SCHOOLS 



Although Mr. Pugh is mentioned as the 

 master appointed in the account of the meeting, 1 

 his name does not appear in the list of masters 

 which ends the record. Probably he remained 

 only a short time, for his successor, Thomas Ray, 

 was appointed on 25 October by the same 

 electors. 2 After his decease, in 1774, a dispute 

 arose about the nomination of the 'six chief 

 inhabitants,' and, on a case being stated, counsel 

 decided that no definition of the term was 

 given in the foundation ordinances, and that 

 consequently any six chief inhabitants might, 

 with the churchwardens and curate, elect a 

 master. In answer to another question it was 

 decided that the fees might be raised beyond the 

 original zos. a year. The 'six chief inhabitants' 

 were now chosen at a vestry meeting, and, along 

 with the other electors, appointed Mr. Robert 

 Dyer to the mastership. 



In October, 1 800, the school was again vacant 

 because of fresh disputes. In November, 

 Mr. Thomas Carthew, the curate, John Gan- 

 nett, a churchwarden, and four 'chief inhabi- 

 tants ' (two being nominated by Carthew and 

 Gannett respectively at a vestry meeting, when 

 Samuel Elvis, the other churchwarden, refused 

 to nominate or take any part in the proceedings) 

 elected Mr. John Black, a private teacher in 

 Woodbridge, to the mastership of the grammar 

 school. After the vestry meeting was over, 

 Elvis and 'some inhabitants ' made a fresh choice 

 of representatives, who elected Peter Lathbury 

 to the mastership. Black, being already in pos- 

 session, refused to resign or to give up the ' Liber 

 Admissionum,' and Lathbury,soon after obtaining 

 preferment in the Church, withdrew from the 

 contest. Both elections were now declared void, 

 though Black continued the school-work until 

 the chancery proceedings which had been taken 

 were concluded. A decree of 2 August, 1806, 

 declared the six chief inhabitants to be the lord 

 of the manor, if resident and of Woodbridge, 

 and three chief landowners (four chief land- 

 owners if the lord of the manor were an unmarried 

 lady), and the two ' most considerable' occupiers 

 of land as decided by their payment of poor 

 rates. All were to have equal voice in the elec- 

 tion, and five were to be a quorum. Inspection 

 of the school was to be made by the electors, 

 and the perpetual curate might not be school- 

 master. 



In 1806, William Alleyne Baker became 

 master, having boarders as well as day boys. 

 On his resignation in 181 5, the Rev. John 

 Clarryvince, an old Cavendish boy 3 and late 

 master at Colchester, 4 was appointed. The 

 register gives some interesting information about 

 the working of the school at this date. The 

 Christmas and Midsummer vacations each con- 



"Lib. Admis.' 'Ibid. 



3 Venn, Reg. of Gonville and Caius Coll. 

 'Bury Pott, 1815. 



sisted of 31 days, and there were holidays on 

 saints' days and public thanksgivings. From 

 March to November the school hours were from 

 7 to 9 a.m., 10 to 12 a.m., and 2 to 4.30 p.m. ; 

 from November to March, from 9 to 12 a.m. 

 and from 2 to 4.30 p.m. 



Clarryvince neglected the free boys, placing 

 them at other schools in Woodbridge. He 

 admitted his errors at a meeting, but declared 

 that he had done his best and blamed the electors 

 for negligent inspection. This tu quoque was 

 admitted to be fair, but the electors excused 

 themselves by saying that his reputation had 

 ' lulled them into culpable inactivity.' 5 In July, 

 1822, Mr. Clarryvince resigned, and was 

 succeeded by Mr. William Fletcher. Mr. Chris- 

 topher Crofts, B.A., followed in 1832, but 

 delayed opening school so long that the founda- 

 tion scholars were sent to Mr. Fenn's school. 

 Things had not improved by 1835, so the 

 electors, after receiving no response to very direct 

 queries as to his intentions, put a notice in The 

 Times calling on him to resume his work or 

 resign. 6 On the appointment of Mr. Wood- 

 thorpe Collett in 1836, Crofts wrote resigning 

 the mastership and expressing 'acutely painful ' 7 

 regret at leaving Woodbridge. His mention of 

 labours for ' liquidation of my debts' 8 sufficiently 

 explains his conduct. 



The next appointment was that of Mr. T. W. 

 Hughes in 1841. During his time the electors 

 held the first formal examination of the free 

 scholars, the results of which gave the examiners 

 'considerable pleasure.' When Hughes resigned 

 in 1847, the advertisement of the mastership 

 gives the endowment as £40 a year, and makes 

 mention of a comfortable dwelling-house with 

 accommodation for 30 boarders. Mr. Postle 

 Jackson was appointed to the post. 9 With slender 

 endowments and old, inconveniently small build- 

 ings this school fell into decay. But by a new 

 scheme of the Court of Chancery, 14 June, 

 1 86 1, the school was brought into connexion with 

 the Sackford Hospital. This almshouse, founded 

 under letters patent of 23 May, 1587, by 

 Thomas Sackford, had been endowed by him 

 with lands in Clerkenwell, which by the growth 

 of London became enormously productive, yielding 

 an endowment of £3,500 a year. By the scheme 

 for the hospital £390 a year of this was applied 

 to the school, which was rebuilt on a fine site 

 on the outskirts of the town for 100 boys. It 

 opened in August, 1865, under Mr. William 

 Tate, LL.D., with 80 boys, of whom 20 were 

 free scholars, while 15 were boarders. The 

 fees were very low for day boys, £3 a year 

 under, and £4. a year over, 10 years of age. 

 Next year the school was full with 100 boys. 



4 ' Lib. Admis.' 6 Timet, 21 Dec. 1835. 



7 ' Lib. Admis.' 6 Ihid. 



9 Mr. Jackson was the only lay head master of 

 Woodbridge School. 



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