THE ENGLISH LAND SYSTEM 99 



rich with endowments bequeathed for religious pur- 

 poses — were suppressed in the same way as the monas- 

 teries. Of this Green writes : " The plunder of the 

 chantries and gilds failed to glut the appetite of the 

 spoilers. Half the lands of every see were flung to 

 them in vain ; an attempt was made to satisfy their 

 greed by the suppression of the wealthy see of Durham. 

 . . . But while the courtiers f^orcred themselves with 

 manoi:s the Treasury grew poorer."^ 



The hollow pretence for suppressing these chantries 

 was that their revenues were to be devoted to the 

 maintenance of the poor, for providing schools, assist- 

 ing universities, etc. On this point Hallam writes : 

 " But this was entirely neglected and the estates fell 

 into the hands of the courtiers. Nor did they content 

 themselves with the escheated wealth of the church. 

 Almost every bishopric was spoiled by their rancorous 

 power in this reign, either through mere alienations or 

 long leases or unequal exchanges."^ 



' Green's " History of England," Vol. II, p. 238. 



In the rural districts these chantries afforded the only means by which 

 the people could get any education at all, and nothing arose afterwards 

 to take their place. Great store is often placed on the Grammar Schools 

 and other educational institutions founded by Edward VI and endowed 

 mainly out of the revenues of these chantry lands ; but the sums devoted 

 to this purpose were insignificant compared with the total amount of the 

 property confiscated. Strype gives a list and other particulars of these 

 schools, about sixteen in number (see "Ecclesiastical Memorials," Book 

 II, chap. XXXlll). One of them was "erected by the King at Brymingham 

 (Birmingham) called ' King Edward the Sixth's free Grammar School,' 

 for the sustentation whereof he gave all that his barn and four messuages 

 lying in Dalend in Birmingham, to the value of £21 per ann." Since 

 then that small revenue has increased above fifteen hundred-fold. If all 

 the great monastic estates had remained in the hands of the Crown or in 

 the possession of the Church till such times as they could have been dealt 

 with by legislation in the public interest, the available income from them 

 at the present day would be so enormous that there would be no need 

 for rates and taxes for education, or rates for the relief of the pour. 



■'' " Constitutional History," \'ol. I, p. 94. 



