CHAPTER XIV . t e Grammar *cOoof and (JuBeu £harifieg. THE GRAMMAR SCHOOL. HERE were only about half a dozen grammar schools in Lancashire when Queen Elizabeth ascended the throne, and seeing the great want of such a means of education in Rochdale, Archbishop Parker in 1561 proposed to the in- habitants that they should raise a fund to build a school, which he would be prepared to endow, and by indenture dated 4th November, 1562, the vicar granted a site for the building out of the glebe lands ; this conveyance required the confirmation of the archbishop, which was however not received until loth June, 1565, probably because, the necessary funds not having been forthcoming, the school was not completed. From a letter dated 2nd May, 1565, from Francis and Charles Holt, Esquires, and Charles Radcliffe, to the arch- bishop, it appears that the school was then finished . In the meantime the archbishop by indenture dated 1st January, 1564, between himself, the masters and fellows of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, and the vicar and church- wardens of Rochdale, had assigned a perpetual stipend to a master and under master for teaching the youth of the parish gratis in the school there to be provided and governed by them, in manner as the archbishop or his successors should appoint. The stipend was to be fifteen pounds a year for the master and two pounds for the under master, which was to be paid by the farmer of the rectory . , The master was to be appointed by the archbishop or his successors, or if the see was vacant, or in default of appointment within three months of a vacancy occurring, the master of Corpus Christi College was to * This seventeen pounds was obtained from Sir John Byron by the archbishop after a long lawsuit with the former, in consequence of his having failed to pay the stipends of the ministers .-Strype's Life of Parker . THE GRAMMAR SCHOOL AND PUBLIC CHARITIES . 271 appoint, but in case neither of these filled up the vacancy then the appoint- ment was to be made by the vicar ; the deed sets forth that this was done by the archbishop "for his good will towards the inhabitants, that their youth might be brought up in the learning of true piety and the Latin tongue ." The boys were to be taught gratis, if there were not more than one hundred and fifty, or less than fifty scholars daily . , When Sir John Byron (i Ith December, 1590) received a renewal of his lease of the rectory, one of the conditions was that the seventeen pounds just referred to was to be paid by him until the same be paid by the Blackburn rectory ; 2 this arrangement was not carried out . The school subsequently received various endowments . From an indenture of lease and re-lease bearing date 31st October and ist Novem- ber, 1682, it appears that Elizabeth Dickson, wife of Robert Dickson and widow of John Chadwick, D.D .,3 declared that her former husband had intended to settle lands for her use, but with the proviso that three pounds a year should be payable thereout after her decease to the master of the free grammar school of Rochdale, on condition that he taught free nine poor boys in the town or parish ; she had therefore purchased lands in the county of York, which she had charged with this payment .4 This rent charge was not paid after f8oo. A Mr. Linney of Rochdale gave two pounds a year to the school.5 Canon Raines believed that this was represented by the two pounds a year paid to the school by the Chadwicks of Healey. Jeremy Hargreaves, by will dated 16th January, 1696, left twenty pounds to the school, the interest whereof was to be paid for teaching writing. This benefactor was a solicitor in Roch- dale in 1719 ; this money was used to improve the buildings at Newfield Head. James Holt of Castleton Hall, Esq ., left by will bearing date 24th November, 1712, the sum of one hundred pounds for the master, on condition that he educated free so many poor boys, not exceeding six, settled inhabitants whose parents were unable to educate them, as the vicar and churchwardens should nominate. This sum and Hargreaves' bequest were in 1735 invested with the other money [see Shepherd's charity] in the purchase of Newfield Head farm in Butterworth, it being agreed that half the rent went to the school .6 In 1826 the Charity Com- ' Charity Com. Report, 18x5-35, 269 (Lancashire) . A copy of the endowment deed is in the church chest . 2 State Papers .-Dom . Set ., Vol. 277 . z Dr. Chadwick, son of John Chadwick of Healey Hall. 4 Copy of original deed in possession of Mr. E. Lyon Taylor. s Gast. Not . Cest .