SCHOOLS 



The new buildings, completed in 1765, promised a new start, no 

 less than six boys making their entrance, all from Oundle, including 

 the son of the local doctor, William Walcot. Having taken orders 

 Murthwaite retired at Lady Day, 1779. When John Evanson succeeded 

 at Michaelmas, 1779, he noted that there were only four boys in the 

 school. In 1780 the usual wrangle about repairs began ; but it was 

 not till 1782 that the company were induced to spend ^13 6s. to prevent 

 the walls of the almshouse and schoolhouse from falling down. In 1785 

 Evanson asked leave to let his house. It was then discovered that there 

 were absolutely no boys in the school, so the leave was refused, and on 

 I 5 July he was solemnly reprimanded by the wardens for neglect of duty. 

 A new application for repairs in December, 1787, produced an order for 

 the extraction of all the minutes relating to Oundle from the company's 

 books, which resulted in the two volumes which have furnished the 

 history of the school, verified by Richard Whalley Bridgman, the clerk. 

 It appeared that no visitation had been held since 1771. On 15 August, 

 1788, therefore one was held, when the visitors found the school without 

 an usher, and with only ten boys, of whom seven were boarders, the 

 eldest being twelve and the youngest five years old. 



In 1 79 1 Evanson made application for an increase of salary, which 

 was postponed, and in 1792 refused. This seems to have unhinged his 

 mind. In December, 1793, memorials were presented to the company 

 by several parents who had signed a favourable testimonial in 1792, 

 complaining of his conduct to their boys. An inquiry was thereupon 

 held on 10 June, 1794. One boy had been 'beaten stupid' by the 

 master's ' doubled ' fist, and the poor boy used to tremble and ' totter,' as 

 he expressed it, when he had to go up to the master. Another was 

 flogged every day but one for a fortnight, till ' the boy rather than go 

 to school hid himself behind the church.' The son of the parish 

 clerk was found so bad from blows in the back that he could hardly 

 breathe. Evanson used to lift him from the ground by his ears and 

 pinch his face. One of the boys uses a curious word of modern 

 slang, 'He used to lick all the boys, but he beat me most.' Once he 

 beat the door with his fists and kicked it and opened and shut it many 

 times, kicking and hitting it, and when the boys laughed fell on them 

 in a fury. Evanson's defence was that the boys were unmanageable, 

 through the company coming and holding visitations and inviting com- 

 plaints. Though the ill-treatment was proved up to the hilt, yet in 

 virtue of the freehold which Evanson claimed under the school statutes, 

 and to which he was undoubtedly entitled in spite of his having only 

 been appointed by the company to hold ' at pleasure,' he had to be bribed 

 with ^^250 to resign after the case had dragged on for a whole year. 



In the appointment of his successor the company took a great deal 

 of pains to secure a good man and a better system. They compiled an 

 elaborate ' charge or recommendation,' which bears internal evidence of 

 being the composition of Mr. Bridgman, and is full of pompous plati- 

 tudes on the importance of spelling, of the way in which ' a competent 

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