A HISTORY OF SUFFOLK 



GISLINGHAM SCHOOL 



The Free School at Gislingham was founded 

 in 1637 by John, Edmund, and Mary Darby, the 

 first of whom left property for a rent-charge of 

 ^10 to the rector and others in trust for a free 

 schoolmaster to teach all of the testator's name 

 and kindred and for others in the same parish. 1 

 Mary Darby, after her husband's death, gave a 

 rent-charge of £$ on ' Smith's close ' for an 

 addition to the master's salary. 2 On 12 April, 

 1647, Edmund Darby by his will bequeathed an 

 additional rent-charge of 4OX. for the maintenance 

 of the school. 



In 1719a Commission for Charitable Uses 

 confirmed these several rent-charges. 



The Commissioners of Inquiry in 1822 found 

 the master was receiving £17 per annum for 

 teaching 10 free scholars nominated by the 

 trustees and resident in the parish ; the teach- 

 ing by this time however was elementary, and 

 the master refused to take more free scholars, 

 relying upon paying pupils to make up his 

 income. 3 The schoolroom and master's residence 

 were in good repair, but the Commissioners had to 

 record that, though formerly used for grammar 

 teaching, the school had for some time been main- 

 tained as an 'English school.' It is still elemen- 

 tary. 



LAVENHAM SCHOOL 



The earliest known endowment of Lavenham 

 School is a rent-charge which was made by one 

 Richard Peacock, 4 September, 1647, for the 

 education of five poor children, who were to be 

 chosen by the heads of the borough, the church- 

 wardens, and the overseer, £5 a year being 

 left in his will for this purpose, 4 and in 1 66 1 

 another Richard Peacock (nephew of the first 

 donor) gave by deed two rent-charges in Great 

 and Little Waddington, in value £5, for the 

 school. 5 



In 1699, when the school premises needed 

 repair, the necessary funds were raised by ' con- 

 tributions.' 6 In the same year Sir Richard 

 Coleman, fulfilling the intentions of his uncle, 

 Edward Coleman, gave an annuity from the 

 manor of Greys for the salary of a schoolmaster, 

 who need not necessarily teach more than 

 Peacock's 5 free scholars. 7 The Rev. Matthew 

 Drift was master from 1696 until 1723, 'to 

 whom most of the neighbouring gentry sent 

 their sons.' Several boys went up to Cambridge 

 from Lavenham during his mastership. Mr. 

 Richardson, Mr. Brownsmith, and Mr. Smithies 

 followed, the last-mentioned seeming to be the 



1 Will, 9 Sept. 1637. 



' Will, 26 May, 1646 ; and Deed, 13 Apr. 1647. 



* Char. Com. Rep. xxii, 149. 



' Ibid, xx, 561. ' Ibid. 



6 Ibid. 7 Ibid. 



most successful teacher. 8 Mr. Coulter was 

 master in 1756. One of his pupils, William 

 Clubb, was a minor poet. In 1774 the Rev. 

 VV. Blowers advertised the re-opening of ' Laven- 

 ham Ancient Grammar School,' 9 and this an- 

 nouncement must be used to correct that of the 

 Charity Commissioners who say that Mr. Blowers 

 was appointed in 1777. 10 He held the post until 

 1814. 



In 1 814-15, the school buildings needing 

 repair, the master's salary was applied to this 

 purpose, and the school allowed to stand empty. 

 Naturally it suffered ; pupils went elsewhere ' in 

 a neighbouring town to a school taught by a 

 former Lavenham usher.' n 



When the school was re-opened in 181 5, 

 under the Rev. Fred. Croker, its troubles were 

 not over. Until 18 17 there were only 5 

 pupils besides the free scholars. After that date 

 the paying pupils disappeared altogether, and the 

 number on the foundation was not always 

 complete. Croker was very irregular in atten- 

 dance ; he did not want boarders and his terms 

 for day boys were high. In 1824 he was 

 reprimanded, without result, and the trustees 

 consequently withheld his salary. Two years 

 later the Commissioners found the funds as 

 greatly disordered as the teaching, one boy only 

 learnt Latin, and Croker taught English gram- 

 mar for 2 hours daily. The rest of an ele- 

 mentary education was given to the boys at 

 another school, Croker paying its master £10. 

 The Commissioners advised a stricter contract 

 with the next master. His successor, Mr. Pugh, 

 revived the reputation of the school to a certain 

 extent, but when Mr. Ambler was master in 

 1857 there were only seven pupils in all, and he 

 eked out his salary by making a kitchen-garden 

 of the playground. 13 



In 1892 the school suffered financially by the 

 handing over of Stewart's legacy to the poor ; 13 

 in 1893 it came to an end and the endow- 

 ment was converted into an exhibition, tenable 

 at Bury St. Edmunds Grammar School. 



BRANDON SCHOOL 



Robert Wright, by will of 10 November, 

 1646, gave lands for a grammar school in Bran- 

 don for the benefit of the youth in that place 

 and for those of Downham, Wangford, and 

 Weeting (Norfolk). An ' able schoolmaster ' 

 was to be paid £30 a year to instruct in ' gram- 

 mar and other literature,' the surplus funds 

 being spent on his dwelling-house or laid aside 

 for repairs. The provisions of the will were 



8 Venn, Reg. of Gonville and Caius Coll ; Reg. of St. 

 Johns Coll. 



3 Ipswich Journ. 1774. 10 Char. Com. Rrp. xx. 

 « Ibid. " Sch. Inq. Com. xiii, 212. 



13 End. Char, of West Suff. 



350 



