A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE 



same Scole uithout any money or other rewards 

 takyng therefore, as cokkepeny, victor peny, potacion 

 peny or any other whatsoever it be, except only his 

 said stipend and wages hereafter specified. 



This passage, taken in conjunction with the 

 Latin deed of 15 15, makes it clear that thirty 

 years before its supposed invention in the days of 

 Edward VI the term libera schola was already 

 commonly used, not in the sense of a school in 

 which a liberal education was given or which 

 was free from clerical control or with some 

 guessed meaning of the sort, but simply and 

 solely to designate a school in which no tuition 

 fees were charged. Admission fees might, as 

 therein provided, be charged, and in some cases 

 fees for fires, birches, lights and the like, but not 

 tuition fees. 



In this later deed, as in the earlier, there is not 

 the faintest suggestion of reformation in religion. 

 Now, as before, only with the qualification ' if 

 they be within hooly orders,' 



the high master and the ussher are at every festival! 

 day and double feest beying keped holy day [to be at] 

 dyvyne service in their surplis in the qwire of the 

 Colligge, [and] every Weddynsday and Fryday wekely 

 for ever with their scollers, beyng and going too and 

 too together, shall go in procession solemply before 

 the Warden [and] every scoller to say if he be able of 

 lernyng the comyn latyny [i.e. litany] withe the 

 suffragies foloying and De profiindis for the saule of 

 Hughe Oldom, late bisshopp of Exiter and founder of 

 their Scole, his father and mother saulez [and for 

 others quite different from those in the former deed], 

 and for the saules of Hugh Bexwyk, clerke, and Johann 

 Bexwike, wyddow, special benefactors of the said scole 

 .... of all feoffes and benefactours to the mainten- 

 ance of the same Scole at that day departed. More- 

 over every morning the maister or ussher, wiche of 

 them commythe fyrst in to the Scole in the mornyng, 

 say openly with the scollers ther theis salme Deus 

 mtsereatur nostri with a collet as they use in churches 

 dominicall days [Sundays] and every night in suche 

 like manerthe maister or usher to syng antyme of our 

 Blessed lad}' and say De profundi! for the sawles. . . . 



and then the whole string is repeated ; 



and to say in audible voice in the Scole before the 

 beginning ol De profundisxa this maner 'For the sowle 

 of Hugh Oldom, late Bysshop of Exiter, Founder of 

 our Scole, and his father and mother sawles, and for 

 the sawles of George TrafFord and Margaret his wif 

 and for all the sawles that thei be boundon to pray 

 for and for all the benefactors sawles and all cristyn 

 sawles De profiindis.' 



The usual objection to holidays other than 

 holy days appears. The lawgiver does not indeed 

 say point blank as Colet did, ' I will there be no 

 remedies,' but 



The said Highe Maister nor the Usher shall graunte 

 no lycence to the scolers ther to play or departe from 

 ther Scole or lernyng except it be by the consent of 

 the Warden .... and then to play honest gammes 

 and convenyent for youthe and all together and in one 

 place, to use their latyn tonge. 



The masters were allowed ' yerly only xxte days 

 to sport them,' and not both to be absent 

 together. At St. Paul's the chaplain was to 

 teach the petties their ABC and to read. At 

 Manchester the pupil-teacher system prevailed. 



The high maister . . . shall always appoynte one 

 of his scollers, as he thinketh best, to instructe and 

 teiche in the one end of the scoUe all infaunts that 

 shall come ther to leme their ABC, prymer and 

 forthe till they beyng in Gramyer and every monethe 

 to chese another newe scoller so to teche infaunts, 



any scholar refusing * to be banished the same 

 scole for ever.' 



The school was open to the world. Under 

 ' the Acts and Ordynaunce concernyng the 

 Scollers' it is provided that 



no scoller ne infaunt of what cuntrey or schire so 

 ever he be of, beyng manchilde, be refussed, 

 except he have some horryble or contagious infirmite 

 infectyf. 



A curious provision in these peaceful days 

 is : — 



No scoller ther beyng at Scole weare any dagger, 

 hanger or other weppyn invasyve, ner bryng into 

 the Scole staff or barre excepte theyr meyte knyffi. 



They shall 



use no cok fyghte ner other unlawful! games and 

 Ryddyngs aboute for victours or other disputs had in 

 this parties wich be to the grete lett of lernyng and 

 virtue and to charge and costs of the scolers and of 

 their friends. 



School began at 7 a.m. in winter and 6 a.m. 

 in summer, except for such as were allowed 

 to come late on account of distance. It was 

 against rules to take meat and drink to the 

 school, but if any lived so far away that they 

 had to bring food with them they were to eat it 

 at some house in the town. 



When there was over ;^40 in the school 

 chest, a novel provision required 



the rest to be giffyn to the exibicion of scollers yerly 

 at Oxford or Cambrige, wiche hathe be brought up 

 in the seid Scole of Manchester and also only suche 

 as study arte in the seid Universitis and to suche as 

 lake exhibicion . . . soe no one scoller have yerly 

 above 26/. id. stirlynge and tyll suche tyme as he 

 have some promocyon by felloshipp of one college 

 or hall or other exhibicion to the sume of 7 marcs. 



So that the value of a university scholarship 

 seems to have been ^^i ds. 8d., and of a fellow- 

 ship £4 13^- 4^- 



Whatton, in his History, oddly miscalls the 

 first high master William Pleasyngton, who was 

 appointed in the deed of 15 15, * Thomas Pleas- 

 ington, appointed 15 19.' Nothing more seems 

 to be known of him. Whatton then gives a 

 list of five masters between Pleasyngton and 

 Edward Pendilton, the 'famous' schoolmaster 

 named in the Chantry Certificate in 1546 — 



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