A HISTORY OF NORTHAMPTONSHIRE 



The repair of the school and house was also undertaken at the town's 

 charge, but the house was henceforth to be kept in repair at the master's 

 expense. Mr. Martin, however, does not appear to have ever entered 

 on his duties as schoolmaster, and the school was still carried on by 

 Mr. Rogers. In April, 1642, another 'minister,' Mr. Goodricke of 

 Houghton, was appointed free school master in the room of Mr. Rogers, 

 but with the proviso ' that he shall not at any time preach or use his 

 ministerial office,' 



The Civil War made no difference to the school. Northampton was 

 a Parliamentary stronghold from the first outbreak of hostilities. On 

 14 December, 1646, Ferdinand Archer, M.A., 'being worthilie com- 

 mended by men of learning and judgment,' was appointed ' free schoole- 

 master of the freeschoole of this towne,' and a letter was to be sent to 

 ' hasten him downe to take the schoole upon him.' Boys were sent 

 from the school up to St. John's College, Cambridge, in 1654 and 

 subsequent years, and as several of these came from the south, it is 

 clear that the school flourished as a boarding school. He survived the 

 Restoration, rendered into English a Latin poem on the great fire of 1 675, 

 saw the endowment of the usher" in 1677, and twenty years later was still 

 master. He was then supposed to have been the cause of a singular 

 addition to the endowment of the school. On 28 September, 1695,^ the 

 corporation made Archer a grant, practically in the way of a retiring pen- 

 sion, of ;^4 5J. a year, with the sum of ^^30 down. Long after its origin 

 had been forgotten this sum of ^(^4 5^-. a year continued to be paid to the 

 schoolmaster for the time being as a rent charge on the corporation and 

 is still part of the endowment of the school. On 3 January, 1696, a new 

 usher was appointed to take charge of the school, the town agreeing that 

 'if Mr. Styles, the schoolmaster of Buckingham, shall be elected by 

 Wentworth's trustees,' the trustees of the usher's endowment, ' to be 

 Usher of the Freeschoole of Northampton,' he should be ' Schoolemaster 

 of the said Freeschoole after the death of Mr. Archer.' Mr, Styles was 

 accordingly ' invited to come to the towne and accept of the schole as it 

 now is,' How long exactly it was before he succeeded to the mastership is 

 not stated, but the chamberlain's accounts show that he was paid as 

 master in 1698, Amongst his scholars sent to St, John's College as 

 pensioners were several of good family, one of whom, Brownlow Cecil, 

 became Marquis of Exeter in 1722, Styles became vicar of Little 

 Billing in 1717, and resigned the mastership after twenty-one years' 

 tenure in 171 9. 



There seems to be nothing reported of the various masters in the 

 eighteenth century beyond their names. With two exceptions they held 

 office for long terms, there being only six in the whole century from 1 697 

 to 1797. The Rev. John Clarke held from 17 19 to 1748, and the 

 Rev. Richardson Ward from 1748 to 1764. Then came the exception, 

 the Rev. W. Williams, who after a year's tenure was dismissed for 

 non-residence and total neglect of his duties. In November, 1763, the 



' C.C.R. xiv. 



238 



