EDUCATION.
Raye's school was established
in 1568 under the will of John Raye, proved
1560, who left a house and land to support it. (fn. 58)
The endowment, sold to buy 50 a. of arable, was
supplemented in 1709 with a sum given by
Henry, Lord Jermyn (d. 1708), and used to buy
24 a. in Worlington and Freckenham (Suff.). (fn. 59)
The land in Cheveley was exchanged with the
duke of Rutland c. 1820 (fn. 60) and again at inclosure
in 1844, (fn. 61) being sold in 1927. (fn. 62) The last of the
Suffolk land was sold between 1891 and 1922. (fn. 63)
The school at first taught writing and Latin
grammar, and entry was restricted from 1709 to
Cheveley-born boys who could already read. (fn. 64)
The rule was probably still in force in 1722,
when the master was a graduate in holy orders. (fn. 65)
No new governors were appointed after 1709.
In 1810 the master, nominated by the rector,
provided a free education for Cheveley boys in
reading, writing, and arithmetic. In 1837 up to
50 were registered but attendance was irregular.
The reading requirement for entry was dropped
in 1835. (fn. 66)
The school was reconstituted in 1854 with
new governors. Earlier taught in the south transept of the church, it moved to a house in High
Street given by the 5th duke of Rutland. Welltrained masters were to provide 'all the branches
of a sound middle class education', including
land surveying and book-keeping. Fifty boys
were being taught in 1865 but few stayed beyond
the age of 14 (fn. 67) and the school did not provide a
true grammar-school education. Priorities were
re-evaluated in the 1870s, when the trustees
were anxious above all to keep the endowment
under local control. (fn. 68) Formally, a Charity
Commission scheme of 1881 attempted to turn
Raye's into an elementary school with an upper
department teaching science and practical subjects, (fn. 69) but in fact there was no demand in the
village for such accomplishments and the school
closed in 1873, boys instead attending the
National school. (fn. 70) The closure was regularized
in 1891, when part of the endowment was transferred to the National school and the remainder
diverted into grants to Cheveley children going
beyond elementary schooling. (fn. 71) Such grants
continued in the 1960s, when they were still
useful and appreciated, (fn. 72) and their scope was
widened under a Charity Commission scheme
of 1976. (fn. 73)
A girls' school was founded under the will of
John Warren, dated 1748 and effective in 1754,
who left an endowment in stock to teach reading,
writing, and domestic skills to the poor. In 1837
an 'efficient' schoolmistress was instructing c. 24
girls up to the age of 10 in reading and sewing.
Another dozen paid fees to learn writing and
arithmetic or to stay on beyond that age. (fn. 74) In
1861 funds were raised to build a new National
school on a site at the corner of High Street and
Park Lane given by the 6th duke of Rutland. (fn. 75)
It opened in 1862, (fn. 76) and was extended in 1873
to take the boys from Raye's school. (fn. 77) It
remained an elementary school, then a primary
school, serving the parish, (fn. 78) and from 1978 was
the central school of a short-lived federation
with the schools in Ashley, Kirtling, and
Woodditton parishes. In the 1980s and 1990s,
after the others had closed, it served the four
parishes as Cheveley Church of England (Controlled) community primary school. (fn. 79)