A History of Giggleswick School Part 4

One Archbishop excommunicated him, another--Archbishop Sharpe--also a Christ's man, discussed the matter with the help of tobacco and a bottle of wine. Sharpe's main objection was that a second school was not required so close to Giggleswick, and an Academy for public instruction in University Learning could not lawfully receive a Bishop's license. In the main he was undisturbed during his last years and when he died in 1698 over three hundred pupils had pa.s.sed through his hands and his Academy was later transferred to Manchester and in 1889 to Oxford, where it became known as the Manchester New College. During the period of Frankland's struggles with the dignitaries of the Church, one Samuel Watson, of Stainforth, who had been a Governor of Giggleswick School was in 1661 "willing being a Quaker that another should be elected in his place." Eight years later he interrupted a service in the Parish Church, and the people "brok his head upon ye seates."

In 1656 William Walker resigned the masters.h.i.+p and for three months his place was taken by William Bradley, who had been a pensioner at S.

John's, Cambridge, at the same time as the Usher, William Wilsonne.

William Brigge was then elected. He was an University man and almost certainly at Cambridge, but his college is doubtful.

In 1659 the Shute Scholars.h.i.+p was to be given "to Tho. Green's son of Stainforth, when a certificate comes of his admittance" into the University. This was a precaution that was not unnecessary. It is only rarely that the money is entered as being paid to the scholar himself: far more often is it paid to the father or mother and sometimes to the boy's college Tutor. On March 12, 1660, it is agreed "that the 5 is to be paid to Tho. Gibson, his Tutor, upon his admittance into the Collidge." In 1673, Hugh, son of Oliver Stackhouse, "being ye poorest scoller" was awarded the money.

The North Cave Estate, which had been given to the School as part of its endowment in 1553, had very greatly increased in value during the hundred years to 1671, when the rents amounted to over 80. The stipends of the Masters were raised by means of a gratuity and William Brigge received 30. No reason appears why after fifteen years' service and an increased gratuity he should still be receiving 10 a year less than one of his predecessors, Rowland Lucas, in 1644.

Thomas Wildeman, the Usher, received 15. Wilson had died in 1666 and one William Cowgill, of whom we know nothing, succeeded him for four years. In 1671 Wildeman took his place. One Thomas Wildeman had been at Giggleswick as a boy and had entered Magdalene, Cambridge, in 1670, and then migrated to Christ's. The dates make it possible that they are the same person, in which case he would be continuing to keep his terms at Cambridge and be acting as Usher at the same time.

The Accounts of the School at this period shew the Governors in a different light. Their expenditure not having increased proportionately to their income, the surplus money was lent out at interest to the people in the village. Hugh Stackhouse, who had gone up to Christ's with school money on account of his great poverty, was at this time acting as Treasurer or Clerk and was one of the earliest to take advantage of the Governors' enterprize. He borrowed 10 at five per cent. and the debt continues to be mentioned for many years. He would appear to be a privileged debtor.

The following is a typical entry in the Account Book:

On March 12, 1686.

Interest and Bonds for ye Schoole

_s._ _d._ Antho. Armitstead 00 10 00 Tho. Brayshay 00 05 00 Antho. Barrows 00 05 00 Tho. Stackhouse 00 08 09 Robte. Cookson 00 10 00 Tho. Carr, of Settle, at year for 20 00 10 00 Nathaniel More at 20 01 00 00 Robte. Cookson at 100 05 00 00 Hugh Stackhouse at 10 00 10 00 Mr. Wildman at 20 01 00 00

The Mr. Wildman here referred to may have been the Usher, who belonged to a Giggleswick family but had given up the post of Usher, which at this date was held by John Sparke formerly of Christ's and possibly the same as the John Sparke who was Vicar of Long Preston in 1703. William Brigge had also left in 1684 and for six months his work was taken by a former Usher, John Parkinson, who had matriculated as a Sizar at Christ's in 1676 and after taking his degree came for two years as Usher in place of Wildeman. On Brigge's death he acted as Headmaster, but whether he was definitely appointed such or was intended to be in charge for a short time only is doubtful, as he died in six months.

June 12, 1685. "Mr John Armittsteade entred to ye Schole."

John Armitstead was born at Long Preston in 1660, and after being at Giggleswick as a boy, he went up to Cambridge at the age of nineteen with a Burton Exhibition. He was entered as a Sizar at Christ's, and commenced B.A. in 1682-3 and M.A. 1688. The name of Armitstead has been very closely connected with the School even to the present day.

Henry Roome was Usher for one quarter in 1688 and then gave place to Richard Atkinson or Akinson, whose salary varied from year to year, but never exceeded a certain limit, viz.: just half the Master's, which consisted of "ye ancient Master's Stipend" of twenty marks and a gratuity which brought it between 40 and 50. There are also small entries in places, such as:

October 1, 1687.

