SCHOOLS 



side was developed. In 1904 Mr. Blakeney was 

 tempted away to Ely Cathedral Grammar School, 

 and carried offseveral membersof the staff and some 

 boys with him. The head master now is the 

 Rev. Albert James Skinner, educated at Oundle 

 School, and B.A. of London University. He 

 was, when appointed in September 1904, a 

 science and house master of Reading School. 

 He has a staff of three resident masters and two 

 non-resident. The science and modern side is 

 being more strongly developed. There were 60 

 boys in the school in 1906, of whom 30 were 

 boarders, the fees being 9 15*. for day boys and 

 54 for boarders. 



AYLESBURY GRAMMAR SCHOOL 



From the pleadings in a suit in Chancery, 

 begun in 1715, we learn that two messuages, 

 probably the gift of Sir Henry Lee of Ditchley, 

 Oxfordshire, were, before 1687, vested in certain 

 trustees, of whom the Vicar of Aylesbury was 

 one, for the support of this school. The school- 

 master was paid in 1714 partly from the rents 

 of these houses, and partly by fees from parents. 

 The school, as a part of it was for more than 1 40 

 years afterwards, was then carried on in a room 

 adjoining the church, supposed to have been 

 formerly a chantry chapel. The names of some 

 early masters have been preserved. 1 They were 

 all vicars or curates of Aylesbury : Obadiah 

 Dumea, 1678; John Higgins, 1680 ; John 

 Slime, 1 68 1 ; Ralph Gladman, 8 1692, who 

 came from St. Albans, matriculated at Christ 

 Church 3 August 167 7, and took his B.A. degree 

 in 1681 ; and Decimus Reynolds, whose date 

 is not known. 



The school received a second endowment 

 from Henry Phillips * of London, who, by will 

 22 September 1714, proved 24 November 

 following, bequeathed 5,000 to buy lands in 

 Buckinghamshire for the further enlargement of, 

 and provision for, the Free School, for instructing 

 so many of the poor boys in Aylesbury and Wal- 

 ton as his executors should appoint, and for want 

 of a sufficient number from those parishes, then 

 from the next neighbouring parishes. They 

 were to be instructed in the Latin tongue, 

 writing, arithmetic, and accounts, so as to be fit 

 to go and be apprenticed to good trades. Lands 

 to the value of 5,409 were duly conveyed, 

 3-4 June 1715, to the executors. The Master 

 in Chancery, in reference thereto, reported, 

 20 March 1717, that the existing schoolhouse 

 was unfit for a school, and incapable of being 

 enlarged. So in 1718 a new school and master's 

 house were built on the south side of the church- 



1 Lipscomb, Hist, of Biuki. ii, 65. 



' Foster, Alumni Oxott. 



1 Char. Com. Rep. xxvi, 36. 



yard, and conveyed to the trustees by deeds of 

 13-14 September 1737. 



By a decree of the court 4 February 1720, 

 rules and ordinances were established for the 

 government of the school : 



Imprimis : That there shall be 120 boys admitted 

 into the said school, to be taught gratis, and to be 

 furnished with books, pens, ink and paper gratis. 



2. That there shall be appointed one schoolmaster 

 and one usher for teaching the said boys in reading 

 English, Latin and Greek ; and also one writing-mas- 

 ter for teaching and instructing the said boys in writing 

 and accounts ; the which said schoolmaster and usher, 

 and also the writing-master, shall attend their respec- 

 tive duties in the said school at least 10 hours in every 

 week day not being holydays. 



The masters were to be appointed by the 

 trustees, and were removable for neglect of duty 

 by two-thirds of them. They were to receive 

 no gift or profit from any of the boys or their 

 parents, but only the salaries appointed by the 

 trustees ; but the head master might teach, for 

 his own profit and advantage, in Latin, Greek, 

 and Hebrew only, so many other scholars as the 

 school was capable to receive, not exceeding 20, 

 and so as the free boys should not be prejudiced 

 or neglected thereby. Children might be ad- 

 mitted at five years of age provided they could 

 read. 



The Rev. John Stephens was appointed head 

 master in 1744. He had matriculated at Exeter 

 College, 4 Oxford, 19 March 1729-30, and was 

 a fellow from 1732 to 1762. He took a B.D. 

 degree in 1748, and became D.D. in 1761. He 

 remained at Aylesbury till his death in 1771. 

 He was succeeded by the Rev. W illiam Pugh, who 

 was curate of Aylesbury and also vicar of Tot- 

 ternhoe, Bedfordshire. His work in the school 

 was probably done by William Storkins,* who had 

 been educated there, and after being clerk to a 

 carrier in -the town, came as assistant, and in 

 1776 was made head master. He was admitted 

 B.A. of Jesus College, Oxford, in 1780, arjd 

 appointed curate, but soon resigned the curacy. 

 He was domestic chaplain to Sir William Lee, 

 bart., of Hartwell House, whose younger son, 

 George Lee, afterwards baronet, was educated 

 in the school. Storkins resigned in 1806, when 

 a former pupil, John Rawbone, succeeded him ; 

 but on his death in 1813 Storkins was rcap- 

 pointed, retiring again in 1817. Then Charles 

 Robert Ashfield became head master. He matricu- 

 lated at Brasenose College, Oxford, 19 October 

 1808, and took his B.A. degree in 1812. He 

 was instituted to the rectory of Dodington, 

 Somerset, in 1821, and in the same year was 

 appointed chaplain of the County Gaol in Ayles- 

 bury. On 24 September 1825 the trustees ordered 



4 Foster, op. cit. 



* Lipscomb, Hiit. of Buckt. ii. 



* Foster, op. cit. 



215 



