SCHOOLS 



In 1792 the salary of the head master was 

 raised to £S'^y which may be considered to in- 

 clude the interest on Procter's legacy, no subse- 

 quent payment being made specifically on that 

 account. 



In 1794 the Rev. John Widditt was unani- 

 mously elected ' High Master of the Grammar 

 School at Lancaster ' in the room of the Rev. 

 James Watson, resigned, who received the 

 thanks of the corporation 



for the faithful discharge of the Duties of his office of 

 Master at the Free Grammar School in this Town, 

 for a period of near Thirty years, for the great 

 services he hath thereby rendered to the Publick, and 

 also for the honourable manner in which he hath now 

 resigned. 



On Tuesday, 15 December, 1801, 'the 

 scholars performed Home's tragedy of " Douglas " 

 before a genteel and crowded audience in the 

 school.' The prologue spoken on that occasion 

 contains the following lines : — 



Let no proud critic hither bend his eye, 

 Our faults & imperfections to descry ; 

 For who can e'er expect in us to find 

 The just resemblance of our author's mind ? 



Can energy attend the tongue of youth, 

 Whose artless lips distil the words of truth ? 



Ah ! let the critic think of this, and then, 



Young as we are, we tread the stage as men ; 

 Young as we are we mount the tragic stage, 

 To paint the manners of a barb'rous age ; 



When madding discord shook the world with arms 

 And fill'd each pious soul with just alarms. 

 'Tis well those gloomy days of blood are o'er. 

 And jarring chieftains scourge the land no more : 



At peace with all the world, no foe appalls 

 Britain, secure within her sea-girt walls. 



In 1802 the Rev. Mr. Widditt resigned, and 

 as a compliment received the freedom of the city. 

 Under his successor, the Rev. Joseph Rowley, 

 rules were drawn up for the management of the 

 school : — 



The school was to be open ' to any Boy who is able 

 to read English pretty well.' ' Both the Masters shall 

 teach English and Latin promiscuously as they shall 

 be requested, the former to be taught grammatically 

 as well as the latter.' 7/. 6J. a quarter was to be paid 

 for every son of a non-freeman. The masters were to 

 exchange sides on Tuesday in every week ; Friday in 

 every week was to be set apart ' for hearing over what 

 they have said on the preceding days, and every 

 Saturday for the repetition and application of 

 grammar.' The school hours were to be : In summer, 

 from six to eight and nine to twelve and two to five ; 

 in winter, from eight to twelve and one to four, and 

 prayers were to be ' read (as heretofore hath been 

 accustomed) every morning.' 'That perquisites, 

 called Cockpennies, shall be given to the Master at 



567 



Shrovetide only, & since there is no quarterage at all 

 paid by freemen's children, & only a small one by 

 non-freemen's, it is hoped these circumstances will be 

 then considered, & also at the entrance of every new 

 Scholar.' 



Seven-twelfths of the cockpennies were to go to 

 the high master and five-twelfths to the usher. 



In 1 8 1 2 the Rev. Joseph Rowley resigned, and 

 the Rev. John Beethom was appointed, with 

 the Rev. George Morland as usher. Twenty 

 pounds was added to the head master's salary, 

 bringing it up to £'J0 ; ^14 to the usher's 

 salary, bringing it up to ^^30 ; and ^^lo to the 

 writing-master's salary — 



in the expectation that they will exert themselves 

 in promoting the interests of the School by a strict 

 and regular attention to their several duties. 



In September, 1823,3 committee was appointed 

 by the corporation for the purpose of examining 

 into the state of the school, and on 7 July, 1824, 

 their report was read and adopted. In this report 

 it was stated 



that there were then 64 boys at the school, 46 of 

 whom were the sons of freemen, that the master had 

 1 8 boys under his care, and the usher 46, that about 

 50 attended the writing master ; that the school, with 

 the exception of some trifling repairs, which the high 

 bailiff would attend to, was in good order. They 

 recommended that the master should have the appoint- 

 ment of the usher, subject to the approval of the cor- 

 poration, with a view to the removal of the unpleasant 

 feeling which had subsisted between the masters, and 

 for the establishment of subordination and unanimity 

 of method in teaching. They further recommended 

 that, in order to induce men of sufficient attainments 

 to preside in the school, the emoluments should be 

 increased ; and that in lieu of the annual gratuities 

 called cock-pennies, there should be paid for each boy 

 under the care of the usher, 10/. per quarter ; for 

 each boy on the two lowest benches, under the care 

 of the master, 1 5/. ; and for each boy on the upper 

 benches, 20/. per quarter ; that the sum of £jo per 

 annum, theretofore granted to the master, should be 

 continued, and that the sum of £^0 per annum, 

 theretofore granted to the usher, should be paid to 

 the master, making his salary ^^i 10 ; that the rent of 

 the Usher's meadow and Randall Carter's legacy of 

 j^io per annum should be continued to the usher in 

 part of his salary, and that he should receive in addition 

 one-fourth part of the quarterage, the master guaran- 

 teeing that his emoluments should not fall short of 

 j^6o per annum ; that there should be no gratuitous 

 education, either for the sons of freemen or others, 

 there being ample provision for that kind of education, 

 in the National and other schools. They suggested 

 that at the expiration of each half-year there should 

 be a public examination of the boys, and that the 

 school should be under the supervision of a committee, 

 who might visit it at certain periods, and ascertain 

 the degree of proficiency of the boys. Finally, they 

 recommended that the writing master should in future 

 be nominated by, and be under the control of, the mas- 

 ter, and that he should annually receive ^([20 from the 



