School
IT HAS ALREADY BEEN MENTIONED before, (fn. 1) that
there was A FREE SCHOOL, situated near the convent
garden of these precincts, of which the archbishop
was the patron, so early as the year 1259, as appears
by the records of the priory; (fn. 2) and there is mention
again made of it in them so late as the year 1374;
how long it continued afterwards, there is no mention, but most probably till the dissolution of the
priory and the school house there, though applied to
other purposes, is now in being, and has still the reputation of having been made use of as such. The present grammar school was founded by king Henry VIII.
who, by the charter of foundation, which he granted
in his 32d year to the dean and chapter of this church,
made such school a part of it, to consist of a master, second master, and fifty scholars, whowere to eat at the
common table, which the provision made by him for it,
could not, however, long maintain. The stipend of
these scholars was to be four pounds per annum, and
they were to hold them for five years: (fn. 3)
But the school suffered not only in the suppression
of the common table, but from the king's discharging
the dean and chapter, afterwards in his 39th year,
anno 1546, from the expending of 200l. per annum
in the support of twenty-four students in Oxford and
Cambridge, of which it may reasonably be supposed
the scholars of it would have had the preference, which
he did, intending, as he says, to found two colleges in
those universities; at the same time he took from the
dean and chapter on this account, among other estates,
Canterbury college in Oxford.
Where the school was kept during the time that
the almonry, now called the mint yard, remained in
the hands of the crown, except it was in the stranger's hall, adjoining, I know not; but soon after the
time of the dean and chapter's coming into the possession of it, the school seems to have been removed to
its present situation.
The scholars educated at this school have been, in
general, of the very best families of this part of the
county; many of those educated at it have, from the
learning they have imbibed here, been ornaments to
the professions they have entered into. Numbers of
these might be mentioned and particularized in this
place, was there sufficient room for it; those of late
years the public is sufficiently acquainted with; and
I shall only mention one, Edward, lord Thurlow, late
high chancellor of Great Britain. Of the former, I
shall take notice only of the famous Dr. Harvey,
whose extraordinary discovery of the circulation of
the blood, has given new light to the study of medicine, and deservedly rendered his name immortal to
posterity.
The masters who have presided over this school,
have been men of great eminence, as clergymen
and scholars; one of them I can mention of my
own knowledge, and whoever knew him will join in
this tribute of justice to his memory. I mean, the
Rev. Dr. Osmund Beauvoir, late head master of it,
first educated here and afterwards of St. John's college, in Cambridge; whose great abilities brought
this school to the highest degree of estimation; who
united the gentleman with the scholar, one whose
eminent qualifications and courtesy of manners, gained
him the esteem and praise of all who knew him, many
of whom are still living to attest it, and regret the
loss of him. (fn. 4)
There have been several benefactions made in favour of the scholars educated at this school, to assist
them in their further education at the two universities. Archbishop Parker, in the year 1569, anno II
Elizabeth, founded, out of the revenues of Eastbridge
hospital, two scholarships, each of the yearly value of
3l. 6s. 8d. in Corpus Christi, alias Benet college, in
Cambridge, during the space of two hundred years,
for the maintenance of two scholars, natives of Kent,
and educated in this school, to be nominated by the
dean of Canterbury, and the master of the above hospital; they were to be called Canterbury scholars,
and were to have all the benefits which any other
scholars enjoyed in the college. Archbishop Whitgift, in his ordinances relating to the above hospital,
(which were confirmed by act of parliament, anno 27
Elizabeth) renewed this foundation, which is now
perpetual; but instead of the dean's, he made the
archbishop's consent necessary to the appointment. (fn. 5)
Archbishop Parker likewise, by his will, dated in
1575, founded three more scholarships in the same
college, of the yearly value of 3l. 6s. 8d. each, to be
paid out of the rents of certain tenements in Westminster. One of which is appropriated to a native of
the city of Canterbury, educated at Canterbury
school, and assigned to them chambers in that college. (fn. 6)
An exhibition, scholarship, and chamber, is now worth
15l, a year.
