  pointed  out  to  me  when  I  was  there  in  1813.  My 
"Brother  was  there  too,  10  years  earlier,  but  I  never  heard 
"him  say  that  he  saw  it".  The  Rev.  Thomas  Finch,  of 
Morpeth,  who  was  a  pupil  from  1808  to  1820,  says  in  a  letter 
to  me,  "The  legend  during  the  time  that  I  was  at  Heath 
"respecting  Sterne  was  that  he  was  a  scholar  there,  and  the 
"panel  on  the  ceiling  was  pointed  out,  on  which  he  was  said 
"  to  have  daubed  Lau :  Sterne ",  as  if  it  was  not  there  in 
his  time. 

One  would  think  that  the'  tradition  was  satisfactorily 
confirmed.  If  the  act  was  done,  it  must  have  been  done 
before  1727,  for  in  the  latter  part  of  that  year  the  Master 
was  superannuated,  and  therefore  before  Sterne  was  14 
years  of  age,  or  after  March  1730-1,  when  he  was  in  his 
eighteenth  year.  It  does  not  seem  likely  that  he  would 
then  have  been  whipped  by  an  Usher.  There  is  however  a 
serious  contradiction  between  Sterne's  statement  and  the 
facts  which  we  have  mentioned  in  a  former  Chapter.  Sterne 
speaks  of  an  "able  Master".  Now  Mr.  Lister  had  in  1723 
been  already  Master  35  years,  and  a  contemporary  says,  on 
his  death  in  1728,  that  there  had  not  been  a  rightly-qualified 
Master  for  nearly  40  years,  and  describes  the  Master  as  a 
good-for-naught  fellow.  In  seems  singular  also  that"  in  1727 
Sterne's  Uncle  with  his  newly  appointed  fellow-governors 
"proceeded   (as  he  says)   to  examine  into   the   School"    and 

*  The  ceiling  was  carefully  washed  and  examined  when  the  old  building  was 
taken  down  in  1879,  but  no  trace  of  the  inscription  was  found. 


106 

found  among  other  things  "  the  present  Master  to  be  super- 
annuated, the  Usher  about  19  or  20,  and,  no  doubt,  a  person 
far  from  bemg  capable  of  discharging  his  duty ".  This 
to  the  Archbishop,  but  a  few  days  before  in  a  letter  to  the 
Vicar  he  says,  that  the  scholars  to  their  great  loss  had  for 
many  years  been  neglected.  How  then  could  any  one  who  had 
been  a  pupil  at  the  time  say  that  he  had  been  under  an  able 
Master?  Lavirence  was  perhaps  acquainted  with  Mr.  Lister, 
and  had  him  in  mind  when  describing  the  pedagogue  which 
Mr.  Shandy  would  not  have  for  his  son.  At  any  rate  we 
know  that  the  persons  of  his  tale  were  most,  if  not  all, 
persons  whom  he  had  met  with  during  his  life.  The  reader 
will  feel  that  the  writer  satirises  somebody  when  he  thus 
writes : — "  The  governor  I  make  choice  of  shall  neither  lisp 
*'  or  squint  or  talk  loud  or  look  fierce  or  foolish ;  or  bite 
"  his  lips  or  grind  his  teeth  or  speak  through  his  nose  or 
"  pick  it,  or   blow  it  with  his  fingers ". 

"  He  shall  neither  walk  fast,  or  slow,  or  fold  his  arms, 
"for  that  is  laziness;  or  hang  them  down,  for  that  is  folly; 
"  or  hide  them  in  his  pocket,  for  that  is  nonsense.  He 
"  shall  neither  strike  or  pinch  or  tickle,  or  bite  or  cut  his 
"  nails  or  hawk  or  spit  or  snift  or  drum  with  his  feet  or 
"fingers  in  company.  I  will  have  him  cheerful  facete  jovial; 
"  at  the  same  time  prudent  attentive  to  business,  vigilant, 
"  acute  argute  inventive  quick  in  resolving  doubts  and 
"speculative  questions;  he  shall  be  wise  and  judicious  and 
"  learned  ".  (Tristram  Shandy,  c.  48.)  Verily  Sterne  must 
have  met  with  some  queer  Schoolmasters ! 

Sterne  evidently  had  a  poor  memory  for  dates  at  any 
rate.  He  did  not  remember  whether  he  went  to  school  in 
the  autumn  of  1723  or  the  following  spring;  he  misdated 
his  entrance  into  the  University ;  nor  would  anyone  from 
his  own  statement  think  that  he  stayed  there  long  enough 


107 

to  take  a  degree.  Whether  he  learned  anything  under  his 
able  Master,  is  uncertain.  At  any  rate  it  is  said  that  "he 
would  learn  when  he  pleased  and  not  oftener  than  once  a 
fortnight".      {Fitzgerald's  Life  of  Sterne,  p.   87.) 

I  should  never  have  questioned  the  tradition  relating  to 
his  school,  had  it  not  been  said  that  he  was  fixed  at 
Hipperholme  and  not  at  Heath.  Mr.  Lister,  of  Shibden 
Hall,  tells  me  that  Miss  Lister,  who  is  now  alive  and  about 
80  years  of  age,  says  she  distinctly  remembers  her  father 
telling  her  that  Laurence  Sterne  used  to  walk  to  Hipperholme 
School  from  his  uncle's  house  along  an  ancient  footpath 
which  formerly  ran  through  the  yard  of  Shibden  Hall.  She 
also  states  that  Sterne  was  a  frequent  visitor  at  Shibden 
Hall  when  her  grandfather  was  a  boy ;  and  ht^  was  born 
in  the  same  year  as   Sterne. 

Is  there  however  anything  to  confirm  this  ?  The  Listers 
and  Sternes  were  well  acquainted,  as  Richard  Sterne  had 
married  for  his  first  wife  the  widow  of  Samuel  Lister,  by 
birth  a  Priestley.  The  Master  of  Hipperholme  School  was 
the  Rev.  Nathan  Sharpe  from  1703  to  1733;  and  he  was 
connected  with  the  Priestleys,  for  the  Priestleys'  arms  were 
quartered  with  those  of  the  Sharpest.  R.  Sterne  also  speaks 
of  his  cousin  Abraham  Sharpe,  who  was  appointed  in  1727 
to  the  Curacy  of  Sowerby  Bridge ;  and  one  Abraham  Sharpe 
of  Hipperholme,  Clerk,  was  married  at  Coley  in  1727  to 
Ann  Walker.  R.  Sterne,  too,  after  his  marriage,  lived  for 
six  years  at  Shibden  Hall.  His  daughter,  Mary,  is  mentioned 
in  P.R.,  under  1 704,  as  being  "  baptised  by  Mr.  Sharp ", 
it  being  most  unusual  at  that  time  to  insert  the  name  of 
the  officiating  clergyman :  and  it  is  somewhat  singular  that 
he   should   have   been   elected    a    Govern®r   of    Hipperholme 


*  Sbarpe's  arms  are  the  same  as  those  of  the  Sharpes  of  Hortou,  to  which 
family  Archbishop  Sharpe  belonged. 


108 

School  in  May,  1729.  R.  Sterne's  family  leanings  then 
must  have  been  towards  Hipperholme  School.  Nathan  Sharpe 
was  in  the  prime  of  life  in  1723,  when  Laurence  was  first 
"fixed  at  school",  being  then  under  fifty  years  of  age, 
wliile  Mr.  Lister  of  Heath  would  be  over  sixty.  I  may  add 
to  this,  that  a  Gentleman  wrote  to  me  from  London  in  1877, 
enquiring  whether  there  were  any  registers  belonging  to 
the  School,  which  contained  the  name  of  his  Grandfather. 
He  was  in  the  habit,  he  said,  of  mentioning  the  anecdote 
of  Laurence  Sterne,  as  if  the  event  which  it  records  took 
place  at  the  school,  where  he  was  educated  about  1 745. 
But  the  writer  could  not  say  whether  he  was  at  Hea.th  or 
Hipperholme,  and  wished  to  know  whether  there  was  anything 
which  would  decide  it. 

It  may  be  said,  that  Laurence  was  sent  to  Jesus  College, 
because  his  master  Mr.  Lister  was  of  that  College;  but, 
to  say  nothing  of  the  fact  that  a  goodly  number  from  the 
West  Riding  happened  to  be  members  of  that  College  about 
that  time,  Laurence's  grandfather,  the  Archbishop,  had  been 
Master  of  the  College,  and  had  left  money  for  four  Scholarships 
in  it ;  and  one  of  the  fellows,  a  Mr.  Sty  an  Thirlby,  had  got 
R.  Sterne  in  1729  to  promise  a  subscription  to  a  work  in 
which  he  was  interested,  thus  showing  that  there  was  still 
some  sort  of  connection  between  the  family  and  that  College. 

I  must  leave  the  matter  unsettled.  It  is  possible  that 
Laurence  was  fixed  at  Heath  and  wrote  his  name  there, 
but  was  afterwards  removed  to  Hipperholme,  when  the 
infirmities  of  the  Master  at  Heath  caused  the  School  to  be 
neglected.  The  writing  which  was  in  existence  in  1810 
might  have  been  a  recent  invention,  a  forgery  in  fact.  The 
real  writing  must  at  that  time  have  been  faint,  as  80  years 
had  elapsed  since  Sterne's  time :  besides,  the  School-room 
had  often  been  whitewashed,  as  the  Governors  allowed  the 
Master  annualy  a  guinea  for  that  purpose. 


CHAPTER    XIV. 

§1.       THE    OLD    SCHOOL.  §2.       THE    NEW    SCHOOL. 

§1.  T  HAVE  said  in  Cliap.  V.  §2  that  we  have  no  description 
X  of  the  School-buildings,  except  that  Wright  in  1738 
spoke  of  a  stately  Grammar  School  whose  building  was  fair, 
fine,  and  large.  The  Schools  Inquiry  Commission  is  content 
with  saying  that  "  the  premises  are  old  and  have  a  reverend 
and  quasi-ecclesiastical  aspect".  To  help  the  memory  of 
old  pupils,  I  propose  giving  in  this  Chapter  a  brief  description 
of  the  building  with  which  they  have  so  many  associations. 
It  was  as  they  remember,  obscured  from  the  road  by  several 
insignificant  and  private  buildings,  and  was  approached 
through  an  uneven  and  almost  private  yard.  One  of  the 
Lithographs  in  this  work  shews  it  as  it  would  appear  when 
divested  of  its  external  incumbrances.  When  examined 
carefully,  it  would  seem  as  if  it  consisted  of  a  long  room 
with  three  Elizabethan  Windows  in  the  side,  over  which 
had  been  erected  at  a  later  period  a  series  of  dormitories, 
with  four  windows  of  a  very  cottage-like  nature.  It  is 
probable  that  the  school-room  had  originally  a  high-pitched 
roof,  and  it  was  found  when  the  building  was  pulled  down, 
that  the  old  oak  timbers  had  been  used  as  far  as  they  served, 
and  the  deficiencies  were  supplied  by  new  deal.  At  the 
west  end  of  the  north  side  there  was  an  entrance,  screened 
from  the  north  winds  by  a  low  porch.  On  entering,  the 
pupil  beheld  a  room  which  was  fifty  feet  six  inches  long, 
twenty-one   feet  ten    inches    broad,    and    fourteen    feet    six 


110 

inches  high'^.  His  eye  would  perhaps  light  first  on  the 
Master's  awful  desk  at  the  east  end,  masking  a  door,  by 
which  he  would  afterwards  frequently  see  a  pleasant  or 
frowning  face  emerge  from  the  School-house :  he  would  at 
first  however  become  more  familiar  with  the  Usher's  desk, 
which  was  placed  near  the  entrance  at  the  west  end,  exactly 
facing  the  Master's  throne.  As  time  went  on,  and  he  had 
opportunities  of  looking  about  him,  he  would  observe  three 
mullioned  windows  on  the  north  side,  each  with  two  uprights 
and  a  transom,  and  three  similiar  windows  on  the  south 
side,  but  each  having  three  uprights  and  a  transom.  A  few 
observant  boys  would  discover  that  these  windows  were  a 
foot  broader  than  the  northern  onesf,  and  would  account  for 
it  by  the  north  side  having  to  give  room  to  a  large  fire-place 
as  well  as  the  entrance.  But  the  most  attractive  sight  to 
the  new  pupil  would  be  a  circular  windowj  at  the  west  end, 

*  This  room  ran  so  truly  east  and  west  that  the  rays  of  the  setting  sun  on  the 
day  of  the  Autumnal  Equinox  shone  straight  through  the  west  window.  The 
house  crossed  the  east  end,  due  north  and  south,  and  projected  beyond  the  school- 
room, so  that  the  whole  formed  a  Latin  Cross  with  the  eastern  apex  mutilated. 

t  I  had  several  times  set  "  The  School-room"  as  a  subject  for  a  Theme,  but  I 
do  not  recollect  any  notice  being  taken  of  the  difference  of  the  windows,  unless 
attention  was  previously  called  to  it. 

