Part 12 (2/2)

Of the modern school we may here say that it is now doing useful work, although with a different cla.s.s of pupils to those above referred to; and in the near future, it is hoped, that further changes will give it a still higher position in educational work. Under Dr. A. G. Madge, who retired and accepted church preferment in 1907, the school was made to meet the requirements of the Oxford and Cambridge local examinations, the London University Matriculation, and the South Kensington Science and Art Departments.

In late years boys from the school have filled posts in various parts of the world with credit. A considerable number have obtained clerks.h.i.+ps in banks, or in the Civil Service; one boy, Richard Gordon Healey, pa.s.sed 7th among more than a hundred candidates for the General Post Office service, London, and is now in the excise service. Another, Fairburn, is a.s.sistant Inspector of Police at Singapore. Another, Isle, is a Civil Engineer, and has taken the B.Sc. degree. A summary of successes at the school, kindly supplied to the writer by Dr. Madge, shows that in the last seven years (1906) five boys have pa.s.sed the London University Matriculation, 19 the Cambridge local examination, 34 the South Kensington examination, while four have qualified for the public Civil Service; a creditable result for a town of the size of Horncastle.

[Picture: The Seal of the Grammar School]

A recent change has been the admission of pupil teachers to cla.s.ses specially adapted to their requirements, and with this accession to the numbers receiving instruction, there are now more pupils in the school, male and female together, than at any period within the last 30 years.

The latest changes, in the direction of progress, have been as follows: A new governing body has been created by the Board of Education, consisting of 13 members; the Lord of the Manor, the Honble. R. Stanhope, being _ex officio_ one of them; eight representative Governors holding office for three years; two being appointed by the Lindsey County Council, three (one of them a female) by the Urban Council, two by the Guardians, one by the Justices of the Peace at the Lindsey Quarter Sessions. There are also four co-optative Governors (among them one female at least), appointed by the Governors for five years. It is further ordered that the Head Master need not be in Holy Orders; under which rule has been appointed the present Head Master, Mr. Arthur N. Worman, B.A., London, late a.s.sistant Master at King Edward VII. Grammar School, King's Lynn, who was selected by the Governors from 150 candidates for the post.

Addendum I.

It will have been observed that we have so far adopted the prevalent nomenclature, and spoken of this school as an Elizabethan inst.i.tution, founded in 1571. It must now be added that, venerable as that date of origin would make it, it has a higher claim to our veneration still.

_Vixere fortes ante Agamemnona_. There were grammar schools before that date. Edward VI. is said to have established several, in various parts of the country, and we have already named two such in our own neighbourhood, viz., those of Spilsby and Louth; but it is now known that even these were, strictly speaking, revivals of still other inst.i.tutions.

It is now known that not a few of the charities, or public inst.i.tutions, supposed to have been founded by Queen Elizabeth, were really of older date, but revived, confirmed, or augmented, under her wise rule. In a published account of the old grammar school of Giggleswick, Yorks.h.i.+re, {106a} commonly reputed to be a foundation of Edward VI., is the following statement, ”a large number of schools bear the name of Ed. VI., who undoubtedly desired to strengthen the grammar school system. His good intentions were, however, frustrated by the Commissioners; and very few of the so-called Edward VI. grammar schools had their origin in his reign, being older foundations with a new name.” {106b}

It seems certain that Horncastle Grammar School is an a.n.a.logous case.

Doc.u.ments have recently been brought to light in the archives of the Dean and Chapter of Lincoln, which prove that, acting for the Chancellor (who was _ex officio_ ”Magister Scholarum”), during a temporary vacancy of that office, they appointed Masters to the grammar schools of Boston, Partney, Horncastle, and elsewhere, in the year 1329; the Horncastle Master, so appointed, being one John of Beverley. This mode of appointment being exceptional, was only to be valid for one year; but the Chancellors.h.i.+p continuing vacant, the Masters were confirmed in their positions by the Dean and Chapter, in the following year 1330, and again in 1331; and so on, in successive years. {106c}

Now this mode of appointment being only in lieu of appointment by the Chancellor, while his office was in abeyance, it follows that these schools were in existence, as public inst.i.tutions under the Chancellor, before the dates named. Although, therefore, we are unable to fix the exact period of the school's existence, it may be satisfactory for Horncastrians to know that, in addition to the various interesting a.s.sociations which we have already given as connected with the school, there is proof that before Shakespeare had composed one of his immortal plays, before Spenser had written a line of his _Faerie Queen_, before Bacon had even thought of his _Advancement of Learning_, there had existed a ”seat of learning” in the small provincial town of Horncastle, which had then attained to the respectable age of more than two centuries.

We have been accustomed to consider the foundation of William of Wykeham, at Winchester, in 1373, as one at least of our very oldest, but Horncastle Grammar School may even be of still earlier date than that.

The oldest school of all is King's School, Canterbury, attributed to Archbishop Theodore, A.D. 670, but which may probably be traced to St.

Augustine. St. Peter's School, York, is the next oldest.

Addendum II.

The Governors of the Grammar School are about to erect, in this year, 1908, new and more commodious premises for the school, in the grounds of what is now called ”The Chestnuts,” near the west end of West Street.

CHAPTER VII.

WATSON'S FREE SCHOOL.

Next in importance to the Grammar School, and prior to the existence of the two well appointed National Schools, Church and Wesleyan, possibly even of greater utility than at present, is Watson's Free Infant School; the founder of which placed it under the control of the Grammar School.

The t.i.tle deeds of this Inst.i.tution are in the keeping of Mr. H. Tweed, Solicitor, who is Clerk to the Governors; and from these we gather the following particulars of its history. Richard Watson in the latter half of the 18th century was a resident in, and a native of, Horncastle, being the son of James Watson, who had made money by tanning, at that time a staple business in the town. Although engaged in trade he ranked with the resident gentry, his sister, Frances, marrying James Conington, Esq., belonging to a family of good position, not only in the town, but in the county; members of which have also distinguished themselves at the Universities, the name still surviving. She is referred to in an Indenture of date 22nd Sept., 25 George III. (1785), as ”Frances Conington, of Boston, widow, formerly Frances Watson, spinster, surviving sister and heir of Richard Watson, late of Horncastle, gent., deceased, tanner, and his wife Elizabeth.” By her marriage she had a son Francis Conington, who as nephew of Richard Watson, was the sole executor of his will and testament. The princ.i.p.al deed has the following external inscription: ”t.i.tle deeds of the school, signed, sealed and delivered, by Benjamin Handley (afterwards called ”of New Sleaford”), {108a} in the presence of Williom Swallow, {108b} supervisor, and Abraham Hanson, of Horncastle.”

The following is the heading within, ”Sealed and delivered by Frances Conington, being first duly stamped, in the presence of Caleb Preston, and Bowlin Kelsey of Boston.” This is further confirmed, as follows: ”Sealed and delivered by Frances Conington, in the presence of William Swallow, supervisor, and Abraham Hanson, of Horncastle.”

Then follows a ”Release of lands in Lincolns.h.i.+re to found a school (dated 22nd Sept., 1785), inrolled in His Majesty's High Court of Chancery, the 8th day of March, in the year of our Lord 1786, being first duly stamped according to the tenor of the statutes made for that purpose.” (Signed) Thomas Brigstock.

[Picture: The Market Place]

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