SCHOOLS 



THE PUBLIC GRAMMAR SCHOOL 



The true ancestor of tlic present king's school or cathedral grammar school is neither the 

 novices' no-school nor the almonry charity school (neither of which was in any sense a public 

 school), but the grammar school enilowcd by Bishop Langley in 1414. This by all analogy 

 existed in some form long before his day, since we find at Canterbury, Winchester, and 

 Worcester a public grammar school, the grammar school of the city, existing outside the monastic 

 precinct, served by secular clergy and under the control not of the monastery but of the archbishop 

 or bishop, from a date ' from whence the memory of man is not to the contrary.' Rut it was 

 probably not endowed witii anything beyond a site and buildings ; and the master therefore lived 

 wholly upon fees. 



As we have seen, an earlier endowment probably intended for this school was brought to nought 

 by the heir of the donor having bestowed the same charity in another direction. In 14 14, Thomas 

 Langley, who on 8 August, 1406, was consecrated bishop of Durham, was Chancellor of England 

 in 1407, and afterwards twice more Chancellor, and became a Cardinal 5 June, 1436, who had 

 already provided a grammar school at his native place, Middleton in Lancashire, founded twin 

 schools of grammar and of song for the city of Durham upon the Palace green, the open space 

 between the castle or palace of the bishopric and his cathedral church. 



The foundation of this school has been somewhat misunderstood by the former historians of 

 Durham. On 13 June, 1414, two letters patent addressed to Thomas Neuton ^ and 

 John Thoralby, clerks, were issued, by one of which the bishop, in his spiritual capacity as ordinary, 

 and by the other in his temporal capacity ^ as earl, or at least as having the 'jura regalia' or kingly 

 authority in the county palatine of Durham, authorised them to found two chantries. 



The second licence, made in precisely the same form as the royal licences in mortmain, 

 empowered Neuton and Thoralby 'to found a chantry of two chaplains to celebrate divine service at 

 the altar of the Virgin in the cathedral church of Durliam,' * until another honourable and fitting altar 

 is founded by me or by my executors either in the same church or in a chapel to be newly built in 

 honour of the Virgin Mary near the same church ' for the good estate and for the souls mentioned 

 in the other licence ' according to an ordinance to be made by the said Thomas and John.' Further, the 

 chaplains were made a corporation, and a rent of 6 marks (;^4) issuing from certain lands specified in 

 'Herdewyk,' Ryton, Boldon, Whitburn, Cashop and 'Owangate' in the North Bailey of Durham, 

 held of the bishop in chief. 



Next day, 14 July, 1 414, Neuton and Thoralby executed the ordinance which the licences 

 empowered them to make. It recited how they thought it a work of mercy (pium opus),^ and deserving 

 reward from God ' to found perpetual chantries and to prefer thereto persons who are praiseworthy for 

 the uprightness of their life and conduct ; competently instructed in grammar and song (litteratura et 

 cantu competenter edoctos) so that they may not only render themselves sufficient and scrupulous in 

 divine service, but may know how to mould others how to serve in the church of God, and bring 

 forth fruit pleasing to God in due season.' So from 'the property given them by God (debonisa Deo 

 collatis) ' they proceeded to found a perpetual chantry of two chaplains in the words of the licences, 

 and appointed Mr. William Browne and Sir John Clayton, priests, to be the first chaplains, directing 

 them and their successors to pray for the souls already specified ' according to our ordinance noted 

 below and as the said Thomas, bishop of Durliam, shall think fit to add ' to enjoy the endowment 

 of 6 marks ' trusting that the said reverend father and other Christ's faithful people moved by pity 

 will lend helping hands to the chantry aforesaid, as we according as our means allow intend to 

 provide further for it.' They also ordained * that the chaplains aforesaid there, shall, when so 

 disposed, celebrate mass and say daily the canonical hours, viz., the office of the day and of the Blessed 

 Virgin and the exequies of the dead, as beneficed persons in holy orders (curat! et in sacris ordinibus 

 constituti) are accustomed to do, according to the Sarum Ordinal and the use (observanciam) in the 

 diocese of Durham.' Then appears the real object of the foundation. The chaplains were to be 

 'sufficiently advanced* and instructed, one in grammar, the other in song, so that one may know how 

 to keep school in grammar, the other in song, in the city of Durham, and sufficiently to teach, instruct and 



1 Neuton was a canon of Darlington, having exchanged his prebend in the collegiate church of Bridgnorth 

 for one in Darlington in 1407 ; while Thoralby was made dean of the collegiate church of Chester le Street, 

 6 April, 1408 (Dur. Epis. Reg. Langley, f. 136 and 146). Neuton was also master of a hospital at Gateshead, 

 of which place Thoralby was rector. 



* A full account is given of the ordinance by Mr. G. B. M. Coore in the Report of the Charity Com- 

 missioners on the charities of Durham and suburbs (Pari. Papers, 1900, 200, p. 27) from the transcripts made 

 by me. 



' This rather than ' pious ' seems to be the proper translation. 



* Capellani in cantaria predicta intitulandi sint, unus in grammatica, alter in cantu, ita sufficienter 

 provccti et instructi, quod unus eorum scolas in grammatica, alter in cantu in civitate dunclmic sciat regcrc, 

 juvenesque et alios indoctos in huiusmodi scienciis sufficienter instruere et proinde informare. 



