SCHOOLS 



Chester commoner, sixteen years old. Two 

 came from Somerset, two from Dorset, one each 

 from Hanpshire, Berkshire, and Warwickshire. 

 No fewer than 25 were elected to Eton. They 

 were headed by Richard Denman from the 

 county of Durham, who had already attained 

 the extreme age allowed, of seventeen years, 

 while a Yorkshire boy, John Freeman, was six- 

 teen. On the other hand, one from Eton itself 

 and one from London were only ten years old. 

 The rest ranged from twelve to fifteen years of 

 age. It would almost appear that the widest 

 possible range was purposely taken, no county 

 contributing more than two boys, except York- 

 shire, which sent five; but of these one came from 

 York and one from each of the three Ridings 

 other than the West Riding, which sent two. 

 Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, and Hertford- 

 shire each contributed two scholars ; while Lon- 

 don, Cambridgeshire, Devonshire, Gloucester- 

 shire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Middlesex, 

 Northamptonshire, Surrey, Somerset, and West- 

 morland each contributed a single scion. The 

 names of Yarborough (Yarbrow) from Lincoln- 

 shire, Catesby from Northamptonshire, Bower 

 from Yorkshire, Salkeld from Westmorland, and 

 Dorman from Leicestershire, all county families 

 and no doubt to those having local knowledge 

 many of the other names show that the words 

 pauperes indigentes by no means meant, as has 

 sometimes been asserted, the ' poor and needy ' 

 in the sense in which it is used nowadays, in the 

 Poor Law sense, but included the younger sons 

 of the upper middle classes, ' those who without 

 help could not keep their sons at the universi- 

 ties.' The next election roll forthcoming is 

 that for 1446, and contains 35 names of those 

 ' nominated to the college royal.' If they were 

 all admitted, this year, when the school was built 

 and the college practically finished, marks the 

 final filling of the college to its full number. 

 The age in this roll is much lower than that of 

 previous elections, the eighteenth on the list 

 being only eight, while the fourth and fifth were 

 ten years old, and none of the first 18 were over 

 fourteen years of age. No fewer than 6 of them 

 were Londoners ; the rest came from Bedford- 

 shire, Berkshire, Gloucestershire, Hampshire, 

 Kent, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, Oxford- 

 shire. In the next extant roll, that for 1453, a 

 distinction is drawn between those ' elected and 

 admitted ' (aisumptorum) on 3 August, and those 

 ' elected, nominated, and to be admitted ' (assum- 

 endorum). The former list consisted of 15 

 names ; the latter contained no fewer than 65, 

 of whom not a tenth could have been actually 

 admitted. The name of Nicholas Wallop of 

 Farleigh, aged eleven, of the ancient Hampshire 

 family now represented by the Earl of Portsmouth, 

 shows what the status of the poor and indigent 

 scholars was. Counties so distant as Cornwall 

 and Derbyshire sent representatives. 



In 1444-5 tne college had got into working 

 order, with William Westbury as head master 

 and Thomas Chaunterie as first usher, while two 

 clerks, Henry Sulbyand Henry Warde, instructed 

 in singing. The endowment was not yet com- 

 pleted, the total income of 946 8;. $\d. being 

 made up by three gifts 'of the most gracious 

 Founder' of jTi 20, of i 8 provided by the pro- 

 vost, and another 18 the proceeds of the con- 

 tributions at the Assumption of the Virgin ; but 

 as the staff of confessors, who with their servants 

 occupied thirty beds, and the entertainment of 

 strangers cost 29 19;. 3/f., the bulls for the feast 

 were a losing speculation. This year saw the 

 erection of the school, ' a house and two chambers 

 at the end of the same (the old church), inside 

 the precinct of the college, to teach the gram- 

 mar scholars in," 7 at a cost of 71 16*. 9^., or 

 some 2,150 of our money. With its two class- 

 rooms it was 70 ft. long by 24 ft. broad, or about 

 5 ft. narrower, but 25 ft. longer, than the magna 

 domus which formed the school at Winchester. 

 The total area was 1,680 square ft. as against 

 1,350. At 12 square ft. each this gives room 

 for 140 boys, which would leave room for only 

 about 2O oppidans. But with the closer packing 

 of those days, allowing I o square ft. each, some 

 50 oppidans, making 190 in all, might have been 

 admitted. However tight the packing, it could 

 not in any case have been contemplated that 

 oppidans should be in the majority, as against 

 the 119 members of the college. The college 

 precinct was completed by ' making gates in the 

 paling round ' it, i.e. the outer gate, at a cost 

 of 8 1 8*. -id. Next year the almshouse was 

 built in the outer quadrangle, probably where 

 Uoper School now is ; it was finished in the 

 following year. The Old Hall mentioned in 

 the accounts was also in 14456 in course of 

 being superseded by the present hall, the chief 

 mason going to consult the Marquis of Suffolk 

 on its 'making' in November 14456. It 

 was in use before Midsummer 1449, though 

 it was not till 1450 that 'storied glass' (vitri 

 bistorialis) was placed in its windows. In its 

 dimensions, 82 ft. by 32 ft., it was distinctly 

 intended to surpass that of Winchester, which 

 was only some 63 ft. by 30 ft., though, oddly 

 enough, it was smaller than that of New College, 

 87 ft. by 35 ft. 



In 1446-7 the total number of 'scholars 

 choristers and servitors ' was raised from 86 to 

 1 06, the total possible being 109, viz. 70 

 scholars, 1 6 choristers, and 13 servitors. The 

 usher had changed, William Child or Chylde, a 



17 Willis and Clark, op. cit. i, 403. ' In divcrsis custi- 

 bus pro factura et nova construccionc cuiusdam domus 

 et duarum camerarum ad finem eiusdem infra pro- 

 cinctura dicti collcgii pro scolaribus gramatice intus 

 informandis.' This Mr. Clark translates ' to teach 

 the scholars grammar in,' but the proper translation is 

 as given in the text. 



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