A HISTORY OF SURREY 



it was founded. The parish register records 

 the baptism and burial of Nicholas, son of 

 Edward Wilson, in 1595, of Francis, son of 

 Edward Wilson, in 1597-8, while on 25 

 January, 1601-2, Alice, wife of Edward 

 Wilson, was buried. But as Edward, son of 

 Edward Wilson, was christened in September, 

 1603, it would seem that the widower was 

 not long in consoling himself with another 

 wife. In a list of subscriptions, * The col- 

 lection for Geneva,' 1604, Edward Wilson, 

 vicar, subscribed p., the same amount as Sir 

 Thomas Grimes and other knights in the 

 parish, while lower down among the other 

 subscribers of 6d., 4^. and 3J., another Edward 

 Wilson subscribed 3^. One can hardly re- 

 sist the inference that this Edward Wilson 

 was the master already carrying on the school. 

 Edward Wilson the founder was buried 30 

 March 161 8.' Edward Wilson, the school- 

 master, was buried 14 December 1638. 



Unfortunately, the Governors' Minutes do 

 not begin regularly till 1642, with the election 

 of John Scott, Esq., heir of Sir Peter Scott, 

 knight. But a casual entry on the fly-leaf of 

 the book in which the original Statutes 

 (which are on vellum) have been bound up 

 with the first Minute Book of the Governors 

 (which is of paper), records on 31 August 

 1635, '12 pore schollers admitted into the 

 schole, paying i]s. vjrf. for there admittence 

 by theire parents ; this done by the church- 

 wardens and the consent of the minister, Mr. 

 Danson.' The amount of the entrance fee, 

 which had not been fixed in the statutes, was 

 that in use, as we have seen, at Southwark. 

 Taken with the requirement of a knowledge 

 of reading, writing, and the accidence, it 

 shows that the free scholarships were not 

 intended, as was assumed in some proceedings 

 in the nineteenth century, for the poorest 

 class, but for the poorer class who were not of 

 sufficient means to be called on to pay sub- 

 sidies. 



It would appear from a minute to be 

 subsequently cited, that Edward Wilson was 

 dispossessed of the schoolmastership before 

 his death ' for his inordinate course of life,' 

 but that his widow was left in possession of 

 the schoolmaster's house. He was succeeded 

 by UiUiam Young, who was probably a 

 Cambridge man.' 



> Printed 3 March 161 8, apparently through a 

 misreading in ^e parishof CamberweU,hy WiUkm 

 Hornett Blanch, London. E. W. Allen, 1875. 

 Another Edward \Mlson was buried 19 Xovem- 

 ber 1619, but this was apparently the son of the 

 master, and grandson of the vicar, born in 1598. 



' He is not in the Alumni Oxon.ol Mr. Foster. 

 There is no corresponding record for Cambridge. 



The first entry in the paper book of Minutes 

 folio numbered 3, is 22 February 1643-4. It 

 records that Mary, wife of William Younge, 

 late schoolmaster of Camberwell, appeared, 

 and on receiving £S for half a year's rent of 

 the school property, 'declared that her hus- 

 band had left the schole and delivered up a 

 catalogue of the books, and the keyes.' Then 

 Richard Godfrey appeared ' and desired to 

 be elected and admitted schoolemaster, and 

 referred himself to the examination of the 

 divines, or of any other whom they should 

 appoint and thought fitt, and then thaie 

 [MS. illegible] a declaration made by Mr. 

 Whyte,^ Mr. Gregorie and Mr. Langley, of 

 his honest liflFe and godly conversacion, and 

 that they had receaved very good satisfaction 

 from able men of his abilities, they with one 

 consent elected him.' On 25 March 1644, 

 Godfrey having signed an assent to the 

 ' charge ' of the master set out in the statutes, 

 ' was admitted, installed, and welcomed with 

 a Latin oration made by William Johnston, 

 the first scholar in this Schoole.' On 14 

 August 1645 the Feoffees, as the Governors 

 now call themselves, ordered that ' the wife 

 of Edward Wilson, late of Camberwell, dark, 

 deceased, doe departe out of that parte of 

 the free schoole wherein she now dwelleth 

 and that she deliver the possession to Mr. 

 Godfrey ' at Michaelmas. Godfrey did not 

 stay long, perhaps because of difficulties with 

 Mrs. Wilson, as on 21 January 1645-6 the 

 Governors gave notice of a meeting on 

 10 February to elect a new master on God- 

 frey's voluntary resignation, and Samuel 

 Everard, ' Mr. of Artes,' was duly elected, by 

 ' the maior parte of the Governors.' 



But on 7 March 1645-6, the Committee 

 for Plundered Ministers for Surrey * 



did appoint to take into consideration the 

 petition of Mr. Johnson and Mr. Blackwell 

 parishioners of Camberwell, against Mr. 

 Everard and his clayme to the Schoolemasters 

 place of the School of Camberwell on the 

 14th March next, whereof ye Governors of the 

 said schoole are to have convenient notice, and 

 the said Mr. Everard is required to attend to 

 answere to all such matters as shall be objected 

 against him before this Committee, and it is 

 ordered that all further proceedings for the 

 settling of the seyd Mr. Everard in the seyd 

 schoole be in the meane tyme stayd and sus- 

 pended. 



' John Whyte was rector of Lambeth Alexan- 

 der Gregory vicar of Camberwell, and Henry 

 Langley rector of Newington. 



* Surrey Arch. Coll. ii. 252, from B. M. Add. 

 1569-71. 



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