SCHOOLS 



Wardens of the School called the Holy Ghost School, towards the main- 

 tenance of the schoolmaster there.' He had already, he says, ' surrendered 

 the deeds to the bailiffs, constables, aldermen and wardens with divers 

 other honest freeholders of Basingstoke and to their heirs for ever as 

 feoffees in trust.' He died in 1585. Mr. Harry Wallop, one of the 

 family of the Earls of Portsmouth, gave 3-r. \d. and ' divers persons of 

 thetown'^Ti us. ^d. 



At length in November, 1567, there came a schoolmaster whose 

 name is recorded. This was Nicholas Sheffield, who received a salary of 

 12 a year. 



What were presumably either school fees or voluntary contributions 

 were levied in aid of the school funds, amounting to jTi 4.*. 2d. in 1 569-70, 

 to i 6s. zd. in 15712 and to 2 is. ^.d. in 15723. 



An interesting entry in the accounts for 1 577 shows that the chapel 

 services were still kept up, as there is a note that ' of organ pipes, great 

 and small, there were 42, whereof 12 be of tin.' 



The rule of James Pearse, 15905, was inaugurated by a consider- 

 able expenditure on ' mending the schole,' glazing the windows of the 

 chapel and making a new window of glass in the school. In 1592 more 

 glazing was done ' against the Queen's coming ' at a cost of 5-r. 1 It is 

 curious that there is no other record preserved of this visit of Queen 

 Elizabeth to Hampshire, unless it is the one referred to in a letter to Cecil, 

 the great secretary, written in May, 1595, by Harmar, headmaster of 

 Winchester College 2 : 'At Her Majesty's last being in Hants she had the 

 scholars before her at Aberston (? a misreading of Alton) at which time 

 she vouchsafed to take notice of my being her Scholar ; of my travels,' 

 etc. James Pearse was the first of the schoolmasters to take a lease of the 

 close of pasture called ' the holly gost litten ' adjoining the chapel, probably 

 for a playground. He paid a fine of IQJ. for it and a rent of i zs. a year. The 

 lease is still preserved among the school papers. The accounts contain an 

 entry of 6d. paid ' for a chain for the book given by Mr. Cunliffe and 

 two staples.' William Alen, joiner, was also paid 4^. 4^. for ' a dex (desk) 

 at the holie ghost to keepe the booke given by Mr. Cunliffe, and other 

 worke, with locke and key to the same.' The precious book in question 

 was 3 Cooper's Dictionary. In Cunliffe's last year the school received a 

 new benefaction in the shape of ' foure skoore pounds ' given by Mr. 

 William Wig, or Wigge, ' the use whereof is to be paid unto the school- 

 master for teaching of a child to be brought from Bramley in the county 

 of Southampton.' 



In the first year of the mastership of John Mason the accounts 

 contain an entry which is of some value in the history of schools. ' Memor- 

 andum, that in the time of the said William Purchier, Alderman, William 

 West and Thomas Hill, Wardens, of the Fraternity or Guild of the 



1 Bas'mgstoke, p. 580. 

 * History of Winchester College, p. 318. 



3 Nuncupative will of Edward Cunliffe. Dated 13 November, 1605 ; proved 3 March, 1606 

 (Basingstoke,^. 143). 



375 



