By the Rev. Canon J. E. Jackson, F.S.A. 47 



There were no public schools in the days of the Plantagenets ; 

 "Winchester I believe is the oldest^ and that was founded about the 

 cud of the 14th century. Oxford and Cambridge indeed existed, 

 and boys undoubtedly went there at a much earlier age than now. 

 But it is certain that the monasteries did train up a good many, and 

 moreover they had, at those universities, colleges of their own. 



But if the Religious Houses of monks were the schools of those 

 days, much more were the Nunneries. 



Hear what our old Wilts antiquary says upon the subject — He 

 lived in the reign of Charles II : " The young mayds were brought 

 up (not at Hackney, Sarum schools, &c., to learn pride and sauci- 

 nesse but) at the nunneries, where they had examples of piety, 

 humility, modesty, and obedience, to imitate and to practise. Here 

 they learned needlework,the art of confectionary, surgery (anciently no 

 apothecaries or surgeons — the gentlewomen did cure their poor neigh- 

 bours, — their hands are now too fine), physick, writing, drawing, 

 &c. Old Jacques could see from his house at Kington St. Michael, 

 the nunnes of the Priory come forth into the Nymph-hay (a ground 

 by the Priory) with their rocks and wheels to spin, and with their 

 sewing work. He would say he hath counted threescore and ten : 

 lay sisters, widows and young girls. This was a fine way of breed- 

 ing up young women who are led more by example than precept ; 

 and a good retirement for widows and grave single women, to a 

 civil, virtuous and holy life." 



He mentions physic and surgery as practised by women, but the 

 monks were not wanting in this respect. They had their dispensa- 

 ries, one for themselves, one for the public. They studied chemistry 

 largely. A volume has lately been published, of very curious 

 receipts of theirs, for all sorts of compositions. One thing I venture 

 to say they knew how to make, which we do not ; at least if we 

 know it we do not practise it : and that is how to make durable ink. 

 For myself I can only say that, using even what was said to be the best 

 ink to be got in Bath, things that I wrote thirty years ago, are now 

 hardly legible : which may be no loss to the world, but is a great 

 inconvenience to myself. The black has vanished, and nothing but 

 a pale rusty mark remains : whereas some of the old manuscripts 



