A HISTORY OF SUSSEX 



builder (Jundator et edificator) of the church of Hastings. There is therefore no room for doubt 

 who, in post-Conquest time at least, was the founder, though this ascription does not preclude an 

 earlier foundation in early English times. In fact it is extremely probable that Robert of Eu's 

 foundation consisted in dividing into separate prebends and prebendaries the canons who had formerly 

 held all things in common. At all events he 



gave and demised to Gymming to have in prebend the chapel and tithes of Werlinges, the land 

 of Hada and a wista of land to the same manor belonging with one tenant there living (hospite uno manente) : 

 the tithe of the salt of the same manor ; the chapel of Hoo and Nanefield 



and various other properties with ' one mansion (mansuram) in the castle and another in the bailey at 

 the bridge.' After three more prebends granted to three other canons came 



In the prebend of Auschfer] the church of Turok and the land to the same belonging with meadow, 

 and marshes and tithe of the same manor, and at Sisteleberg two yardlands and a mansion at Esteham 

 and one in the castle. 



Four other prebends are enumerated, all by the names of the prebendaries ot the time. Then it is 

 stated l ' To Auch[er]'s prebend belongs the teaching of the grammar school, and to Wyming's 

 prebend the teaching of the song school.' It is clear therefore that the grammar school and song 

 school were, as in all earlier collegiate churches, part of the foundation, and that they continued at 

 the date of this record. Wyming or Gymming, whose prebend is the first mentioned, filled the 

 duties of precentor, and may have been the head of the church, primus inter fares, as the cantor of 

 Glasney always continued to be of that collegiate church. But though he ranks first, it is clear 

 that his school, the song school, was a less important institution than the grammar school, which was 

 under the prebendary Auscher or Aucher. Aucher's prebend afterwards became known by its 

 territorial title, its prebendal church and manor of ' Turok,' as West Thurrock, and Wyming's 

 prebend became that of Wartling, Hooe, and Ninfield. We hear no more of this ancient grammar 

 school in any of the detailed visitations which are extant. 



What educational efforts were made after the dissolution of the collegiate church does not 

 appear, there being no town muniments forthcoming before the latter end of the reign of Queen 

 Elizabeth. In the early part of the reign of James I the town began to bestir itself to supply the 

 loss. On 29 March, i6o7, J 'a chamber over Mr. Young's shop ' was appointed 'for a common 

 school house for this town.' 



By will, 15 November, 1619, William Parker gave to the mayor, jurats, and commonalty all 

 his lands in Ore 



towards the maintenance of a religious and godly schoolmaster in the said town who should instruct 

 the youth of the inhabitants of Hastings in learning, manners, and other virtuous education ; . . . 

 the said schoolmaster to be elected by the jurats for the time being inhabiting within the parish of 

 All Saints and his own heirs, so long as there should be any heir of the name and blood of Parker 

 inhabiting in Hastings, and that they should have power to remove him if he should be slothful and 

 negligent. 



He ' peremptorily ordained that neither the rector of All Saints or of St. Clement, nor their 

 curates, should be schoolmasters, because no one man was able to perform both these offices.' 



This last is a remarkable direction, as it shows that thinking men had already seen the vice 

 which ended in the degradation or ruin of many grammar schools in the eighteenth and early 

 nineteenth centuries through the pernicious practice of employing parsons as schoolmasters. The 

 excuse for it in many cases was that the endowments had become insufficient by themselves to 

 keep a man of university education and status, but the remedy was worse than the disease. 



The lands in Ore which formed the endowment consisted of 113 acres. 



Darkness prevails as to the school till the beginning of the nineteenth century, when Parker's 

 School was, and, as it is stated, had been for many years, united with Saunders' School. 



This school was founded by James Saunders who, by will, 7 January, 1708, devised to the 

 mayor, jurats, and town council of Hastings all his real estate in the isle of Oxney, in Kent, in 

 trust to pay 40 a year to a schoolmaster well qualified to teach Latin, who should teach all 'the 

 poor boys of the town of Hastings and the suburbs of the castle parish, not exceeding the number of 

 70, in reading English, writing, and casting accounts, and the Latin tongue. They were also to 

 pay 10 a year each to two school-dames, one in St. Clement's and the other in All Saints' parish 

 who were to teach 30 children each spelling and reading English. 



' 'Ad prebendam Auch' attinet regimen scole gramatice, et ad prebendam Wymingi regimen Scole cantus.' 

 Hist. MSS. Com. Rep. xiii, App. iv, 360. 



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