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OLD SWAN CHARITY SCHOOL By James Hoult

'T"S HE origin of the School was due to the JL philanthropic sympathies of four local gentle­ men Thomas Staniforth, Thomas Parke, Richard Watt, and Joseph Jackson. They built and fur­ nished the school, and then asked the Bishop of Chester, in whose diocese it was, to nominate a master, they agreeing to contribute thirty guineas a year as his salary. A Mr. John Holme was accordingly nominated and appointed. The school was built to be a free school for the children of the poor. It seems to have been opened at the beginning of 1794, for in April that year the master received his first quarter's salary. The four gentlemen who provided the school were so notable that a short account of each is worth recording. THOMAS STANIFORTH was a man of wealth. He lived at Broad-Green Hall, and had also a town residence in Ranelagh Street, which eventually became the Waterloo Hotel, familiarly known as Lynn's; its exact situation is now part of the main entrance to the Cheshire Lines Railway station. The Staniforth family have had some useful and distinguished members, among them the Rev. Thomas Staniforth, who was stroke in the Oxford Eight in the first University boat-race between Oxford and Cambridge, rowed in 1829, and result­ ing in an easy win for Oxford. He afterwards 256 Charity School resided at Storrs Hall, Windermere. The present representative of the old family is the squire of Kirk Hammerton, Yorkshire. Locally the school was called Parke's School, and it would appear that members of that family took a great interest in it. Mr. Parke of Highfield was the founder of a famous family, the most eminent member of which was James Parke, in his day a well-known lawyer and judge. He was knighted in 1828 and made baron in 1856, thereby helping to make national history, for it was he who was objected to by the members of the House of Lords. They declined to allow him, as Lord Wensleydale, to sit in their House, on the ground that his was merely a life peerage, and they insisted at the time upon all new members of their House being heredi­ tary peers. Lord Wensleydale, lawfully summoned to Parliament, was shut out from his seat till the new patent was granted securing the seat after him to his male descendants, if any. He had three daughters: i. Cecilia Anne, who married in 1841 Sir Matthew White Ridley, baronet, and had a son, the first Viscount Ridley. 2. Mary, who married the Hon. Charles Wentworth George Howard, son of the sixth Earl of Carlisle, and her son (born 1843) is George James, ninth Earl of Carlisle. 3. Charlotte Alice, who married in 1853 the Hon. William Lowther, brother of the third Earl of Lonsdale; her son, born in 1855, is the present Speaker of the House of Commons. THOMAS PARKE, Lord Wensleydale's brother, was one of the founders and was first treasurer; at his death his widow, Anne Parke, took his place, showing a keen interest in the girls' department of the school. JOSEPH JACKSON of Fir Grove, Old Swan, and Callender Court, Derby Street (now Whitechapel), Liverpool, was evidently a landed proprietor or wealthy, for in the Liverpool Directory of 1800 he Old Swan Charity School 257 has " esquire " affixed to his name ; in those days it indicated more than it does to-day. Joseph Jackson was one of the Commissioners appointed under the Enclosure Act, 8 Geo. Ill, c. 51, that notorious Act which Bamber Gascoigne, M.P. for Liverpool and Lord of the Manor of Wavertree, was the means of passing through Parliament, whereby a large amount of land (public) of trian­ gular shape, extending from Monk's Well, Waver­ tree, to Wavertree Nook in one direction, and to what used to be Elm House (Alderman Watt's) in the other direction, was divided between Bamber Gascoigne and his tenants, he taking for himself the lion's share. Joseph Jackson was the senior Commissioner appointed to see that the Act was properly carried out. His daughter and heiress married Roger Parr, merchant, of Paradise Street, and they had a son, Joseph Parr, who succeeded to his grandfather's estate and lived at Fir Grove, where he died in 1820. This Joseph Parr in his time acted as a trustee to the Old Swan School. As the Parrs became a noted family and the bank bearing their name is world-renowned, it is worthy of record that Joseph Parr married Ellen, daughter of Matthew Lyon of , on i8th October 1780, and they had two children: Joseph Parr of Fir Grove, who died unmarried iQth June 1824, was a banker at Warrington, founding " Parr's Bank " ; and a younger brother, Thomas Parr, who became later a trustee of Old Swan School, and who was heir to his brother's estate. He afterwards removed to Grappenhall, Cheshire. RICHARD WATT lived at Oak Hill House, Old Swan. He had been a poor boy himself. He came originally from Standish, went out to the West Indies, became a sugar planter, and returned to his old home a very rich man. His extensive stables are still to be seen near the school. Miss Watt of 258 Old Swan Charity School Hall is descended from his nephew and heir, another Richard Watt. It is pleasant to find that owners and occupiers of the larger houses of the district took an interest in the school and made contributions towards its upkeep. They were James Clemens, who built Ashfield, : he became a Magis­ trate, and was Mayor of Liverpool in 1775 ; Edmund