A HISTORY OF GLOUCESTERSHIRE 



THE CRYPT GRAMMAR SCHOOL, GLOUCESTER 



The Crypt Grammar School was founded under John Cooke's will of 

 1 8 May, 1528, declaring the uses of lands in Gloucester and ' Begworth,' 

 which he had granted to trustees on 1 2 May previous, for his wife for life 

 and afterwards ' to such uses as she should declare by her learned counsel to 

 the performance of his will as she knew his mind.' This was 



to purchase lands in fee-simple worth 200. year and to enfeoff certain persons to the uses he had 

 declared before Andrew, bishop of Christopolis, commendatory of the hospital of St. Bartholo- 

 mew, that is, to make and edify in the parish of Christ a schoolhouse, and in the same establish 

 and ordain a perpetual free school for the erudition of children and scholars there and ordain 

 and establish a schoolmaster of the same school for the time, a priest, daily to keep school 

 and teach grammar freely, within the said school and also to say mass 



at certain times mentioned 



and pray for the souls of himself, his father and mother and of all Christians for evermore 

 and perform divers other alms, obsequies and deeds of charity ... all which he had intended 

 to ordain and establish himself, if it had pleased God to give him convenient space and 

 time in this transitory world. 



Joan Cooke, the widow, duly carried out her husband's will, by a deed 

 of 11 January, 153940, made between herself, the mayor and burgesses of 

 Gloucester of the second part, and the mayor and burgesses of Worcester 

 of the third part. Letters patent which, she is careful to say, she had 

 obtained from the king at her own cost had given the mayor and burgesses 

 of Gloucester licence in mortmain to receive lands up to the value of 

 not more than 50 a year to build, maintain, and continue a free grammar 

 school within the said town, and to help certain poor people and help the 

 repair of the bridge and causeway between Gloucester and Over on the 

 west of it. She gave, subject to her own life interest, lands in Poddesmead, 

 Hempsted, Elmore, Badgeworth, and Bentham, and a cottage in Brockworth, 

 a little tenement in Westgate Street, Gloucester, and lands in Stonehouse, 

 Ebley Oxlinch, Standish, Westbury, and Chaxhill. In consideration of the 

 grant the corporation covenanted after Joan Cooke's death to 



find and provide an honest and well-learned schoolmaster, being a priest, if such could con- 

 veniently be had, to teach grammar to such children as might resort to the said free school 

 then already built within the said parish of Christ, in the said town of Gloucester ; and 

 that the same schoolmaster, being a priest, should say mass every week within the parish 

 church of Christ near adjoining unto the said free school and have for his stipend yearly 

 jio ; and, if it should fortune the said schoolmaster to be a layman, then the said stipend 

 should be 9 ; and the said schoolmaster, whether priest or layman, should have a chamber 

 in the said schoolhouse, which was appointed for him and his scholars only and, not for his 

 wife or family or for strangers. 



From which we may infer that the worthy aldermaness was not in 

 favour of the 'new religion' and did not like married clerics. The 

 schoolmaster was to be ' named, chosen, ordered, and amoved by the 

 mayor, recorder and two senior aldermen.' 3^. \d. a week was to be 

 paid out of the lands in Gloucester, Badgeworth, Bentham, and Brock- 

 worth to the poor of St. Bartholomew's Hospital, and the surplus of 

 the rents was to go for repairs of the schoolhouse; while out of the 

 rents of Stonehouse &c. 5 a year was to be spent on the West Bridge 



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