SCHOOLS 



John Willis, probably from Hincksey near Oxford, matriculated at St. Mary's Hall, 1703, 

 B.C.L. Oriel, 1710, held office from 14 November, 1711, to 13 October, 1712, when he resigned, 

 and John Tattersall succeeded him. 



On 10 March, 1718, the vicar of Cuckfield nominated as electors Robert Norden, Thomas 

 Yates, and Thomas Ins, and they chose James Ingram, B.A. An entry of 12 April, 1742, says 

 that Ingram had resigned, and the vicar appointed electors; but this is the last page in the Vicar's 

 Book, and ends in the middle of a sentence, the next page having disappeared. So we do not learn 

 who came in as master, and know no more until the end of the eighteenth century, when Francis 

 Joseph Fearon, of Peasmarsh, Sussex, became master in 1786. He appears to have matriculated at 

 St. Alban's Hall, Oxford, the same year at the age of twenty-three, B.A. 1791, M.A. 1792, merely 

 to get the statutory qualification of a graduate. In 1800 he became vicar of Cuckfield. In i8i8 25 

 the Rev. Robert Prosser, of All Souls College, Oxford, still carried on the school as a grammai 

 school. He had about forty-five boarders. He was ready to instruct in the classics any of the 

 parishioners' children gratis who applied to him. He had sometimes received a few boys and taught 

 them English and accounts ; but excepting these few he had never had any applications even for 

 such instruction, nor any at all for instruction in the ' classics.' An elementary school had been 

 founded by a vicar in 1716. 



In 1 846, 26 by a scheme of the Court of Chancery, the endowment of the Grammar School, 

 which was to be conducted 'after the form and usage of the Grammar School of Eton,' was 

 applied, to save the pockets of the vicar and the landowners and richer inhabitants, to the 

 * National ' School. 



The old school building still stands in the north-west corner of the churchyard. It is not 

 apparently the original one of the sixteenth century, but a later edition of the time of the indefati- 

 gable Thomas Vickers about 1626. 



HORSHAM GRAMMAR SCHOOL 



The latter half of the fifteenth and the first part of the sixteenth century are marked in the 

 annals of educational foundations by the increasing proportion of such foundations by laymen of 

 the mercantile classes. It had now become almost as much a custom for the successful man of 

 business to found a grammar school in his native place, if it had not one before, as it was for the 

 successful cleric. The Wykehams, the Waynfletes, and the Colets now found their example 

 followed by the Shaas, the Jenyns, and the Collyers. Richard Collyer, citizen and mercer of 

 London, made his will 1 23 January, 1532-3. In the event, which happened, of the decease of his 

 son George and daughter Dorothie without issue, he directed his lands to be sold. In particular, 

 he said : 



I will that my mesuage called the Sonne with the appurtenaunces in the parishe of our Lady at Bowe 

 in London, be by them solde to the moost advauntage, and the money receyved thereof to be bestowed 

 in bying and buylding of a howse to kepe a free scole in Horsham in the countie of Sussex, where I 

 was borne, by thadvise of myn executors and the vicar of the said parishe church of Horsham, and the 

 church wardeyns of the same and 4 of the moost honest men of the same parishe, indifferently to be 

 chosen by the inhabitaunts of the same parishe. In which house to be the number of threscore 

 scolars. And the master of the said scole to have for his wagis or salary 10 a yere, and the Ussher 

 10 marks a yere ; and they to be admitted by the vicar, church wardeyns and 8 of the moost honest 

 men of the said parishe and moo [more] as they thinke best, but not fewer in number. 



He was careful to insist that the school should be a free school, free from tuition fees, and, 

 unlike his contemporary Sir John Percival, Lord Mayor, in founding Macclesfield Grammar School, 

 who was thinking chiefly of 'gentlemen's sons and other good men thereabouts,' Collver gave a 

 preference for the poor, and the parish of Horsham and the immediate neighbourhood ; though 

 gentlemen's sons were not to be excluded, none who wished to learn were to be shut out. 



And the said scolars to be at noo charge of their scole hire, but freely without any money paying 

 therfor but to pray for the soule of me the said Richard Colyer and Kateryn my wife, and all Christian 

 soules, with De profundis every day at the departing of the said scole. The said scolars to be admitted 

 by the vicar or churchwardeyns of the said church and 2 honest men of the same parishe, such as the 

 said parisshoners shall thinke moost indifferent ; the said 2 men to be admitted yerely, whan the 

 churchwardeyns be admitted and chosen. 



And I will that the pore people in especiall of the same parishe and they next about the same 

 parishe shalbe preferred to the said scole afore any other, for consideracion gentilmen and other men 

 be in better habilitie then poore men be ; that notwithstanding, of the said parisshe of Horsham 

 oonly, noon to be refused likely to lerne as by the discrecion of them abovesaid therefor lymyted for 

 the admytaunce of the same. 



15 Carlisle, Endowed Grammar Schools, ii, 598 

 1 P.C.C. 24, Thonder, 9. 



Char. Com. Rep., ii, 162. 



4 2I 



16 Sch. Inj. Rep. 