Molyneux of the Round House, or as it is now called the Old Hall, Sandfield Park ; and Alderman Peter Rigby, who built Moss House, Old Swan, and became Mayor of Liverpool in the year 1774. Among the names of later trustees are the fol­ lowing : Robert Preston, who bought Fir Grove in 1828 from the executors of Joseph Parr, and was the founder of the noted distillery firm; and John Clarke, a town councillor, who became Mayor of Liverpool in 1809. His brother was for many years Recorder of Liverpool. The total cost of the school and schoolhouse amounted to ^351, is. 4d. It took a long time to build, the first payment being dated 26th November 1791 (for the making of a ditch), the last (for the writing of the covenant deed) 25th May 1795. The building is still in existence, and is used as a mission room. The writer is indebted to Rev. W. J. Elslie, M.A., for permission to inspect the minute-book of the old school. THE PROPOSALS. The following were the original Proposals of the founders. Some of them for example, the restric­ tions on teaching writing and arithmetic appear very strange to moderns: Old Swan Charity School 259 THE SUBSCRIBERS having been at the Expence of erecting a House at the West End of the Mill Lane near the Old Swan in the Township of for the purpose of establishing a CHARITY SCHOOL for the Benefit of the Poor in the Neighbourhood thereof, the chief Object of which shall be to promote Decency of Behaviour and by teaching the Children to read to instill into their Minds more effectu­ ally the Principles of Religion and a proper Sense of moral Duty, have come to the following Resolutions: i st. THAT the Master of the said School shall be a Member of the established of , of good moral character, of sufficient Knowledge and Ability to instruct Children in reading the English Language and also in Writing and Accounts. He shall not be in Holy Orders or a Teacher of a seperate Congre­ gation ; though professing himself of the Established Church; Nevertheless to prevent the Master, as far as is possible under any Authority whatever from keeping possession of the School contrary to the Rules prescribed; the Master shall previous to his appointment enter into a Bond to the Patrons in a penalty equal to the Amount of six Years clear Salary (with a Surety, if required) conditioned to quit the School, Dwelling House and Premises within four Months after Notice given him; any Licence or Authority to the Contrary notwithstanding. and. THAT the Master shall have a Salary of thirty Guineas per Annum to be paid quarterly with the Use of the House and School free of any Expence or Deduction whatever (the Glass Windows excepted which must at all Times be repaired and kept in Order by him); and it is also expected and understood that he shall keep a good and sufficient Fire in the School at his own Expence from the ist. of October to the ist. of May; and in order to prevent the Premises from going out of repair, the Residence of the Master, if a single man, must not be at a greater Distance than one Quarter of a Mile from the School, provided he does not live in the House, but should it so be that the Master is married or hath a Family, it is expected that he shall reside in the House, upon pain in either Case of forfeiting the School for Non Residence. 3rd. THAT at the first Meeting of the Subscribers one of them shall be appointed the Treasurer and Visitor, who shall receive the Annual Subscriptions for the Support and Maintenance of the said School, and likewise any and all free Gifts or Bene­ factions of such Persons as are disposed to encourage the same, and likewise attend to any alterations or Repairs that may be necessary at or about the Building; who shall continue in Office till the Annual Meeting to be held at the School on the second Monday in March following at twelve o'Clock at Noon, when he must make up his Accounts, be re-elected or another Person 260 Old Swan Charity School appointed in his Room. At which Time each Subscriber shall pay his proportion of the Annual Salary of thirty Guineas for the Master for the ensuing year into the Hands of the new Treasurer, and also his share of all such reasonable Expences or Disburs- ments as may have been expended by the late Treasurer. 4th. THAT no Children shall be admitted under the Age of six Years, nor any that are not so far instructed as to know the Alphabet perfectly; that none shall be permitted to continue after the Age of fourteen Years, unless such Children were of the age of twelve Years when admitted, in which Case they may be allowed to continue till they attain their fifteenth Year, and that the whole number of the Scholars shall not at any Time exceed Forty; ten of which to be nominated by each Subscriber and shall be taught to read the Psalter and New Testament; and that each Subscriber shall have a Power and Authority to direct the said Master to teach such of the boys, not exceeding the Number of three out of the List of such as are appointed by him, to write and likewise the common Rules of Arithmetic, but that the Master shall not on any pretence whatever presume to teach any of the Boys to write or to understand Arithmetic with­ out the special Orders and Directions of the Subscribers. 