Robert Rose, of Bishopsborne, in 1618, gave twentysix acres of marsh land, in St. Mary's and Hope All
Saints parishes, in Romney Marsh, for the assistance
of four scholars, at either university, being such as
were in the King's school, at Canterbury, (of which
he had been usher); which exhibitions were to be of
the yearly value of six pounds each, and to continue
for seven years, if the scholar should remain so long
there unpreferred to a living of 20l. per annum above
the exhibitions; with other restrictions and rules, as
mentioned in the deed of feoffment. (fn. 7)
William Heyman, gent. of Canterbury, in 1625, by
indenture, vested twenty seven acres of marsh land in
Warehorne, in this county, in certain feoffees, to apply five parts out of six of the rents of those premises
upon two poor scholars only, to be placed in the
King's school at Canterbury, to be nominated by his
next heir and the majority of the feoffees; such scholars to be descended from the body of his grandfather,
Peter Heyman, esq. or to be natives, or born of such
as are natives of Sellinge. The scholar so to be chosen
to be full eight years old, who should hold his exhibition for nine years, and if he should go to any college in Cambridge, to be continued for seven years
from his leaving school; and if he should take orders
in the first five years of the seven, the same to be continued to him for three years more, that is ten in the
whole, at the university. (fn. 8)
Mr. Abraham Colfe, the founder of Lewisham
school, among many other noble benefactions, gave
seven exhibitions of 10l. per annum each, for scholars
from that school at either university; in default of
claimants from Lewisham school, then from the adjacent hundreds, and from members of the company of
leather sellers, (who are patrons of the school, and
possessed of the estates bequeathed by him). He directed these exhibitions to be filled up by scholars
from the King's school in Canterbury, and from that
in Christ's hospital in London, alternately. But the
leather-sellers company have, for near these fifty years
past, refused to admit the claim of either, and have
totally sunk this 70l. per annum, alledging a failure
in their estate. (fn. 9)
Henry Robinson, by will in 1643, gave certain messuages, &c. called Gore End, in Birchington and St.
Nicholas, in Thanet, to St. John's college, in Cambridge, for the founding of two fellowships and two
scholarships, for two fellows and two scholars, natives
of the Isle of Thanet, or in default, of natives of the
county of Kent, and brought up at the King's school
in Canterbury. But it being found that the profit of
the lands were not sufficient for such a maintenance, (fn. 10)
it was ordered by a decree of the court of chancery,
with consent of the college and the executors, dated
November 26, 1652; that in future four scholarships
should be established in that college for ever, instead
of the same; and that the profits of the premises
should, according to the direction of the donor in his
will, be employed for ever, towards the maintenance
of such four scholars only, each of whom is to be allowed by the college, in commons, 10l. a year.
George Thorpe, S. T. P. prebendary of Canterbury,
gave by will in 1719 to Emanuel college, in Cambridge, certain messuages, &c. in Ash, near Sandwich, for the endowment of five exhibitions, to enable
bachelors of arts to reside, until they take their master's degree; but should there be none such, others
might be elected after two years, from their first residence in college; such exhibitioner not to be possessed of an estate of 40l. per annum, and his friends to
certify their intention of keeping him in college, (unless
better provided) until he should become master of
arts, and to declare his inability thus to continue
without some such assistance, and that he purposed to
make divinity his study; a preference to be given to
the sons of orthodox ministers of the church of England, and of the diocese of Canterbury, and such as
had been brought up in the King's-school there.
These exhibitions are never less than 14l. and
sometimes 20l. per annum, and may be held with
scholarships or exhibitions of other foundations, of
which more than forty belong to that college.
.… Brown, in 1736, founded two Greek scholarships in Emanuel college, which have generally
amounted clear to eight pounds per annum, to be
paid in proportion to residence, and the remainder to
be applied to the general fund of the college. These
are to be filled by the master and fellows, by scholars
from the King's-school, in Canterbury; in default
from thence, then from any other school in Kent;
and in default from thence, then from any other
school.
George Stanhope, S. T. P. dean of Canterbury, by
a testamentary schedule, proved in 1728, devised 250l.
in new South sea annuities, to found one exhibition
of 10l. per annum, for one king's-scholar of the
school in Christ-church, in Canterbury, to be nominated by the dean, and chosen by him, or the vicedean and chapter, for seven years, such scholar continuing in some college in Cambridge, but to cease at
the Michaelmas after his commencing master of arts.
This principal sum of 250l. was transferred by the
dean's executors to, and accepted by the dean and
chapter of Canterbury; the reduction of interest having made an alteration in the annual value, and the
exhibition having been vacant for some years, with
this amount, and a contribution from the dean and
chapter, the sum of fifty pounds more stock was purchased; so that the exhibition is now worth nine
pounds per annum.
