SCHOOLS 



The usual difficulty arising from clerical em- 

 ployment arose in course of time with Mr. 

 Griffith. On 18 August 1697" he 'appeared 

 upon summons and beeing charged for neglect- 

 ing the Schoole whereby the Schoole is much 

 decayed in itts reputacion ; he did then promise 

 that he would not preach, or take upon him any 

 pastorall office or care, and desired that Master 

 Carrill, Mr. Drake and Mr. Simpson may examine 

 the schollers of the Free Schoole as to their 

 learning and the method of his teatching ; 

 which is agreed to be done the weeke after 

 Michaelmas next.' The result of the examina- 

 tion seems to have been unsatisfactory. 



1 9 December 1698. Itt is ordered that Mr. Griffyn, 

 the present master of the Freeschoole, shalbe removed 

 from his said place of master of the sd. Freeschoole, 

 he haveing verry much neglected his duty therein, 

 whereby the said Freeschoole is verry much decayed 

 and lessened, to the greate prejudice and damage of 

 the burgesses of the said towne in perticuler, and to 

 the Inhabitants of this towne in generall, they beeinge 

 necessitated to send their children to other Schooles 

 in the countryes for their education, to their greate 

 charge and expence. And that the Schoole wardens 

 doe give him a discharge, which they have done 

 accordingly. And if he shall refuse to leave the said 

 Freeschoole by Laydy day next, that they shall with- 

 drawe his sallary. 



Griffith, however, stuck to his post. So on 

 5 May 1699 the school wardens were ordered 

 that they ' doe anew discharge Mr. Griffith, 

 Schoolemaster ; and in case he doe not resigne 

 that an ejectment be delivered him to through 

 him out of possession ; or if he will give under 

 his hands and scale that he will surrender imedy- 

 ately, he shall have his sallary till Christmas next.' 

 However, Christmas saw him in possession, and 

 on 23 January 1699-1700 the 'house' agreed 

 that the ' Schoolewardens doe pay Mr. Griffiths 

 master of the Freeschoole his sallary and he to 

 continue Schoole master till further order.' 



For seven years more Mr. Griffiths continued 

 and then was discharged again. This time his 

 place was filled, and he had finally to leave with 

 a solatium of 85. The new-comer was a 

 person of considerable standing in age, experience, 

 and reputation. Richard, 63 son of Robert John- 

 son, of (Market) Harborough, Leicestershire, 

 bred in the Grammar School there, was admitted 

 a sizar at St. John's College, Cambridge, at the 

 age of 1 8 on 15 September 1675, where he was a 

 contemporary of the great classical critic, with 

 whom he afterwards engaged in fierce literary 

 war, Richard Bentley. After taking his degree 

 he became in 1681 second master of the King's 

 School, Canterbury. In 1684 he became head 



" Borough Rec. v, 395. 



The greater part of this account is derived from 

 an article by Dr. Dixon, formerly head master, in The 

 forester for 1871, for reference to which the writer is 

 indebted to Mr. S. Corner. 



master. But becoming a non-juror and refusing 

 to take the oath of allegiance to William III, he 

 was dismissed in 1689. He afterwards had a 

 private school in Kensington. He was 50 years 

 old, much older than the usual run of head 

 masters in those days, when elected at Notting- 

 ham in 1707. He obtained the appointment 

 on the recommendation of the Archbishop of 

 York, John Sharpe, who was thanked by the 

 Corporation ' for his care and trouble in making 

 the selection and for the benefit he had conferred 

 on the town by procuring so worthy and able a 

 schoolmaster.' His advent to Nottingham was 

 marked by a new addition to the school due to 

 a new benefaction. John Parker, alderman, 

 had by his will of 26 October 1693 directed 

 the purchase of lands of the value of 20 a 

 year, out of which his trustees were to employ 

 j9, part of the first year's rents and profits, to 

 apprenticing 3 boys from 13 to 15 for eight 

 years at the rate of ^3 a boy, and then bestow 

 jio, part of the second year's rents and profits, 

 in purchasing books such as they should think 

 fit, for the founding and beginning of a library 

 for the use and benefit of the master and scholars 

 of the Free School in Nottingham, and so alter- 

 nately to the end of 8 years; 9 a year to put 

 out apprentices, and 10 a year to buy books. 

 The rent in the ninth year was to be employed 

 in setting up in trades the boys completing their 

 apprenticeships ; and afterwards in alternate years 

 for apprenticing and setting up in trade. The 

 books bought were to be lettered outside 'John 

 Parker.' The ^3 a year of any apprentice 

 who 'miscarried' was to goto augment the book 

 fund. The lands were bought at Harby, near 

 Leicester. In 1707 the school wardens were 

 ordered to fit up a place in the school for books, 

 and in that year the first purchase of 12 books 

 was made, and the next in 1709. A School 

 Library was thus gradually built up. 63 



The year following 'the part of the school 

 next Barker Gate was ordered to be rebuilt,' and 

 'trees from the coppice were selected for use in 

 the rebuilding.' The new building was com- 

 memorated by a Latin inscription to the effect 

 that, ' This hinder part of the grammar teacher's 

 house, decayed by age and all but fallen, was 

 restored and enlarged by an upper row of cham- 

 bers with money taken from the town treasury. 

 William Drury, esq., mayor, Matthew Hoy- 

 land, Francis Smith, school wardens ; Richard 

 Johnson, master, A.D. I7O8.' 64 There was 



63 The Parker Library was in 1904 placed in the 

 large west schoolroom. 



64 ' Pars haec postica aedium Preceptoris Grammatices 

 vetustate labefacta et tantum non collapsa, instaurata 

 est et superiore conclavium ordine amplificata pecunia 

 ex oppidano aerario deprompta, Gulielmo Drury, 

 Armfigero], Praetore ; Matthaeo Hoyland, Francisco 

 Smith, Scholae Procuratoribus, Richardo Johnson, 

 Moderatore, A.D. 1708.' 



233 



