and it is more than probable that the abbey always possessed a school of considerable repute as a part of its establishment. It appears from Ingulphus' history of Croyland Abbey, that there was a school in this place in the time of Edward the Confessor, for he mentions that he was born in the city of London and sent to the school at Westminster. He also states, "I have seen how often when being but a boy, I came to see my father, dwelling in the king's court, and often coming from school, when I met the queen, she would appose me touching my learning and lesson. And falling from grammar to logic, wherein she had some knowledge, she would subtilly conclude an argument with me, and by her handmaiden give me three or four pieces of money, and send me unto the palace, where I should receive some victual, and then be dismissed." And Widmore states, on the authority of the archives of Westminster Abbey, that from the latter part of the reign of King Edward III. down to the dissolution of the abbey, a salary was paid to a schoolmaster styled "Magister Scholarium pro eruditione grammaticorum," who was distinguished from the person who taught the children of the choir to sing. On the surrender of the monastery to King Henry VIII. that monarch included the school in his draft of the new establishment for the see of Westminster, which he erected by letters patent in 1540 into a cathedral with an establishment to consist of a bishop, a dean, and twelve prebendaries, together with an upper master of the school, an under master, and forty grammar-scholars, which have continued without alteration to the present time. The preamble of the act of Henry VIII. for founding the new cathedrals, (which is still preserved in Henry's own handwriting) recites, that they were established, To the intente that god's worde myght the better be sett forthe, cyldren broght up in lernynge, clerces nuryshyd in the universities, olde s'vantes decayed to have lyfing, allmes housys for pour folke to be sustayned in, reders of grece, ebrew, and latyne, to have good stypende, dayly almes to be mynistrate, mending of hyght wayse and exhybision for mynisters of the chyrche." The earnest design of Henry VIII. not to discourage learning also appears from his saying: "I love not learning so ill, that I will impair the revenues of anye house by a penie, whereby it may be upholden." According to Mr Widmore, there is in the archives of the church a draught of the instrument for the establishment of Henry VIII. by which it appears that a school was settled here by his majesty under the same form which it now bears, and with the regulations that now govern it. The patent for the endowment of the Dean and Chapter was not granted till the 5th August, 1542, when lands were assigned for this purpose from the estate of the late monastery, to the annual amount then of £2164, and from other abbeys to the yearly value of £434. At the same time the Dean and Chapter were charged with the annual payment of £400 to ten readers or Professors of Divinity, Law, Physic, Hebrew, and Greek, five in each of the Universities; and likewise with the stipends of twenty students in those Universities amounting to the sum of £166. 13s. 4d. In the year 1544 the abbey church consented to give up lands to the annual amount of £167,at that time, to be discharged from paying the stipends of the king's University students. And in 1546 they surrendered certain additional estates of the then yearly value of £400 to be released from the salaries of the professors. A part of the latter sum was given to Trinity College, Cambridge, and the rest to Christ Church, Oxford. In 1550, the third year of Edward VI. the see was suppressed by royal letters patent. Queen Mary on her accession restored the cathedral church to its monastic character; but in 1560 Westminster Abbey was converted into the form of a collegiate church by Queen Elizabeth. It would seem that Queen Elizabeth did little more than continue her royal father's appointment. Her majesty, however, caused a statute to be made, for the purpose of regulating the manner in which scholars were to be elected upon the foundation in this school, and from thence to colleges in Oxford and Cambridge, as well as the number to be removed annually to the Universities. The school of Westminster was continued during the troublous times of the Commonwealth, and on the Restoration in 1660, the dean was restored to the collegiate church, and from that period the establishment has not undergone any special alteration. Westminster College is not endowed with lands and possessions specifically appropriated to its own maintenance, but is attached to the general foundation of the collegiate church, as far as relates to the support of the forty scholars. The school is under the care of the dean and chapter, conjointly with the dean of Christ Church, Oxford, and the master of Trinity College, Cambridge, respecting the election of scholars to their several colleges. In the third year of her reign Queen Elizabeth issued letters patent to the master and fellows of Trinity College, Cambridge, expressing a wish, that in remembrance of her father's bountiful endow ment of their establishment, they should select as many youths as possible from Westminster, and referring them to the statutes she had drawn up for Westminster, for directions as to the mode of election. Also in the eighteenth year of her reign, at the instigation of Dean Goodman, the Queen issued other letters patent, in which she describes the qualifications necessary for admittance on the foundation, and orders that no boy be admitted into St Peter's before his eighth year, nor allowed to remain after his eighteenth. She fixes the days for the examination of candidates, and the election of students to Christ Church, Oxford, and to Trinity College, Cambridge. She names as electors the deans of Westminster and Christ Church, and the master of Trinity, or deputies duly appointed by them, who are each of them to select a Master of Arts from his own college as his coadjutor, to whom also the headmaster is to be added. They are directed to make oath in these words: "Se neminem in discipulum gratia, odio, ullave animi perturbatione vel præmio advectos, sed eum solum quem, testimonio conscientiæ permoti, maxime idoneum judicaverint electuros." Three or four scholars are elected off to Christ Church, Oxford, every year, and as many to Trinity College, Cambridge, where they enjoy all the advantages which other scholars enjoy on the foundation; and the Westminster students of Christ Church receive the proceeds of considerable sums left specially for their use. 1569. Archbishop Parker founded three Scholarships at Corpus Christi College, with a second preference for scholars from Westminster School. (See p. 255.) 