SCHOOLS 



then I will that my said lands and tenements 

 in Bromley and Newenton aforesaid be ordered 

 after the good discrecion of the overseers of 

 his will to make a Free Scole at the towne of 

 Guldeford, or to be disposed in other goode 

 works and deeds of charitie, as they shall 

 think best to be done. 



His wife was made executrix, and the 

 overseers were headed by Thomas Foisted, 

 whose name often occurs in the Guildford 

 books, and was no doubt a Guildford man. 

 The will was proved 13 November 1509. 

 His wife died within a year.' What exactly 

 happened as between St. Mary's Brother- 

 hood in St. Olave's church and the school 

 at Guildford does not appear. But probably 

 Our Lady's Brotherhood, which, as will be 

 seen, existed at the dissolution of brother- 

 hoods and chantries in Edward VI. 's reign, 

 took the Newington lands at all events. By 

 a deed of 4 May 1512,^ Foisted and others, 

 the feoffees to the uses of Beckenham's 

 will, conveyed the lands in Bromley to Sir 

 George Manners, Kt., Robert Wintershull, 

 esquire, and others, 



to kepe and maynteyne a Free Gramer Scheie 

 in the said Town of Guldeford, and that there 

 should be a sufficient scholemaster there from 

 thensforth to kepe the said schole, and freely 

 to teach all children being in the same schole ; 

 the same Scholemaster to be named and 

 appoynted and removed by the Maior of the 

 said Towne for the tyme beinge and by fewer 

 of his most sadd and discrete bretheren, such 

 as have been maiors of the same, 



who were also to receive the rents of the 

 property. Austen says that the lands in 

 Bromley still remained to the use of the 

 school, ' but what is become of the said lands 

 in Newington, or when, howe, or by whome, 

 and by what meanes the same were taken 

 from the saide Schole, I think meet to be 

 inquired of.' The school never had those lands. 

 The feoffees had a discretion about the gift, 

 and probably divided it, giving the lands in 

 Newington for the benefit of St. Olave's 

 and the lands in Bromley for Guildford 

 School. The earliest Guildford corporation 

 book now extant begins in 15 14, and records 

 the Gild Merchants at which the Mayor 

 was elected, and the Law Day (Curia Legalis) 

 held four times a year. At the Law Day on 

 Monday after S. Hilary (13 January) 1518, 



» Wills P.C.C. 32, Bennett. Her vnll, made 15 

 August was proved 7 November 15 10. 



2 Austen, p. 34 of copy made in 1754 in the 

 possession of the Governors of the Grammar 

 School. The original has disappeared. 



there is an entry that Thomas Atkinson 

 ' entred and gathered the Scole howse rent ' 

 from Lady Day 1518, and 'so contynued 

 2 yeres ' to Michaelmas 1 5 19, and 'all 

 thyngs rekend and alowyd to Thomas 

 Atkynson for the scole howse ' he ' hath 

 payed 43J., whyche he received in earnest of 

 Thomas Tayler in bromeley.' In 1520 his 

 successor, John Ferkyne, paid a balance of 

 30J. jd. unto ' Master Nycholas Elyott, for 

 the mendyng of the scoole howse.' Mr. 

 Nicholas Elyott was probably the School- 

 master, and if so the only one before the re- 

 foundation of Edward VI., whose name is 

 recorded. 



After this the corporation used to appoint 

 two of their number every year ' Schole 

 masters for the Free Schole,' who accounted 

 yearly to the Corporation for the rents. 



In the rental of 1544 ' there is a payment 

 on account by Mr. Parishe and Mr. Martyn 

 of y. i\.d. for two planks for tables ' for ye 

 scole ' and ' to ye scolemaster for Mydsomer, 

 Myghelmas and Crystmas, for his wages, after 

 $os. a quarter, £^ los.' So his salary was £6 

 a year ; not very magnificent, but rather 

 above than below the average of the time. 



The only complete account extant for the 

 old foundation, and indeed for the School 

 at all before 18 10, is that for the year ended 

 Lady Day 1545. 



Bromley. 



/. d. 

 In primis received from the inn in Bromley 

 called the Hart (le Hert) and Le Litell 

 house with a mede called the Hart mede 40 o 

 Item, the ferme ther wheryn Mounfleld 



now inhabiteth . . . . 43 o 



GULFORD. 



Item received for the corner house in Stoke 



Lane . . . . . . 20 o 



Item for the Tonne * . . . . 38 6 



Item for the howse wherein Haltie dwel- 



lethe in 18 o 



Item John Thomson howse . . . 16 o 



Total ;£8 IS 6 



So that the Guildford property, as to the 

 acquisition of which no evidence is forth- 

 coming, was vvorth more than the Bromley 

 lands, while there is no mention of any 

 Newington property. We see hoyv some 

 of the Guildford property was acquired from 

 an entry of 1520 when Robert Kateryche 

 took ' a sertayn plott of grownd adioynyng 



' Austen did not mention these rentals, and his 

 successors never seem to have looked for them. 

 < The Tun Inn. 



165 