-Chet . Soc ., xix., 131 . 6 Charity Com . Report, 1815-35 . 272 HISTORY OF THE PARISH OF ROCHDALE . missioners reported that there were only sixteen scholars in the school, and the master was determined not to take more, as without an usher he considered that he could not attend to a greater number . Girls as well as boys were admitted . The master considered that he was bound to teach free all boys who only wanted to learn " true piety and the Latin tongue," but no boys applied who did not require to be taught other branches of literature, and for such he considered himself authorized to make his own charge . The school, which was not pulled down until 1846 (when the present building was erected), was only sixty feet in length and twenty feet in breadth. In was built of rough stone and covered with flag slates . Adjoining was a chamber to which access was gained by a flight of stone steps from the outside . This was originally the master's house but it was latterly let to the person who cleaned the school . HEAD MASTERS. ROBERT RADCLIFFE was the first master, and was appointed in 1565, He was still here in 1580.' He was a son of Charles Radcliffe of Todmorden Hall. [See Chap. XVIII .] He married Katherine a daughter of Arthur Assheton of Clegg Hall. He was buried in the Rochdale Church, 1st November, 1605 . ROBERT WALKDEN, ludimagister, occurs in a deed dated 6th June, 1589. The church registers contain the christenings of several children of a Robert Walkden in 1582 and following years . RICHARD HOLTE. He was buried at Rochdale, 14th December, 1605, and his will was proved three days afterwards at Chester, and he is there described as "late schoolmaster" of this school . He was one of the Holts of Ashworth Hall . From his will it appears that he was a married man and had an interest in property in Spotland . To his usher, John Chadwick, he left a treatise on "Paul's Epistles ;" to James Holt of Rochdale, he left a Bible, a Greek Lexicon and a Thomas' Latin Dictionary . To the vicar he bequeathed " Buden's Commentaries upon the Greek Tongue ." His library was valued at thirty shillings, his apparel at fifty-two shillings, and a stone of black wool at elevenpence . 'The Townley Nowell M.S.-Grosart, p. 270 . ROCHDALE GRAMMAR SCHOOL IN 1840. PROM A DRAWING I :V W . I'IIVSICK (IN Till! AUTHOR'S POSSESSION) THE GRAMMAR SCHOOL AND PUBLIC CHARITIES . 273 ROBERT MARLAND resigned in 161o. 1 He was the son of James Marland of Marland, gentleman. A child of his was buried 24th February, 16io-II . REV. JOHN ASHWORTH, curate of Milnrow, was head master for a short time. He died in 1617 . [See Chap. X.] REV. RICHARD WALKER occurs in 1622. Buried at Rochdale, 4th December, 1625 ; his wife on the 14th December, in the same year . REV. THOMAS BROWNS Died at Rochdale, 13th October, 1637 .2 If he was the head master (the evidence of which is not very clear it would be from 1625 to 1629 . He was curate of Whitworth and Littleborough . LAURENCE ORMEROD, B .A. Licensed to the school 22nd June, 1629.3 He was a son of Laurence Ormerod of Ormerod, gentleman . He married, for his second wife, Frances sister of Samuel Radcliffe, D.D., principal of Brasenose College, Oxford . REV. JOHN WICKVNS, M.A. A native of Tylehurst in Berks ; appointed t Ith June, 1638 and remained until 1643 . His son, John Wickyns, was high master of the Manchester Grammar School.4 REV. JAMES STEVENSON, in 1642-3 ; was buried at Rochdale, 3rd March, 1648-9 . REV. ZACHARY TAYLOR was born in 1618, and graduated at Dublin ; and on leaving the university held an appointment in Ireland. In 1649 he was rector of Grappenhall in Cheshire, which he did not hold long, as in April, 1653, he was master of the Bolton-le-moors Grammar School, and in 1654 he was appointed to the Rochdale School, hold- ing at the same time a curacy at the parish church under the Rev . Robert Bath and was with him ejected in 1662 . About the year 1673 or 1674 he was appointed head master to the Grammar School at Kirkham, where he died in February, 1692 . Many of his children were baptized at Rochdale. One of his sons, also called Zachary, was vicar of Ormskirk and rector of Croston . He was the author of "The Surey Imposter," London, 1697, and other works .5 REV. GEORGE JACKSON, B.A., of Emmanuel College, Cambridge . He was master from sometime before 26th October, 1676 to 1696. ' Raines' Memorials of Rochdale Grammar School (no authority given) . Do. 11 „ 11 11 3Bishop's Reg., Chester.