+  This  window  was  always  very  attractive :  it  is  the  only  piece  of  the  old 
building  that  now  exists,  and  it  is  inserted  in  the  north  end  of  the  drill  shed, 
looking  towards  Free-school  Lane.  I  have  never  seen  any  account  of  this  window. 
According  to  the  statements  of  persons  connected  with  the  New  Buildings,  it  was 
an  insertion  in  the  old  room  after  it  had  been  completed,  the  stones  round  it  not 
fitting  in  well,  but  having  to  be  packed  with  clay  and  odd  pieces  of  stone.  There 
is  a  similar  window  over  the  porch  of  Elland  New-hall,  a  building  which  was 
refronted  by  one  of  the  Saviles  about  the  same  time  as  the  School-room  was  built. 
Whether  it  was  a  design  furnished  by  a  local  mason  or  copied  from  one  at  a 
distance,  there  is  nothing  to  shew.  In  Dr.  Favour's  Subscription  List,  there  is  an 
item  in  Latin,  of  which  the  translation  is  "Will:  Savile  of  Wakefield  one  glass 
window",  but  there  is  nothing  to  prove  its  connection  with  the  window  in  question, 
beyond  the  fact  that  a  window  was  given  by  a  Savile,  and  a  window  like  ours  was 
adopted  in  another  Savile's  residence  about  the  same  time.  The  only  mention  of 
our  window  that  I  have  met  with  is  in  the  Governors'  Account  Book : — "  1775 
Feb.  18  .  Harper  for  Round  Window  £1.  1.  0".  This  would  be  for  glazing,  as 
tiie  next  account  paid  to  Wm.  &  Jas.  Harper  is  for  '  new  glazing  '. 


Ill 

which  he  would  soon  learn  to  distinguish  as  the  apple-and- 
pear  window,  though  he  might  at  first  imagine  it  to  contain 
a  representation  in  glass  of  a  series  of  sections  of  snail  shells 
revolving  round  a  central  circle.  If  he  was  inquisitive  enough, 
he  might  learn  that  it  was  a  Catherine-wheel  window,  or 
perhaps  a  rose  window,  or  even  be  told  that  it  was  an  oriel. 
But  it  would  ever  be  a  puzzle,  how  or  why  it  got  there. 
Some  of  his  communicative  school-fellows  would  soon  be 
asking  him  if  he  had  ever  heard  of  old  Laury,  and  would 
point  out  a  partition  of  the  ceiling  where  he  was  said  to  have 
painted  his  name :  and  he  would  look  at  the  28  partitions 
into  which  the  ceiling  was  divided  by  the  beams  that  supported 
the  dormitories,  and  wonder  if  he  could  not  himself  do  some- 
thing of  the  kind  in  future  days ;  but  he  would  soon  find  an 
easier  way  of  transmitting  his  name  to  after  days  as  he  looked 
at  the  wainscoting  that  surrounded  the  room,  ancient  and 
venerable  in  his  eyes,  but  in  reality  of  so  late  a  date  as  1816. 
If  his  position  allowed  him,  his  eyes  would  often  be  taken 
from  his  book,  by  the  Stancliffe  Tablet  on  the  north  side,  and 
he  would  gaze  and  gaze  again  at  the  awful  head  on  its  top, 
which  he  would  irreverently  style  "  the  Nigger ",  though 
he  might  be  emboldened  some  day  with  school-boy  wit  to 
put  a  pipe  in  its  mouth.  And  if  transferred,  as  he  might 
be,  to  the  opposite  side  of  the  room,  he  might  (if  he  was  a 
pupil  in  the  last  days)  have  gazed  wistfully  at  the  Tablet 
which  told  the  Scholarships  and  the  Honour  of  Senior  Classic 
gained  by  a  former  pupil,  J.  W.  Bonser,  between  1866  and 
1870,  dreaming  perhaps  that  such  things  were  often  done, 
but  not  knowing  that  few  schools  except  the  greatest  ever 
gain  such  a  distinction  as  Senior  Classic.  There  would  be 
nothing  else  to  engage  his  attention :  he  would  not  care  to 
know  that  the  sash  windows'^  went  out,  and  diamond  panes 


'  There  might  have  been  some  names  of  interest  scratched  on  these,  hut  none 
attracted  my  utteutiou,  as  I  had  then  but  recently  come  to  Hahfax,  except 
"John  Lonsdale  170U". 


112 

came  in,  with  tlie  New  Year  1862,  and  that  the  desk  at 
which  he  sat,  consisting  of  a  sloping  slab  of  wood  on  an 
iron  frame  that  was  screwed  down  to  the  floor,  was  no  older 
than  the  diamond  panes.  Often  however  did  he  feel  annoyed 
by  the  stone  floor  on  which  he  had  to  stand,  though  there 
was  wood  where  he  sat,  and  at  the  distance  which  lay  between 
him  and  the  fire,  a  distance  so  severely  felt  on  a  cold  day, 
especially  if  he  was  in  one  of  the  upper  classes. 

§2.  (Contributed  by  the  Architects  themselves.)  The  New 
School  Buildings  are  adjacent  to  the  site  of  the  old  School 
and  are  designed  in  the  Elizabethan  style  of  Architecture, 
a  feeling  having  been  expressed  by  some  of  the  Governors 
for  the  style  of  Architecture  prevalent  in  the  district  at  the 
time  the  old  Building  was  erected.  It  having  been  thought 
judicious  that  some  relic  of  the  Old  School  should  be  per- 
petuated, the  "  Apple  and  Pear "  window  is  placed  in  the 
North  Gable  of  the  Covered  Drill  Shed,  and  a  replica  of 
the  same  window  introduced  into  the  Centre  Gable  of  the 
New  Building. 

The  Plan  of  the  School  Building  is  somewhat  in  the  form 
of  the  letter  E,  the  long  side  of  which  is  towards  Pree  School 
Lane,  and  set  back  50  feet  from  the  road.  The  Centre  Arm 
is  formed  by  the  Assembly  Hall,  which  is  placed  longitudinally. 

Referring  to  the  Ground  Ploor,  a  corridor  eight  feet  wide 
runs  the  whole  length  of  the  Building,  and  from  it,  to  the  right 
of  the  entrance  Hall,  access  is  obtained  to  the  following 
rooms : — Cloak  Eoom,  with  ingress  and  egress  doors,  Lavatory, 
Library  18  feet  by  12  feet  6  inches,  and  two  Class  Rooms, 
each  20  feet  by  18  feet.  To  the  left  of  the  Hall  there  are 
four  rooms,  one  being  the  Masters'  Room  18  feet  by  14  feet, 
and  the  other  Class  Rooms  each  20  feet  by  18  feet.  Opening 
out  of  the  Vestibule  is  the  Porter's  Room,  while  directly 
opposite  the  entrance  is  the  Assembly  Room  60  feet  by  30 


113 

feet.  This,  the  principal  department  in  the  Building,  has  a 
Queen  Post  open  timbered  roof  ornamented  with  the  character- 
istics of  the  style.  In  addition  to  the  Main  Entrance  doors 
this  room  has  two  side  doors  for  the  use  of  the  Masters. 
The  first  floor  is  reached  from  the  entrance  Hall  by  an 
open  stone  staircase,  with  oak  balustrade,  newels,  etc.,  and 
together  with  the  Vestibule  doors,  arching,  etc.,  forms  a 
characteristic  feature  of  the  interior  of  the  Building.  The 
main  staircase  is  lighted  from  the  recessed  portion  shewn 
in  the  front  view,  which,  while  fully  answering  the  desired 
end,  assists  in  breaking  up  what  would  otherwise  be  a  long 
and  perhaps  monotonous  frontage. 

The  rooms  on  the  first  floor  are  disposed  somewhat 
similarly  to  those  on  the  ground  floor,  and  comprise  a  Museum 
28  feet  by  18  feet,  Science  Eoom  27  feet  by  20  feet,  Laboratory 
20  feet  by  18  feet,  and  private  Laboratory  (for  the  use  of 
the  instructor  in  science)  18  feet  by  12  feet.  These  Eooms 
are  en  suite.  To  the  left  of  the  Staircase  there  is  a  Class 
Room  20  feet  by  18  feet,  then  the  School  of  Art  Department 
consisting  of  three  Rooms  somewhat  similar  to  the  Science 
Rooms. 

In  the  sub-ground  floor  is  located  the  Dining  Room  35 
feet  by  18  feet,  easily  accessible  from  the  entrance  Hall.  A 
Cooking  Kitchen,  China  Closet,  Lavatory,  etc.,  are  connected 
with  the  Dining  Room,  while  to  the  back  are  situated  the 
apartments  of  the  caretaker. 

To  the  south-west  of  the  School  Building  are  situated  the 
Covered  Drill  Ground  (50  feet  by  33  feet)  and  the  Gymnasium 
(50  feet  by  24  feet),  the  latter  having  attached  to  it  two  small 
rooms,  also  a  Gallery  for  visitors  with  access  from  the  covered 
Drill  Ground. 

The  warming  and  ventilation  to  the  School  Building  are 
upon  the  most  approved  methods.  The  rooms,  etc.,  have 
rows  of  hot  water  pipes  upon  the  low  pressure  system  which 


114 

is  considered  the  most  healthful.  The  Masters'  Room  and 
Dining  Room  have  fireplaces  in  them,  in  addition  to  being 
warmed  by  hot  water  pipes.  The  Ventilation  is  effected  b}^ 
Boyle's  patent  outlets,  and  Shillito  &  Shoreland's  patent 
Vertical  pipe  inlets. 

The  work  has  been  executed  by  the  following  Contractors 
who  are  all  local  men : — Masonry  by  Messrs.  Chas.  Bolton 
&  Co. ;  Joinery,  by  Messrs.  S.  Wadsworth  &  Son ;  Sla.ting 
and  Plastering,  by  Mr.  Alf,  S.  Blackburn ;  Plumbing,  Glazing, 
and  Heating  Apparatus,  by  Mr.  John  Naylor  ;  Painting, 
Mr.  Jonas  Binns ;  Iron  Railing  and  Gates,  by  Messrs.  Hirst 
Bros. ;  the  Locks  and  Ironmongery  were  supplied  by  Mr. 
R.  W.  Parkin,  of  Sowerby  Bridge. 

