SCHOOLS 



In 1907* the college contained 2 general 

 laboratories, 6 physics laboratories, besides la- 

 boratories for applied chemistry, metallurgy, 

 biology, and geology, a special laboratory with 

 photographic room, and one for private research, 

 1 7 class-rooms and 9 private rooms for professors 

 and lecturers. There were 5 departments 

 languages and literature, including history, chem- 

 istry, and metallurgy ; natural science, mathe- 

 matics and physics, and engineering under the 

 , Principal, the Rev. J. E. Syme, 10 professors, 

 and 49 lecturers and demonstrators. There 

 were 2,320 students, of whom 499 were day 

 students. Only 281 received more than 500 

 hours' instruction, of whom 168 were men and 

 113 women. The fees were 9 a year for 

 London matriculation; ji8 a year for science 

 and engineering, and 21 a year for the 

 chemical course. The evening classes averaged 

 about 2s. 6d. an hour a term. 



In 1905-6 degrees at London University 

 were gained by 13 students of the college, and 

 in 1906-7 by 16, of whom 3 became B.A. and 

 13 B.Sc., 5 with honours. 



EAST RETFORD GRAMMAR SCHOOL 



The first we hear of this school is in con- 

 nexion with the benefaction of Thomas Gun- 

 thorpe, parson of Babworth, who l in 1 5 1 8 ' of his 

 good charitable and virtuous disposition,' agreed 

 with the bailiffs, burgesses, and commonalty of the 

 town that they should ' at his own proper costs 

 and expenses build and set up in timber, work- 

 manship and all other things necessary, a school- 

 house in East Retford, upon such a convenient 

 ground in the same town as could be devised 

 between the said parties.' Apparently it was 

 only the building which was due to the private 

 benefactor, the school itself being endowed by the 

 appropriation to it of the Trinity and Our Lady's 

 chantries. Such at least was the practice as set 

 out in the chantry certificate made by ' Sir John 

 Markeham, knight, William Cowper and Nicholas 

 Powtrell, esquyers, and John Wyseman, gentil- 

 man,' commissioners appointed 14 February 

 1545-6 under the Chantries Act of 1545, which 

 enabled the king to take possession of any col- 

 leges, chantries, gilds or brotherhoods and appro- 

 priate their revenues to the service of the state, 

 especially to the cost of the wars against France 

 and Scotland. 



These commissioners found in 2 " 



THE PARISSHE OF EASTE RETFORD 



The Chauntries called the trynite Chauntrie and 

 our ladye Chauntrie, in Este retforde, founded by the 



' Bd. of Education Rep. on Univ. Colleges. 

 1 John S. Piercy, Hist. Retford, 1828, p. 20. 

 *" A. F. Leach, Engl. Schools at the Reformation, 1 60, 

 from Chant. Cert. 13, no. 26. 



predecessors of the bailiffes, burgesses, and Commy- 

 nalte of the said towne, in Consideracion that the 

 saide towne of Esterettford, being a markett towne, 

 and greatlye inhabited withe people, and muche 

 resortte therunto, to the intente that Codes seruice 

 moughte be the better and the more honorable/ 

 mayntayned, and also for other Godlie purposes, as 

 mor playnelye apperithe by the foundacyon to the 

 Commyssioners shewed. [The yerlye valewes accord- 

 ynge to the boke of the tenthes], 73*. 4^. 



[The yerlye valewes as nowe surveyed, &c.], 73/., 

 Goying owte of 9 decayed howses and 5 toftes in the 

 said Burgage, whiche were for the moste parte con- 

 sumed and brente, like as almoste the holle Burghe 

 was ; and sythens the tyme of the same fire there 

 the moste parte of the said rent hath ben imployed to- 

 wardes the Reedificacion of the same decayed howses, 

 and the residewe ben imploied towardes the lyvinge 

 and fyndynge of oon Discrette prieste, beinge a 

 Scolle master there, for the Brynginge vpp of youthe 

 in Godley lernynge, and to mynistre within the said 

 Churche accordynge to the said foundacyon. 



The said Chauntrie is no pariche Churche, but 

 within the parisshe churche of Estretford aforesaid, 

 and that there be 5 hundred howselinge people by 

 estymacion, havinge no more priestes, but the vicar 

 and this prieste there. 



The mancion howses of the said two Chauntrie 

 priestes were consumed and brente by casualtye of 

 Fyer, and as yett not Reedyfyed. 



The population represented by 500 ' howse- 

 linge people ' or communicants is about 2,000. 

 Probably no town of that size in pre-Reforma- 

 tion days was without its school. It is certain 

 that the school did in fact exist before the fire in 

 question, which took place about 1528, as proved 

 by Gunthorpe's agreement in 1518. But it is 

 possible that it was not endowed, and lived on 

 tuition fees until the fire. For it must be re- 

 membered that the educational movement, of 

 which Dean Colet's re-endowment of St. Paul's 

 Cathedral Grammar School as the ' Free Scole of 

 Poules ' formed a conspicuous instance, was not 

 a movement for the erection of grammar schools, 

 but for the endowment as free of grammar schools 

 which had been fee-paying schools before. The 

 certificate of Edward the Sixth's Chantry Com- 

 missioners 3 two years later states that the appro- 

 priation of the chantries to the school only took 

 place after the fire, and was made because the 

 income was so decreased that it would not suffice 

 for two priests, but would temporarily help one 

 priest-schoolmaster, whose name was Charles 

 West. They found in 



EASTRETFORD 



Twoo Chaunteries of the holie Trynytye and our 

 Blyssed Ladye within the parishe of Este Rethforthe. 



Founded by the Bailyff andburgieses there to finde 

 2 prestes and nowe converted to kepe a Scole for a 

 certain tyme. Ys worthe by yere in landes, Tene- 

 mentes, and other possessions, lying and being in 



1 Leach, op. cit. 164, from Chant. Cert. 37, no. 



66. 



239 



