Education in England in the Middle Ages Part 13

Deritend. East Retford.

Eccleshall. Lancaster.

Eye. Truro.

Gargrave. Coggeshall.

Northallerton. Thaxted.

Odiham. Prittlewell.

Staunton. Berkhampstead.

Thirsk.

We may now consider the establishment of typical cases.

BASINGSTOKE.

The school at Basingstoke was founded "by the decision of the inhabitantes at the begynnyng."[472] Apparently, the inhabitants of the town had formed themselves into a gild called the "Brotherhood of the Holy Ghost" for this special purpose. Their school can be traced back to 1244, and is the earliest school of which at present we have any knowledge, whose origin may be attributed to the enterprise of the inhabitants.

NORTHALLERTON.

This school existed before 1321, as is evidenced by the fact that in that year the master was appointed to the school by the prior of Durham.[473]

It was founded by "certen well disposed persones--for the better bringinge up of the children of the towne."[474]

DERITEND.

The existence of this school can be traced back as far as 1448, and is due to the enterprise of "the inhabitans of the same hamlet cauled Deretende."[475]

LANCASTER.

The first available reference to a school at Lancaster occurs in a deed in the priory chartulary which dates from the reign of Henry III.[476] The school was "ordeyned and founded by the Mayor and burgesses of Lancaster."[477]

ALDEBOROUGH.

"Having no foundacion but presented by certain feoffees of severall landes gyven by syndry persons of the said paroch."[478]

ECCLESHALL.

"The enhabitants of Eccleshall did among themselfes, without incorporacion, erect two Gyylds ... and one of the same priestes have alwais kept a scole and taught pore mens children of the same parishe freely."[479]

EAST RETFORD.

"Founded by the predecessors of the bailiffs, burgesses, and Commywalts of the said towne."[480]

GARGRAVE.

"Founded by the inhabitants there."[481]

ODEHAM.

"Founded of the devocion of the inhabitantes ... to the intente to teche children gramer."[482]

STAUNTON.

"Founded by the parishenours there upon theyr Devocion." It was the purpose of this chantry that the priest appointed should a.s.sist the inc.u.mbent "in his necessitie"; apparently this a.s.sistance included the teaching of "many pore mens chylderne."[483]

WRAGBY.

"There is no foundacion of the same but certen landes and tenementes purchased by the parishioners to th'entente ... to teach chyldren in the saide paroche."[484]

TRURO.

"Of the Benyvolence of the Mayer and burges of the saide Towne to fynde a preste for ever to mynyster in the parish churche and to kepe a scole there."[485]

As we have stated, these instances we have quoted cannot claim to be exhaustive. They are examples which are available, and they serve to indicate the noteworthy fact that a consciousness of the value of education existed among the inhabitants of many towns and villages in England in the Middle Ages. The question is sometimes raised, whether these schools were elementary or secondary schools, or whether some of them might be cla.s.sed as elementary and others as secondary.[486] The question is quite irrelevant. The distinction between elementary and secondary education is entirely a modern one. In fact, it is difficult, even now, to determine the meaning of these terms. If we regard the elementary school as one in which the chief academic aim is to teach the children to read and write English, and to work elementary problems in arithmetic, and a secondary school as one in which the cla.s.sical languages form an important part of the curriculum, then we have set out the difference between two types of schools which were prevalent during the greater part of the eighteenth and nineteenth century; but this distinction is inapplicable to the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. The chantry school did not attempt to teach English, but Latin, as Latin still continued to be the language of the Church of this country. Of the 259 instances of chantry schools which Mr. Leach has collected, 193 of them he regards as grammar schools; the remaining schools he cla.s.ses either as song schools or as elementary schools.[487] The distinction is quite unnecessary. The chantry schools were simply the parochial church schools, which were now supported by a separate endowment, and taught by a priest who was practically able to devote his whole time to the work, instead of being under the control of the parish priest who, in many cases, would scarcely be able to set aside a definite part of each day for the work of teaching.

We have pointed out that the child who attended these church schools was required previously to have obtained a knowledge of the alphabet at least.

If Colet was setting out the current practice in the statutes which he drew up for St. Paul's School, even more knowledge was required antecedent to admission, as he states that "the master shall admit these children as they be offirid from tyme to tyme; but first se that they can saye the catechyzon, and also that he can rede and write competently, else let him not be admitted."

