A HISTORY OF NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 



drynke and clothyng,' part of it for cloth for a 

 gown ' to be made not after the facyon of choris- 

 ters or collegyanes but after chapel facyon ' ; 

 which appears to mean that they were not to be 

 clothed like the scholars or choristers of e.g. Win- 

 chester and Eton, in long gowns reaching to the 

 ankles, but like the children of the Chapel Royal. 

 Unlike Winchester and Eton boys too they were 

 ' to have theire heere of theire hedes long and not 

 polled, honestly and clene kept by the oversight 

 of the maister of the said Song Scoole.' The six 

 children were to enjoy ' the said poore rewarde ' 

 of 261. 8d. ' soe long as they doe sing in their 

 chyldys brastys and abide with their saide maister 

 . . . and not after nor longger.' They were there- 

 fore boarders in the song-schoolmaster's house. 



Most complicated are the provisions about the 

 governing body. What was perhaps the most 

 important function of a governing body more 

 so even than their primary duty of managing 

 the property the appointment of the two school- 

 masters, was not given to the feoffees, but was 

 broken up and distributed among several authori- 

 ties. The masters were to be appointed by the 

 vicar and the aldermen of the four gilds, Trinity, 

 Corpus Christi, Our Lady, and Mary Magdalen, 

 with the assent and consent of the ' more partie ' 

 or majority of the feoffees, who were ' to indevyr 

 theym selfe in the same ... as they shall intende 

 the mayntenance of dyvyne service in the said 

 churche and the vertuous educacion and settyng 

 forwarde of theyong childern of the said Towne 

 and parisshe and the contrey nere there aboute.' 

 There was no idea of restricting the school to 

 Newark children only. Having agreed on the 

 'School maister of the Gramer Scoole,' they were 

 to present him to the ' Wardeyn of the Freers 

 Observants at Newarke aforesaid.' The deed 

 does not say what was to happen if the warden 

 disapproved. But if he ' fynde the same maister 

 to teche gramer to be sufficient and able in ver- 

 tue and connyng,' the vicar and four aldermen or 

 two of them were to show him his ' charge ' and 

 administer an oath which is set out in Latin in 

 which the school is said to be ' in honour of the 

 name of Jesus and the most blessed Virgin Mary 

 his mother,' as was the case with Colet's founda- 

 tion of St. Paul's School. Then they were to 

 put the said grammar schoolmaster in possession 

 by setting of him in his chair, saying these 

 words : ' Syr, ye be chosyn to be maister in- 

 structur and preceptour of this scoole and to teche 

 chyldern repayryng to the same not onely good 

 literature, gramer and other vertuous doctrine 

 but also good maners accordyng to the ordy- 

 nance of Maister Thomas Magnus. Where- 

 fore we doe ascertayne you that this ys a perpetual 

 roome of contynuance upon your good demean- 

 our and dutie to be done in this scoole.' 



The last sentence is remarkable. It shows 

 that Magnus knew and deliberately departed 

 from the precedent set by William of Wyke- 



ham at Winchester, Wayneflete at Eton, and 

 Colet at St. Paul's, who expressly made the 

 head master of those schools removable. Colet's 

 inaugural address begins : ' Sir, we have chosyn 

 you to be maister and techer of this Scole to teche 

 the children of the same all not only good litera- 

 ture but also good maners, certifying you that 

 this is no rome of continuance and perpetuite but 

 uppon your deuty in the scole,' and goes on to 

 warn the master that he is to submit to yearly 

 examination by the governors, ' and founde doy- 

 inge your dutye ... ye shall continue, other- 

 wise reasonable warned ye shall content you to 

 depart.' Magnus evidently had experience which 

 pointed to fixity of tenure in a schoolmaster being 

 desirable. Modern experience has decided against 

 him, and in favour, not indeed of the Coletian 

 excess of a yearly tenure, but of a head master 

 being an officer removable at pleasure of the 

 governing body as opposed to the freehold tenure, 

 terminable only on misconduct, which Magnus and 

 most founders of chantry schools gave. Magnus 

 provided, however, that the master might be 

 summoned by the vicar, the alderman of the four 

 gilds, the ' churche wardeyns ' and the majority 

 of the feoffees to appear before them or three 

 of them in private in ' the vestrye ... or any 

 other honest and secret place' and be warned, 

 ' or ells . . . submytte to the correction and 

 reformacion of the archedeacon of Notyng- 

 ham or his officyal.' If the archdeacon made 

 default the vicar and the aldermen of the 

 four gilds might withhold the wages of the master, 

 and if he was still obstinate, finally and utterly 

 remove and expel him. As regards teaching, 

 the duty of the grammar schoolmaster was to 

 ' applye and compell hisscoolerstorede and lerne 

 not only Gramer and Rethorique and other lyke 

 vertuous thyngs, but that either of the said Scoole 

 maisters teche and enforme their scoolers in 

 knowlege of the tenne commaundements, the 

 articles of the Faith (i.e. the Apostles Creed), the 

 understondyng of the hoolypsalmes and hymnes.' 

 The school hours were to be 6 a.m. till 9 a.m. 

 'and then to goe to their brekfast ordrynkyng;' 

 school again from 10 to noon 'and then to goe 

 to theyr dyners, and to be in the scoole ageyne ' 

 at i p.m. or 1.30 to 6 p.m., and then to goto 

 their ' soupers or other theyr busynes.' The usual 

 elaborate psalms, collects and prayers at beginning 

 of school and the anthem of our Lady with 

 De Profundis and prayers for the soul of Magnus 

 at the end of the day, are laid down. Then fol- 

 lows a clause against excessive holidays : 'The said 

 Maisters shall not be myche inclyned nor gyven 

 to graunt remedy for recreacyon or dispoorte 

 to their Scolers oneles it be once in a wooke 

 upon the Thuysday or Thursday or that furthei 

 remedy be requyred by any honorable or wor- 

 shipfull . . . personage or other of good honeste, 

 in whiche case the graunting of the said remedy 

 the said Thomas Magnus remyttyth unto the 



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