SCHOOLS 



felony, or for a settlement on marriage, or for some 

 other purpose, we can only guess. It is signifi- 

 cant of the close connexion between learning and 

 law, and of the duties of the original school- 

 masters who became chancellors of the cathedrals 

 that we find the schoolmaster of Nottingham 

 thus acting in a legal capacity, just as we saw 

 the schoolmaster at Ripon 4 doing frequently in 

 the i 5th century. 



The next evidence relating to the school 

 shows that it was of some size, as it mentions an 

 usher : ' 2s. from Robert Goldsmyth, late usher 

 of the Grammar School ' (nuper Hostiario Scale 

 Grammatically]^ being included among the es- 

 treats of the men of Nottingham in the third 

 year of Henry VI, September 1424 to Septem- 

 ber 1425. The use of the singular for the word 

 school instead of the plural suggests that the plural 

 in the passages before quoted does not mean 

 there were several grammar schools in Notting- 

 ham the plural being in common use for a 

 single school from the I2th to the i6th cen- 

 turys. 



The next occurrence of the schoolmaster 

 shows him acting in his capacity as master, 

 though not perhaps very creditably. On 26 

 January 1429-30, George Mortymer, by John 

 Ode his attorney, lodges a plaint (ijueritur) in 

 the mayor's court against Thomas Rydley, clerk 

 and schoolmaster (magistro Scolarum) of Notting- 

 ham, in a plea of debt for that he had on Mon- 

 day, 26 September 1429, let a house called the 

 schoolhouse (unam domum vocatam Scolehoui) for 

 jd. for the quarter beginning at Michaelmas 

 Day and ending on St. Thomas's Day (21 De- 

 cember), payable at Christmas ; but Rydley 

 ' though frequently asked refused and still refuses 

 to pay the money, whereby he [Mortimer] is dam- 

 aged to the extent of 4^.' Rydley appeared and 

 denied the debt. So a jury was ordered. But 

 it is evident that Thomas Rydley was only put- 

 ting off the evil day of payment, as on 22 Feb- 

 ruary he ' put himself in mercy,' i.e. was fined, 

 for licence to come to terms with George Mor- 

 tymer, clerk. George Mortymer was in some 

 way connected with the school. Probably he 

 was Rydley 's predecessor in office as master, and 

 the schoolhouse was not a permanent endow- 

 ment, but one for which the master for the time 

 being had to pay rent. On 28 May 1433 we 

 find Mortymer suing John Crophill, 'skynner,' 

 for a debt of $d. ' for scolage of a boy of his ' 

 [pro scolagio uniuspueri sui) which he ought to have 

 paid at Easter 1433, while on another occasion he 

 sued Robert Bennington for 6d. for school fees 

 (scolagio) of his son. As Mortymer is not described 

 as master he was probably suing for arrears due 

 to him when he was master, before Rydley's 

 accession. 



Rydley seems to have been unfortunate. He 

 was again defendant in an action of debt for rent 



4 V.C.H. Turks. \, 432. 



on 29 February 1431-2. This time he is 

 described as Thomas Rydley, clerk of the school 

 (clerico scolarum)? and was sued by Roger Hunt, 

 late keeper and farmer (custos et firmarius) of the 

 mansions of the Hospital of St. John by Notting- 

 ham for 261. 8d. rent for the mansion and 

 houses (mansum et damns) of the hospital, which 

 he had let to Rydley from Christmas 1429 to 

 Holy Cross day (14 September) 1430. Rydley 

 was also sued for trespass in having broken 

 and burnt the wall of the manse. Probably the 

 hospital was used as a master's house and for 

 boarders, as was St. John's Hospital at Banbury 

 and St. John's Hospital at Exeter. The build- 

 ings had apparently been burnt down, in which 

 case, in the absence of special provision, Rydley 

 would not have been liable for the rent. 



The Nottingham Records are now silent as 

 to the school for 70 years. But the Southwell 

 Minster Chapter Act Book which begins in 

 1469 partly fills the gap. As we saw, the 

 chapter of Southwell Minster, usually acting 

 through their chancellor as ordinary, had juris- 

 diction over all schools in Nottinghamshire. 

 One of the points on which this jurisdiction was 

 most frequently invoked was that of competition. 

 Overlapping was not allowed, and from the I2th 

 century onwards there are numerous instances on 

 record of the public schoolmaster invoking eccle- 

 siastical censures against private or unauthorized 

 rivals. Some occasion of this kind produced the 

 'Agreement 6 between the School Masters of 

 Nottingham and Wollaton ' which was approved 

 by Master William Worsley, canon residentiary, 

 and the chapter of Southwell, on 19 February 

 1472-3. 'By a certain friendly composition 

 Master Thomas Lacy, master of the grammar 

 school of Nottingham, covenanted with Sir Wil- 

 liam Cowper of Wollaton in this form : that he 

 promised that during his life the said Sir William 

 should teach 26 boys or men the art of grammar 

 in the town of Wollaton, but in no way exceed 

 that number.' 



We may perhaps infer that Wollaton, just 

 outside Nottingham to the west, was within the 

 liberty of the borough, or so much a suburb of 

 it as effectively to compete with Nottingham 

 School, which was probably not in the height of 

 efficiency. For four years later we find in the 



8 It is probable that the word ' magistro ' has been 

 accidentally omitted before 'scolarum.' 



6 A. F. Leach, Mem. of Southwell Minster, 13:' Con- 

 cordia Magistrorum Scolarum Notingham et Willaton 

 (tic). Ex quadam amicabili compositione Magister 

 Thomas Lacy, magister scolarum grammatice Noting- 

 hame convenit cum Domino Willelmo Cowper de 

 Wollaton (sic) sub hac forma ; quod promisit durante 

 vita sua dicto Domino Willelmo docere 26 puerosaut 

 viros in arte grammatice in villa de Wollaton, et quod 

 nullo modo excedet. Approbata est hujus modi con- 

 vencio per me magistrum Willelmum Worsley et 

 Capitulum Suthwellense.' 



2I 7 



28 