In the case of some of the chantry schools, express arrangements were made for elementary teaching. Thus, the bell ringer at Glasney was required to teach the ABC as a part of his duty[488] at Brecon; at Chumleigh it was expressly stipulated that the ABC was to be taught by the chaplain;[489]

at Launceston it was stipulated that an old man chosen by the mayor was to teach the alphabet.[490] Then, the chantry priest at Newland was required to provide "meate, dryncke, clothe and all other necessaries" to one of his scholars who, in return, was to a.s.sist with the teaching of the little ones.[491]

The provision of exhibitions to a.s.sist in supporting poor scholars at schools and universities was also a purpose of some chantries. Thus, at Brecon, twenty poor scholars were to receive 24/- each annually:[492] at Chumleigh, a part of the proceeds of the chantry was employed to support "a lyttle childe who goythe to scole, and hathe no other profyttes towardes his fynding and sustentacion"[493]; at Eton "70 scollers, 13 poore children and 10 choristours" were to be supported:[494] at Stamford "the Revenues and proffyttes thereof hathe byn convertyd only to the use of ... an infant of the age of 13 or 14 yeres, towards his exhibicion at Schole."[495] Other instances of the provision of school exhibitions are to be found in the chantry certificates relating to Houghton, Hull, Lincoln, Lyme Regis, Newland, Rotherham, Sullington, Thornton, Winchester, and Wotton-under-Edge.

Turning next to the chantries which were employed for the purpose of supporting students at the universities, we find that the return to the chantry commissioners, which relates to the chantry of North Wroxall, states that: "the sayd Inc.u.mbent is a student in Oxforde, but no prieste; and, ferthermore, a verey pore man, havynge no parentis, or any other lyvinge to kepe hym to scole."[496] In the return for the chantry at Norton are given the names of 8 men, among whom the proceeds of the chantry are shared, so as to enable them "to studye at the universite."[497] Other instances of chantry foundations for the purpose of supporting university students are those of a.s.serton, Calne, Crediton, Denton, Dorchester, Holbeach, etc.

The a.n.a.lysis of the chantry foundations we have given, serves to ill.u.s.trate our contention that, not only was there a growing appreciation of education but that there also existed a growing sense of the responsibility of the community, or of representative members of the community, to make provision for education, and that the responsibility for making this provision did not rest on the Church alone. At the same time, the Church was alive to the necessity of emphasising the duty of the clergy to interest themselves in education, as is evidenced by the canon promulgated at the Convocation of Canterbury in 1529 which intimated to the "rectors, vicars and chantry priests that when divine service is done, they shall be employed in study, prayer, lectures or other proper business, becoming their profession: namely, teaching boys the alphabet, reading, singing, or grammar; and on three days in the week, for three or at least two hours a day, shall, in the absence of some lawful hindrance, occupy themselves in reading Holy Scriptures or some approved doctor. And the ordinaries shall make diligent inquiry about this in their visitations, to the end that they may severely chastise and punish lazy priests, or those who spend their time badly."[498]

This canon was practically reiterated by the Royal Injunctions of 1547, which prescribed that "all chauntery priests shall exercise themselves in teaching youth to read and write, and bring them up in good manners and other vertuous exercises."[499]

The practical effect of the Chantries' Act of 1547 was that it put an end to the educational provision which the founders of the chantries had made.

This was not contemplated by the Act. On the contrary, the Act gave to the commissioners "full power and authoritie to a.s.signe and shall appoynte, in every place where guylde fraternitye, the Preist or Inc.u.mbent of anny Chauntrye in Esse ... oughte to have kepte a gramer scoole or a preacher"

for the continuance of such school.[500] The usual practice of the commissioners was to vest the chantry lands in the Crown, and to make a Crown charge of a certain annual sum, equivalent to the stipend which the teacher of the grammar school was then receiving. But as the value of money has now decreased to so considerable an extent, and the value of land has so enormously increased, the practical effect of this legislation, as we have indicated, was the disendowment of the educational provision which had been made by the founders of gilds, colleges, and chantries.

CHAPTER V.

MONASTICISM AND EDUCATION IN THE LATER MIDDLE AGES.