A HISTORY OF DURHAM 



latter is certainly the Edward Watson who became a Bachelor of Grammar at Oxford on 1 8 March, 

 I5I2. 1 He was succeeded in 1520 by George Fowbray ; and Sanderson in 1525 by William 

 Coky or Cockey, probably the same as William Cokke or Cockey who took his B.A. degree at 

 Oxford 10 March, 1516.* At the time of the Valor Ecclesiasticus, 1535, William Coky and Ralph 

 Todd were the chaplains. Of these Cockey was the song schoolmaster and still remained so at 

 the time of the di?solution of chantries in 1548. Todd, who was an Oxford man, B.C.L. n July, 

 1519,8 was succeeded by Henry Stafford, who was the grammar schoolmaster at the time of 

 the dissolution of the 'Abbey' or cathedral monastery in 1540. He was a Durham boy, who 

 became fellow of Corpus Christ! College, Oxford, 16 June, 1528 ; B.A., 23 June, 1531 ; M.A., 



5 May, 1534.* 



The monastery was surrendered by the prior and monks, 31 December, 1540. On 12 May, 

 1541, it was re-founded as a cathedral church, and four days afterwards, 16 May, was re-endowed 

 by Henry VIII. On 28 May, a commission issued to Sir Thomas Hilton and Sir Ralph 

 Hedworth, knights, and others, to assign houses to the newly-created dean, chapter and other 

 members of the church, including the master of the choristers and 10 choristers, and the 

 headmaster, undermaster, and 18 scholars of the Grammar School. Unfortunately the deed 

 of foundation and statutes, if any, as undoubtedly there must have been by him, and the instrument 

 assigning of houses have disappeared. The existing statutes of Durham Cathedral are dated 

 20 March, i and 2 Philip and Mary, and were made by Nicholas Heath, archbishop of York, 

 Edmund Bonner, bishop of London, Cuthbert Tunstall, bishop of Durham, Thomas, bishop of Ely, 

 and William Ermysted, a royal chaplain, and grammar school founder. With the exception of a 

 few words inserted about 'sane and catholic faith' these statutes almost exactly repeat the Henrician 

 statutes of the cathedrals. They provide (cap. 5) for a master (magister) of the choristers and ten 

 choristers, and two masters (Infcrmatores, the term in use at Winchester and Eton) of boys in 

 grammar, of whom one is to be preceptor and the other sub-preceptor, and eighteen boys to be 

 taught grammar (in grammatica erudiendi). These masters and the eighteen grammar boys 

 (grammaticales pueri) were to be elected by the dean and chapter 'as is before prescribed and 

 ordained in the letters of foundation of the cathedral.' 



Chapter twenty-eight deals with the school in detail to say : 



In order that piety and good learning (liters) may for ever bud, grow, and flower in the said church and 

 in due season bear fruit for its adornment, we order and decree that there be for ever in the church of 

 Durham eighteen boys, poor and destitute of the help of friends (pauperes etamicorum ope destituti), to 

 be nourished on the goods of the church, and so far as possible with native talents fit for learning 

 (ingcniis ad discendum nati et apti) ; and we would not that they should be admitted poor boys of the 

 cathedral church of Durham before they know how to read, write, and, in the judgment of the 

 Dean, 6 have a fair knowledge of the rudiments of grammar. These boys we will shall be brought up at 

 the expense of the church until they have gained a fair knowledge of Latin grammar and have learnt 

 to speak and write Latin, for which a period of four years, or, if the Dean 6 see fit, five at most and 

 not more shall be allowed. 



The scholars were not to be admitted after fourteen, except choristers, who might be admitted up to 

 fifteen, and who, ' if they are fit and prove proficient in music and having well served the choir, we 

 wish to be preferred to others.' If any boy turned out remarkably slow and stupid or naturally 

 unfit for learning, he, after long trial was to be expelled ' that he may not like a drone consume 

 the bees honey,' and the conscience of the masters was solemnly charged to use their best diligence 

 to get all the boys on, and not to suffer any of the drones to linger uselessly among the rest but 

 straightway report him to the dean so that another might be admitted in his place. 



The headmaster was ' to know Latin and Greek, to be of good repute, sound faith, 8 and pious 

 life, with a faculty for teaching. He shall cultivate religion and adorn with learning not only the 

 1 8 boys of the church aforesaid but all other whomsoever coming to our school for the sake of 

 learning grammar.' 



The second master (hypodidascalus sive secundarius informator) was only required to know 

 Latin, not Greek, and to teach the rules of Grammar under the Archididascalus. The rules and 

 authors and order of teaching were to be such as the dean and chapter with the consent of the 



1 Register of the University of Oxford, p. 89. Edited by C. W. Boase, Oxford Historical Society, 

 1885. 2 Ibid. 97. Ibid. no. * Ibid. 



6 In the Henrician statutes this runs ' dean or headmaster.' The omission of the headmaster, who was 

 the best judge, seems to be due to the ecclesiastical reaction prevailing. 



1 This sanae fidei is a Marian interpolation, not in the Henrician statutes. Statuimus preterea ut unus 

 eligatur, Latine et Grace doctus, bonae famae, sanae fidei et vitae piae, docendi facultate imbutus, qui tarn 1 8 

 illos ecdcsiae nostrae pueros quam alios quoscunque grammaticam discendi gratia ad scholam nostram confluentes 

 pietate excitatos et bonis literis exornat. Hie in schola nostra primas obtineat et archididascalus sive Prascipuus 

 Informator esto. 



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