Paid to Mr. Armitstead for repairs about ye schoole loft and garden that he had laid out, as particulars may appeare, which noate of particulars he delivered to ye summe of 4 17_s._ 06_d._ In which noate theire was a Presse that stands in ye schoole chamber, it is theire to remaine to belonge to ye schoole.

Richard Ellershaw, the Vicar, took a very great interest in the School, and in 1718 he wrote to Christ's College, Cambridge, seeking information about the Carr Scholars.h.i.+ps. It was probably due to him that in 1693 two s.h.i.+llings was laid down for transcribing part of Carr's Will, which money "the schollars that receive Burton Exhibitions must then (i.e.

1694) allow to the school stock."

One point of interest remains connected with this period: it is a curious slip of paper without date, which contains an invitation to the reader, whoever he may have been, to visit the writer J.N. in the country. It is written on the back of some of Armitstead's accounts, with an alternative version by its side, which was no doubt a revised copy of the theme after correction by the Master:

Ex animo rogo ut rus venias quod cupio tuo frui sodalitio tum quia tua frequentia haud parvam ferat consolationem parentibus natu grandioribus, persuasum habeto alii qui potentiores sunt et pluribus abundant divitiis plura in te conferant beneficia sed nemo libentiori et promptiori est animo tuum promovere honorem quam humillimus servus. J.N.

Permultum cupio rus venias et quod vehemens est desiderium tuo frui comercio, tum quod tua frequentia admodum esset consolabilis parentibus senilibus, certum habeto alii tum potentiores tum divitiores plura tibi faciant beneficia sed nemo et libentior et promtior est tuam ornare dignitatem quam servus humillimus. J.N.

The money left to the School by Josias Shute was in part intended to be paid to the poor of the parish, together with two further sums of five s.h.i.+llings left by William Clapham and nine s.h.i.+llings by Mr. Thornton for the same purpose. It is difficult to note the payment of these sums, for they were as a rule added together and entered as "For the Poor Fund,"

but in 1695 there was paid to:

_s._ _d._ John Grime Wilkinson 00 02 00 Wm. Nelson 00 01 00 Bryan Cookson 00 07 00 J Robinson 00 01 00 Mary Pert 00 01 00 Thos. c.o.c.ket 00 01 00 Ric. Harrison 00 01 00 00 14 00

Shute's surplus was certainly given to the poor in some years but there is no consistent record and by the scheme made under the Endowed Schools Acts it ceased. In 1692 "Arthur, son of Joshua Whitaker, of Settle, appearing to us to be ye poorest schollar that stood candidate for ye said gift" was allowed the Shute Exhibition of 5. He also received 7 of the Burton Rents, and in May, 1698, as much as 9 10_s._ 0_d._ With these sums he was enabled to go to Christ's College, Cambridge, where he gained a Scholars.h.i.+p and by the year 1698 in March, which under the new style would be March 1699, he had returned to the School as Usher, in succession to Richard Akinson. He taught for fifteen years and received as usual, just half the Headmaster's stipend, the amount varying between 23 and 27. On March 12, 1712, the following entry occurs: "Recd of ye Governors of ye free Gramar School of Gigleswick ye sum of two pounds eighteen s.h.i.+llings and sixpence for ye use of my brother Wm. Foster, now Curate of Horsefield," but it turns out to be a payment of that part of the Exhibition to which he was ent.i.tled, up till the time he had left Cambridge, presumably in the previous June.

John Armitstead's receipts end in 1704, and he died in 1712. It is impossible to determine the worth of a Master, when so few doc.u.ments remain to judge him, but the Governors of 1768 thought fit to refer to "the artful and imperious temper of Mr. Armitstead." Their particular grievance was that in 1704 the Governors had a balance of 230 with which they purchased a farm called Keasden. This they let and its profits went to the Master and Usher, and in 1712 the "easy, complying disposition of the Governors" was persuaded to allow the Master to collect the rents of all the lands belonging to the School and simply enter a receipt "of the wages now due to us." Consequently no accounts were kept from 1704 till 1765, and because there was no reserve fund presumably no repairs were done. The Master collected the rents and with his Usher divided the spoil. He even seized the 15 which remained over from the purchase money of the Keasden farm. Nor was this all. Up to the year 1705 the Master paid for the expenses of the Governors' Meetings but in that year the Governors were persuaded to deduct sixpence in the pound from the Exhibitions given to the boys going up to the Universities. This deduction continued till the nineteenth century.

Judging then from the opinions of the Governors fifty years later, John Armitstead was not wholly an altruist. It is still more unfortunate that his evil lived after him.

The number of Scholars, who went up to Cambridge in his time though less than it had been, was still considerable. During his twenty-eight years, as many as twenty-seven went to Christ's alone, including the first Paley who is known to have been educated at the School. The greater proportion always went to Christ's until the last decade of the eighteenth century, but other Colleges received them also, notably at certain periods S. John's.

CHAPTER VI.

The Eighteenth Century.

John Armitstead ceased to acknowledge the receipt of his wages in 1704 and died in 1712. Just as he had belonged to a local family and had been educated at the School and Christ's College, Cambridge, so was his successor.

John Carr, A.B., late of Stackhouse, was a descendant of the original James and Richard Carr and was thus the third member of the family to hold the Masters.h.i.+p. He had been elected to the combined Exhibitions from the School in 1707, and after taking his degree he was ordained Deacon at York in 1713 and Priest in 1720. On June 18, 1712, as a layman and at the age of twenty-three he entered upon his duties as Master.

Seven days later a relative, of what degree is uncertain, William Carr, of Langcliffe, was elected a Governor, and eight years later another William Carr, of Stackhouse, and hence probably a closer connexion, possibly his father, was also made a Governor. In 1726 George Carr was made Usher. The family circle was complete.

After 1704 the position of Usher had been successively filled by Anthony Weatherhead, a former pupil of Armitstead's and a B.A. of Christ's, by Thos. Rathmell from whom there are no receipts but who died in 1712, and by Richard Thornton, who held it for fourteen years. There is no record that he was ever a member of the School as a boy, but it is a legitimate conjecture, when it is remembered that the Thorntons were an old family in the neighbourhood, and one of them figures in the Minute-Book, 1692, as having left nine s.h.i.+llings to the Giggleswick poor.

On the day on which John Carr was elected Master he had to sign an agreement in the following terms:

June 18, 1712.

Conditions on which a master shall be chosen.

1. He shall observe all the statutes of the schoole.

2. And particularly the writing master shall hereafter be chosen by ye Governours at the usuall day of meeting in March and ye time to be appointed by the Master, as has been formerly practic'd.

3. That the masters shall, upon receipt of any moneys from Northcave, Rise, etc., acquaint at least one of ye Governours, when such moneys are paid to them, give the said Governour or Governours an acquittance under their hands, and ye moneys receiv'd to be entred into the schoole booke and the private acquittance given to be delivered back to the masters on the day of meeting in march aforesaid.

4. That ye masters shall take the rents of the Keasden lands, when due, and give an acquittance for the same to the Governours on the usuall day of March.

5. Whereas ye statutes enjoyn that the Governours, when they meet about ye business of ye school, shall be content with moderate charges, it is agreed that those moderate charges on ye usuall day of meeting in March shall not exceed at any one meeting the sum of one pound per Annum.

To ye above written articles, I, John Carr, A.B., give my consent and promise to observe them.

JOHN CARR.

It cannot be explained why these regulations were made, but probably the real point of friction had lain in the collection of rents, or perhaps in the choice of the Writing Master. It is clear from the second clause that the original custom has not changed much. The Ancient Statutes of 1592 had given the Master power to appoint a three weeks vacation, when he wished, in order that the "scollers" might "be exercysed in wrytinge under a scriviner" and it is the same in 1712. It proves that, although the School was a free school and was the place of education for the whole towns.h.i.+p of Giggleswick and the surrounding neighbourhood, it was not a place for elementary education and never had been.

The fifth paragraph bears reference to the agreement made with John Armitstead in 1705, by which the Masters ceased to provide the entertainment at the Governors' Meetings. Henceforward the amount to be expended is limited to one pound per annum.

In 1720 Richard Thornton was allowed to act as Clerk to Charles Harris, Esq., for six months. It does not transpire who Charles Harris was, but the case is somewhat paralleled seventy years later, when in 1793 Robert Kidd is "to take the trouble of keeping accounts, etc., for the Governors and be allowed an additional sum of two guineas per annum."

In 1726 Richard Thornton resigned and George Carr took his place.

Nothing worthy of note is recorded until John Carr's death in 1744, save that in 1728 the said John Carr received 1 11_s._ 8_d._, "to be laid out in building a little house for ye use of ye schoole," but what it was, is not known. The number of boys going up to the Universities in Carr's time fell off unaccountably, though they included John Cookson whose entry "probe edoctus" in the Christ's College Admission Book testifies to the teaching in the School.

Carr died in 1743 and was succeeded by William Paley. Born at Langcliffe, educated at the School and admitted into Christ's as a Sizar with a Burton Exhibition in 1729-30, William Paley gained a Scholars.h.i.+p there two years later. He became ordained and was made Vicar of Helpston, Peterborough, where his eldest son was born. He remained Vicar for sixty-four years till his death and combined the living with the Headmasters.h.i.+p of Giggleswick and for twenty years with a Curacy at the Parish Church.