The  Architects  are  Messrs.  Leeming  &  Leeming,  of 
Northgate  Chambers,  Halifax,  and  Mr.  R.  J.  Bryan  has 
acted  as  Clerk  of  the  Works. 


Operations  were  commenced  by  the  Contractors  in  August 
1877.  The  Old  School  was  vacated  in  April  1879,  and  with 
many  inconveniences  the  New  Buildings  were  first  used  on 
April  17th,  but  as  new  furniture  was  required,  and  the 
approaches  and  play-ground  were  unfinished,  there  was  no 
formal  opening.  The  old  buildings  have  been  removed,  and 
some  alterations  in  the  Master's  house  are  still  in  progress 
(October,  1879),  but  some  time  will  yet  elapse  before  all  is 
complete.  But  when  finished,  the  building,  with  school 
furniture  of  the  newest  design,  will  be  well  worthy  of 
inspection ;    and  then,  "  Open,  Sesame  !  " 


CHAPTER  XV. 

§1.  THE  EARLY  GOVERNORS.     §2.  THE  GOVERNORS  UNDER  THE 

CHARTER  OP  1729.    §3.  LIST  OP  GOVERNORS  FROM 

1581-  TO  1875.    §4.  THE  GOVERNING  BODY 

TJNDEK  THE  NEW  SCHEME. 


§1.  TT7E  have  three  lists  of  the  first  Governors  of  the 
V  V  School ;  one  in  the  Charter  itself,  another  (in  the 
Parish  Registers)  with  their  residences  annexed,  and  a  third 
in  Brearcliffe's  MS.  together  with  their  successors.  There 
is  also  in  P.R.  a  list  of  those  who  were  elected  on  the  death 
of  the  first  "  before  the  School  was  built "  in  1598.  It  is 
difficult  to  make  out  the  exact  succession ;  even  Brearcliffe 
differs  from  the  P.R.,  and  we  have  no  record  at  all  of  the 
election  of  some.  The  date  on  the  left  of  the  names  in  the 
accompanying  Table  is  that  of  election,  except  when  in  a 
parenthesis  ;  then,  it  denotes  merely  some  year  in  which  their 
names  happen  to  be  mentioned :  the  date  on  the  right  is  that 
of  death  or  resignation.  The  line  just  before  1607  shews  that 
there  was  a  break  in  the  line  of  succession.  There  is  also 
no  account  of  Governors  in  the  latter  part  of  the  seventeenth 
century  and  the  beginning  of  the  eighteenth. 

As  the  first  Governors  belonged  to  the  most  important 
families  of  the  neighbourhood,  some  notice  of  them  may  be 
interesting,  as  the  families  to  which  they  belonged  have 
altogether  passed  away. 

(1.)  John  Lacy  was  the  eldest  son  of  Hugh  Lacy  of 
Cromwell-bottom,  and  belonged  to  a  family  which  once 
possessed  the  largest  estates  in  the  West  Riding.  He  lived 
at  Brearley  in  Midgley,  not  far  from  Mytholmroyd.  His 
mother  was  a  Savile,  one  of  his  sisters  married  John  Deane, 


/ 


116 

another  Governor,  and  Vicar  Asliburne  married  Elizabeth 
Lacy,  probably  another  sister.  He  died  in  15S5,  shortly 
after  the  Charter  of  the  School  was  signed.  His  son  John 
was  elected  Governor  in  his  place :  he  sold  Brearley.  The 
Ashburnes  were  on  very  good  terms  with  the  Lacys,  as  one 
of  them  lent  the  little  bell  of  the  Parish  Church  to  Brearley, 
where  there  was  probably  a  private  chapel,  which  was  not 
returned  until  the  latter  end  of  1626,  when  it  was  '-fetched 
back  again",  as  the  Register  says. 

(2.)  John  Savile  was  the  eldest  son  of  Henry  Savile,  of 
Bradley  in  Stainland,  and  Ellen  Ramsden.  He  was  born 
in  1545,  and  sent  to  Brasenose  College,  Oxford,  in  1561. 
He  left  it  without  taking  a  Degree,  going  to  the  Inner  Temple 
in  London  to  study  the  Law.  He  became  Sergeant  of  Law 
in  1594,  was  made  a  member  of  the  Council  of  the  North, 
which  had  its  Head  quarters  at  York,  and  was  appointed 
Baron  of  the  Exchequer  in  1598.  Though  interested  more 
than  others  in  the  foundation  of  our  School,  he  was  taken 
away  from  the  neighbourhood  so  much  by  his  public  duties, 
without  having  any  one  to  feel  the  interest  in  the  School 
which  he  himself  felt,  that  his  laudable  desires  were  on  the 
point  of  failure ;  and  all  the  efforts  made  and  the  expense 
incurred  would  have  been  in  vain,  had  it  not  been  for  the 
zealous  co-operation  of  Dr.  Favour,  in  whom  he  seems  to 
have  placed  the  greatest  confidence.  He  had  collected 
together  a  most  influential  body  of  Governors,  his  neighbours 
and  friends,  but,  for  some  cause  or  other,  they  were  incapable 
of  joint  action. 

(3.)  Brian  Thornhill  lived  at  Fixby  Hall,  which  his 
ancestors  had  occupied  for  200  years.  His  grandmother  was 
Janet  Savile  of  Newhall.  He  belonged  to  a  younger  branch 
of  the  family,  the  eldest  having  ended  in  Elizabeth  Thornhill, 
who    married    Henry   Savile    and    lived    at    Thornhill,   near 


117 

Wakefield.  Brian  died  without  issue,  and  his  brother  John 
succeeded  him  in  the  estates,  and  was  elected  a  Governor 
on  his  death. 

(4.;  Francis  Ashburne  became  Yicar  of  Halifax  on  the 
resignation  of  his  father  in  1573.  He  married  Elizabeth 
Lacy,  and  died  in  1585. 

(5.)  Henry  Savile  lived  at  Blaidroyd  in  Southowram, 
sometimes  called  'The  Bank'.  His  mother  was  a  Savile,  of 
Copley,  and  his  great-grandmother  a  Lacy.  He  afterwards 
came  to  live  at  Shaw-hill,  and  died  in  London  in  1617. 

(6.)  Henry  Farrar  lived  at  Ewood,  not  far  from  Brearley 
in  Midgley,  a  manor  which  came  to  him  on  his  marriage 
with  Mary,  the  daughter  of  John  Lacy.  He  paid  the  expense 
incurred  in  obtaining  the  Charter  of  the  School. 

(7.)  William  Dean  of  Exley  married  into  the  family  of 
John  Hanson,  who  was  another  Governor,  and  was  connected 
also  with  the  Wades.  His  brother's  grand-daughter  was 
the  wife  of  the  celebrated  Bishop  Lake.  The  estate  of  Exley 
was  subsequently  sold  to  the  Greames. 

(8.)  Eobert  Wade  lived  at  Fieldhouse  in  Sowerby,  which 
he  had  bought  of  Henry  Farrar.  His  family  became  connected 
by  marriage  with  the  Hansons,  the  Deanes,  and  the  Ramsdens. 

(9.)  John  Deane  was  of  Deane-house  in  Midgley,  and  so 
was  close  neighbour  to  the  Lacys  and  the  Farrars.  His 
wife  was  a  sister  of  John  Lacy.  He  had  "departed  with 
his  family  out  of  the  Vicarage  and  Parish  of  Halifax  "  before 
January  1607,  as  the  Parish  Register  tell  us. 

(10.)  Anthony  Hyrst  or  Hurst  belonged  to  Greetland.  I 
have  found  nothing  whatever  about  him,  except  that  his 
son  Henry  was  Governor  in  his  stead  before  1598. 

(11.)  George  Firthe  lived  at  Firthhouse,  which  was  at 
the  extremity  of  Barkisland  most  remote  from  Halifax.  His 
house  subsequently  came  by  purchase  into  the  possession  of 
the  Hortons,  who  pulled  it  down  and  built  a  new  house  on 


118 

the  site.      He  is  mentioned  in  a  will  in   1588  with  George 
and  John  Savile. 

(12.)  John  Hanson  of  Woodhouse,  Junior.  He  lived  at 
Woodhouse  in  Rastrick.  His  family  was  connected  with 
the  Saviles  by  marriage,  and  also  with  the  Wades.  Some 
of  the  Hansons  were  the  great  lawyers  of  the  neighbourhood, 
and  great  antiquarians.  Nicholas,  the  brother  of  John, 
describes  himself  in  his  will  as  "one  of  the  servants  and 
clerks  of  Sir  John  Savile". 


The  brief  account  which  I  have  given  of  the  original 
Governors  will  serve  to  shew  that  they  were  very  closely 
connected  together  by  marriage  or  neighbourhood.  They 
lived  for  the  most  part  at  a  distance  from  the  town  of  Halifax, 
and  grouped  themselves  round  the  Saviles  at  Bradley,  or  the 
Lacys  at  Brearley,  and  so  represented  the  Parish  rather  than 
the  Town  of  Halifax;  and,  as  I  said  before,  the  School  was 
accidentally  situated  near  the  Town,  because  the  Saviles 
and  Farrars  had  some  waste  land  that  they  could  afford  to 
part  with  in  the  neighbourhood. 

The  twelve  Governors,  whom  I  have  mentioned,  are 
specified  by  name  in  tlie  Original  Charter.  It  is  also  there 
stated  that  "there  shall  be  for  ever  within  the  said  Parish 
"and  Vicarage  of  Halifax  twelve  of  the  discreetest  and 
"  honestest  men  dwelling  within  the  same  Parish  and  Vicarage 
"for  the  time  being  which  shall  be  called  the  Governors  of 
"the  possessions  revenues  and  goods  of  the  Free  Grammar 
"  School  ....  during  their  lives  so  that  they  use  themselves 
"  well  and  faithfully  towards  the  said  School  ....  Whensoever 
"  any  one  or  more  die  or  otherwise  dwell  out  of  the  said 
"  Parish  and  Vicarage  of  Halifax  and  with  their  family  depart 
"  thence  the  'other  Governors  ....  [shall]  choose  and  nominate 
"any  other  meet  person  or  persons  ....  being  above  the 
"age   of   twenty-four  years   &c. "      The   election   wss  to   be 


119 

made  within  a  month  of  the  vacancy,  and  if  "it  was  not 
made  in  form ",  the  Archbishop  of  York  was  to  elect.  The 
Governor  elect  was  to  take  an  oath,  and  could  not  act  until 
he  had  done  so. 

N.B. — There  was  no  ex-ofl&cio  Governor,  as  used  to  be 
supposed.  No  Vicar  of  Halifax  seems  to  have  been  Governor 
between  1712  and  1779. 


