SCHOOLS 



25 January, 1648-9. Verney seems to have retained his place till 21 January, 1655-6, when 

 three of the aldermen were ordered to ' state the accompts betwixt Mr. Varney, the schoolemaster 

 of the Freeschoole, for the arreres of his pencion, after ;^20 per annum.' On li July, 1656, a 

 corporation minute says that ' upon eieccion of Mr. Varney the schoolmaster the Commissioners,' 

 i.e. the commissioners for the ejection of scandalous ministers and schoolmasters, ' have written to 

 the Master and fellows of New College, who by the charter of foundacion are visitors, and (in other 

 cases of avoydance) patrons of the schoole, for nominacion of a godly and fit person of theire bodie,' the 

 council * subioyne their desyers in that behalfe.' The answer of the college is not recorded. The 

 master who came was Thomas Butler, a scholar of Winchester College, 1645, and fellow of New 

 College, 1653. He was apparently satisfactory, as he was allowed, 30 March, 1659, an extra 

 allowance of ;^5 per annum for an usher, as, having procured one who withdrew by reason of 

 sickness, he had to pay another out of his own purse. On the following 29 October he was allowed 

 SOS. in the vacancy of the usher's place. On 5 January Butler sent a boy from Bedford to Caius 

 College, Cambridge. On 21 March, 1659-60, 'whereas the usher's place since Christmas last 

 hath been furnished, whiche oftentymes before hath layne unsupplied, to encourage the undertaking 

 and continuance of the employment,' the salary was raised to ;^I5 a year. We learn later that 

 Butler had many boarders. On 26 June, 1660, the council, at the request of 'Mr. Butler, the 

 present master, that they would certifye to the burgesses now sitting in Parliament for the said 

 towne,' and to New College ' whether they be willing that hee rather than Mr. Verney, the late 

 master eiected by the Commission instituted by the late Parliament, should bee master of the schoole, 

 upon . . . being put to the vote the Councill have declared their wills and desires to bee for the 

 said Mr. Butler rather than Mr. Verney.' They refused, however, to maintain a suit against 

 Verney as being 'against law and unwarrantable.' Verney, however, was reinstated. 



Meanwhile diuing the Commonwealth the corporation were engaged in litigation about the 

 school land. On 27 July, 1649 ^^^Y commenced a suit in Chancery ' for recovery of certeyne lands 

 belonging to them in Holborn ' and gave the mayor ;^50 for the purpose. The suit was against 

 Sir Thomas Fisher, baronet, and others ; 'the lands lying intermyngled with the defendants' lands, the 

 bounds thereof have been confounded and obscured thro' long unitie of possession in the occupyers 

 of both parties.' The court on 26 June, 1650, acknowledged the title of the corporation, and their 

 counsel avowed his readiness to take other lands in exchange ; but on 5 July the corporation disa- 

 vowed this offer. On 1 7 July a commission to arbitrate was issued out of Chancery, renewed in 

 October, 1650 and 1651. In July, 1652, a Chancery decree was made on the commissioners' cer- 

 tificate, to which Sir Thomas Fisher took exception. On 26 September, 1652, the corporation dis- 

 sented from the proposal to give up ' 3 roods of houses, gardens and backsides adjoining the Three 

 Cups Inn, a piece of ground adjoining in Lyon Fields, and 3 roods 36 poles part of a house, with 

 grounds and bowling green in Conduyt Strete.' A new commission to compromise was appointed. 

 The issue does not appear in the Corporation Minutes, but the net result was the reduction of the 

 Holborn estate from 13 acres i rood to 12 acres. On i January, 1655-6, Mr. William Tubb, the 

 corporation tenant, was to be given on terms ' licence to dig a lay for bricks to bee spent upon the 

 Jand,' so that it was then coming in as building land. 



On 9 November, 1663, ' whereas Mr. Varney late master of the Free School is latelie dead ' 

 the corporation wrote to New College ' for substituting a new master.' The letter, which is at 

 New College, asked for 



an able and sedulous person. His pention which is ^20 a yeare payd quarterly is out of the towne 

 chambre, besides a faire dwelling with an orchard and other accommodations. The structure is capable 

 and conveynent to entertayne boarders ; of which Mr. Butler who was Mr. Varncy's predecessor made 

 good profit, having many gentlemen's children under his tutourage. 



The terms offered do not seem to have been good enough to tempt a fellow of the college. So 

 on 10 December, 1667, they nominated John Allanson, scholar of Winchester 1650 and then a chap- 

 lain at New College, ' to bee schoolemaster of the publique free grammar schoole in your town.' 



The town settled his salary at ;^20 on 20 March, 1664, that of Mr. Smith the usher at j^io, 

 thus cutting off the augmentation of ^^5 made to both under the more liberal regime during the 

 Commonwealth. It appears from a Corporation Minute of 18 December, 1665, on Allanson's death 

 • * since Michaelmas,' that he was ' in the king's service as chaplain at sea ' and had left his place to 

 be supplied by ' Mr, Daniel Langhorne clerk, 'and the mayor, in asking for the appointment of a new 

 master, remarks ' I cannot say how it came to passe that the late master was scarce at his charge a 

 moneth of two yeares.' On 10 February, 1665, there was a contest for election between Mr. Pomfret, 

 Mr. Blunt, Mr. Parsons, a late fellow, and Mr. Butler, who ' now is maryed and teacheth a private 

 schoole.' On 1 5 February the majority of the votes of the fellows ' fell to Mr. John Butler, lately 

 of New Inne in Oxford and formerly for 7 yeares one of the children of Winchester coUedge ; 

 his father was maior of Winchester.' He had been admitted a scholar of Winchester College in 



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