A HISTORY OF NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 



too small for his maintenance.' This raised the 

 salary to .30. 



Knight was, perhaps, a Nottingham boy, as 

 a Richard Knight was one of the councillors 

 named in the town charter of 1688. Gowan 

 Knight went up to Christ Church, Oxford, as 

 a servitor on 23 July 1656, took his B.A. degree 

 in 1 66 1 and became a fellow of Merton College 

 in 1663. He was vicar of Ashby de la Zouch 

 in 1672 and of Ponteland, Northumberland, a 

 Merton College living, in 1675. He became 

 rector of Longford, Derbyshire, in 1690. This 

 gave occasion to the following minute of 16 Sep- 

 tember 1 690 : M 'Whereas Mr. Knight, the School- 

 master, was sent for by the Counsell this day, to 

 know of him whether he intended to leave the 

 school, having lately a living given him, as 

 reported, and to acquaint him of complaints 

 against him touching the discharge of his place and 

 refusing to come ; it is ordered that the School- 

 wardens shall have notice given them to pay 

 him no more quartridge after Michaellmas and 

 to give him notice thereof, and that the Councell 

 will take care for another Schoolmaster in his 

 place.' On 8 January following it was 'ordered, 

 that unlesse Mr. Knight and Mr. Birch, the 

 Schoolmaster and Usher, do appear to-morrow 

 at 2 o'clock at the towne hall, to attend the 

 mayor and councell, and answer to such things 

 as shall be charged upon them, notice whereof is 

 ordered to be given them by Mr. Wingfield, one 

 of the Schoolwardens, that this Councell will 

 proceed to displace them and chuse others in 

 their roome.' Next day the question was put 



Quaere, whether Mr. Gowen Knight shall be re- 

 moved from the office of Head Schoolmaster of the 

 Free school of Nottingham ; and also whether Mr. 

 Samuell Birch shall be removed from the office of 

 usher of the said free school F 



Whereas power is given by the last will and testa- 

 ment of Agnes Mellors, the founder of the Free School 

 of Nottingham, unto the Mayor, Aldermen, Counsel 

 and the present Schoolwardens for the time being, or 

 8 of them, . . . for reasonable causes to remove and 

 displace the Schcolmr. and Usher of the Free School 

 from their places or offices : We therefore the Mayor 

 etc. having severall times sent to the present Head 

 Schoolmaster, Mr. Gowen Knight, and Mr. Samuell 

 Birch, Usher of the said School, formerly and particu- 

 larly having notice given them by the present guar- 

 dians of the said School, to appear this day before the 

 said mayor etc. to acquaint with such things as were 

 objected against them in neglecting the duty of their 

 office or places, which by the said mayor etc. are 

 judged reasonable causes for their removall, which are 

 ready to be alledged to them when required ; and the 

 said Mr. Gowen Knight and Mr. Samuell Birch have 

 refused to appear here this day : we therefore the mayor, 

 etc. have unanimously ordered that Mr. Gowen Knight 

 shall be removed from the office of Head Schoolmaster 

 of the said free school of Nottingham, and Mr. Samuell 

 Birch from the office of usher ... ; and they are 

 removed accordingly. 



A new usher was elected in Birch's place the 

 same day. But he had left before 3 April 1691. 

 ' Memorandum, Whereas Mr. Griffith was by 

 this howse chosen usher of the free schoole and 

 that the said Mr. Griffith hath relinquish! and 

 left the same ; it is this day ordered that the 

 aforesd. order be revoked, and it is accordingly 

 revoaked and made void.' 



As a matter of fact Birch remained usher till 

 1708, while Knight, who probably made it 

 understood that he would sacrifice the require- 

 ments of residence at his rectory to those of resi- 

 dence at the school, remained head master to- 

 the day of his death, 9 September 1691. He 

 was buried in St. Mary's in the middle of the 

 south aisle under a stone with a brass plate on it 

 recording his being ' sometime fellow of Merton 

 College in Oxford, late master of the Free 

 School in this town,' and having died 'in the 

 year of his age 56 current.' 



' Whose name so fully doth his worth express 

 That to say more of him were to say less.' 



On 14 September his successor was appointed r 

 ' Whereas there is a vacancy in the free School 

 of Nottingham by the death of Mr. Gowin 

 Knight, ... by the majority of votes of this 

 house, Mr. Edward Griffith is elected and chosen 

 to be Head Schoolmaster of the said School in- 

 h[is roome]. And the Schoolwardens are . . . 

 ordered to g[ive] him possession of the same ; 

 And it is this day ordered that the said school- 

 wardens pay to the relict of Mr. Gowin Knight 

 the quarterage due till Mich".' This is the first 

 occasion on which an usher appears to have suc- 

 ceeded to the head-mastership. Edward Griffith 

 was of Queens' College, Cambridge, B.A. 1689,. 

 M.A. 1693, in which year he was also incor- 

 porated M.A. at Oxford. 



For some unknown reason on 25 April 1693 "* 

 the Schoolwardens' accounts for the year ending 

 Michaelmas 1692 are solemnly entered on the 

 minutes. They showed 



f. < * 



Rental! of the Lands belonging to the 

 said Free Schoole as by their 

 booke for that purpose appeareth . 56 14 6 



The tyth hay 38 17 7 



Arreares of rents received by them . . 230 



Summa Malls of the charge . 9715 i 



Under the heading, ' The Discharge,' there 

 are, among others, the following items : 



Paid the Schoole masters for their 



yearly payment 80 o o 



For tollinge the Scholle's bell ... 040 



For the Schoole Wardens' Fee ... 0134 



For the Schoole Wardens' Horses . . I o o 



For their necessary expenses .... I o o 



For glaseinge the Free Schoole ... Ill 



For repaires the Free Schoole ... 120 



1 Borough Rec. v, 368. 



Ibid 381-2. 



232 