§2.  I  have  in  Chap.  VII.  given  an  account  of  the  con- 
firmation of  the  Charter  in  1729.  There  is  very  little 
necessity  for  going  into  detail  respecting  the  new  Governors. 
The  reader  will  remember  Mr.  Lister's  letter,  in  which  their 
nomination  is  atttributed  solely  to  Mr.  Sterne.  But  he  seems 
to  have  had  some  difficulty  in  getting  a  suitable  body  to 
act  with  him.  Mr.  Lister  speaks  of  himself  as  having  been 
applied  to,  and  also  of  a  Mr.  Turner  (about  whom  I  find 
no  further  mention) ;  he  puts  in  his  list  a  Mr.  Ramsbothom 
also,  and  leaves  out  the  old  Governor,  Mr.  Greame,  as  if 
he  had  been  at  first  unwilling  to  continue  in  office,  though 
Mr.  Sterne  had  two  months  before  sent  only  eleven  names 
to  the  Archbishop.  He  was  probably  gained  over  by  Mr. 
Sterne,  as  no  one  would  have  been  left  to  administer  the 
oath  of  qualification.  At  any  rate  Mr.  Lister's  letter  shews 
that  there  were  doubts  even  after  Mr.  Sterne's  nomination 
of  eleven.  Many  hung  back,  having  taken  fright  probably 
at  the  pecuniary  difficulties  which  Trustees  had  recently 
encountered.  The  nucleus  of  the  new  body  was  Mr.  Sterne; 
he  first  gained'  over  his  father-in-law,  Mr.  Booth ;  there 
would  not  be  much  difficulty  in  persuading  John  and  James 
Batley,  Mr.  Farrar,  and  Mr.  Ramsbothom,  who  had  suffered 
directly  or  indirectly  from  the  decision  of  the  Commission, 
mentioned  in  Chap.  VII.  Mr.  Burton's  name  was  perhaps 
added  out  of  compliment.      I   do   not   find   any  mention   of 


120 

the  four  others.  He  would  probably  have  a  difficulty  on 
Mr.  Eamsbothom's  refusal  to  serve,  as  he  certainly  had  when 
Mr.  Burton,  Mr.  Stot,  and  Mr.  Ramsden  declined :  but  he 
eventually  got  over  all  obstacles,  and  was  able  to  fill  up  the 
vacancies.  One  of  the  three  Governors  elected  after  the 
receipt  of  the  Charter,  W.  Walker,  was  perhaps  a  relation 
of  R.  Walker,  whose  estate  had  felt  the  Commission's  heavy 
hand.  Mr.  Sterne's  success  did  good  service  to  the  School, 
though  his  plan  had  had  its  origin  in  a  discreditable  state 
of  things,  to  say  the  least.  He  had  evidently  to  pay  for  it ; 
but  it  was  to  his  special  perseverance  that  the  School  at 
length  became  useful  to  the  community,  and  was  more  closely 
connected  with  the  Town  and  its  immediate  neighbourhood. 
From  his  time  there  has  never  been  wanting  a  succession 
of  faithful  and  conscientious  Governors,  to  whose  able  discharge 
of  their  duties  special  testimony  was  borne  in  the  Report 
of  the  Schools  Inquiry  Commission.  Thus  was  good  evolved 
out  of  evil,  and  selfishness  used  as  an  instrument  to  promote 
the  general  welfare. 


121 


§3.   LIST  OF  GOVERNORS  PROM  1584  TO  1875. 


1. 

2. 

1581    John  Lacy                   Aug. 

1585 

1584 

John  SaTile                 Feh.  160f 

John  Lacy  (son) 

- 

1607     Anthony  Wade 

1620 

1607 

Henry  Savile  (son)      Sep.  1632 

Jo  :  Fourness 

(1624)  Eichard  Dearden        Jun. 

1626 

(1629)  Thomas  Whitley 

(1635)  John  Whitley 

(1635) 

John  Savile 

(1714)  Henry  Greame           Nov 

1739 

(1727) 

1727 
1762 

1788 

Eichard  Sterne            Oct.  1732 

(1744)  Christopher  Eawson 

John  Eamsden                  (resd.) 
(of  Well-head) 

William  Grimshaw 

1780    John  Eawson 

1815 

1795 

Josh.  Priestley                     1819 

(of  Stoney  Royd) 

1828 

1816     John  Eawson 

(of  the  Shay ) 

George  Priestley               (resd.) 

1820    WilUam  John  Norris 

1838 

John  Eawson 

1837    Charles  Norris 

1854 

William  Henry  Eawson 

1838    John  Eawson 

(of  Brockwell) 

122 


LIST    OF    GOVERNORS    FROM    1584    TO    1875. 


3. 

4. 

1584 

Brian  Tliornhill 

Oct.  1598 

1584 

Francis  Ashburne 

Jul.  1585 

John  Tbornhill  (brot 

licr) 

Henry  Ledsham 

(resd.)  1593 

Johu  Thoriihill  {son. 

John  Favour 

Mar.  162f 

1612 

Thomas  Thornhill  (I 

iro  titer) 

1624 

Kobert  Clay 
Hugh  Eamsden 
Henry  Eamsden 
Bichard  Marsh 

Apr.  1828 

Jul.  1629 

Mar.  16:)f 

(resd.)  1662 

1727 

Timothy  Booth 

Dec.  1736 

1727 

Thomas  Bui-ton 

(declined) 

1729(?)James  Tetlay  (Tetl 

^ 

!)\V  t 

(1744 

Samuel  Lister 

1753 

Cyril  Jackson 

1766 

Wilham  Haigh 

M 

Lulce  Hoyle 

■  (declined) 

1778 

Thomas  Dyson 

.. 

Eev.  John  Lister 

1790 

Samuel  Lees 

1754 

Valentine  Stead 

1808 

George  Greenup 

1701 

Joseph  Bramley 

1837 

Mason  Stanhope  Kenny  (resd.) 

1787 

John  Bramley 

1863 

Thomas  William  Eawson 

1812 

Stansfeld  Eawson 

(resd.) 

1864 

John  Edward  Wainhonse  (resd.) 

1827 

George  Pollard 

May  1866 

1871 

Thomas  Turlay 

Sep.  1871 

1860 
1870 

John  Staveley 
Joshua  Appleyard 

Jan.  1870 

123 


LIST  OF  GOVERNORS  FROM  1584  TO  1875. 


5.  " 

6. 

1584 

Henry  Savile 

1584 

Henry  Farrar 

1607 

Anthony  Foxcroft 

1611 

John  Brigge 

Feb. 

Kilf 

1613 

William  Han'ison 

Jul. 

1618 

(1629)  Humphres  Drake 

(1634) 

John  Drake 

Jan. 

1642 

1727 

James  Batley 

1727 

Robrrt  Eamsden 
{of  Siddal  Hall) 

Aug. 

1750 

1749 

James  Wetherherd 

1750 

John  Waterhouse 

1778 

William  Newby 

1759 

Samuel  Lees 

1801 

William  Eawson 

1761 

Luke  Hoyle 

1828 

Eiward  Wainhouse 

(resd.) 

1770 

George  Smith 

1837 

John  Staveley 

(resd.) 

1778 

Thomas  Preston 

Nov. 

1821 

1854 

Edward  Akroyd 

1822 

Thomas  Preston  (Junr.) 

1837 

Edward  Eawson 

124 


LIST  OF  GOVERNORS  FROM  1584  TO  1875. 


7. 

8. 

1584 

William  Deane 

1584    Eobert  Wade               Dec. 

1594 

Eobert  Deane  (son) 

Gilbert  Saltenstall      Dec. 

1598 

Eichard  Sunderland  Jun. 

1634 

(1635)  Abraham  Sunderland 

1043 

1727 

Henry  Haigh 

1727     Elkanah  Farrar 

1752 

John  Baldwin 

1760    William  Greame 

1779 

Henry  Wood  (Vicar)  Oct.  1790 

17(i6     John  Edwards 

1790 

Henry  Wm.CoulthurstDec.l817 

(1792)  John  Edwards                  ( 

resd.) 

1818 

Samuel  Knight            Jan.  1827 

1814     Henry  Lees  Edwards 

1827 

Charles  Musgrave       Apr.  1875 

1848     Henry  Edwards 

125 


LIST    OF    GOVERNORS    FROM    1584    TO    1875. 


9. 


1584    John  Deane 


(resd.)  (?) 


1007  Isaak  Waterhouse  Feb.  160t% 
Anthony  Waterhonse  Mar.  1C2^ 
John  Clough 


10. 

1584    Anthony  Hyrst 

Henry  Hyrst  ( son) 


(1624)  John  Cooper 
(1635)  James  Murgatroyd 


1727 

John  Stot                     (dc 

clined) 

1727 

John  Batley 

(1745] 

W.  Walker 

17(i0 

John  Waterhouse 

1787 

William  Smith 

1802 

John  Waterhouse 

1798 

John  Priestley 

1848 

John  Waterhouse 

1879 

1801 

Josh.  Lister 

1818 

John  Dearden 

1838 

John  Dearden  (Junr.) 

1839 

John  Edwards  Dyson 

1840 

William  Haigh 

1854 

George  Haigh 

(resd.) 

1862 

William  Rothwell 

126 


LIST  OP  GOVERNOES  FROM  1584  TO  1875. 


11. 

1584     George  Firth 


(1611)  Eobert  Hemingway    Mar.  161f 
(lf524:)  Jasper  Blythman 
(1629)  Samuel  Lister 

Thomas  Lister  Jan.  167J 


12. 

1584    John  Hanson 


1621 


John  Thorp 
(1627)  Nathaniel  Wateihouse Jun.1645 


1727 

Eobert  Eamsden 

(declined) 

1727 

Eichard  Taylor 

(of  Wliarleliouse) 

(1744) 

John  Lodge 

1763 

Thomas  Eamsden 

1768 

John  Winn 

(declined) 

1787 

Eobert  Parker 

.. 

John  Eoyds 

1796 

Charles  Hudson 

1781 

Eichard  Eoyds 

1815 

John  Dyson 

[of  Willoio  Field) 

1806 

John  Haigh 

1818 

Eobert  Paley,  M.D.           (resd.) 

1826 

Thomas  Eamsden 
[of  Heath  Hall) 

1828 

Jeremiah  Eawson 

1852 

Thomas  Eobson 

Feb. 

1877 

1839 
1852 

Samuel  Waterhouse 
Samuel  Waterhouse  (Junr.) 

127 

§4.       THE    GOVEBNING    BODY    UNDER    THE    NEW    SCHEME. 


Some  of  the  regulations  made  by  the  Endowed  Schools 
Commission  concerning  the  Governors  are  stated  in  their 
Scheme  as  follows  : — 

"The  Governing  Body  shall  ultimately  consist  of  fifteen 
persons,  of  whom  two  shall  be  ex  officio  Governors,  nine 
representative  or  elective,  and  four  co -optative. 

"  The  ex  officio  Governors  shall  be  The  Mayor  of  Halifax, 
and  The  Chairman  of  the  School  Board  of  Halifax,  if  they 
will  respectively  undertake  to   act. 

"•  The  Eepresentative  Governors  shall  be  elected,  Four 
by  the  Municipal  Corporation  of  Halifax  ;  Two  by  the  School 
Board  of  Halifax ;  One  by  the  Governing  Body  of  the 
Hipperholme  Grammar  School ;  One  by  the  Governing  Bodies 
of  the  Endowed  School  at  Boothtown,  founded  by  Jeremiah 
Hall,  and  of  the  Endowed  School  at  Elland,  founded  by  Joseph 
Brooksbank,  alternately ;  One  by  the  Governing  Bodies  of 
the  Endowed  School  at  Rastrick,  founded  by  Mary  Law, 
and  of  the  Endowed  School  at  Sowerby,  founded  by  Paul 
Bairstow,  alternately. 

"The  Representative  Governors  shall  be  elected  to  office 
for  the  term  of  five  years,  and  at  the  expiry  of  such  term 
shall  be  re-eligible. 

"  The  Co-optative  Governors  shall  be  appointed  to  the  office 
for  the  term  of  eight  years,  and  be  capable  of  re-  appointment. 
The  first  Co-optative  Governors  (1873)  shall  be  appointed  to 
office  for  life,  being  the  eleven  present  Governors. 

"  Women  may  be  Governors. 


128 


The  first  Members  of  tlie  new  Governing  Body  were : — 


"  f 

Eh      ] 


Thomas  Wayman 
John  Henry  Swallow 


Mayor. 

Chairman  of  School  Board. 


