SCHOOLS 



church was rebuilt in 1777-81, but in a Chancery suit 1 in 1759 it appears 

 that the room for the Free Grammar School was in the roof of the north 

 aisle of the church, 'near 80 ft. long, and wide in proportion.' 



The Rev. Christopher Hanley, M.A., from Merton College, Oxford, 

 became head master in 1698, and was succeeded in 1703 by Mr. Hall, who 

 died the same year. Then came the Rev. John Lewis, who stayed till 1721. 

 The Rev. Henry Wightwick followed and reached a record of 42 years, 

 holding office till his death, 22 November, 1763. After him the school 

 sank into little more than an elementary school under three Welshmen, 

 John Richardcs, Robert Williams and J. Evans. In 1791 the Rev. 

 Lancaster Dodgson of Shatton, Cumberland, was appointed. He matricu- 

 lated at Queen's College, Oxford, 1783, and took his B.A. in 1786 and 

 M.A. four years later, and was a Fellow till 1817, but docs not seem to have 

 been successful with the school which was discontinued in 1800, the tolls of 

 the market proving insufficient to provide a salary for a master. 



In 1824 a petition was presented to Chancery with regard to the 

 Tetbury Charity estates for the removal of the trustees and a new scheme. 

 This was approved in 1830, and directed a payment of 70 to a schoolmaster 

 and 35 to a mistress. But this was for an elementary school and bore no 

 relation to the ancient grammar school, which has never been revived. The 

 national school still receives the payments ordered by the Chancery scheme. 



THORNBURY GRAMMAR SCHOOL 



This school was first mentioned in a deed poll of Robert Stone of 

 Merton, 15 October, 1606, who conveyed to new feoffees a burgage and a 

 half formerly given by John Jones the elder. 



William White in 1642 gave to John Stafford and others a messuage 

 and a close of pasture upon trust to allow the profits yearly to a schoolmaster 

 to teach in Thornbury, who should be chosen by the feoffees, an unmarried 

 graduate of one of the universities of England. If he should marry, the 

 feoffees should make a new choice. 



William Edwards by will, 10 June, 1648, gave lands for a school- 

 house which he had begun to build in his lifetime and also gave a library to 

 the school. By an indenture, 20 October, 1655, the surviving trustees 

 conveyed to John Stafford and others the newly-erected house and the 

 residue of the premises for the maintenance of a schoolmaster who should 

 freely and without payment teach three poor children of the parish, nominated 

 by the trustees and vicar. 



New feoffees have been from time to time chosen and the trust-premises 

 regularly transferred. 



A book of the transactions has been regularly kept. By an entry, 

 II October, 1797, it appears that the free-school being in a ruinous state, 

 Mr. Kingsmill Grove, of Thornbury, volunteered to advance the money for 

 rebuilding, to be repaid out of rents. The master, William Llewellyn, was 

 then paid 1$ a year, but after the re-building, as soon as Kingsmill Grove 



was repaid, he was to receive the net yearly income arising from the estates. 



i 



1 Clout. Nttti and Querift, 1881, vol. i, 245. 



439 



