A HISTORY OF NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 



canons passed to the Crown, the king being 

 declared founder, and expressly given the patron- 

 age. But the patronage of the minor minis- 

 ters of the church, vicars choral, chantry priests, 

 and the like, remained in the canons as before. 



In the scheme of Henry VIII for new bishop- 

 rics," Southwell is set down as the see of a new 

 bishopric to be erected for Derbyshire and Notting- 

 hamshire. So it is clear that he always intended 

 to preserve it and its revenues intact, or even 

 augmented. The revenue of the minster is set 

 down at ,^1,003 a year, 'of which one third 

 for the bishop,' who was designated in the person 

 of Dr. Cocks, ex-head master of Eton. The 

 grammar school would have been, as in other new 

 cathedrals erected by Henry, an integral part 

 of the foundation. But the see was not estab- 

 lished till nearly three centuries and a half later, 

 when, oddly enough, its first bishop, George 

 Ridding, was also an ex-head master, but of 

 Winchester, not Eton. 



Meanwhile the college has been thrice since 

 dissolved, in 1548, 1649, ^""^ 1848. In botli 

 cases the grammar school survived its parent and 

 patron. The college was first threatened by 

 the Chantries Act of Henry VIII, which enabled 

 him, three years after he had refounded it by Act 

 of Parliament, to enter on it and dissolve it. 

 The account given by the commissioners under 

 that Act says that the ' comen lands ' were worth 

 ;^33, which 'clere Reveneux ben imployed as 

 well vppon the wages of the Deacons, 66s.; 

 Choristirs, 26s. Sd.; clerkes, 20s.; Thuribuiers, 

 1 31. 4^'.; who hathe no more wages to fynde 

 them meate and Drinke then before is sett vppon 

 their heddes, and also for the Relyvinge of poore 

 scollers thyther Resortinge for ther erudycyon 

 either in Grammer or songe, as for ther expenses 

 in hospitalitee, emongiste suche the said preben- 

 daries as there be resident, and partelye for the 

 socoure of pore people thither Resortinge, as by 

 the said certificate dothe appere, wherunto the 

 said prebendes are sworne.' It is curious that no 

 sum is set down for the amount expended on 

 those ' resorting for their erudition either in 

 grammar or song.' The prebend of Normanton 

 is entered as worth clear ^Tao 6s. Sd., besides 

 6). S.i. for the mansion-house, after payin? £4. 

 for the wages of John Trapps the vicar choral 

 of the prebendary, 'also, besides 40J. given to 

 the scole master of the Free Scole there '; a term 

 which suggests that Batemanson's benefaction 

 had taken effect, and the school had been made 

 free. This is a crucial instance to show that a 

 free school did not mean free from ecclesiastical 

 jurisdiction, since it was wholly under the col- 

 lege of canons of the minster. The college was 

 spared by Henry VIII, only to fall under 

 Edward VI. The report of the commissioners 

 under the new Chantries Act, which abolished 



" Strype, Eccl. Mem. ii, 406. 



all colleges except cathedrals, university colleges, 

 and Windsor, shows the two schools of grammar 

 and song going on as before. For the latter there 

 was paid out of the common lands, worth gro^s 

 some ;^48 a year, the income of which was 

 divided among the residentiary canons, to 'the 

 master of the queristers, 20s.' The former was 

 paid out of the income of the prebend of Nor- 

 manton, worth £2^ a year. 'Wages yerely 

 paid unto the Scholemastre there, 40J.' The 

 people of Southwell made a great effort to keep 

 the minster as a parish church, and also the 

 school. Six persons, ' churchewardens of the 

 sayde parishe churche of Southwell within the 

 said collegiate churche,' presented that ' within 

 the said towne of Southwell and within 3 vil- 

 lagies thereunto adionyng called East thropp 

 (Easthorpe) West thropp and Normanton are 

 2000 crystened soules ' and ' in the parishe and 

 sooke 2000 christened soules and more,' and the 

 vicar to serve all these had only 20s, from the 

 prebend of Normanton. 



And thei present that the said parishe churche of 

 Southwell standeth in the mydle of the Shere, ac- 

 compted as a chief Churche, wherin ys and hath ben 

 kept a Gramer scole most apte for the same (tyme out 

 of mynd), And towardes the mayntaynaunce therof 

 ys given 40/. by yere out of the Prebendary of 

 Normanton. 



And that, in Respect of the Great nombre of 

 people perteyning to the saide Sooke and Royaltie, 

 there hathe ben 1 6 prebendes, and no preacher 

 charged for the same. In consideracion of the pre- 

 mysses and other moste vrgent not here alledged, We, 

 the poore Inhabitauntes and parishioners, the Kinges 

 maiesties tennauntes there, Do not onely make our 

 requeste that our parishe churche maye stande, and to 

 haue therin suche preachers apte and mete to enstructe 

 vs our Dueties towardes God and our king, as his 

 maiestie shall appointe. But also that our Grammer 

 scole maie also stande with suche stipende as apper- 

 teyneth the like, Wherin our poore youth maie be 

 enstructed, and that also by the resorte of their 

 parentes we, his Graces poore Tennauntes and inhabi- 

 tauntes there, maie haue some relief wherby we 

 shalbe the better able to serue his Grace at tyme 

 appoynted. 



Partly on this representation the people of 

 Southwell secured the continuance of the minster 

 as the parish church. The commissioners under 

 the Chantries Act for the continuance of schools, 

 preachers, and curates of necessity, found ' that 

 a Grammer Scole hath been contynuallie kept in 

 Southwell aforesaid with the revenues of the late 

 college of Southwell, whiche Scole is very mete 

 and necessarie to contynue Wee therefore . . . 

 have assigned and appointed that the said Scole 

 in Southwell aforesaid shall contynue and that 

 the Scolemaster there for the tyme beyng shall 

 yerelie have for his wages jTiO,' By the same 

 order ^20 was assigned for the 'stipende and 

 lyving ' of the parish vicar, one of the canons, 

 John Adams, being appointed vicar, while £s each 