5th. THAT the names of all the Scholars shall be entered by the Master at the Time of Admission, in a Book to be kept for the Inspection of the Subscribers according to the Form agreed upon, and that an alphabetical List be likewise kept of the same in order to ascertain with ease and Exactness the particular time each has been under Instruction; whether they are taken away in due form and order or discharged by the Subscribers for Irregularity or Misconduct; also a Book so formed as to ascer­ tain the Regularity of each Scholars Attendance. 6th. THAT all the Scholars be required constantly to attend Church or some place of Public Worship on Sundays, where they must behave themselves with the greatest Decency, such as go to Church to walk in Procession Morning and Evening every Sunday with the Master from the first Sunday in April to the last Sunday in September both inclusive; and to attend him to repeat the Church Catechism after Evening Service; any one absenting himself or herself therefrom or neglecting to attend the School without good and sufficient Cause, the Master shall give immediate notice to the Subscriber in whose List of Nomi­ nation he or she is inserted, that Inquiry may be made in Order to enforce a proper Submission to the Rules and Regulations of the School or in Default that the Visitor of the said School may order the Aggressor to be expeled. yth. THAT if any of the Scholars, after proper Admonition by the Master, for Lying, Swearing, Stealing or other immoral Con­ duct, remain incorrigible, such Children on Complaint to the Visitor shall be excluded. Old Swan Charity School 261 8th. THAT the Hours of Attendance at School shall be from Eight to Twelve in the Morning and from One to Five in the After­ noon from the twenty fifth of March to the tenth October; and from Nine to Twelve in the Morning and from One to Four in the Afternoon from the tenth October to the twenty fifth March, the Master observing to teach those Children the first, who are the greatest Distance from Home. 9th. THAT if the Children of the Poor within that Part of the Township of West Derby and Neighbourhood, for whom the Charity is intended, shall not amount to Forty, the Master shall be at Liberty to receive others of the same Township into the School to compleat that Number and to demand quarterage for them, the Subscribers being first acquainted, and such as have their Recommendation prefered. icth. THAT the Master shall not be restricted from admitting any Person after School Hours to learn Writing Accounts &c. for his own Emolument. nth. THAT the Parents or Friends of the Children shall give one Months Notice before they remove or take any of them from the School, that the Subscribers may have sufficient time to sub­ stitute others to succeed them. 12th. THAT the Subscribers shall each in his seperate Capacity consider it a Duty incumbent upon him to visit the School as often as he conveniently can, in Order to give Consequence to and support the Authority of the Master, making at the same time a particular Inquiry into his Conduct and the Proficiency of the Scholars. 13th. THAT the Names of the Scholars shall be called over every Morning and Afternoon upon their entering the School, after which the Master must read a short and suitable collection of Prayers calculated in a more especial Manner to impress the Minds of Youth with a Sense of their Duty to God and at the same Time to remind them of the Blessings they enjoy, which can only be continued to them so long as they submit and con­ duct themselves in such a Manner as he shall approve. I4th. THAT the Master shall Instruct the Children in the Church Catechism every Thursday at 11 o'clock in the Forenoon during the whole Year. 15th. THAT the different Vacations shall not in the whole exceed five weeks in each Year and in Order that the Master may be accomodated as much as possible, that he shall have a Liberty of dividing the same at Christmas and Whitsuntide in such Proportions as may be agreeable and the most convenient to himself. 16th. THAT should the Annual Subscription of any of the Proprietors of the School be withheld and unpaid for the space of Twelve Months after the Time that the same ought to have 262 Old Swan Charity School been paid to the Treasurer agreeable to the Third Resolution and after having been regularly demanded; he or they so neglect­ ing or refusing to pay the same shall from that Time forfeit his or their Share Part or Property in the said Building and Premises and be no longer considered as having Right or Interest therein. 17th. THAT on the Death of any one of the Proprietors of the said School his Share shall devolve to and be from thence vested in his Heir or Representatives provided he or they continue and pay the Annual Subscription of the deceased and subscribe his or their name or Names to the General Rules established for the Good Government of the same. 18th. THAT the Treasurer may call a Meeting of the Sub­ scribers whenever he may see it necessary, one Weeks previous Notice being always given, in Order to consider alter and improve any of these Resolutions or to make any addition thereto; but should any of the Subscribers be absent from Home or Sick at the Time of making any new Laws, by which he or they may be prevented from attending, the same shall be subject to the Revisal of the Annual Meeting when any of these Rules may be rescinded and such others adopted as a Majority of the Subscribers present may think proper. RICHARD WATT THOMAS PARKE JOSEPH JACKSON THOMAS STANI FORTH