A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE 



to represent that sum. At any rate, at a meeting, 

 19 February, 1708, it was 



Agreed then in Councell that the whole Rent of 

 Deep Car Meadow, late in possession of Tho. Sherson, 

 Esq., be for the future yearly paid to the Usher for the 

 time being of Lancaster Schoole according to direc- 

 tion of a Draught of a Declaration in trust now read 

 in Council. 



The declaration in trust is not forthcoming, but 

 the rent of Deep Carr Meadow, called the 

 Usher's Meadow, has always been paid first to 

 the ushers, then to the governing body. 

 On 6 September, 1708, it was 



agreed that Mr. Atkinson, of Sedbergh, be invited 

 over hither to be Headmaster of this Schoole, that Mr. 

 Simpson, Mr. Backhouse, & Mr. Hopkins be sent to 

 give the invitacon ; Alsoe that they wait on Mr. Whar- 

 ton " & intreate him to attend here on thursday next 

 to examine the abilities of the Candidates ; in case 

 Mr. Wharton cannot attend then go on to Mr. Lodge 

 with the like invitacon. 



Two days later it was 



agreed declared in Councell that Tho : Holme, 

 Clerke, be head Schoolemaster of Lancaster Schoole 

 during pleasure of the Councell & the usuall Salary of 

 £10 be paid yearly ; that Mr. Tho. Hardy be Usher 

 during pleasure of the Councell. 



On 10 July, 171 2, appears the following 



entrv : — 



Memorandum. That Mr. Alderman Waller did 

 then pay to the hands of Mr. Hen : Welch and Mr. 

 Ja : Smethurst, present Chamberlains of the said 

 Burrough, the sume of Ten pounds, left by the late 

 Will & Testament of Christopher Procter, gen., lately 

 deceased, for the use of Lancaster Schoole. 



For many years ten shillings as interest on this 

 ten pounds was annually credited to the school. 

 In I 7 I 7 the council ordered that 



the Sallary of Mr. Thomas Holme, Head School- 

 master of the ffree School of Lancaster, be suspended and 

 not paid him unless he decline Preaching at Claugh- 

 ton Church. 



The difficulty was arranged by Holme agreeing 

 to have a curate to officiate for him. Again, in 

 1720, after it had been recorded that 



the ffi-ee School ... is of late very much reduced 

 and lessened. It is, therefore, ordered . . . that Mr. 

 Holme, present Schoolmaster of the said Schoole, do 

 shew cause why his Sallary should not be suspended. 



Accordingly the council a month later decided 

 that the salary should be stopped, 'but with 

 time to remove till Christmas next.' Within a 

 year the subject was before the council again. 



Mr. Holme had neglected to ' provide for himself 

 otherwayes ' before Christmas, and so on 21 Sep- 

 tember, I 72 1, the council ordered that 



the s.iid Mr. Holme's Sallary shall no longer be paid 

 him, but that he have notice to provide otherwayes for 

 himself, for the same reason — of the decay of the said 

 School. 



Nothing more is heard of the matter and Mr. 

 Holme's salary continued to be paid until 1725, 

 when he stated he had accepted a benefice, and 

 resigned his post. He died in 1740. 

 His successor was appointed at 



the Antient Sallary of Thirty pounds per annum certain 

 & independant, and ten shillings the interest of Mr. 

 Procter's gift, & an addition of Six pounds per annum 

 for three years certain. 



The usher's salary was also augmented by £j 6s. 

 per annum. The augmentation to the master's 

 salary was for some years continued at £6, but 

 subsequently reduced to £4. los. 



In 1737 commence a series of accounts relat- 

 ing exclusively to the school. The receipts con- 

 sist of amounts given by various gentlemen on 

 ' Play-days,' and these amounts were expended 

 in the purchase of books for the school. The 

 first account shows the amounts ' received for 

 Play-days,' from 1733 to 1737, to be £2 i6j.'* 

 The individual gifts range from ioj. 6d. to 

 2s. bd. These accounts cease in 1764. 



In November of that year Mr. Cockin, 

 scrivener and accomptant, was appointed by the 

 council to teach writing and accounts at a salary 

 of j^io a year. He was required to teach from 

 I March to i November, with a winter vacation 

 of four months, and allowed to receive from 

 each pupil, in addition to his salary, \s. en- 

 trance fee, c)d. a week for writing, and 1 2d. for 

 accounts. 



On 24 June, 1779, a meeting of the council 

 was held 



' to take into consideration the Behaviour of the Rev. 

 Mr. Watson, Head Master of the free Grammar 

 School at Lancaster, on 23rd day of this instant 

 June, to Master Richard Hinde, Son of Thomas 

 Hinde, Esquire, Mayor of the said Borough, and 

 one of the Scholars in the said School,' and it was 

 unanimously resolved that the behaviour of the 

 said Mr. Watson to the said Richard Hinde 

 ' hath been improper and inhuman and unjustifiable, 

 and that by means thereof and from the said Mr. 

 Watson's conduct at this meeting, he hath highly 

 incurred the displeasure of the council. And it is 

 fiirther unanimously resolved that if the said Mr. 

 Watson shall in future persist in such conduct proper 

 steps will be taken, at the expense of the Corporation, 

 to amove him from his office of schoolmaster. And 

 the bailiffs are directed to deliver a copy of this 

 resolution to the said Mr. Watson.' 



" Head master cf Sedbergh School. 



566 



'* For a list of the books purchased with this sum, 

 with prices, see W. O. Roper, op. cit. 18. 