John  Dyson  Hutchinson*     "^ 
Samuel  Thomas  Midgley 


John  William  Longbottom 
a  -i'    Nathan  Whitley 


James  Hope 

John  Edwards  Hill 


y  Elected  by  the  Toicn  Council,  1874. 


J 


|.    Elected  by  the  School  Board,  1874. 


Charles  Musgrave 
John  Waterhouse 
Edward  Kawson 
Henry  Edwards 
Thomas  Eobson 
Samuel  Waterhouse 
William  Henry  Eawsou 
Edward  Akroyd 
WilUam  Eothwell 
Joshua  Appleyard 
John  Eawson 


{died  1875.) 
{died  1879.) 


(died  1877.) 


*  Oct.,  1879,  Mr.  Alderman  Hutchinson  not  seeking  re-election,  Mr.  Councillor 
Hall  was  chosen  in  his  stead ;    the  other  Members  of  the  Council  were  re-elected. 

t  Oct.,  1879,  The  Eev.  James  Hope  being  no  longer  a  member  of  the  School 
Board,  Mr.  Alfred  Eamsden  was  elected  in  his  stead.     Mr.  Hill  was  re-elected. 

I  Mrs.  Judd  was  subsequently  elected  as  representative  of  the  Endowed  School 
at  Eastrick. 

N.B. — Mr.  Edward  Crossley  also  acted  as  Governor,  during  his  Mayoralty, 
from  November  1874  to  November  1876. 


CHAPTER    XYI. 

ON    SOME    OF    THE    EARLY    SUBSCRIBERS. 

A  COPY  of  the  Deed  by  which,  the  Saviles  conveyed  their 
gift  of  land  is  in  the  Parish  Register.  As  it  is  not 
only  in  Latin,  but  also  has  many  contractions,  I  will  present 
it  to  the  reader  in  an  English  dress. 

Let   present    and   future   know   that   we   the   Honourable 

Lord  Gilbert  Earl  of  Shrewsbury  of  the  noble  Order  of  the 

Garter    Knight,   Edward    Saville    Esquire    son    and    heir   of 

Henry   Savile  Knight  deceased  lately  Lord  of  the  Manor  of 

Skircot    in   the   county  of  York  and  George  Savile  Knight, 

have   enfeoffed   delivered   granted   and   of   love    towards   our 

country  and  good  learning  have  confirmed  to  the  Governors 

of  the  possessions  revenues  and  goods  of  the  Free  Grammar 

School  of  Queen  Elizabeth  in  the  parish,  of  Halifax  in  the 

county  of  York  commonly  named  "  The  Free  Gramer  schole 

of  Queen  Elizabeth "  by  virtue  of  a  royal  licence  under  the 

great    seal   of    England    bearing    date   at   Westminster    the 

fifteenth  day  of  February  in  the  twenty-seventh  year  of  the 

reign  of  the   said  Lady  the   Queen  one  messuage  or  house 

called  "  a  Schole-howse "  lately  built  and  six  acres  of  land, 

weak    stony    and    bruery     [debilis    lapidosse    et    bruer']     by 

estimation  now   [modo]   of  the  annual  value  of  eight  pence 

lying  contiguous,  about  the  said  messuage  with  the  pertinences 

[cum   p'tinen']    in   Skircot   aforesaid   lying   and   existing-  on 


130 

the  south  side  of  the  messuage  and  land  in  the  same  place 
now  [modo]  in  the  tenure  of  Michael  Smyth  and  abutting 
on  the  land  of  the  same  Michael  on  the  north  side,  on  the 
waste  or  common  of  Skircot  on  the  west  and  south  sides 
and  on  the  same  common  and  the  land  of  Abraham  Milner 
on  the  east  side.  To  have  and  to  hold  the  aforesaid  messuage 
or  house  called  "  a  Schole-howse  "  and  the  aforesaid  six  acres 
of  land  weak,  stony  and  bruery  with  the  aforesaid  pertinences 
to  the  forementioned  governors  and  their  successors,  to  hold 
of  the  chief  lords  of  that  fee  by  the  services  thence  due 
and  of  right  accustomed.  And  we  indeed  the  forementioned 
Earl  Edward  Savile,  and  George  Savile  Knight  and  our  heirs 
the  aforesaid  messuage  or  house  called  "a  Schole-howse" 
and  the  aforesaid  six  acres  of  land  weak,  stony  and  bruery 
with  the  pertinences  to  the  forementioned  Governors  and 
their  Successors  against  us  and  our  heirs  will  guarantee 
and  for  ever  defend  by  [these]  presents.  .  .  . 

In  testimony  of  which  we  have  put  to  this  present 
document  of  ours  our  seals.  Dated  the  fourteenth  day  of 
August  in  the  fortieth  year  of  the  reign  of  our  aforesaid 
Lady  Elizabeth  by  the  grace  of  God  Queen  of  England  France 
and  Ireland  defender  of  the  faith,  in  the  year  of  the  Lord  1598. 

Gilb :  Shrewsbery.  Edward  Savill :  George  Savill.  Sealed 
and  delivered  on  the  4th  day  of  October  in  the  year  below 
written  at  "  Sheffield  Lodge*  ",  with  the  grant  of  the  below 
written  George  Savill  Knight  of  four  oaks  in  "  Eland  p'ke " 
[park]  for  building  the  School  below  specified.  George 
Savile.  Jo  :  Savile.  Jo  :  Lacy.  Hen  :  Savile,  Randale 
Catherall,    nicol.    Hanson.    1598. 


*  SheflQeld  Lodge  or  Manor  was  built  as  a  country-house  in  Sheffield  Park 
some  two  miles  from  Sheffield  about  the  beginning  of  the  sixteenth  century  by 
George,  the  fourth  Earl.  Hunter  in  his  "  Hallamshire  "  gives  a  view  of  what  was 
left  when  he  wrote  his  work. 


131 

I  propose  now  to  lay  before  my  readers  some  of  the 
early  Subscription-lists  which  are  to  be  found  in  the  Parish 
Registers.  Brearcliffe  has  them  also  in  his  MSS.,  though 
occasionally  a  difference  occurs.  On  consideration  I  give 
them  in  their  original  Latin,  because  misinterpretations  have 
been  given  of  them  or  false  deductions  drawn  from  them, 
and  will  append  a  few  notes. 

I. 

Nomina'  benefactoru  p'   edificatione    scholse   de   Halifax, 
habitatiii  ext.  p'och  de  Hal. 

1.  Eich.  Saltestall  miles  Maior  Londo  iii^^  6s  8<l 

2.  Gibts  comes  Salop :  et  eius  comitissa  impetratu 

Geor.  Savile  dono  dedenit  4oi'  querc' 

3.  Henries  Savile  p'pos :  coUegij  Eton  et  cust^ 

colleg.      Mertonesis  in  Oxon.     [Provost  of  Eton 
College  and  Warden  of  Merton  College  in  Oxford]     xls 

4.  Will.  Thornhill  canonicss  Wigor.  [Canon  of  Worcestor]  xls 
6.  Robt*^  Kaye  de  Woodsame  armig.  xx^ 

6.  Guil.  Ramsden  de  Longley  armig.  xx^ 

7.  Jo :  Jackson  de  Etherthorpe  armig.  xx^ 

8.  Edw.  Mawde  vie'  de  Wakfeelde  xs 

9.  Bilsbye  ostiari^  scaccarij  [Usher  of  the  Exchequer]  x^ 

10.  Tho.  Crosland  de  Northcrosland  xs 

11.  Nicol.  Feney,  quod,  schol.           Hal.  xs 

12.  Tho.  Norcliffe  nats  in  Barksland  x^ 
13.+ Jo:  Nalson  de  Meathley  in  Lyme  xiis+ 
14.  Michael  Doughty  gen:  nats  in  Oved  xls 
16.  David  Wat'house  cle.  coronse  bac :  reg."^  xl^ 

16.  Jo :  Milner  gen.  qudd  schol :  Hal  xs 

17.  Jo:  Preestley  ar.  nat^  in  Soarby  x^ 

*  "Clerk  of  the  Crown  of  the  Queen's  Bench". 


132 

18.  Jacobs  Stansfeeld  armig.  xs 

19.  Tho :  Pilkington  armig.  xx" 

20.  Will.  Ashton  de  Clegg  -xs 

21.  Rich.  Cole  armig  xs 

22.  Jo :  Lister  Aldermanus  de  Hull  iijft 

23.  Jaspar  Blythman  armig.  xl^ 

24.  Edw.  Ashton  Rector  de  Middleto  xxs 

25.  Shuttleworth  et  Jo :  Preestlej  supa  noTats  \ 
executores  MicheF  Rect:  de  Oxhill  in  L      iiijUj 
comit.     Warw.  I 

26.  Gnil.  Savile  de  Wakfeeld  vitri.  una  fenestr 

27.  Rich :  Bewmont  de  Wh.  armig.  xx« 

28.  Jo :  Ramsden  Gen.  xx^ 

29.  Samuel  Saltestall  de  Huswick  ge.  xx^ 

30.  Robts  Waterhouse  de  Harthill  xs 

31.  Josuali  Smith  vie'  hudd'feld  x^ 

32.  Jo :  Armitage  ar.  x^ 

33.  Robts  Nettleton  de  Almubery  xs 

34.  Edwards  Copley  de  Batley,  arm :  xxs 

35.  Alexandr  Stocke  Rector  de  Heaton.  xx^ 
36.tA  Doct.  Benet  Cancel.  Eborac'  p'  p'te  psenit:   | 

xpoph»"   Oldfeeld    adulterij    crimine    covicti.  j  ^^^ 

37.  Henry  Foxcroft  de  Batley  gen.  x^ 

38.  Marmaduke  Eland  gen.  xs 

Su      xllb.       vjs      8d: 

*  Henry  Michell  was  Eector  of  Oxhill  near  Kineton  in  Boiith  Warwickshire 
from  20  Jan.,  1558,  to  1597.  It  is  worth  noting  that  from  this  Church  (a 
remarkable  Norman  building)  the  clerk  followed  by  the  congregation  turned  out 
on  Sunday,  Oct.  23rd,  1G42,  to  witness  the  battle  at  Edgehill.  I  think  that  the 
Eector  belonged  to  the  Mitchells  of  Scowt  in  Sbibden. 

t  It  is  singular  tbat  Doctor  Benet  L.L.D.  was  in  1616  Chancellor  of  Canterbuiy, 
when  the  will  of  Gilbert  Earl  of  Shrewsbury,  mentioned  at  the  beginning  of  this 
List,  was  proved  before  him. 

I  In  this. sum  the  writer  has  left  out  the  value  of  the  lime  12s.,  which  will 
account  for  4- . .  +  in  that  item.  B.  has  also  read  +  as  if  it  were  4,  and  so  made 
£40  19  0. 


133 


II. 

Nola  benefactoru  in  p'ochia  de  Halifax  inhabitatiii  p' 
edificat :  scholse  et  Inmratione  eiusde  et  terraru  eidem 
contigue  adiacetiii 

39.  Henries  Farrar  Ar.  charta  incorporationis  snis  siiptib^  et 

labore  procuravit  et  obtinuit. 

