☞ Before he entirely closes this section, the author feels it incumbent upon him to confess, that since the last sheet was printed off, he has, upon further consideration, become less confident of the annuity mentioned at p. [1131] being originally left to the Bedehouse.
Section V.
Brief account of the Schools, with some hints on the present state of Education at Lynn.
Before the Reformation, the education (such as it was) of the children and youth of this country was committed chiefly to the monks and friars; and carried on in the convents and religious houses,—of which description were even the very universities themselves, if indeed they are not so still. Lynn had then many of those convents and religious houses; and it seems probable that each of them had in it a school, of some sort or other. But they were all schools for boys; and yet but few, compared with the whole number of the Lynn boys of those times, can be supposed to have been so fortunate as to get there admitted. As to the girls, there was then no such provision made for their education: and they seem to have been, in that point of view, as little regarded as if our ancestors thought, like the Mahometans, that women had no souls.
Among the inconveniences occasioned by the general dissolution of the monasteries, one of them must have been that of being deprived of those conventual schools. How long the town continued without any substitutes for them, we are not able to say. Something probably might be done in the reign of Edward, though we have not been able to discover any clear proof of it: only the fact may be supposed, as it is well known that many schools were established in that reign, and endowed with some small fragments of the abbey-revenues. Indeed there is some reason to conclude that there was a school, on a very small scale, established here by the corporation, almost immediately after the dissolution, as appears from the following passage in an old memorandum book, extracted chiefly, as it would seem, from the Hall-records—“1538, Sept; 29. Thomas Person, prest, late ffryer, was chosen to be Charnell Prest: He to have for his selary viiil. iiiis. and licence to preche iiii tymes every Quarter, and frely to teche vi Child.[ren.]”—The last expression necessarily implies the establishment of a school for the education of six children: and as the teacher was the charnel priest, it may reasonably be concluded that the school was kept at, or over the charnel house. That also being the place where our Grammar School was kept till the erection of the present building, it seems not improbable that this little school for the education of half a dozen boys may have been the origin of that seminary. How long our means of education were confined to one solitary establishment for six boys, we are not able now to say; but we could discover no appearance of the existence of any thing further till above forty years after the dissolution of the convents, when a respectable seminary, on an extensive scale, began to give additional dignity to the character of the town.—We will now proceed to give a cursory view of our principal schools, and present state of education.
1. The Grammar School. This has long borne a respectable character among the grammar-schools of this country. It is supposed to have been established about the middle of the reign of Elizabeth, as we have been able to trace it no further back than the year 1580, when we find it an established school, and its master’s name Iverye. [1140] He died in 1590, and was succeeded by Alex. Roberts M.A. who had a stipend of 20 marks a year, and the house where his predecessor lived. He becoming one of the ministers of the town, was succeeded in 1593 by Nic. Eston M.A. of Pemb. Hall, Cambridge. Eston in 1597, was succeeded by John Man M.A. who in 1608, was succeeded by Hen. Allston, on condition that he considered himself as holding the school only during the goodwill and pleasure of the Mayor, A. and C. C. He appears not to have been on the best terms with the corporation; and about 1613, was succeeded by a Mr. Armitage. He dying in 1618, was succeeded by Mr. Robt. Robinson. He died in 1626, and was succeeded by Ambr. Fish, who shortly after gave up his charge, and was succeeded, 11. May 1627, by Robt. Woodmansea M.A. of Loughborough. He removing in the spring of 1634 (or rather 1635,) had for his successor John Rawlinson M.A. of St. John’s Col. Cambridge, who removed, as it seems, in 1637, and was then succeeded by Edw. Bell M.A. who, if we are not mistaken, held the place 40 years; and dying in 1678 was succeeded by the memorable John Horne M.A. who held the mastership of this seminary still longer; even no less than 51 or 52 years, with much credit to himself and no small advantage to his numerous pupils. He was succeeded May 21. 1730. by Charles Squire; who was succeeded by — Pigge; and he by John Danville, and he by John Knox, who resigned in 1760, [1142a] when he was succeeded by Dr. David Lloyd, who continued at the head of this seminary 34 years, and supported during all that time a character no way inferior, perhaps, to the most eminent of his predecessors. He was succeeded in 1794 by his eldest son Henry Lloyd D.D. the present Hebrew Professor at Cambridge. Upon his resignation in 1797, he was succeeded by Richard Scott, who in 1803 was succeeded by the present master, the rev. Martin Coulcher. [1142b]
The course of education in this seminary, is similar to what is usual in most of our endowed grammar-schools, or free-schools. Its original object seems to have been to teach the rudiments of the learned languages, which still forms a principal part of the plan; but like the generality of our modern numerous and respectable boarding schools, it has now for many years embraced divers other objects, and even all those branches of education, the knowledge of which is now deemed necessary to fit our youth to become men of business, and useful and accomplished members of society. The endowment to this seminary is about 60l. a year, and a handsome dwelling-house for the master; for which he is to teach a certain number of freemen’s children gratis: but it is only in grammar or classical learning; for which reason they are but few in number; and he depends chiefly for his support upon those pupils he derives from other quarters. In some cases those who go from this seminary to the university, are entitled to certain exhibitions or pecuniary aids, which some well disposed persons deceased have bequeathed for the benefit of such young scholars.
Our other boy-schools are now pretty numerous, and are entitled to different degrees of estimation, from those of Messrs. Coulton, Smith, and Bonnet, down to those of our veriest or humblest abecedarian pedagogues, who yet are doubtless very useful in their sphere.—Of girl-schools there are here likewise a great many, and they also are of different sorts, and descend, like the former, in various gradations, from the respected boarding schools of Miss Nichols and Miss Henderson, to the liliputian seminaries of those homely dames whose pupils are made up of young misses and masters of two, three, and four years old. The two schools here first mentioned, (those of Miss N. and Miss H.) are very respectable; and the former has been so for a great many years, and still maintains its character with undiminished reputation. But as these good ladies can be in no want of any encomium or praises which are in the power of this writer to bestow, he will here drop the subject.
We must not however close our account of the Lynn schools, without noticing those which are formed on the Lancasterian plan; of which there are two here established—one for boys and the other for girls. Of the latter the following sketch, it is presumed, will be found pretty correct.
“The Charity School for Girls was founded by voluntary subscription, at a meeting of ladies held at the Town-hall, April 13. 1792, and opened May 28 following. It provided instruction, in reading, sewing, and spinning, with some portion of clothing, for 30 children. A room in Purfleet street was for some years hired for the purpose; but in 1805 a much more suitable apartment, adjoining to the north tower of St. Margaret’s Church, was fitted up by the subscribers: and the school has been since extended to 50 girls, under the direction of Miss Harriet Howell, who has successfully adapted the new or Lancasterian method of education to the instruction of girls—This school is now supported in a great measure by taking in plain work; as the whole amount of the subscription, for the current year is only 49l. 7s.”