Part 6 (1/2)

Having perused your Advertis.e.m.e.nt in Wright's Paper for a Writing-Master and Accountant for the free Grammar School at Giggleswick in your neighbourhood, I take this Opportunity of offering myself as a Candidate for that Office....

The Salary is but small but from the Tenor of your Advertis.e.m.e.nt, I am inclined to believe that from my a.s.siduity and care, I should soon be able to increase it.

I have studied the French and Italian Languages grammatically and have travelled thro' many Parts of Italy, France and Spain, after 4 years Residence in a Counting House at Leghorn--I will thank you, Revd. Sir, if you will candidly inform me pr Return of Post, whether these two Languages will be useful in your Part and how far Giggleswick is from Settle; also for a particular description of the Place.--For if it be populous, my Wife will carry on her Business, which is that of Mantua making.

I have been twice at Settle, but it is a long time ago. I was private Pupil to the Rev. Mr Shuttleworth B.A., Curate of our Village, upwards of 12 years and from him and from the neighbouring Gentlemen and Clergy, I can obtain the needful; provided you think it wd answer for me to come over with my Family and settle.

I should like a neat House, with a good garden to it and Accommodations for a few boarders.

Most Elections, in different Departments of Life, are very unfair and partial and if you suppose this is likely to be the case on the present Occasion, your Candour will infinitely oblige me and be instrumental in preventing my further trouble.

Your friendly reply as soon as possible will be deem'd a great favour conferr'd on

revd. Sir, Yr mo obedt Sert, JOHN WOOLFENDEN.

He was not selected.

All candidates, or nearly all, sent with their letters of application beautifully written testimonials in different styles to shew their proficiency, one unfortunately made a bad blot. They were also put through an examination in Arithmetic, when they a.s.sembled on the day of election. One confessed to being a member ”of ye old Established Church,” another ”hoped to continue so.” Finally, Robert Kidd was chosen. His letter of application is particularly interesting, both because of its beauty and because he says: ”I have a good circuit for half-a-year, and if attendance from January to middle of the year, or from Midsummer to January will suit at Giggleswick,” he would be ready to come. From this he appears to have been one of the old type of Scrivener, who paid regular visits to different Schools, and for whom the Ancient Statutes of 1592 allowed a special vacation to the Scholars.

He wrote on April 8, from Whalley Grammar School, and a special messenger was sent to fetch him at a cost of 5_s._ In the following year he wrote an elaborate address to the Governors, in which he said, ”Permit me to say, I have been a faithful labourer and Disciplinarian in your School. You are truly sensible of the Inequality of the Attendance and Salaries. Now Gentlemen, if it be consistent with your Approbation, and the Inst.i.tution of your Seminary, to make a small adjustment, the Favor shall be gratefully acknowledged.” He was accordingly ”put to the trouble of Keeping Accounts, etc., for the Governors,” and paid an additional two guineas a year.

Archbishop Markham agreed to the alteration of the Statutes with regard to the Governors themselves, and thenceforward a newly elected Governor was to protest and swear to be faithful etc., in the presence of any two Governors, instead of before the Vicar as formerly; and the privilege of summoning meetings was taken away from the Vicar and given to any two Governors. Further, any five, duly a.s.sembled, had the power to act and proceed with business, and ”the determination of the major part of them shall be final and conclusive.”

The Scholars moreover were at liberty to receive annual rewards and gratuities, in such manner as the Governors may deem ”best calculated to excite a laudable emulation.” Thus in 1798 three guineas were distributed among them in the presence of the Masters and Governors:

s. d.

Jno. Carr 1 1 0 Jno. Bayley 0 10 6 Enoch Clementson 0 7 0 Wm. Bradley 0 7 0 Jno. Howson 0 7 0 Richd. Paley 0 3 6 Richd. Preston 0 3 6 Jams. Foster 0 3 6

Any Scholar who had attended at the School for the last three years of his education could receive an Exhibition with which to attend any English University, provided that the Governors always reserved in their hands a sufficient sum for the necessary Repairs of the School, and also of a House for the habitation of the Master, if and when such a House should be built.