40.  Joan.  Savile  serviens  ad  lege 

(serjeant  at  law) 

41.  Bria:  Thornhill  cu  Jo:  fratre 

42.  Joan.  Favour  11,   Doctor  in  pecu: 

Dictio  :  Anglicolat :  Lexi.  grsecolat 

43.  Joan.  Lacy  de  Briarley  ar. 

44.  Jacob :  Kinge  de  Sk.  testa'^ :  leg : 
46.  Tho :  Hopkinson  de  Eland  test :  leg : 

46.  Jo :  Hanson  Senior  de  Woodhouse 

47.  Jo :  Longbotha  de  North,  test :  leg : 

48.  Rich:  Townend  p'  testam.  iij 

49.  Antony  Hurst  de  greetl.  p'  test. 

50.  Tho:  Haworth  de  Hal  p'  test. 

Halifax 
Daniel  Foxcrofte  xls  et  xxs 

Robt  Greenefeeld  xls  et  xx^ 

Robt  Lawe  xls 

Brian  Crowther 
Edward  Broadley 
John  Waterhouse 
Willm  Harison 

Yid.  Will.  Baerstow  {Vid.  is   Widow) 
Rich.  Lawe 

Joa:  Baerstowe  cu  ux.  fil.  (i.e.  with  his  wife's  son) 
Tho:  Warde 


yVb 


6  querc^ 


4  querc^ 

XS 

xxv« 

lb  vjs  8d 
xl« 

XXS 


Xls 

Xls 

xxxs 

XXXS 
XX8 

XX8 

xxxs 

XXS 


•  test.,  testa : ,  testam  : ,  mean  will,  and  leg :  Jegavit  or  bequeathed :  p'  is  for 
per  i.e.  by. 


134 

Robt.  Greenwoode  xxs 

Robt  Exley  xx« 

Henry  Hojle  xx^ 

Jolin  Mawde  xx^ 

Rich.  Maye  xx^ 

Josephe  Wormale  xiii's  4'i 

Jolin  Wilson  xiijs  4d 

xxv*  xvis  viiid 

a  reliquis  inhabitatibs  ] 

M       -     •             I  xv^'''  is  ixd 

in  mmoribs  sumis  )  — 

Su  40ll>  xviijs  yd 
Skircote 

Isaake  Waterhouse  de  Woodhouse  iijib  Qs  gd 

Anton.  Wade  de  Kingcross  iijib  vis  gd 

Jacob  :  Kinge  sup*  noiat"  xl^ 

Rich :  Waterhouse  Mertleb.   (?)  xx^ 

Edward  Whitakers  cii  fil.  Edw  xxvis  8<i 

John  Lockwood  xx^ 

a  reliquis  ijlb  xiiijs  iiijd 

Su  14  ..  14  ..  4 


135 


It  would  be  too  tedious  to  put  down  all  the  minor  sums 
added  to  the  Subscription  from  the  various  Townships :  it 
will  be  sufficient  to  give  the  sum  total  collected  in  each. 


£ 

s. 

d. 

£ 

8.   d. 

Sowerby 

..  13 

4 

2 

Stainland     1 

11     6 

Warley 

.     7 

14 

8 

Rastrick-cum- 

Ovenden 

..     6 

7 

0 

Toothill        ...     ] 

2  10 

Northowram 

.  10 

18 

10 

Fixby 0 

14     6 

Hipperholme 
Soutliowram 

.     6 

..     8 

9 
1 

6 

2 

Heptonstall...     ...     2 

Stansfeild    2 

0     2 
2     6 

Midgley       ...     . 
Shelf 

;        3 
.        1 

16 

10 

4 

0 

Waddesworth      ...     3 
Eringden     0 

4     8 

18     2 

Elland-cum- 

Langfeild     0 

17     6 

Greetland    . 

.     5 

9 

4 

John  Hogg  of  Shelf  5 

13     4 

Barkisland  ... 

.   1 

16 

8 

(hy  will) 

E-ishworth-cum- 
Norland 

..     2 

9 

1 

John  Northend  of") 
Folde  in  North-  [■  1 
owram      j  (b 

19 

0    0 

y  will) 

£67 

16 

9 

5     2 

67 

]6     9 

£87 

1  11 

SUMIV 

lAEY. 

£ 

s.   d. 

I.     Subscriptions  outside  tl 

le  Parish        40 

6     8 

ILH 

in  the  Ps 

Irish         23 

1     8 

(&) 

in  Halifax 

c      25 

16     8 

(c) 

53 

(in  small  sums)...     16 

1     9 

(d) 

in  Skirco 

te     14 

14    4 

(e) 

in  other  ^ 

Downships      87 

1  11 

£206 

3     0 

136 

I  think  that  anyone  will  be  able  to  make  out  the  above 
list,  if  he  knows  that  '  comes '  means  Earl,  '  miles '  Jcnight, 
ar.  arm.  armig.  esquire,  and  gen.  (for  generosus)  gentleman. 
He  must  also  know  that  (-)  over  a  letter  denotes  the  omission 
of  m  or  n,  and  that  s  at  the  end  of  the  word  is  for  us,  and 
that  Su  is  for  Summa,  i.e,  Sum  Total.  The  heading  of  the 
first  list  is,  in  English,  "Names  of  the  benefactors  for  (jpro) 
the  building  of  the  School  of  Halifax,  dwelling  outside  the 
parish  of  Halifax ",  and  that  of  the  second  is  ."  Names  of 
benefactors  dwelling  in  the  parish  of  Halifax  for  the  building 
of  the  School  and  the  walling  of  the  same  and  of  the  lands 
contiguously  adjacent  to  the  same".  I  have  found  out  a 
great  deal  of  information  with  respect  to  all  the  subscribers 
except  Bilsbye,  Crosland,  Cole,  and  Lockwood ;  but  it  would 
only  encumber  this  work  to  give  it.  If  any  one  will  look 
at  a  Map  of  the  West  Riding,  he  will  see  that  most  of  the 
subscribers  lived  in  the  country  extending  between  Stainland 
and  Wakefield,  a  country  in  which  the  Savile  influence  was 
very  great  at  the  time.  It  is  necessary  to  state  what  is 
meant  by  some  places.  Etherthorpe  or  Edderthorpe,  i.  e., 
Edric-thorpe,  was  in  Darfield,  and  was  held  by  a  son-in-law 
of  Sir  J.  Savile  ;  Huntswick  or  Huntwick  was  between 
Wakefield  and  Pontefract;  Clegg  was  in  Rochdale  parisb, 
but  the  Ashtons  both  of  that  and  of  Middleton  were  connected 
with  the  West  Riding  families;  Harthill  was  near  Shefiield, 
but  its  owner  was  connected  with  the  Waterhouses  of  Shibden ; 
and  Eland  (38)  lived  at  Carlinghow  near  Batley.  There  is  a 
difficulty  in  one  or  two  points.  I  do  not  know  why  Feney 
(11)  and  Milner  (16)  are  spoken  of  as  quondam,  schol. 
(scholars?),  as  the  School  was  not  yet  built.  A  Nicholas 
Feney  died  in  Almondbury  in  1616,  aged  78,  and  it  is  said 
that  the  family  then  became  extinct.  Bilsbye,  Cole,  and 
Benet   (who  was   LL.D.  and  a  civilian)  were  probably  con- 


137 

nected  with  the  courts,  which  Sir  John  Savile  had  to  do  with, 
either  at  York  or  Westminster.  It  is  singular  that  the  will 
of  the  Earl  of  Shrewsbury,  who  is  at  the  head  of  the  List, 
was  proved  in  1616  before  Dr.  Benet,  whose  name  is  at  the 
end.  There  is  something  curious  about  (13).  There  were 
Nalsons"^  at  Methley  in  Henry  the  Eighth's  reign,  but  it  was 
a  pretty  good  distance  for  twelve  shillings- worth  of  lime  to 
travel.  This  is  the  only  instance  of  an  English  Word  in 
the  lists,  which  are  in  Latin,  and  also  of  the  value  of  material 
being  given.  But  it  was  evidently  an  after-thought,  for  it  is 
not  reckoned  in  the  sum  total. 

Almost  every  one  in  the  Halifax  List  bore  office,  either 
as  Churchwarden  or  Constable,  and  so  came  under  the 
influence  of  Dr.  Favour.  Edward  Whitakers  was  Rector  of 
Thornhill,  and  therefore  a  dependent  of  the  Saviles.  It  seems 
clear  then  that  Sir  John  Savile,  or  his  agent  Dr.  Favour, 
got  most  of  the  subscriptions.  But  the  principal  ones  were 
got  outside  the  parish,  and  very  little  credit  is  due  to  what 
we  now  call  the  Town  of  Halifax,  except  as  regards  Brian 
Crowther's  Legacy. 

As  regards  (42),  we  may  say  that  what  Dr.  Favour  gave 
in  money  he  kept  secret  to  himself;  but  it  was  well  known 
that  the  School  owed  to  him  a  Latin-English  Dictionary 
and  a  Greek-Latin  Lexicon,  and  also  a  large  Bible.  (See 
p.  19.)  He  also  mentions  in  one  of  his  letters  (L.P.CL.) 
that  he  and  Sir  John  Savile  had  been  "enforced  to  enlarge 
their  benevolence  above  that  that  they  had  before  given". 
The  lists  in  P.R.  were  probably   drawn   up  after  his  death. 


*  In  1635  a  "Mr.  Nelson"  of  Hipperholme  subscribes  10s.  Od.  There  were 
Nelsons  or  Nalsons  in  possession  of  Dove  House  near  there.  I  have  thought  it 
possible  that  '  in  Lyme '  may  be  some  corruption  of  Mytholme  written  badly,  just 
as  Mertlob :  is  of  Hear  dough  Bottom. 

/ 


18^ 


We  also  find  the  following  in  the  Parish  Register : — 
December  3  Anno  Dni  1635. 
A  particular  of  such  moneyes  as  have  been  given  towards 
the  purchase  of  lands  for  the  free  grammar  schoole  of  Queene 
Elizabeth  neare  Hallifax  this  last  yeare  and  collected  by 
Henry  Ramsden  vicar  of  Hallifax.  The  summe  to  be  collected 
was  one  hundred  four  score  and  tenne  pounds. 

Given  by  such  as  live  out  of  the  Vicaredge. 
Imprimis  (55)  Mr.Charles  Greenwood  parson  of  Thornhill£20  0  0 


Itm  (56)  Mr.  Beniamen  Wade  of  New  Grange 
Itm  (57)  Mr.  Okewell  vicar  of  Bradford 
Itm  (58)  Mr.  NicoU  minister  of  Thometon 

Given  by  the  governors  of  the  said  schoole 
Imprimis  (59)  Mr.  John  Savile  of  Methley,  esquier 

Item  out  of  moneyes  left  by  (60)  Mr.  Richard  \ 
Sunderland  of  Coley  Hall  Esquier  deceased  to 
be  disposed  of  by  his  sons  to  good  uses 
Itm  (61)  Mr.  Abraham  Sunderland  esquier 
Itm  (62)  Mr.  John  ffarrer  esquier 
Itm  (63)  Mr.  James  Murgetroid 
Itm  (64)  Mr.  Daniell  ffoxcroft 
Itm  (65)  Mr.  John  Drake,  Horley  Green 
Itm  {66)  Mr.  John  Whitley  of  Wheatley 


500 
500 
100 

500 
10  0  0 

600 
3  68 
5  00 
500 
500 
200 

72  6  8 


Summary  of  small  Subscriptions. 

Halifax 

...  £41     5     8 

Sowerby     ... 

..  £10 

2 

8 

Northowram 

...     14  16    4 

Warley      ...     . 

..       7 

5 

0 

Southowram 

...     17  16     8 

Hipperholme 

6 

3 

4 

Midgley     . . . 

...       1  13    4 

Shelf 

.       3 

0 

0 

Skircoat     . . . 

...       5  11     8 

Norland     ...     . 

.       4 

10 

0 

Ovenden    . . . 

