SCHOOLS 



to the school. On 30 December, 1643, the schoolhouse was ordered to be 

 repaired and the seats and glass taken out of St. Owen's church used for the 

 purpose. Only six months later, on 2 May, 1644, Biddle's troubles began, 

 and lasted for the rest of his life, which ended some twenty years afterwards. 

 He was accused before the magistrates of holding Socinian opinions, which 

 seems to mean denying the divinity of the Holy Ghost, and admitted doing 

 so. In December, 1645, he was imprisoned by the Parliament's Commis- 

 sioners for a book in support of these views, which had not been published, 

 but had been stolen from his study. He was then apparently turned out of 

 the head mastership, as in 1 645 James Allen, * master of Criste school,' who 

 had been usher since 13 July, 1643, had his wages increased to 40 marks, 

 and in 1647 Mr. J onn Cooper was chosen schoolmaster in place of Allen. 

 Poor Biddle after six months' imprisonment was summoned to Westminster 

 and examined at the bar of the House, and one of his books ordered to be 

 burnt by the common hangman. On 2 May, 1648, an ordinance was 

 passed making disbelief in the Trinity a capital offence, but it was never put 

 into force. Cromwell protected him, but banished him to the Scilly Isles for 

 three years. He founded a conventicle which is reckoned the beginning of 

 Unitarianism. After the Restoration he was again, in 1662, seized and 

 imprisoned, and died of the effects. 



Allen was a Gloucester boy and New Inn Hall man, and Cooper came 

 from Worcester, and was of Balliol. None of the masters are now of long 

 continuance. On 5 January, 16501, Mr. Thomas Beavens succeeded 

 Cooper with a salary of 40 marks (26 13*. ^d.) 18 May, 1652, Nicholas 

 Tailer was paid 30, while William Rowlins, B.A., chosen 21 July, 1653, 

 was given 36 and a mark (13^. 4</.), and the new usher, Mr. Abraham 

 Heague was to have 20 marks (13 6j. 8</.). On 21 August, 1654, another 

 new master, Mr. Francis Stedman, had only 30, while Heague, the usher, had 

 his stipend raised to 16. In 1656 Heague became master, and so continued 

 for nearly forty years, to 1696. John Grubbe of Christ Church succeeded for 

 a year, then William King, 1697, of Brasenose and Balliol, to 1711. Philip 

 Collier of Queen's was after eight years removed, 12 May, 1719 ; the 

 Corporation order recording that ' The school is at present reduced to such a 

 condition that 'tis of little benefit to this city and tho' admonition has been 

 freely given no amendment had been made or is likely to be made, but 

 parents tho' burgesses are obliged to send their children to other schools at 

 great charges.' A further complaint was that Mr. Collier was not a priest, 

 and so should only receive 9 a year. So he was deprived. On 16 May 

 Mr. Richard Furney was elected in his place. He was of Oriel College. 

 He wrote a history of Gloucester in six volumes still in MS., four at 

 Gloucester and two at the Bodleian Library at Oxford from which subsequent 

 writers have taken without verification the lists of masters. He was also 

 rector of Doynton. He retired in 1723, and held livings in Hampshire and 

 became archdeacon of Surrey. Daniel Bond, the usher, then became master. 

 Thomas Gardiner, who had been appointed usher in 1737, succeeded to 

 Bond in 1750, and after that no usher was appointed. From 1788 to 1802 

 Thomas Rudge, a Gloucester boy and of Merton College, held office. He 

 too wrote a history of Gloucester and of the county, of considerable merit. 

 He combined the mastership with two livings, and became, in 1814, 



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