A HISTORY OF GLOUCESTERSHIRE 



The increase was it seems due to a petition from George Lloyd and 

 others, in the course of which it is stated that the school flourished under 

 Ellys with 100 to 120 scholars, sons of gentlemen and others. 



Helme or Helmes proved unsatisfactory. The local magnates tried to 

 turn him out, and in 1587 he complained to the Court of Exchequer. In the 

 course of the proceedings it appeared that the crown stipend of j had not 

 been the sole revenue of the school but that the property of a chantry called 

 Jones's chantry had been applied to the school. This chantry had been 

 founded in 1508 for 60 years only, with a gift over at the end of the term 

 for repairing the church, making and repairing highways, and doles to the 

 poor at the discretion of the feoffees ; so that not being perpetually devoted 

 to ' superstitious uses ' it had escaped confiscation under the Chantry Act. 

 Helmes now complained that the feoffees withheld the income of Jones's 

 lands from him. He declared that in 1567 the feoffees had by deed indented 

 assigned 8 to the schoolmaster's stipend, and alleged that about eight years 

 ago, Henry Elrington, for seven years running churchwarden, envious per- 

 chance at this stipend of 8 disposed to so good a use, did along with the 

 others begin to oppose the payment, and afterwards when the crown had 

 increased its endowment to 20, they had retained the 8 unthankfully as 

 towards the crown, contrary to all equity and good conscience, and dead to 

 the hindrance of good learning. A commission of inquiry was upon this 

 issued to Sir Henry Poole and others. Henry Elrington and the rest said 

 there was no certainty about Thomas Taylor's appointment, but that after 

 him one Baker, schoolmaster, and his successors had been nominated, chosen, 

 and admitted by the bailiff, treasurers, churchwardens, and others the masters 

 of the town, with a stipend of 7 from the exchequer, and 6 or 7 more 

 added by them. The schoolmaster had always been removable upon a 

 quarter's or half-year's notice by the churchwardens, with consent of the 

 bailiff and others, if there were cause of dislike. But when the queen 

 augmented her 7 to 20, the treasurers, &c., thinking that to be enough, 

 had employed their 7 in repairing the church, at the present greatly in 

 decay, and likely to be more ruinous if it be not foreseen, also in amending 

 some of the decayed houses of Jones's trust, in repairing of highways, and the 

 poor. Moreover Thomas Helmes is so unskilful and slack that his scholars 

 do not profit, and the school has dwindled down to 40 scholars, all which 

 being considered by the bishop of Gloucester and the defendants, they gave 

 half a year's notice to Thomas Helmes before the augmentation up to 20 

 was settled, so that they might provide a better schoolmaster. Albeit he 

 Thomas Helmes hath heretofore proudly said that he will be schoolmaster in 

 spite of the most part of the parishioners ; all which indiscreet speeches, and 

 lewd bearing, and other causes considered, they prayed the court to let them 

 as before have the nomination of the schoolmaster. As to the 7, when the 

 half-year's notice was expired, as they much disliked the contempt and 

 obstinacy of the man in not departing, they had detained it, as was lawful 

 according to the terms on which it was granted, but it was detained for no 

 other cause, and not at all for the hindrance of learning. Thereupon the 

 court considering that it was needful to have an usher in the said school, 

 ordered the disputed stipend, which they fixed at 8, to be employed ever in 

 maintaining an usher in the said grammar school, and the schoolmaster for 



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