...     10     1     8 

Rushworth 

.       0 

5 

0 

£122  11  4 


139 

I  have  given  an  account  of  (55)  in  Chap.  X.  p.  65.  (56)  was 
son  of  Anthony  VV^ade  of  King"  Cross,  who  had  married  Judith 
Foxcroft  of  New  Grange,  near  Leeds.  (57)  was  Vicar  of 
Bradford  from  1615  to  1639.  His  name  is  generally  spelled 
Okell ;  he  was  uncle  to  Daniel  Barraclough  of  Halifax,  whose 
will  is  given  in  L.P.LIX.  (58)  was  probably  one  of  the  "four 
learned  preachers "  sons  of  Richard  Nichol  of  Southowram 
(P.R.  under  1603).  There  are  three  additional  subscriptions 
mentioned  besides  the  above,  amounting  to  £1  16  8,  so  that 
the  sum  total  is  £196  14  8,  which  exceeds  the  statement  in 
the  paragraph  preceding  the  Lists.  The  Lists  are  signed 
by  Jo:  Parrer,  Antony  Foxcroft,  Nathaniell  Waterhouse, 
Thos :  Lister,  Edw.  Hanson,  John  Drake. 


CHAPTEE    XVII. 

SCHOLARSHIPS    AT    THE    UNIVERSITIES    IN    WHICH    THE 
SCHOOL    HAS    AN    INTEREST. 

IT  is  of  great  advantage  to  a  provincial  school  to  have 
exhibitions  or  scholarships  attached  to  it.  The  schools 
of  York,  Shrewsbury,  Manchester,  and  Birmingham,  for 
instance,  have  be6n  able  to  send  many  scholars  to  the 
Universities,  who  have  gained  great  honour  for  their  schools, 
and  have  obtained  by  their  ability  high  positions  in  the 
world.  Fifty  pounds  per  annum  will  not  of  course  pay  the 
expenses  incurred  at  the  Universities,  but  will  be  a  considerable 
assistance  to  parents  who  are  desirous  of  sending  their  sons 
there.  Scholarships  supply  a  stimulus  to  the  scholars,  and 
very  few  who  gain  them  fail  in  obtaining  additional  pecuniary 
advantages,  which  enable  them  to  go  through  the  University 
Course  without  much  burden  to  their  parents.  Birmingham 
School  for  instance  has  not  only  produced  many  men  who 
took  high  degrees  and  are  occupying  useful  positions  in  the 
world,  but  can  reckon  among  its  alumni  the  Bishops  of 
Durham  and  Truro,  and  Canon  Westcott,  who  were  its 
exhibitioners.  And  many  have  left  their  mark  on  the  history 
of  the  country,  who  owed  their  all  to  similar  support.  But 
at  Heath  School  there  is  nothing  of  the  kind.  It  has  certainly 
an  interest  in  some  scholarships,  but  it  has  to  compete  with 
other  schools,  so  that  a  parent  can  never  reckon  on  any 
help  as  certain,  however  able  his  son  may  be,  and  those 
who  have  contributed  any  honour  to  the  School  by  taking 
University  Honours  have  done  so  without  its  assistance. 
Learning  with   an  empty  pocket  cannot  expect  to  succeed. 


141 

and  there  is  here  no  encouragement  to  men  of  slender  means 
to  send  their  sons,  however  talented,  to  a  University.  It  is 
worth  notice  that  the  exhibitions  at  the  schools  which  I 
have  mentioned  are  due  to  the  liberality  of  men  who  lived 
two  or  three  centuries  ago,  and  the  present  generation  which 
feels  a  pride  in  the  successes  of  those  schools  does  so  without 
having  itself  contributed  anything  towards  them. 

I  have  said  that  Heath  School  has  some  interest  in 
exhibitions  or  scholarships,  and  I  will  now  give  some  account 
of  them;  but  I  may  say,  Has  no  one  any  wish  to  raise  the 
status  of  the  School  by  adding  to  them?  It  should  always 
be  borne  in  mind  that  the  School  was  not  made  for  itself, 
but  to  prepare  its  scholars  for  something  that  was  beyond 
it.  Its  education  at  the  best  was  not  intended  to  be  final, 
but  only  preparatory  for  a  higher  stage. 

Let  us  see  what  has  been  done  with  a  view  to  this. 
John  Milner,  a  native  of  Skircoat,  and  a  scholar  of  Heath 
School,  successively  Vicar  of  St.  John's  Church  in  Leeds, 
and  of  the  Parish  Church  there,  had  an  only  son,  Thomas, 
who  became  Vicar  of  Bexhill  in  Suffolk.  This  son  bequeathed 
in  1721  a  sum  of  money  to  Magdalene  College  at  Cambridge, 
to  provide  Scholarships  for  scholars  from  Heversham  School 
in  Westmorland,  and  from  the  schools  of  Leeds  and  Halifax. 
I  am  informed  that  these  are  now  of  the  value  of  £80  a 
year.  They  are  given,  as  they  become  vacant,  to  such 
candidates  as  successfully  pass  a  prescribed  examination 
which  takes  place  every  year  in  April.  The  Tutor  of  the 
College  tells  me  that  the  subjects  are : — "  Euclid,  Algebra, 
Trigonometry,  Conic  Sections,  Passages  from  Greek  and  Latin 
Authors  for  Translation,  and  Composition  in  Greek  and 
Latin  Prose  and  Verse  ".  He  also  says : — "  Preference  will 
in  general  be  given  to  excellence  in  one  line  of  study ;  but 
no  one  will  be  elected  who  does  not  satisfy  the  Examiners 
in  the  elementary  parts  of  both  Classics  and  Mathematics  ". 


142 

There  is  another  chance  for  the  School.  Some  land  was 
bequeathed  in  1518*  by  William  Akroyd,  Eector  of  Long 
Marston,  a  priest  of  the  pre-reformation  Church,  for  the 
support  of  a  scholar  at  Oxford  or  Cambridge.  In  consequence 
of  an  increase  in  its  value  there  are  now  two  open  Scholar- 
ships, each  of  the  annual  value  of  £75,  tenable  at  either 
University.  There  is  an  examination  for  these,  when  vacant, 
"  in  Classics,  Mathematics,  History,  Geography,  and  one 
modern  foreign  language ".  Candidates  are  admitted  "  from 
any  Endowed  Schools  in  the  County  of  York " ;  and  con- 
sequently Heath  School  can  send  candidates. 

In  the  spring  of  the  present  year,  the  Provost  of  Queen's 
College,  Oxford,  informed  me  that  some  of  the  twelve  schools 
of  Yorkshire,  which  had  the  privilege  of  sending  candidates 
for  Lady  Betty  Hastings'  Exhibitions  at  that  College,  worth 
£90  a  year,  had  forfeited  their  privilege,  and  he  enquired 
what  prospect  there  was  of  Heath  School  being  able  to  send 
candidates.  As  there  were  no  pupils  sufficiently  advanced 
at  the  time,  he  finally  wrote : — "  It  will  probably  be  your 
best  plan  to  postpone  your  application  to  have  the  Heath 
SchQol  added  to  the  Hastings  Schools  till  your  candidate 
is  ready  to  offer  himself.  The  Schools  have  only  twenty 
years  probation,  and  in  case  he  should  for  any  reason  fail 
to  appear,  you  might  perhaps  waste  four  or  five  years  out 
of  the  twenty  without  having  a  candidate  to  send  up  ". 

With  these  three  possibilities,  the  School  requires  only 
the  support  of  those  who  wish  to  give  their  sons  a  University 
education ;  for  if  it  has  been  able  to  train  under  the  present 
management  a  Senior  Classic,  a  Milner  Scholar,  and  at  least 
two  others  who  have  gained  Scholarships  in  their  respective 
Colleges,  it  is  within  its  power  to  add  to  those  Honours. 
But  a  good  result  cannot  be  expected,  unless  good  material 
is  supplied. 
.    *  An  English  translation  of  the  Will  is  given  in  L.P.  CLXII. 


148 

The  Present  Prospectus  of  the  School. 


Head  Master     -       -       Rev.  THOMAS   COX,   M.A.,  Camb*. 

Master  of  Junior  Department    Mr.  J.  CLAYTON,  B.A.,  Cauib. 

Mathematical  Master       -       Mr.  W.  E.  SADD,  B.A.,  Camb. 

French  -----         MONSIEUE    POIRE. 

Drawing     -     Mr.  W.  H.  STOPFORD,  of  the  School  of  Art. 

Drill      -       -     Mr.  T.  MORLEY,  late  Sergeant-Major  in  the 

Royal  Artillery. 

This  School  is  managed  under  the  Scheme  drawn  up  by 
the  Endowed  Schools  Commissioners,  and  is  divided  into  a 
Senior  and  a  Junior  Department.  No  boy  is  admitted  until 
he  is  eight  years  old.  He  cannot  remain  in  the  Junior 
Department  beyond  the  end  of  the  Term  in  which  he  attains 
the  age  of  fourteen  years;  nor  in  the  Senior  Department 
beyond  the  end  of  the   Term   in  which  he  attains  the  age 

of  NINETEEN. 

No  boy  can  be  admitted  without  undergoing  an  examination 
by  the  Head  Master,  which  in  the  Junior  Department  is 
never  to  fall  below  the  following  standard : — Reading  easy 
narrative :  Writing  small  text-hand :  Simple  sums  in  the  first 
four  rules  of  Arithmetic.  The  Examination  for  admission  to 
the  Senior  Department  is  never  to  fall  below  the  following 
standard : — Reading  ordinary  narrative :  Writing  simple  prose 
from  dictation :  Sums  in  the  four  simple  and  compound  rules 
of  Arithmetic  :  English  Grammar,  Geography,  Outlines  of  English 
History :  Latin  Grammar,  Translation  and  Parsing  of  simple 
Latin  sentences. 

In  the  Senior  Department  the  education  is  more  professional 
than  in  the  Junior,  and  includes  Greek  and  the  higher 
branches  of  Mathematics. 

All  boys  must  learn  French,  except  those  in  the  lowest 
class  who  are  under  twelve  years  of  age.  All  must  learn 
Drawing  in  the   Junior   Department,   except   in  the   lowest 


144 

class,  wliere  it  is  optional.     It  is  also  optional  at  present  in 
the  Senior  Department. 

The  religious  education  consists  of  the  Bible  History. 
Boys  also  receive  instruction  in  the  Book  of  Common  Prayer, 
or  the  Psalms  and  Proverbs,  at  the  option  of  their  Parent 
or  Guardian. 

The  Fees  are  (at  present)  £8  per  annum  for  the  Junior 
Department,  and  £12  per  annum  for  the  Senior.  They  are 
payable  before  the  beginning  of  each  Term  to  the  Governors' 
Clerks,  Messrs.  Emmet  &  Walker,  Harrison  Eoad.  Notice  of 
removal  of  a  hoy  is  to  be  given  to  the  Head  Master  one  month  before 
the  end  of  a  Term,  or  the  Fee  will  be  charged  for  the  next  Term. 

There  are  three  Terms  in  the  year,  the  Lent  Term 
beginning  about  January  14th ;  the  Midsummer  Term  about 
April  14th  ;    and  the  Michaelmas  Term  about  September  14th. 

The  fixed  holidays  are  four  weeks  at  Christmas,  four 
DATS  at  Easter,  two  weeks  at  Whitsuntide,  and  six  weeks 
at  the  end  of  the  Midsummer  Term. 

There  is  an  annual  examination  in  July,  conducted  by  a 
Graduate  of  one  of  the  Universities. 

The  School  hours  are  from  9  to  12,  and  from  2  to  5,  except 
on  Wednesday  and  Saturday,  when  there  is  a  half-holiday. 
Every  boy  must  be  punctual  and  regular  in  attendance ; 
and  after  absence  he  must  bring  a  note  signed  by  his  Parent 
or  Guardian,  stating  the  cause.  It  is  necessary  for  the  welfare 
of  the  School  that  these  points  should  be  attended  to.  Every 
boy  is  expected  to  make  up  all  deficiencies  in  school-work 
occasioned  by  such  absence. 

