A HISTORY OF GLOUCESTERSHIRE 



poor scholars-clerks with all necessaries, except clothing and shoes, and take 

 the rest for himself. 



On admission the masters were to take their corporal oath 



to teach school (scolas regani) faithfully and govern usefully according to their power, and to 

 receive kindly all scholars whatsoever howsoever and whencesoever coming for instruction in 

 the said art of grammar, and to duly inform them in the same art, without exacting claiming 

 or receiving any benefit or gain for his pains in the name of stipend or salary, by reason of 

 which the master may be accused of canvassing for money (de quo poterit argui ambicio 

 magistrorum predictorutri). 



The holidays allowed were at Christmas from St. Thomas's Day (21 

 December) to the morrow of the Epiphany (7 January) ; at Easter from Palm 

 Sunday to the Sunday after Easter ; at Whitsuntide from Saturday before 

 Whit Sunday to the Monday after Trinity Sunday ; and in the autumn from 

 St. Peter ad Vincula (i August) to the Exaltation of the Cross (14 September). 

 This is an extremely important ordinance, as it is sometimes said l that there 

 were no holidays at school in ancient times except saints' days. 



The scholars-clerks were not to be over ten years of age when admitted, 

 ' but assuming ability we do not mean to interdict their admission under that 

 age.' They were to stay for six years attending school (sco/is intendentes) and 

 obeying their master, and were not to be put by the master to perform any 

 services or do any tasks, but to be kept continuously at their learning and 

 studies (fed erudiclonl et studio continue vacate compellantur.) If they were 

 idle or disobedient, or refused to submit to chastisement, they could be 

 removed on proof of the matter before the patron or his steward. 



The master also was removable by the patron for offences against the 

 statutes after three warnings. If through age or other cause, not his own 

 fault, he had to give up teaching, his successor was to pay him a pension of 

 five marks a year. 



Not another word is said throwing any light on the inner life of the 

 school, its curriculum or hours. No doubt these were strictly regulated by 

 custom. 



Very shortly after the completion of the foundation, on 13 March, 

 1485-6,* the foundress died and was buried by the side of her second husband 

 in Berkeley Church. 



The episcopal registers enable us to obtain a tolerably complete list of 

 masters up to the Reformation. John Stone, though already master before 

 the execution of the foundation deed, was not formally presented to the 

 bishop till 3 August, 1 387 s 'to the perpetual school house (ad domum scolaruni) 

 late founded by Lady Katharine of Berkeley deceased, in which no one had 

 yet been instituted ', so the said bishop formally admitted him and instituted 

 him perpetual chaplain in due form of law. Oddly enough, though this 

 institution was thus solemnly entered in the register, it was not until 

 29 December, 1390,* that the bishop bethought him of the necessity of con- 

 firming the foundation and statutes, when the documents were all duly copied 



1 e.g. in Kirby's Ann. of Winch. Coll. whom I have followed in The Schoolboy's Feast. The fact is that 

 Winchester being wholly, as far as the scholars were concerned, a boarding school, and the boys coming from 

 places so far off as Devonshire, Lancashire, Cheshire, and Wales, they could not all in early times go home for 

 the holidays. But the holidays seem to have existed all the same. 



' Lives of the Berkeley!, \, 346. * Wore. Epis. Reg. Wakefield, fol. 48. 4 Ibid. fol. 71. 



398 



