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Schools. St. Anthony's School. St. Paul's School. | 163 |
Schools. St. Anthony's School. St. Paul's School.
"
hallowen, to the said Maistre Gilbert, and his Successors, that they in the seid
Parish of
Seint Andrew to the said Mastre John and his Successors, that they in the said
Parish of
Seint Petre, and to the seid John Maistre, [of the seid Hospital] and his
Successors; that
they within the foresaid Parrish of our Ladie of Colchirche, in the which the
said House
of S. Thomas is sette; may ordeyne, create, establish, and sett a Person
sufficientlie
lerned in Gramer, to hold and exercise a Schole in the same Science of Gramer,
and it
there to teche to al that will learne.
"
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"
And that everiche of the said Maistre, Maistre William, Maistre Gilbert, Maistre
John,
and John Neel, Maistre; such Schole Maistre so bi him sett, and everiche of
their
Successors, such Scolemaistre by him, or bi any of his Predecessors so
established and
sett, speciallie as is above rehercid, may in his own Parich or Place remove,
and
another in his Place substitute, and sett, as often as any of the said Persones,
or their
Successors semith, [and] the Cause reasonable so requireth.
"
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"
And so to do ich of the said Persones and their Successors, as often as it
happenyth any
of the said Scoles to be voyd of a Scolemaistre in any manner wyse, to the
honour of
God, and encreasying of Vertue.
"
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"
Responsio. The Kyng wille, that it be do, as it is desired; so that it be done
bi thadvyse
of the Ordinary, therelles of the Archbishope of Canterbury for the time
being."
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Nine Years after, viz. 34. H. 6. were Five other Schools set up in other
Churches in
London, by the Care of the Archbishop of Canterbury, and Bishop of London,
confirmed by the King's Letters Patents; to wit, one within the Church Yard of
St.
Pauls, a Second at the Collegiate Church of St. Martins Le Grand, another at St.
Mary
de Arcubus, that is Bow-Church in Cheapside, another at St. Dunstans in the
East, and
the Fifth at the Hospital of St. Anthonies, and no more.
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Five other publick Schools in London.
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This was done for this good End, to check and suppress other smaller Schools of
late
set up by ignorant and illiterate Grammar Masters, which did the Youth more harm
than
good, as the Kings Letters Patents did hint, which were as follow:
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"Rex omnibus ad quos, &c. Sciatis, quod cum venerabiles in Christo
Patres,
Archiepiscopus Cantuariensis & Episcopus London. Ex eorum provida &
innata
prudentia magnas abusiones infra Civitatem nostram London. Temporibus diuturnis
frequentatas & usitatas, [emendare volentes] considerantes quod quam plures
& diverse
personæ in arte Grammaticali minus sufficienter instructi
[instructæ] scolas
communes grammaticales, pueros nonnullos, & corum amicos ipsos ad Scolas
exhibentes nequiter defraudando, infra eandem civitatem temere presumpserunt,
quinque duntaxat Scolas grammaticales, & non plures infra Civitatem
predictam
statuerint & ordinaverint, unam vid. infra cimiterium Ecclesie Scti. Pauli,
aliam infra
Ecclesiam nostram Collegiatam Sancti Martini Magni, tertiam in Ecclesia Be.
Marie de
Arcubus, quartam in Ecclesia sancti Dunstani in Oriente, & quintam in
hospitali nostro
sancti Antonij civitatis nostre predicte: Quas per eorum Literas patentes
sufficentes
declaraverunt, prout in eisdem plenius apparet.
"
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Pro magistris Grammaticalibus in Civitat.
London.
Record. Turr. Rot. pat. 34. H. 6. part. 2.
mem. 20.
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"
NOS de gratia nostra speciali premissa considerantes, ad omnia predicta firmiter
fienda
& observanda, nostrum regium assensum adhibuimus & favorem. Et hoc
omnibus
quoroum interest innotescimus per presentes. Damus autem [Mandatum] singulis
ligeis
nostris, civitatis nostre predicte, quod nec ipsi nec eorum aliquis, perturbent
nec
impetant, perturbet nec impetat, magistros Scolarum predict. quovis modo in hac
parte, sed potius eis assistant & subveniant quantum in se existat. In
cujus, &c. T. R.
apud Westm. 6. die Maij."
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There was also an Act of Parliament to confirm this.
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All these antient Schools are long since dissolved and vanished, except St.
Anthonies
which outlasted the rest; but better are established in their Rooms. For the
Difference
between these and our later Schools is, that though these were publick and
common
Schools, yet were not free; only such Boys as were hopeful, and their Parents
poor,
were exhibited to, and their Schooling paid for by the voluntary good Will of
Noble
Men and Merchants, and the Richer Sort of Citizens. But the Schools of later
Times,
which we call Free-Schools, do much exceed them, in that they are Houses founded
by
pious Men, and a Yearly competent Maintenance settled upon the Teachers, on
condition to teach such a Number of the Children of the Parish, where they are
built,
freely without taking any Salary or Reward from their Parents of Friends.
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Free Schools.
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Of this latter and more modern sort of Schools, the City now hath these
following, viz.
that near St. Pauls, that near Mercers Chapel, both belonging to the Company of
Mercers; that near Canning-street, belonging to the Merchant Taylors Company;
one in
Ratcliff, one in Barking Parish, one in White Chappel, one in Cripplegate
Parish:
Others belonging to Hospitals; two in Southwark, besides many more maintained by
the Societies for Reformation of Manners. To which add several others in the
neighbouring City of Westminster, to be mentioned particularly when we come to
the
Description of that City. But before we take any further notice of any of these
Schools,
let us first make some Mention of old St. Anthonies.
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The present Free Schools.
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That of St. Anthonies, though it be now extinct, yet for the Antiquity and Fame
of it,
when it stood, in this our Perambulation, we are bound to go and visit even in
the
Ruins of it. It was situate in Broadstreet-Ward, in the Parish of St. Benet
Fink, and
near the Place where the French Church now stands in Thredneedle Street. This
School
was large and fair, and (before St. Paul's School was founded) of the chiefest
Account
in London; and many eminent Scholars were bred up in it, of which Sir Thomas
More
was one, whose Master was named Nicholas Holt, a Man of Fame and Learning in
those Days. The School was part of an Hospital well endowed, dedicated to St.
Anthony of Vienna, which at length Edward IV. annexed and appropriated to the
Collegiate Church of Windsor, to enjoy the same with all the Estate thereunto
belonging, to their proper use, when it should become void by Death,
Resignation, or
otherwise. The Revenues of the School being at length embezzelled, it is now
come to
nothing: Yet it was in being in the beginning of Q. Elizabeth's Time, when one
Hilton,
a grave and good Man was Master. But more of the Antiquities of this School may
be
read when we come to Broadstreet Ward.
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St. Anthonies School.
Monastic. Anglican.
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The next Foundation appointed for the Education of Youth, both for Antiquity and
Repute, is that called St. Pauls School, Built and well Endowed by an excellent
Pious
and Learned Clergyman, Dr. John Colet, K. Henry the VIIIth's esteemed Chaplain,
Dean of St. Pauls, the only surviving Son of Sir Henry Colet, Knt. Citizen and
Mercer
of London, and twice Lord Maior of the
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St. Pauls School.
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