A HISTORY OF DURHAM 



now forthcoming is the casual mention already quoted of the almoner of Durham in 1416, paying 

 14*. to ' a schoolmaster coming from Darlington to teach the boys for the time being' during a vacancy 

 in the mastership. In the certificate made in 1546 under the Chantries Act of Henry VIII., the 

 existence of an endowed grammar school comes clearly to light ' The Chauntrie of All Sayntes, in 

 the parisshe of Darlyngton.' l 



' The said chauntrie was founded by one Robert Marshall, clarke, to fynde a priest for ever to 

 pray for his sowl and all christen sowles, and to kepe one yerely Obitt and a free scoole of grammer 

 for all manner of children thider resortyng.' 



The Valor Ecclesiasticus of 1535 had recorded the chantry and Leonard Melmerby as chantry 

 priest, but without disclosing the fact that it was a school. The value was then stated to be 

 fjo 6s. Sd., and the net value 1 1 4*. What had occurred in the interval to bring the gross value 

 down to 91*. 8d, and the net value to 3 8s. 3^., as stated in the chantry certificate, does not 

 appear. However, no two accounts of this time ever agree. A third and intermediate valuation was 

 given 2 in 1548 by the chantry commission of Edward VI. 



' The Chuntery of All Seyntes, or the Free Scole in the parishe churche of Derlington. 



' Thomas Rycherdson of the age of 30 yeres, incumbent. The yerely valewe, 4 i gs. ; the 

 repryses, 6s. Sd. ; the remaine, 4 1 2s. ^.d.' Then after a statement of the value of the deanery 

 and four prebends in the collegiate church, 53 6s. $d., comes the item : 



' Rente bequethed to the afforseyd Gramer Skole : the yerely valew, 35.' 



The foundation of the chantry must be taken to have been not an entirely new creation but 

 the endowment, or augmentation of the endowment, of a school previously unendowed, and pro- 

 bably paid only a small fixed stipend out of the general revenues of the collegiate church. 



The date of foundation and identity of the founder have not been made out. Longstaffe 3 

 hints at a Robert Marshall mentioned in Boldon Book, a twelfth-century rental. 



It is more likely to have been Mr. Robert Marshall, who on 14 April, 1515,* was presented to 

 the provostry of Hemingbrough (Hemmyngburgh) collegiate church in the East Riding of York- 

 shire. Perhaps Cuthbert Marshall, the last dean, already dean in 1535, was some relation. 6 He 

 was probably the same Cuthbert Marshall who in 1510 was schoolmaster of the almonry of Durham. 

 In 1548 he was also archdeacon of Nottingham and canon residentiary of York, where he was 

 buried 25 January, 1550. The chantry was confiscated as from Easter Day 1548.* The school 

 was continued by an order of Sir Walter Mildmayand Robert Keylwayby warrant 20 July, IS48, 7 

 assigning that, ' Thomas Richardson, scholemaster there, shall have and enjoye the rome of schole- 

 master there and shall have for his wages yerelie, 4 3*. 8d.', and the auditor and receiver of the 

 court for the county were directed to pay the same. 



Accordingly in 1548-98 we find under the heading of 'Late chantry of All Saints in the 

 parish of Darlington ' the item, ' in the yearly stipend or salary of Thomas Richardson, master of 

 the grammar school at Darlington, founded by the chantry of All Saints, at 4 y. 8d. a year ; in 

 allowance of the same for a year and a half during the time of this account, 6 5*. 6d.' 



In I553> according to Browne Willis, Richardson was receiving ,4.' There are no further 

 extant accounts of crown revenues for Durham till 15745, in which year Thomas Richardson 

 still received 4 3*. 8^. The school was accordingly still being maintained with him as master. 

 It is true we find one of the witnesses to the will of ' George Reyd, parson of Dinsdall,' made on 

 15 April, I559> 'Robart Hall, scholmr. of Derlyngton,' 10 but he appears to be the same person as 

 Robert Hall, who in 1567 * witnessed the enrolment of a deed in the Court Roll of the borough, 

 under the title of clerk of the court ; and also as the parish clerk of that name who attended a 

 visitation by Bishop Barnes 11 in the person of his chancellor, Robert Swift, on 6 February, 1577. 

 He, therefore, must be taken to have been the usher or the petty schoolmaster, not the Grammar 

 School master. 



The school was re-founded, its former property being re-granted for its endowment, by charter 

 or letters patent of Queen Elizabeth 15 June, 1563. The charter purported to be made on the 

 petition of Henry [Neville], earl of Westmorland, and James [Pilkington], then bishop of Durham, 

 on behalf of the inhabitants of the town of ' Darlyngton,' ' for the perpetual education, erudition, and 

 instruction of boys and youths of that town there to be trained, instructed and taught.' The grant 

 was in larger terms than the petition, not being confined to the town. 'Henceforth there may 

 and shall be a Grammar School in the said town of Darlyngton, which shall be called the Free 



1 English Schools at the Reformation, A. F. Leach, p. 61, from Chant. Cert. 18, no. 102. 



8 Ibid. p. 3 1 9 from Chan. Cert. 1 7. Longstaffe, Hist, of Darlington, p. 206. * Durham Reg. v. 1 63 . 



B History of Darlington by W. H. D. Longstaffe, Darlington, 1854, p. 197, note. 



* Chantries Act, I Edw. VI. cap. 14, s. 2. 



7 Eng. Sch. at the Reformation, p. 62 from P.R.O. Schools Continuance Warrants, 9. 



8 P.R.O. Mins. Accts. 2-3 Edw. VI. no. 88, f. 44. Longstaffe, p. 260 n. 

 10 Proc. ofBf. Barnes (Surtees Soc.), App. c. v. " Ibid. 59. 



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