1581. Lord Burghley by indenture agreed to pay a rent-charge for augmenting the payments to the scholars on Lady Margaret's foundation at St John's College, and directed that after his death the heir of Robert Cecil should nominate a scholar out of Westminster or Hoddesden school. (See p. 311.) 1594. Lord Burghley gave (6 a perpetual annuity of twenty marks, to be distributed among the scholars elected to the two Universities." This benefaction is at the disposal of the dean and chapter. In 1852, the rents received amounted to £13. 6s. 8d. 1624. John Williams, bishop of Lincoln, bequeathed an estate, the profits of which were to be annually divided among four boys, two of whom are to be natives of the diocese of Lincoln, and two of the principality of Wales; and in default of candidates from these districts, scholars are to be chosen from natives of the liberties of Westminster. The scholars are called Bishop's boys, and are elected by the dean, senior prebendary, and head-master. the estate in 1852 was £76. Os. 8d. (See p. 316.) The income from 1659. Sir Robert Wood, knight, founded three Scholarships at St John's College, Cambridge, with a preference for scholars from Westminster School. (See p. 318.) 1768. Thomas Triplett, D.D. by indenture enrolled in Chancery conveyed to certain trustees some freehold property in Suffolk, the rents to be at the disposal of the dean and chapter for four of the most worthy scholars of the school of Westminster, to maintain them at Oxford or Cambridge. Its value in 1852 was £32, which will be considerably augmented when the claims of the dean and chapter are finally confirmed by the Lord Chancellor, in accordance with the decrees of the court already made. 1702. Sebastian Smith, Esq. M.A. left a benefaction, for all scholars elect, at the disposal of the dean and chapter. The annual value in 1852 was £2. 1748. Noel Broxholme, M.D. left £500, the interest thereof to be given to clergymen's sons on being elected off to Oxford or Cambridge, and to be at the disposal of the dean and chapter. The income in 1852 was £15. 1768. Walter Titley, envoy to the court of Denmark, left £1000 to Westminster School. The income arising from the benefaction in 1852 was £16. 10s. It is at the disposal of the dean and chapter to scholars elect to Oxford or Cambridge. 1793. John Thomas, D.D. bishop of Rochester, left a benefaction for scholars elected from Westminster to be at the disposal of the head-master. In 1852 the income was £61. 5s. per annum. 1799. Edward Smallwell, D.D. bishop of Oxford, bequeathed £1000 to St Peter's College, Westminster, for the benefit of scholars elected off to Oxford and Cambridge, to be at the disposal of the headIn 1852 the income from the benefaction was £60. 11s. 6d. master. ST PAUL'S SCHOOL. FOUNDED 1509, A.D. THIS school was founded and endowed by John Colet, D.D. dean of St Paul's, under a warrant, which on petition he obtained from King Henry VIII. The intention and design of the founder appear from the subjoined extracts from his own statutes for the foundation. The admission of the scholars is vested in the Mercers' Company, and boys are admitted up to the age of 15 years, but no boy is eligible 1 "John Collett, the sonne of Henrye Collett, Dean of Paules, desiring nothyng more thanne education and bringing uppe children in good maners and literature, in the yere of our Lorde one thousand fyve hundredth and twelve, bylded a schole in the estende of Paulis Churche of one hundred and fifty-three to be taught fre And ordeyned there a maister, and a surmaister, and a chappelyn, with sufficiente and perpetuale stipendes ever to endure, and sett patrones and defenders, governors and rulers of that same schole, the most honest and faithful fellowshipe of the Mercers of London. And, for because nothing can continue longe and endure in good ordre without lawes and statutes, I, the said John, have expressed and shewed my minde what I wolde shoulde be truly and diligentlye observed and kepte of the sayde maister, and surmaister, and chapelyn, and of the mercers, governours of the schole, that in this boke may appere to what intent I founde this schole... "This Hyghe Maister, in doctrine, learnynge, and teachinge shall directe all the schole; this maister shall be chosen by the wardens and assistance of the Mercery: a man hoole in body, honest and vertuous, and lerned in good and cleane Latin literature, and also in Greke,—yf such may be gotten; a wedded man, a single man, or a preste that hath no benefice with cure, nor service that may lett the due besinesse in the scole... "If the maister be syke of sykeness incurable, or fall into such age that he may not conveniently teache, and hath bene a man that longe and laudably hath taught in the schole, thanne let another be chosyn; and by the discrete charitie of the Mercery let there be assigned to the olde maister a reasonable levinge of ten pounds, or otherwise as it shall seme convenyent, so that the olde maister after his long labour in no wise be lefte destitute. Yf the maister be syke of sikeness curable, yet neverthelesse I will he shall have his wages, and in suche sekenes yf he may not teache, let hym reward the under-maister for his more labour somewhat according. Yf the under-maister be in literature and in honest lyfe accordynge, then the hygh maisters rome vacante, let him be chosen before another." [On the retirement of the Rev. Richard Roberts, D.D. the high-master, in 1814, after forty-five years' service in the school, the Mercers' Company granted him for the rest of his life an annuity of £1000 a year. They also allowed an annuity of £60 to the widow of a surmaster, about the same time.] "There shall be taught in the scole, children of all nations and contres indifferently, to the number of one hundred and fifty-three, according to the number of seates in the scole. The maister 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 no wise... "As touching in this scole what shall be taught of the maisters, and learned of the scolers, it passeth my witte to devyse and determine in particular, but in general to speake and sume what to saye my mynde, I would they were taught always in good literature, bothe Laten and Greeke, and good autors such as have the verrye Romayne eloquence joyned with wisdom, specially Cristen autors, that wrote their wisdome with clean and chaste Laten, other in verse or in prose, for my intent is by this scole, specially to encrease knowledge and worshippinge of God and our Lord Christ |