SCHOOLS 



the scale manuall of the college 29 September last,' and admitted him till 24 May following. Willis 

 was an example of the evil of founder's kin at Winchester. Admitted scholar on that qualification 

 at the late age of 14 in 1672, he went to New College in 1675 ; and in 1679 was removed from 

 his fellowship for non-residence." 



On 28 April, 1682, the school buildings were ordered to be repaired and 'the school house 

 adorned civilly by painting, whiting or otherwise as shall be thought meete,' and half a year's arrears 

 of chimney money, due while the house stood tenantless before Willis came, was paid by the corpora- 

 tion. Willis was a failure and left at Midsummer, 1683. In a letter to the college 30 July, 1683, 

 the town now were wise enough to see the great benefit a full school was to the townspeople. 



They had conceived good hope that by his diligence he would have restored the school to its antient 

 glory and reputacion, the flourishing whereof would have indirectly advantaged the Inhabitants and 

 Tradesmen of this Towne by Boarders and resort of friends, but the excesses which that unhappy man 

 ran into, we had rather you should heare of from others, than by our informacion, yet were such as 

 made it necessary for him to retire. 



On 9 October they paid Mr. John Rewse 50;., besides his ordinary salary * For the whole 

 charge of teaching the children in the Free Grammar School.' 



On 8 November, 1683, the college, adopting the recommendation of the town, 'elected and 

 appoynted Nicholas Aspinall of Emmanuel College in Cambridge, Batchelor of Arts, to be school- 

 master of the publick Free Grammar School ' for a term of three years ' if the said Mr. John 

 Longworth shall be so long absent from the same.' He was of a Lancashire name and family and 

 educated at Clitheroe Grammar School in that county. He had acquired some repute as secretary 

 to Edward Castell, the editor of the then famous Polyglot Bible. The temporary appointment thus 

 made began the longest mastership recorded up to that time, lasting thirty-five years. The licence 

 required by the canons of 1603 for a schoolmaster has in this case been preserved, and as these 

 documents are exceedingly rare and their mediaeval character is remarkable, it is here given. The 

 original is in Latin, and dated 29 April, 1684. 



William Foster, LL.D., and lawfully constituted commissary and official in and through the whole 

 archdeaconry of Bedford To our beloved in Christ, Nicholas Aspinall, clerk, B.A. health in the Lord. 



To teach, educate, instruct and inform all boys in grammar books and other writings lawful and 

 honest and lawfully allowed and approved by the laws and statutes of this realm of England, and to 

 exercise and publicly profess the duty and office of School-master in the public free grammar school 

 of Bedford of the archdeaconary of Bedford, on thee of whose faithfulness, knowledge of letters, 

 purity of morals, integrity and learning, we have received trustworthy evidence (all and singular the 

 articles and oaths required in this behalf to be subscribed and sworn having first been subscribed and 

 sworn by thee before our beloved Edward Bourne, clerk, M>A. our surrogate,) we kindly grant and 

 impart our licence and faculty by these presents until thou shalt be otherwise ordered by us." 



This is witnessed by a notary public and sealed with the seal of the official of the archdeaconry, 

 showing on the upper half a mediaeval chalice and paten, and on the lower the official's own arms, 

 a cheveron between three bugles for Foster or Forester. The surrogate in question appears to have 

 been the usher of the school. 'Aspinall was on 14 January, 1686-7, given a gratuity of ^^5, 

 apparently for two years' work, as fji i as. a year was given as ' additional salary until further 

 order.' He was then single-handed in the school. But on 20 July, 1687, as 'Mr. John 

 I Robinson hath lately taken upon him the care of teaching the Free Schollers as Usher,' it was 

 ordered that ^^5 should be taken oiF the ^\0 'additional sallery ' of Aspinall and ^^15 a year paid 

 to the usher. But on 25 June, 1689, this £5 was restored to Aspinall, making his salary ;^30, 

 while Mr. Robinson was raised to ^^17 ioj. Such generosity was too good to last long. On 

 27 January, 1691-2, Aspinall was cut down to ^£26 13X. \d, and Robinson to ^^13 i6f. 8^. Yet 

 at this very time the corporation were considering an offer by Dr. Barton to give them two farms 

 worth ;Ci64 a year ' in exchange for their estate near Red Lyon Fields, which is at present ^^99 

 per annum, and will be after ten years, ;^50 more for fifty-one years, which we refused because at 

 the end of the leases they would have but ^^164 a year, instead of £p.oo at the least.' So that at 

 this time they were starving the school, bringing the expenditure on this, the main object of their 

 trust, down to ^^40 a year, or considerably less than half the rent, to say nothing of the fines 

 received. There were the repairs of the school, of course, but these came to {^XQ a year at the 

 outside. For on 21 December, 1697, the corporation let the 'repaires of all things relating to the 

 Free School ' to one George Gascoyne for fi) down and ^if a year, he finding all materials and 



" Kirby, Winchester Scholars. 



" ' Ad docendum, erudiendum, instruendum et informandum quoscunque pueros in libris gramaticalibus 

 aliisque documentis Ileitis et honestis, et de jure legibus et statutis hujus regni Angliae permissis et approbatis 

 munusque et officium Ludimagistri infra publicam liberam gramaticam scholam infra villam Bedford. . . . 

 exercendum publiceque profitendum Tibi,' &c. 



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