The petition granted and charter issued by Penn in 1701

This request was immediately granted by the Council,[167] and the school thus incorporated in 1697.[168] In 1701 Penn confirmed its incorporation by the following charter:

William Penn True and absolute Proprietary and Governor in Chief of the Province of Pennsylvania and territories thereunto belonging. To all to whom these presents shall come sendeth greeting. Whereas Charles the Second, late King of England by his letters patents bearing date the fourth day of March in the three and thirtieth year of his reign did grant unto me my heirs and assigns the said Province And Absolute Proprietary thereof with full power to me by the assent of the freemen there to make laws for the good and happy government of the same with divers other powers preheminsures jurisdictions, privileges and immunities therein specified. And Whereas I with a great colony of the People of God called Quakers for the free enjoyment of liberty of our consciences in matters of religion as of other privileges and advantages in the said patent granted as well to me the said Proprietary and Governor as also to the said people did transport ourselves unto the said Province and at our own risk costs pains and charges settled and planted the same the soil also of the said Province being first by me purchased of the Indian Natives. And forasmuch as by the laws of the said Province since enacted the Governor and Council have power to erect and order all public schools of literature and science. And Whereas Samuel Carpenter—Edward Shippen—Anthony Morris—James Fox—David Lloyd—William Southby and John Jones in behalf of themselves and the rest of the said people called Quakers Members of their Monthly Meeting at Philadelphia in the said Province by their petition to the Governor and Council of the said Province and territories at Philadelphia the tenth day of the twelfth month Anno Domini one thousand six hundred ninety seven (eight) set forth that it was the desire of many that a school should be set up and upheld in the said town of Philadelphia where poor children might be freely maintained taught and educated in good literature until they should be fit to be put apprentices or capable to be masters or Ushers in the said school requesting the Governor and Council in the said petition to ordain that at the said town of Philadelphia a Public School might be founded where all children male and female whose parents guardians or masters might be willing to subject them to the rules and orders of the school should from time to time with the approbation of the overseers thereof for the time being be received or admitted taught and instructed the rich at reasonable rates and the poor to be maintained and schooled for nothing. And that to that end a meet and convenient house or houses buildings or rooms might be erected for the keeping of the said school and for the entertainment and abode of such and so many Masters Ushers Mistresses and poor children as by the order and direction of the said Monthly Meeting should be free from time to time limited and appointed and also that the members of the aforesaid meeting for the time being might at their respective monthly meeting from time to time make choice of and admit such and so many persons as they should think fit to be Overseers Masters Ushers Mistresses and poor children of the said school and the same person or any of them to remove and displace as often as the said meeting shall see occasion, and that the overseers and school aforesaid might forever thereafter stand and be established and founded in name and in deed a body politic and corporate to have continuance forever by the name of the Overseers of the Public School grounded in Philadelphia at the request cost and charges of the people of God called Quakers. And that the said Overseers might have perpetual succession, and by that name they and their successors forever, have hold and enjoy all the lands tenements and chattels and receive and take all gifts and legacies that should be given granted or devised for the use and maintenance of said schools and poor scholars without further or other license or authority from the government on that behalf. Saving unto the Chief Proprietary his quit rents out of the said lands and that the said Overseers by the same name might with consent of the said Meeting have power and capacity to demise and grant by writing under their hand and common seal any of the said lands and tenements and to take and purchase any other lands and tenements and hereditaments for the best advantage of the said schools and to prescribe such rules and ordinances for the good order and government of the said school and of the masters ushers mistresses and poor children successively and for their and every of their stipends and allowances as to them members of the said monthly meeting for the time or the major part of them should seem meet, with power also to sue and be used and to do perform and execute all and every other lawful act and thing good and profitable for the said school in as full and ample manner as any other body politic and corporate more perfectly founded and incorporated might do and by the said petition which I have seen may more fully appear whereupon my then lieutenant Governor and Council did grant and order that the said schools should be founded and erected with the incorporation privileges and powers as desired. Now forasmuch as those of the said petitioners that are living have made fresh application to me in Council for confirming the said lieutenant Governor and Councils order and grant upon the said petition which being well weighed and considered by me I greatly favor the good inclinations and just and laudable desires and conscientious regards of the said petitioners and people for the education instruction and literature of their children and posterity and more especially their care and concerns for the poor on that behalf....

