SCHOOLS 



' that he may have time to provide himself otherwise.' He provided 

 himself otherwise by obtaining a minor canonry from the chapter, but 

 this too he neglected, as on 5 October, 1665, he was ' deprived of the 

 benefit of his place of Petti-canon, till such time as he shall make his 

 residence and discharge his duty in the church.' 



At the same meeting at which Mr. Bunworth received notice to 

 quit we get evidence that the school had ceased to be a free school (if it 

 ever had been, except to the king's scholars), in a direction that the usher 

 shall demand no more than 5J. a quarter for those under him. The elec- 

 tion of king's scholars was now, by a chapter order of 4 October, 1661, 

 clearly shown to be a pure matter of patronage, and not a survival of the 

 fittest. It was definitely arranged that of the twenty the dean should 

 appoint eight, and each canon or prebendary two. 



About this time the school became entitled to the chief of the few 

 benefactions which it has received since its foundation. The earliest was 

 that of Edmund Mountsteven of Paston in Northamptonshire, who by 

 will dated 9 February, 1635-6, gave jri,ooo to be laid out in land to 

 produce an income of ^^48 for two fellows and two scholars at 

 St. John's College, Cambridge. The scholars were to be ' the most suffi- 

 cient for learning from the Free School of the city of Peterborough, of 

 the meanest sort, without partiality or fraud, upon the commendation 

 of the bishop and dean of Peterborough for the time being.' The two 

 scholars were to be promoted to the two fellowships on vacancy. 

 In default of scholars from Peterborough the scholars were to be 

 chosen from the free school of Oundle, and for want of them from 

 any other school in the county. This endowment soon fell in and 

 the scholarships were established 5 December, but owing to the civil 

 wars became ' in a manner extinct by administration of the estate,' till in 

 1673 it was agreed between the college and the bishop and dean that the 

 will of the donor should be answered by changing the fellowships and 

 scholarships into three exhibitions of £6 a year. The earliest exhibi- 

 tioner known is Anthony Gregory, son of a rector of Mepall, in 1708. 

 About the same time a similar benefaction for two fellowships and two 

 scholarships at the same college, of which college he says ' I was my- 

 self sometimes a scholar,' was intended by the will of Francis Dee, 

 bishop of 'Borough St. Peter alias Peterborow,' 28 May, 1638. He 

 gave the lease of the rectory of Pagham, Sussex, held from the chapter 

 of Canterbury, for the purpose, but it was subject to the lite interest of 

 his wife and did not fall in till 3 June, 1664.' It was then found that 

 the property was only worth >r6o a year, and accordingly only one 

 scholarship and one fellowship were established. As Dee's will had pro- 

 vided that one of them should be ' of my kindred or of my name, if any 

 such shall be fit, and shall be offered to them at their elections either 

 from the Merchant Tayler's School in London or from Peterborough 

 School,' the college duly renewed the lease from time to time up to 1785,' 



' Chapter Act Book under date, f. 12. 



^ Information kindly supplied b)- Mr. R. F. Scott, Bursar of S. John's College, Cambridge. 



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