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TRURO GRAMMAR SCHOOL, 

 With some Notes on other Old Cornish Schools. 



By WALTER H. TREGELLAS. 



In gathering materials for a work on distinguished Cornish- 

 men (2 vols., E. Stock, 1884) I was struck with the large 

 number of them who were indebted to the Truro Grammar 

 School for part, if not all, of their education. 



This naturally led me to make some investigations into the 

 history of the school, its masters, and some of its pupils ; but 

 from the difficulty which I found in pursuing the subject, partly 

 owing to the very scanty leisure at my disposal, I was obliged 

 to rely very much on the account which is given by Polwhele. 

 Nor do I, even now, know where else, except in Nicholas 

 Carlisle's " Concise description of the Endowed Grammar 

 Schools in England and Wales," any printed account of the 

 Truro School is to be met with. The very founder's name is 

 uncertain, and the earliest mention of it is, I believe, in an old 

 election petition, in which it is stated that the school was built by 

 a Walter Borlase, probably about the year 1549, in the reign 

 of Edward VI.* Carlisle, who was assistant librarian to George 

 IV, and a Eellow and Secretary of the Society of Antiquaries, 

 was at considerable pains to investigate this point ; as appears 

 from some correspondence which he instituted in the Gentleman's 

 Magazine in 1816. But he failed to obtain any distinct informa- 

 tion, and was obliged to state in his book that "the Grammar 

 School at Truro owes its origin and endowment to some benevolent 

 person, whose name is not known." But on this point more 

 hereafter. The archives of the Truro Corporation would 

 probably throw some light on the subject, but unfortunately I 

 have neither time or opportunity to consult them. 



It is, however, pretty certain that it is not one of those 18 

 Grammar Schools, the foundation of which shed so much lustre 

 on the reign of Edward VI, and tended in so great a degree to 

 extend and consolidate the Reformed Eaith. 



* There was an Indenture between the Corporation and Walter Borlase (now 

 ost) for the building of the School. (Journals of House of Commons, 1689). 