For  convenience  sake  the  books  in  use  can  be  obtained 
from  the  Head  Master. 

•  Mr.  Cox  took  Honours  both  in  Classics  and  Mathematics,  being  in  the  First 
Class  in  the  former,  and  in  the  Second  in  the  latter.  Mr.  Clayton  and  Mr.  Sadd 
took  Mathematical  Honours,  both  being  high  in  the  Second  Class.  All  three  were 
Scholars  or  Exhibitioners  of  their  respective  Colleges.  M.  Poir6  was  specially 
trained  as  a  teacher  of  English  at  the  Training  School  of  Cluny  (Saone  et  Loire). 


145 
Corrections  and  Additions. 


_p.  3,  note^.  Brinsley  was  Master  of  the  Asliby-de-la-Zouch 
Grammar  School  from  1601  to  1618.  There  is  a  good 
Article  in  Eraser's  Magazine  for  JSTovember  1879,  on 
what  was  taught  in  Grammar  Schools  in  his  day. 
The  Article  is  an  Enquiry  into  what  Shakespeare 
learned  at  School. 

p,  5.  I.  21.  I  have  generally  left  names  spelled  as  I  found 
them  in  documents.  But  here  I  should  have  written 
Ashhurne,  as  I  have  done  later  on,  when  I  lighted  on 
his  marriage  register,  in  which  it  is  spelled  with  e. 
Farrar  sometimes  has  a,  sometimes  e,  in  the  last 
syllable;    and  I  have  been  in  doubt  which  to  adopt. 

jf).  10,  note  f.     After  letters  insert  are. 

p.  14,  note  *.     For  '  MSS.'  read  '  MS.' 

p.  15,  I.  29.     For  time  read  live. 

p.  22,  I.  5.  In  1765  Gilbert  Wakefield  went  at  nine  years 
of  age  to  Wilfbrd  School  near  Nottingham.  In  his 
"  Life  ",  p.  29,  he  says  : — "  We  came  into  the  school 
at  five  in  the  summer,  and,  with  the  deduction  of  less 
than  two  hours  intermission  at  breakfast  and  dinner, 
continued  there  till  six  at  night". 

jp.  24,  I.  21.  Here  is  one  of  Brearcliffe's  mistakes.  He  has 
copied  P.R.  wrongly. 

p.  28,  I.  20.     Insert  a  comma  after  School, 

p.  29,  I.    7.     Erase  the  comma  after  Tcnown. 

p.  30,  note,    ■i.e.,  "Samuel  son  of  John  Stancliffe,  Southowram". 

p.  31 J  note  t     For  d  read  e. 

p.  32,  note*  E.  Sterne's  brother  Eoger,  father  of  Laurence, 
is  said  to  have  been  "somewhat  rapid  and  hasty" 
in  temper. 


146 

jp.  34,  I.  7.  For  Haytor  read  Hayter.  I  was  long  puzzled 
by  the  statement  that  Dr.  Hayter,  afterwards  Bishop 
of  Norwich,  had  drawn  up  the  Statutes,  until  I  found 
that  he  was  at  the  time  Secretary  of  the  Archbishop 
of  York. 

„      note*  I.  7.     It  is  in  the  letter  Eleana,  a  clerical  error 

for  Elkanah. 
p.  38,  I.    2.     For  Stern  read  Sterne. 
p.  46,  I.  23.     Chemistry   is   not   mentioned    in    the    Scheme : 

but    rooms    have    been    provided    for   it  in  the   New 

Building.      The  Governors  have   also   outstripped   the 

Scheme  in  building  a  Gymnasium. 
p.  52,  note  8.     I  had  interpreted  the  cipher  as  "  aprove,"  i.e., 

"  approve ",  but   I   did   not  know  that  the  word  was 

ever   so   applied.      I  have  since  found   "prove"  used 

technically  in   a  similar  way,  and  I  would  now  read 

it  as  "approve". 
p.  53,  note   10a.       It   is    also    provided    in    the    Statutes   of 

Rotherham  (1584),  that  Hesiod  should  be  taught.      I 

suppose  it  to  be  owing  to  the  moral  teaching  of  his 

principal  poem. 
„     note  11.     The  "book  published  in  1612"  is  Brinsley's 

Ludus  to  which  I  have  referred  before. 
p.  55,  I.  20.     After  have  insert  been. 
p.  69,  note'*.     Add  "  cunning  in  knowledge,  and  understanding 

science.     Daniel  i,  4".     There  are  many  other  instances 

in  the  Bible. 
p.  61,  I.  11.     xpo  i.e.,  Christo,  X  in  Greek  being  represented 

by  Ch,  and  the   character  for  r  being  almost  like  p. 

„      I.  20.     for  u  in  Richardu  read  ii  i.e.,  um. 
p.  66,  I.  25.     Timothy  Booth   was  the  father  of  E.   Sterne's 
second  wife. 


147 

p.  71,  I.  29.  The  celebrated  Dr.  Johnson  thought  highly  of 
Dr.  Ogden's  Sermons,  especially  those  on  prayer,  as 
Boswell  tells  ns,  in  describing  his  visit  to  Scotland, 
to  which  the  Sermons  had  found  their  way. 

jp.  76,  I.  5.  The  chair  was  taken  by  Col.  Norcliffe  of  Langton 
Hall,  near  Malton :  about  50  old  pupils  were  present, 
as  well  as  the  Governors  of  the  School. 
„  I.  29.  P.O.  stand  for  "  ponendum  curaverunt ". 
„  I.  35.  There  are  many  anecdotes  afloat  respecting 
Mr.  Wilkinson,  but  they  are  all  too  trifling  to  be 
given  in  this  work. 

p,  82,  Z.  16.  I  have  found  in  Mr.  Gooch's  register  the 
following  names  of  Assistant  Masters  : — 1854  Mr. 
Cranmer ;  1855  Mr.  Hiron,  and  Mr.  Hadath ;  1856 
•  Mr.  Morgan;  1858  Mr.  Thwaite;  1859  Mr.  Bissell, 
and  Mr.  James;  1860  Mr.  T.  Pitts.  Since  that  date 
there  have  been  1861  Mr.  J.  C.  Cammack;  1863  Mr. 
W.  J.  Brookes;  1865  Mr.  Mead;  1869  Mr.  H.  J.  Geare; 
and  Mr.  S.  Jeffery;  1871  Mr.  A.  H.  Chesshire;  1872 
Mr.  H.  Sayers;  1874  Mr.  F.  H.  Weston;  and  1875 
Mr.  G.  P.  Blatch. 

jp.  84,  I.  12.     After  ^produced  insert  a  comma. 

„  I.  IQ.  On  reference  to  the  Cambridge  Calendar,  I  find 
in  1760  "Joah  Bates,  Christ's"  elected  to  the  Craven 
Scholarship,  the  highest  Classical  Prize  in  the  University- 
A  note  says,  "Afterwards  Fellow  of  King's,  and 
conductor  of  the  Commemoration  of  Handel  in  West- 
minster Abbey".  Henry  Bates  was  fourth  Wrangler 
in  1759,  and  Members'  Prizeman  in  1761. 

JO.  90,  I,  25.     Late  Lieutenant  Colonel. 


148 

p.  91.      I  liave  also  received  the  following  names  of  pupils 
of  Mr.  Wilkinson  : — 


1815  Crossley,  David 

„  Frobislier,   — 

1817  Bowerbank,  — 

,,  Fawthrop*, — 

1819  Dyson,  Frank 

(?)  Wright,  Joe 

1821  Crossley,  Harry 

„  Jessop,        — 


182 .  Eamsden,  John 

,,  ,,  William 

„  ,,  George 

183  .  Slater,  Abraham 

,,  ,,      William 

1832  Ashworth*,  George  Wheelhouse 

1833  Atkinson,  Christopher 
,,  ,,  Henry 


p.  99,  I.  1.     Child,  H.  E.  A.  entered  in  January  1872. 

p.  100.  After  the  names  add : — "  Mr.  Gooch  admitted  349 
boys,  an  average  of  18  per  annum ;  Mr.  Cox  admitted 
360,  an  average  of  19  per  annum ".  It  is  singular 
that  the  Commissioners  in  1827  give  the  average 
number  of  boys  not  boarders  as  35,  and  the  Governors 
in  1861  give  the  same  average.  My  average  up  to 
1875  was  42,  and  during  the  last  5  years  has  been 
about  the  same.  I  have  not  taken  account  of  boarders 
or  of  my  own  sons. 

2>.  103,  I.  21.  Add  the  remarks  of  W.  Bagehot  on  this : — 
"  But  '  genius '  is  rarely  popular  in  places  of  education ; 
and  it  is,  to  say  the  least,  remarkable  that  so 
sentimental  a  man  as  Sterne  should  have  chanced 
upon  so  sentimental  an  instructor.  It  is  wise  to  be 
suspicious  of  aged  reminiscents ;  they  are  like  persons 
entrusted  with  '  untold  gold ' ;  there  is  no  check  on 
what  they  tell  us.      Literary  Studies,  ii.  108. 

p.  109,  I.  10.     After  was  put  a  comma. 

p.  110,  I.  10.     For  similiar  read  similar. 

p.  Ill,  I.  25.  This  Tablet  was  presented  by  Mr.  Cox  in  1870. 
„         note     For  ^706'  read  '1796'. 

p.  115,  I.    8.     For  MS.  read  MSS. 

FINIS. 


149 
(ADDITIONAL) 

CORBECTED    LiST    OF    THE    GoVEKNORS,    JANUARY,    1880. 
(drawn  up  since  the  hodij  of  the  work  was  printed). 


O    I 


w 


?i4 


P5 


Matthew  Smith  (Alderinan) 
John  Henry  Swallow 

Samuel  Thomas  Midgley  (Alderman)       "^ 
John  William  Longbottom  (Alderman) 
Nathan  Whitley 
John  Hall  (Councillor)  , 

John  Edwards  Hill 
Alfred  Eamsden  (Councillor) 
William  Morris 
John  Farrar 


Mayor. 

Chairman  of  School  Board. 


Elected  by  Town  Council,  1879. 


Elected  hy  School  Board,  1879. 

Bairstow's  Charity,  Sowerhy. 
Brookshank's  Charity,  Elland. 


Q 


r  Edward  Eawson 
Henry  Edwards  (Bart) 
Samuel  Waterhouse  (Major) 
William  Henry  Eawson  (President  Governor). 
Edward  Akroyd  (Col.) 
William  Roth  well 
Joshua  Appleyard 
John  Eawson 


p.  131,  I.  17.     For  'Worcestor'  read  'Worcester', 
p.  132,  wo/ef     For  '  L.L.D '  read  '  LL.D ' . 


P. 8. — The  writer  of  this  worh  is  sorrj/  that  there  has  been 
so  long  a  delay  in  publication.  He  could  have  brought  it  out 
some  months  ago,  had  it  not  been  for  the  Illustrations,  which 
have  taJcen  a  longer  time  than  was  expected. 

Jan.  31,  1880. 


373.42H  H437  C878  c.1 

Cox  #  A  popular  history 
of  the  grammar  school  of 


3  0005  02028322  5 


H437 
C878 
Cox 

A  popular  history  of  the  gram- 
mar school  of  Queen  Elizabeth 

at  Heath,  near  Halifax 

I       

373. 42H 

H437 

C8.78 
Cox 

A  popular  history  of  the  grammar 
school  of  Queen  Elizabeth,  at  Heath, 
near  Halifax