Therefore Know Ye that pursuant to the powers to me granted as aforesaid and to the laws of the said Province already enacted I have (by and with the consent of my Provincial Council) granted and confirmed all and every request matter and thing ... contained in the said petition and do by these presents for me my heirs and assigns grant ordain and establish that the said Public School shall be erected and founded, and I do grant, ordain and found the same to be kept forever hereafter in the said town of Philadelphia or in some convenient place adjacent as the overseers of the said school for the time being shall see meet and I do likewise grant and ordain that in the said school all children and servants as in the school petition requested shall from time to time (with approbation of the said Overseers) be received admitted taught and instructed as in the same petition is mentioned and desired and to the end that all meet and convenient houses, rooms, chambers and buildings may be erected for keeping of the said schools and entertainment of the masters ushers mistresses and poor children to be therein admitted as hereinafter mentioned. I do by these presents for me my heirs and successors grant and ordain that from the day of the date of these presents forever hereafter the members of the Monthly Meeting of the said People called Quakers in the town of Philadelphia for the time being shall have full and absolute power and authority and the same power is hereby given unto them in their respective monthly meetings from time to time to make choice of and admit such and so many persons as they shall think fit to be Overseers Masters Ushers Mistresses and poor children of the said school and the same persons or any of them to remove and displace as often as the said Meeting shall see occasion and likewise that the said Overseers shall have like powers and authority (with the direction and consent of the said Meeting) from time to time to frame and erect or cause or procure to be framed and erected such and so many houses and buildings as they shall see meet for the use and service of the said schools. And moreover I do by these presents for me my heirs and successors grant and ordain that the overseers and schools aforesaid shall forever hereafter stand and be established and founded and are hereby founded erected and established in name and in deed a body politic and corporate to continue forever by the name of The Overseers of the Public School founded in Philadelphia at the request cost and charges of the People of God called Quakers. And also that they the said overseers shall have perpetual succession and by the said name they and their successors shall forever have hold and enjoy (to the use of the said school) all the messuages lands tenements hereditaments goods and chattels and receive and take all gifts and legacies already given granted and devised or that shall be hereafter given granted or devised to the use and maintenance of the said school and masters ushers mistresses and poor scholars thereof without further or other leave license authority or power whatsoever from me my heirs or successors or from this government or any therein on that behalf saving unto me my heirs and successors the respective quit rents and other duties and payments out of the said messuages lands tenements and hereditaments and every of them reserved and payable in and by their several original grants and patents and furthermore I do by these presents for me my heirs and successors give and grant unto the said Overseers by the name aforesaid full power license and authority to give grant bargain sell alien enfeoff or demise with the consent of the said meeting by writing under their hands and common seal (or the hands and said seal of so many of them as shall make a quorum) to such person or persons his or her heirs or their heirs executors administrators and assigns as shall be willing to purchase or rent the same all or any of the aforesaid messuages lands tenements and hereditaments goods and chattels and likewise to purchase receive and enjoy all or any other messuages houses lands tenements and hereditaments for the best advantage of the said school. And also to frame make and prescribe such rules orders and ordinances for the good order and government of the said school and of the masters ushers mistresses and poor children thereof successively and for their and every of their stipends salaries and allowances as to the members of the said Monthly Meeting for the time being or the major part of them (in their respective meetings) shall seem meet with power also to the said overseers by the name aforesaid to sue and be sued and to do perform and execute and suffer to be done all and every other lawful act and thing good and profitable for the said school in as full and ample manner as any other body politic or corporate more perfectly founded and incorporated may and can do. And I do for me my heirs and assigns ordain and grant that the said school and the masters ushers members officers and scholars and all other persons placed or to be placed in the said school shall forever hereafter be accepted and freed from all visitation punishment and connection to be had used or exercised by any person or persons whatsoever other than the said Overseers for the time being and their successors. In Witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand cause the Great Seal to be affixed dated at Philadelphia the five and twentieth day of the eighth month in the thirteenth year of the reign of William the third over England etc. King etc. and the one and twentieth of my government Anno Domino one thousand seven hundred and one 1701. Recorded the 5th 10th 1701.[169]

Wm. Penn.

For Aaron K. Dunkel, Sec’y of Internal Affairs,
W. B. Huston.

Rechartered in 1708, and 1711, extended privileges

Made a self-perpetuating corporation

The charter of 1701 was confirmed and enlarged by another of 1708,[170] according to which the corporation was to consist of fifteen persons (Quakers) by the name of “The Overseers of the Public School, founded in Philadelphia, at the request of, cost and charges of the people called Quakers.” The charter of 1711[171] contained extended privileges[172] and also provided that the election of new members of the board of overseers should be the right of the overseers themselves, thus constituting them a self-perpetuating corporation.[173] From this the reader might expect that the school at once became independent of the Friends’ meeting, but this did not occur, since the original members or overseers were Friends and continued to appoint Friends as their successors. Reports on the various details of the business of the school continued to come into the monthly meeting, but it is not to be considered that we find there a complete story of its existence.[174] In 1699 it was found that the affairs of the school took too much time in meeting and therefore it was decided that Friends in the care of schools and press should meet on sixth day before monthly meeting, transact their business and keep a record thereof in books provided for the purpose.[175]