SCHOOLS 



vicar of Tansor, where he pounded ' Papists ' ' with the greatest zeal and 

 adequate accuracy ' for twenty years, dying in 1620. From 1647 Jona- 

 than Welby, who had been vicar in 1644, combined the offices of vicar 

 and schoolmaster for close on half a century, giving place to Thomas 

 Bennett in 1696. In the eighteenth century the crown stipend of jTao 

 was only obtained for the Rev. John Loveling, B.A., by direct applica- 

 tion to the Lord Treasurer, the earl of Oxford, who issued his warrant 

 to the auditor ' to make forth debentures for paying ' and to the 

 Receiver-General of the county to pay the same 4 November, 17 13. 



The status of the school as still that of a grammar school may be 

 seen from a bequest^ made by Howard Beecher 19 July, 1716, of five 

 pounds ' unto the Free School in the town of Fotheringhay where I was 

 born, to be disposed of in books for the public benefit of the said 

 School.' The bequest was expended on 26 volumes, including the 

 Common Prayer in Greek, a Greek Testament, the Oxford Accidence, 

 Schrevelius' Lexicon, Virgil, Terence, Cicero, Ovid, the Athenian 

 Oracles and Clarendon's History. The masters in the eighteenth cen- 

 tury were all clergymen. Robert Linton appointed in 1790 became 

 also vicar in 18 14, when the vicarage was passing rich with ^50 a year. 

 The conjunction this time seems to have been fatal. The vicar appar- 

 ently appointed a school teacher without a degree as his deputy. The 

 school sank into an elementary school and has never risen again. 



TOWCESTER GRAMMAR SCHOOL 



When we turn from Peterborough and Higham Ferrers we pass 

 from kings and princes and archbishops to much humbler founders. The 

 school at Towcester perhaps owed its creation to the example of Chiche- 

 ley at Higham Ferrers, but the chantry or college there was a much 

 smaller thing. It was founded in pursuance of the will of William 

 Sponne, archdeacon of Norfolk, 4 September, 1447, who ordered 1,000 

 masses for his soul and a chantry of two priests to pray for his soul, and 

 those of the king and certain former chancery officials. The letters 

 patent' for its foundation bore date 17 November, 1448. They inform 

 us that Sponne was 'disposed and proposed to found at his proper costs a 

 chantry ... at the altar of the Blessed Mary in St. Lawrence Church, 

 Towcester, but that he entered the way of all flesh before he had com- 

 pleted his purpose. . . While he was languishing in extremis, he specially 

 besought and exhorted his executors to found and finish the chantry with 

 all possible speed.' So on payment of ^(^13 6^. 8^. 'Sponne chauntre ' 

 was licensed to hold lands up to jC^o a year and the two priests incor- 

 porated, to pray for John Wakeryng, late bishop of Norwich, Sponne 

 himself, and all the faithful departed. 



By 8 July, 1 45 1, the foundation had been effected, for further letters 

 patent of that date ^ enabled the executors and others to grant a messuage 

 ' on the corner opposite the rectory gate by the Mill Lane between Watlyng 



' Historic Notices of Fotheringhay, p. 8 (H. K. Bonney). ' Pat. 27 Hen. VI, pt. i, m. 27. 



' P.C.C. Luffenam, p. 278. 



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