SCHOOLS 



In 1825 the old music school also disappeared, 

 being with the vicars' vestry converted into a 

 library, the rector chart, who was also organist, 

 being ordered to instruct the choristers in the 

 room adjoining the treasury. A curious order 

 made 24 July 1828 shows how unblushing was 

 the practice of colourable choristership, which 

 had been apparently accompanied by a practice 

 of ' sweating ' applied to the wages of the substi- 

 tute, the chapter finding it necessary to provide 

 that ' every chorister obtaining dispensation 

 from attendance at service shall provide a suffi- 

 cient substitute and the compensation to be in 

 the same proportion as the stipend allowed by 

 the chapter to such chorister.' 



In 1 83 1 Foottit as a vicar choral joined in an 

 attempt to extract from the chapter a proportion 

 of the improved rents of the old common lands of 

 the vicars choral, but the request was peremp- 

 torily refused, on the ground that they had been 

 merged in the chapter lands on the refoundation. 

 In 1835 Foottit resigned Upton for Farnsfield 

 V icarage. 



An entry in the Chapter Decree Book of 

 12 November 1835 shows a quaint survival of 

 mediaeval manners and customs. ' The Rev. 

 Robert Fowler, a vicar choral, did on 13 Octo- 

 ber in the College School house,' the first use of 

 this term for the old one of Free Grammar 

 School, ' by using violent and intemperate lan- 

 guage produce an affray to the great scandal and 

 disgrace of the church and clergy as proved by 

 the testimony of eye witnesses and his own ad- 

 mission.' He was therefore called in and repri- 

 manded by the residentiary, and the reprimand 

 ordered to be entered on the minutes. Unfor- 

 tunately the causa belli is not recorded. 



In 1836 the movement began which ended in 

 the abolition of vicars chor^al, residentiaries, and 

 canons, and in fact of the whole collegiate 

 establishment, and with it the depravation, by the 

 almost total disendowment, of the school. 



Foottit soon retired on one of his many vicar- 

 ages, receiving ;^I00 for the school buildings. 

 He died in 1 84 1. The Rev. Thomas Massey, 

 B.A., was elected master and vicar choral in 

 his place 19 January 1837, ^^^ *^^ following 

 year was made perpetual curate of Halloughton. 

 The change of master was signalized by a repeal 

 of the school rules of 24 January 1 7 1 6, and the 

 making of new ones. The school hours were 

 now made from 7 to 9, 10 to 12 a.m., and 2 to 

 5 p.m., but in winter 'Sunrise to sunset.' Saints' 

 days were whole holidays except for morning 

 school ; and Wednesdays and Saturdays half- 

 holidays from noon. A week was added to the 

 vacation, which now became five weeks at both 

 Midsummer and at Christmas. Fees were im- 

 posed of ;^4 a year for English subjects and 

 writing and arithmetic, and another £/^ a year 

 for mathematics. The choristers were now sent 

 to the endowed school at Easthorpe, the master 



of it being paid 8i. a quarter for each * under the 

 general superintendence of the rector chart.'' 



Massey was made rector of HatclifFe 24 Octo- 

 ber 1839, on his resignation of the school. 

 Charles Taylor was elected 23 July 1840, and 

 the freedom of the school was finally abolished, 

 ' the Master of the College Grammar School ' 

 being now ' authorized to demand any sum not 

 exceeding ^2 quarterly, from any boy born in 

 the parish and in consideration instruct them in 

 English, Greek, Latin and reading, writing and 

 arithmetic' He was also to examine the 

 choristers at Easthorpe School quarterly, but the 

 rector chart was still nominally responsible for 

 their supervision and instruction. In conse- 

 quence of changes made by the Ecclesiastical 

 Commissioners, the parish vicar was no longer 

 to be a vicar choral. It was in consequence 

 provided that whereas morning service on Sun- 

 days had hitherto been performed by the parish 

 vicar and schoolmaster alternately, now the parish 

 vicar was always to take the morning service, and 

 the schoolmaster, ' being a minor canon ' (that 

 title having now superseded that of vicar choral), 

 the evening or second service and preach at it, 

 receiving ;^i a sermon. The chapter now with 

 dissolution imminent bethought them of the 

 elementary education of the town and gave 

 ;^ioo and a site for a National school. Two 

 years later they gave £^2 a year out of the Rota 

 Fund for prizes in the school for proficiency in 

 classical and general knowledge, 25J. for the first 

 and 155. for the second. 



Taylor resigned the mastership and vicar 

 choralship on 15 May 1843. William Fletcher 

 was on 7 January 1844 elected 'master of the 

 Free Grammar School,' but there was now no 

 vicar choralship to be added to it, the 'minor 

 canons ' being now reduced to two. The chap- 

 ter on 17 April 1845 instituted, or at least for 

 the first time paid for, an examination of the 

 school by an independent examiner, the master 

 of St. John's, Cambridge, being asked to nomi- 

 nate the examiner, while the archbishop gave 

 ;^io for prizes. Fletcher stayed for five years. 



The Rev. William Cole succeeded on i No- 

 vember 1848. On 4 April 1850 new rules 

 were made for the ' Master and Scholars of the 

 Collegiate School of Southwell.' Morning school 

 underwent a further alleviation, being reduced 

 to an hour, from 7. 30 to 8.30 a.m., later school 

 from 10 to 1 and 3 to 5. But Saints' days were 

 curtailed, there being school from 8 to 9 and 1 1 to 

 I and 3 to 5 p.m., while the half-holidays began at 

 I instead of 12. Reversion to a practically free 

 school took place, it being ordered that ' Every 

 male person born in the parish of Southwell be 

 instructed pursuant to the Statutes free of ex- 

 pense,' i.e. in classics, but for other subjects he 

 [the master] might charge ;^i 2 a year, excepting 

 sons of any former or existing vicar or minor 

 canon of the collegiate body, who were to be 



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