f. On Durham Road near Thomas Gilbert’s.
g. On Plumstead’s Meeting House land.
h. And at the schoolhouse near Thomas Goode’s.[415]
New school property of Solebury and Buckingham
It was thought such divisions would as nearly answer the needs as rivers and mountains would permit, and would provide for all of Buckingham territory and a little of Wrightstown. Any variation from this proposed building plan was desired to be brought before the committee for their judgment and acquiescence. In accordance with this suggestion the Friends of Solebury (1785) requested the assistance and advice of the committee in locating their school which they desired in a different place from that previously suggested by the committee. They conferred with the committee and finding their choice of site as good as could be obtained, it was agreed to build the new house on the southeast corner of Hugh Ely’s land, of Solebury.[416] In 1786 Solebury Friends requested a committee of the monthly meeting to be named to whom they might give a title for the land.[417] In 1793 Buckingham was permitted to build a school on the meeting house land, the meeting to be in charge of the said school.[418]
Problem of funds attacked
Having settled thus satisfactorily a systematic method of getting the schools located, they addressed themselves to the task of raising school funds.[419] A committee of eleven members was appointed, which, four months later, reported a plan of subscription paper to be used in getting funds for purchasing lands and buildings.[420] The plan as reported and approved by the monthly meeting was the following:
Subscription form presented
We the subscribers do hereby engage to pay or cause to be paid unto A. B. the several sums annexed to our names to be applied to the use of purchasing a lot of land of C. D. and building a schoolhouse thereon, the property and government to belong entirely to the society of the people called Quakers and under the direction of the Monthly Meeting of Buckingham, the title of which is to be wholly vested in the trustees appointed by the said monthly meeting. The rules and orders of the school when erected is to be prescribed by the aforesaid monthly meetings or a committee thereof consistent with our religious principles, and that no tutor shall be permitted to teach in said school until ... approved by the monthly meeting or a committee of the aforesaid.
In 1790 the state of schools in the monthly meeting was given as follows: