A HISTORY OF SUFFOLK 



' dilapidated state of the premises the business of 

 the School is unavoidably postponed to 31 July.' 

 By 1829, however, all pretensions to a classical 

 curriculum had disappeared, 1 and the school was 

 maintained for 20 free scholars and some paying 

 pupils, all receiving an elementary education. 



NEEDHAM MARKET SCHOOL 



This grammar school was endowed in 1632, but 

 it had been carried on before that date. 2 The 

 owner of Barking Hall, Sir Francis Needham, 

 had promised the townsfolk to erect and endow 

 a free school, but died with his promise un- 

 fulfilled. His successor, Sir Francis Theobald, 

 had pressure, amounting almost to coercion, put 

 upon him to carry the plan into effect. Sir 

 Francis, protesting that this compulsion did 'much 

 dampe his cheerfulness in his donations,' gave 

 nevertheless, in his will of 20 January, 1632, a 

 messuage called Guildhall to be taken down and 

 rebuilt as a workhouse or schoolhouse, and an 

 annuity of £20 to keep it up. The bequest was 

 applied to building a schoolhouse. From the sta- 

 tutes we learn that the master was to be ' a man of 

 competent learning in the tongues and grammar, 

 a graduate in the university of Cambridge.' He 

 was to have no other duties save that of occa- 

 sionally relieving the minister of Barking. He 

 was to teach free of charge (except when parents 

 could afford payment) and to repair the school 

 premises out of his salary. 



The son and grandson of the testator neglected 

 to pay the annuity. Consequently we find the 

 school stood empty in 1674. 3 This produced 

 a Commission of Charitable Uses in 1688, 

 before which Mr. William Richardson de- 

 poses that ' he teacheth the Grammar there to 

 his scholars, but confesseth that he is no graduatt 

 in the university.' 4 His salary was then £4. 10s. , 

 and he adds that he ' never taught any of the 

 scholars of the town of Needham Market free 

 and without money, there not being any offered.' 

 Richardson remained master to 1689 or longer, 

 and gave ' good content and satisfaction. 6 



The Commission of 1688 compelled Robert 

 Theobald, grandson of the founder, to vest 

 the annuity in trustees, after which the school 

 was more regularly conducted. Mr. Brittan was 

 master from 1708 to 17 13, or even later, and was 

 followed by Mr. Richard Peppin, who, in defiance 

 of the statutes, preached regularly in several 

 parishes, and, refusing to desist, was starved into 

 resignation by the trustees in 1 72 1. His suc- 

 cessor, Mr. John Corbould, after 6 months' 

 work, resigned. 



1 Char. Com. Re/>. xxii, 176. 



* Acta Bks. No. 2, 19 Ap. 1616; Ipswich Probate 

 Office. 



5 Suff. Hearth Tax Returns. ' Sir Francis Theobald 

 for the school 5/. empty.' 



1 Com. for Char. Uses, 1688. Petty Bag Depositions, 

 xxi, 1 9. 3 Ibid. 



The trustees now decided, in 1723, to use 

 the endowment for an ' English school.' Two 

 years later this had become degraded into some 

 sort of workhouse or industrial school under 

 'one William Lithers, of Elmswell, woolcomber,' 

 as master, the Rev. J. Nunn, of Needham Chapel, 

 having declined the post. 



In 1727 the grammar school was re-established 

 under Mr. Grimwood, who held office until 

 1730, when he was succeeded by Mr. Thomas 

 Wilkinson, curate of Barking. Under this 

 master, under Mr. Uvedale, and the Rev. Mr. 

 Griffiths, the school did well. The last-mentioned 

 master advertised from 1771 to 1773 offering to 

 take boarders ' upon the most moderate terms 

 that the present high prices will admit of.' 6 



In 1 78 1 a fire occurred at the Swan Inn (the 

 property from which the endowment was de- 

 rived), but the loss was covered by insurance, and 

 10 years later the master's salary was raised to 

 £20 ; as, however, an usher had to be paid out 

 of this sum, it must still have been more than 

 inadequate. 



In 1796 Mr. Jonathan Abbot, master at that 

 date, resigned, and Mr. William Howarth of 

 Dedham School was unanimously elected. 7 He 

 met the trustees in a very generous spirit, giving 

 up his claim to all salary over £25 a year until 

 the estate should be free of debt, in consideration 

 of the changes made for his convenience in the 

 schoolhouse. When, however, no salary was 

 forthcoming by 1800, he resigned, and Mr. 

 Charles Clarke of Diss was appointed master. 



In 1 8 1 1 the property was conveyed to new 

 trustees, and more profitably invested. The 

 number of free boys was consequently in- 

 creased from 14 to 21, and the master's salary 

 raised to £50." Mr. Clarke, master in 181 8, 

 seems to have been a disciplinarian, for he ex- 

 pelled Edward Badham as of 'an incorrigible 

 disposition and very disobedient,' and was, more- 

 over, very insistent on the order to be maintained 

 by the boys in going from the schoolhouse to 

 church. 9 



In 1824 Mr. Walter Gray, formerly master at 

 Harwich, succeeded Mr. Clarke, and at his 

 recommendation the school was enlarged 18 ft. 

 at its west end. The estate was, however, 

 falling in value, being let in 1825 at a rental of 

 £55, and it is therefore not surprising to find 

 that the Charity Commissioners in 1829 declared 

 ' the endowment too small for the support of a 

 regular grammar school, and proposed that it 

 should henceforth be continued as an elemen- 

 tary school for seventeen poor children.' The 



* lps. Journ. 1 771. 



7 Ibid, and Bury Post, Aug. 1796. 



8 East Anglian Daily Times, East Anglian Misc. 

 No. 280. 



* Ibid. There was provision in the statutes for 

 expulsion 'after one or two years' experience' of 

 truants or ringleaders in ' idleness and looseness of 

 life.' 



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