Mr. Smith, who had been acting as Usher but without a license from the Archbishop, resigned in 1792 and Nicholas Wood succeeded him. Possibly he had been educated at the School, for in 1796 a letter was sent to the Archbishop from the Governors saying that they had appointed Nicholas Wood, of Giggleswick, Clerk, to be Usher, and praying the Archbishop to give him a license ”subject to the said Statutes and Ordinances,” which had been agreed upon.

The new power to grant an increase of salary was soon exercised and in 1797 the Headmaster received 250, the Usher 100, ”in case of Diligence and good Conduct” and the a.s.sistant 60 provided that he a.s.sisted the Governors when necessary in ”transacting the business of their Trust”

and taught Writing and Arithmetic to the free School Scholars, ”every boy who has been at the free School one month to be ent.i.tled.” In the following year Robert Kidd was allowed 70 on condition that he ”gives due attention on every day in the year, Sat.u.r.days, Sundays and one month at Christmas only excepted and that, when any boy is initiated into the ffree School he will not take any pay in case such Boy or Boys should attend his School, altho' they may not have been a month at the ffree School.”

The matter of prizes is also taken up and a certain sum, which is not named, was allotted to each of the three head cla.s.ses and was to be expended on books, which should be given to the best Scholar of each cla.s.s. No cla.s.s was to compete which had less than nine boys and they were to be examined once every year in the presence of the Governors.

The Master was required to see that the boys in the higher department of the School had their conversation during School hours in Latin. This was evidently a throw-back to the Ancient Statutes of 1592, when they were at least given the alternative of Greek or Hebrew. Further they said ”conceiding that a Boy may improve in writing as much by an exercise as a copy, they recommend that every boy be obliged to write his exercise in the high or Writing School, under the inspection of the Writing a.s.sistant and each exercise to have his (_i.e._ the a.s.sistant's) initials affixed to signify that such Boy wrote his best, not to signify whether a good or bad Exercise.”

It will be remembered that in the house that James Carr built, the lower part was for advanced teaching, the higher for writing. The distinction had apparently continued and the upper portion alone had materials for writing. Certain it is that each portion was wholly distinct from the other, and Usher and a.s.sistant were masters in their own domain. In June, 1797, the Governors decided that attention should be paid to Cla.s.sics in the Writing Department and Nicholas Wood, the Usher, was asked to undertake the work but refused, whereupon Mr. Clayton an a.s.sistant in the Cla.s.sical Work was requested to do so and accepted the duty for an additional remuneration of 10.

These two men held an interesting position. Wood certainly had a freehold, and Clayton was difficult to remove, so that in 1798 the Governors decided that an a.s.sistant should ”be provided during the summer months to teach the Cla.s.sical Scholars, unless Mr. Wood and Mr.

Clayton in three days signifie that one of them will teach.” Fortunately Mr. Wood at once agreed to do so. It referred, no doubt, to the Cla.s.sical Scholars in the Writing Department, whom Wood had refused to instruct, but when Clayton undertook the work and received 10 for his trouble, Wood relented.

Two months later the Governors issued a pathetic appeal that the ”Master's a.s.sistant and Usher be requested to attend better at the School.” It was July and only in the previous April Robert Kidd's salary had been raised to 70 on stringent conditions of attendance.

The numbers of the School were growing apace, for twice in 1798 it was resolved to advertise for a Mathematical a.s.sistant. At the same meeting 25_s._ was allowed to the Master's a.s.sistant ”for the purpose of providing fuel during the winter and no collection shall be made from the Scholars.” The Staff seem to have been a little difficult. Nicholas Wood refused to sign a receipt in full for his wages when he was only being paid a part, and the Governors resolved to ”withold the remainder of his salary.”

Robert Kidd and Nicholas Wood left the School in April, 1799, and John Carr, of Beverley, took Kidd's place. Wood's post was filled by Clayton, who was made Usher at a salary of 100 a year, ”provided he conducts himself to the satisfaction of the Governors or a majority of them,” and agreed to teach five days a week.

Some difficulty arose, and on May 11 there is a minute saying that ”Mr.

Wood and Mr. Kidd had been settled with.” Wood seems to have been dependent on his wife, who could not make up her mind whether she wished to stay or go.