SCHOOLS 



amounting to ^36 31. 3^. He and his wife 

 taught 60 children in 1828, boys and girls of 

 the township, free. There were also paying 

 scholars. In 1867 the numbers had increased to 

 over 400, with eight teachers. 



BiLLiNGE : Chapel End. — John Eddleston, by 

 will 14 June, 1672, devised all his lands in 

 Billinge to trustees, among other purposes for 

 the maintenance of a schoolmaster at Billinge. 

 In 1 8 1 9 a school was built by subscription for 

 the chapelry of Billinge, comprising the town- 

 ship of Billinge, Chapel End, or Lower End, and 

 part of the township of Winstanley. About the 

 same time the use of an old school was given up 

 to the master. The schoolmaster in addition 

 received from Eddleston's Charity the yearly sum 

 of /lo lOi., for which he instructed 10 children 

 free, and seven others at half the usual charge. 



Billinge : Higher End. — There was a school 

 with a dwelling-house and garden at a place 

 called Brownlow in this township. The school- 

 master had the liberty of letting for his own 

 benefit a cottage, supposed formerly to have been 

 the schoolhouse, with a garden and small croft, 

 worth together about ^^5 a year ; and the sum of 

 /lo lOs. per annum was paid to him from 

 Eddleston's Charity. For these sums he taught 

 10 children of the township free. The number 

 of scholars averaged about 40 or 50. 



Walton le Dale. — ' The school here (which 

 is free only to the children of the town) was built 

 by the inhabitants on ground given by Sir Richard 

 Houghton, 1672 (the children being taught in 

 the church before). The endowment consists 

 chiefly of interest of money ; ;f lOO given by 

 Mr. Peter Burscough, 1624 ; ^100 by Mr. 

 Andrew Dandy, citizen of London ; ^^20 by 

 Thomas Hesketh of Walton.'^ The school 

 property in 1827 consisted of a good dwelling- 

 house, containing a schoolroom and occupied by 

 the master rent free. There was a sum of 

 money in the hands of Sir Henry Houghton, for 

 which he paid to the schoolmaster ;^I4 is. 6d. 

 yearly as interest at 5 per cent. The school- 

 master took all the children of Walton who 

 applied, and taught them reading for 4d. a week 

 each ; but for writing and accounts and for 

 teaching other children to read, he made his own 

 charge. 



Cuerden. — Andrew Dandy, citizen of Lon- 

 don, by will 20 March, 1673, gave his house and 

 lands called Lostock, with appurtenances, out of 

 which the yearly sum of £^ was to be applied, 

 either for teaching or for apprenticing the 

 children of Cuerden. In 1689 the money 

 provided a schoolmaster who instructed the poor 

 children of the town without fee, but £'^ 5j. being 

 deducted as land-tax it was very difficult to con- 

 tinue the school by reason of the smallness of the 



' Ciar. Com. Rep. quotation from Bishop Gastrell's 

 Notitia of Chester Diocese. 



salary, and the few scholars that attended paid 

 fees. Payment of the annuity ceased after 1714. 

 Daniel Dandy, the eldest son of Andrew, by 

 indenture 14 October, 1740, gave to trustees 

 ;^I26 1 5 J., the interest to be applied for the 

 benefit of the poor. This interest, £b, was paid 

 to the schoolmaster, who occupied the school- 

 house, supposed to have been erected by Andrew 

 Dandy. He taught five children free, and for 

 his other scholars, about 20, he received a small 

 weekly payment. Instruction was given in 

 reading and writing, and a few of the older 

 children learnt arithmetic. 



Chipping. — John Brabin, by will 9 April, 

 1683, gave a messuage and tenement in Chipp- 

 ing, with all lands belonging, the profits to be 

 applied for putting the house into repair, and 

 ;^ 1 3 6j. 8^. for the stipend of a schoolmaster to 

 teach children of the township of Chipping or 

 neighbourhood for such payment as the parents 

 liked to give ; any residue was to provide books 

 and clothes. Such clothes were to be either 

 violet or liver colour, with caps of the same cloth 

 and colour. Out of the rest of his personal 

 estate a schoolhouse was to be erected. 1 6 boys 

 were selected by the trustees to be clothed. 

 They were taught writing and arithmetic free ; 

 other scholars paid fees. Christopher Parkinson, 

 by will 8 July, 1702, gave the profits of a 

 tenement in Goosnargh for the use of an under 

 master, who was to receive the annual sum of 

 j^4 from this charity for teaching reading to all 

 the children of Chipping, Thornley, Leagrim, 

 and Little Bowland, sent to him (usually about 

 80). About one-third of the scholars paid an 

 optional fee of id. per week. 



Upper Holker. — By will 18 May, 1685, 

 George Bigland devised to trustees a close called 

 Bradell, in Furness Fell, and his house at Grange, 

 for the maintenance of a schoolmaster near 

 Brow Edge. He directed that his heir should 

 have the mesne profits of the premises until the 

 inhabitants of Brow Edge built a new school. 

 Henry Bigland, by will 9 December, 1689, gave 

 / 1 00 to buy land, half the rent to be given to 

 the school of Brow Edge. In 1 8 1 7 the estate 

 was let for ;^30 a year, which rent was received 

 by the schoolmaster. 



DiDSBURY. — There was in this township a 

 school for the inhabitants of the four townships 

 constituting the chapelry. The building used 

 for the school was supposed to have been erected 

 many years ago by subscription ; it stood on a 

 part of the waste of the lord of the manor of 

 Withington. By indenture 30 December, 1685, 

 Edward Mosley, in performance of the will of 

 Sir Edward Mosley, bart., conveyed to trustees 

 several closes, with appurtenances, lying south 

 of the Mersey, in the township of Didsbury, for 

 the maintenance of a schoolmaster at Didsbury 

 for ever. In 1826 there were 40 children, boys 

 and girls, in the school, who were taught the 



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