SCHOOLS 



HARTFIELD SCHOOL 



By an inquisition 1 taken at Lewes, 24 December, 1667, it appears that Richard Rands, rector 

 and vicar of Hartfield, by will 30 June, 1640, bequeathed all his lands to trustees 



to provide one able, learned, discreet, and sufficient schoolmaster, being then a graduate in one of the 

 universities of Oxford or Cambridge, to teach all such children of the parish of Hartfield as shall 

 repair to the said schoolmaster, freely without requireing anything for the same of the said children 

 or any other that have the governance or custodie of the said children, soe as all and every such 

 children shall be able to read English before they shall come to the said schoolmaster to be taught 

 as aforesaid. 



They were to pay the ' schoolmaster for the time being for his pains therein to be taken 20 of 

 lawfull money of England.' 



According to the interrogatories it seems that Nehemiah Smyth was the first master appointed, 

 who was a duly qualified graduate, and that he was succeeded by Edward Oliver, also a graduate. 

 The reason for the inquisition was that the bishop of Chichester had, on 12 August, 1662, licensed 

 and the trustees had put in William Weston to be schoolmaster, who was not a graduate, but ' had 

 procured the then incumbent minister to bear the -name of the graduate, that so the words of the 

 will might be satisfied, but the said William Weston was to have the benefit ' ; in other words the 

 vicar, George Shaw, was to be called schoolmaster and William Weston to be his usher, but the 

 latter was to do the duty and receive the pay of master. 



The bishop as ordinary had sanctioned this breach of trust and insidious evasion of the founder's 

 intention. The trustees had taken advantage apparently of Weston's insecure position to withhold 

 2 ioj. a year out of the full sum of 20, and get him to accept certain lands in lieu of the 

 money, the tenants of which had then withheld the rent. It was also found that the rents of the 

 Rands lands amounted to 54 a year and the trustees had wasted the balance in unnecessary 

 lawsuits. 



The commissioners ordered that all arrears should be paid over to William Weston and also 

 20 ' for damages which he had sustained by reason of the deteining the said stipend and the 

 suites against him prosecuted and putting and keeping him out of the possession of the said lands.' 



Three of the trustees took exception to this decree, and alleged that the commissioners had 

 browbeat them and refused to hear their evidence or look at their accounts. From the interroga- 

 tories administered to the witnesses and the answers, it appears that Weston had originally been 

 appointed usher in 1659 under the former master, Oliver, but after ' His Majesty's happy restora- 

 tion' Oliver was ejected and Weston, though unqualified, was put in under the new vicar, Shaw. 

 The excepting trustees had put in Mr. Robert Sparke as master, who was an undergraduate of 

 Cambridge, and turned Weston out. But the exceptants were ' disaffected to the present govern- 

 ment.' So apparently the fraud on the foundation was allowed to stand. From that time the 

 school has never been anything but elementary. 



MIDHURST GRAMMAR SCHOOL 



At an inquisition la taken at Midhurst, 26 September, 1679, it was proved that on 15 November, 

 1672, Gilbert Hannam, 'coverlett maker' in Midhurst, 'out of meere charity to the poore children 

 of the towne of Midhurst,' signed a deed, by which he granted out of his real and personal estate in 

 Midhurst to 



Stephen Ellis, of Newport, in the Isle of Wight, the schoolemaster by my election and his successors, 

 the full summe of 20 per annum for his well teeching and instructing from time to time of 12 boyes, 

 at my election and at the election of my trustees after my death, in Midhurst aforesaid, in Lattin and 

 Greeke and writing and Arithmetrike if they bee capable to learne. 



The inhabitants at the same time undertook to make ' in the loft of the markett house of Midhurst 

 aforesaid a convenient schooleroome for the said boyes and for many others that shall bee taught 

 there at the choice of the said Mr. Ellis and his successors.' 



The payment to Mr. Ellis was to begin from the ' ist Monday of the twelvth month next, at 

 which time hee is to begin teaching of schoole.' 



The jurors at the same inquisition further found that Gilbert Hannam duly paid the 20 a 

 year to Mr. Ellis till his resignation, when he appointed Peregrine Pieram to be schoolmaster. This 

 was before n April, 1674, the date of Hannam's will, in which he confirmed his grant of 20 a 

 year ' to the use and behoofe of the said Peregrine Pieram, schoolemaster by my owne election, 



1 Petty Bag. Inq. 19 Chas. II, No. 15. la Petty Bag Inq. No. 38. 



427 