In 1712, a society was begun by some gentlemen,
educated at this school. They agreed, with permis
sion of the dean and chapter, to attend divine service
at the cathedral, and hear a sermon preached by some
clergyman, who had been bred up at the school, on a
subject suitable to the occasion, on their anniversary
in the ensuing year; which afterwards gained the
name of the school feast.
This led to a contribution, or annual subscription
from those gentlemen present at it, who caused their
names to be entered in a book, as members of the
society, whose number was increased by others, who
chose from time to time to belong to it; most of
whom, as encouragers of it, though occasionally absent, usually sent their contributions to it. Three
stewards are appointed from among the members,
yearly; those for the ensuing year being nominated
by the old ones, to manage the business of the society.
The contribution is, with the approbation of the
members present, applied to the maintenance of such
scholars as go from hence to either university, and
stand in need of some assistance there; of which the
usual number yearly is, three, four, and sometimes
five scholars.
This annual collection amounts to about 50l. A
fund has also been made from the occasional surplus,
which is vested in the funds and amounts at present to
725l. stock; of the produce of which, one or more
exhibitions have most usually been made to such scholars as have been educated at the school.
How THE SEVERAL BUILDINGS OF THE PRIORY,
after the dissolution, were divided and distributed among
the members of the new foundation, has been already
described from the manuscript treatise, containing the
orders of the chapter, made in 1546, for the allotment
of them; the converting of the different buildings of
the monastery into dwellings for this new society, and
the new modelling of the whole precincts in a great
measure into its present form, may be known from it.
I shall therefore only further mention, that besides
the improvements which have been from time to time
made to the houses and buildings in it, there have
been many purposely made, to adapt them for the residence of families; for it should be observed, that
long after the new foundation, and even to the beginning of queen Elizabeth's reign, it was the custom
for the members of the cathedral to inhabit with their
families, wives and young children, in their several
houses within the precincts of it, which produced
much irregularity and scandal, and gave great offence,
insomuch, that queen Elizabeth, in her 3d year, issued
an injunction to archbishop Parker, to restrain and
prohibit the same, under pain of their forfeiting all
their ecclesiastical promotions; after this, the women
and children were not permitted to reside within the
precincts, but lodged, with their husbands and families, in different parts of the town, and these precincts
were for some time afterwards inhabited by the members of the church only, as the colleges in the universities now are, and their apartments were used in
the nature of college chambers, to which they resorted in the day time, to study and to attend their
duties of the church, being constantly habited whilst
there, according to their respective degrees, and then
they returned again into the town to lodge with their
families; (fn. 11) but this regulation has been long since
dropped, and the injunction wholly disregarded, so
that the members have for a long time past dwelt
within the precincts, with their families and children
indiscriminately, in like manner as before the issuing
of it.
At present, the several houses within these precincts
are, for the most part, large and handsome; many of
them have been rebuilt, and others have had great improvements and additions made to them within memory, sufficiently convenient to accommodate the
owners, who, in general, are men of large preferments,
as well as good private fortunes, and when they are
not resident here, let their houses to genteel families,
who form a very respectable neighbourhood within
these precincts, which are kept remarkably clean and
neat, and being gravelled and well planted with rows
of trees, make a most pleasant and desirable residence.
The precincts of the church are abundantly provided
with excellent water, which is conducted into a large
reservoir in the Green-court, and thence again by
pipes to every habitation belonging to the members
of the church within them. This water arises from
two springs, near each other, at about half a mile distance from the precincts, at the upper end of the
fields, called the North Holmes, where they empty
themselves into the cisterns, under the cover of two
water-houses.
This water, so highly necessary and beneficial to
these precincts, appears to have been conducted hither
for the use of the priory, from the early time of it;
and there seems to have been every care and attention
used by the convent, to continue their right to it, and
the preservation of it, in passing through the several
grounds of the different owners, till it reached the
precincts of the monastery.
In the deed dated Nov. 24, anno 37 Henry VIII.
the king discharged the dean and chapter from the
expending of 200l. per annum, in the support of certain students in the two universities; and for the establishing of certain changes of manors and premises in
lieu of it, he granted them, in consideration that their
water, which used to be conveyed from his park to
the convent, was of late spoiled by the deer coming
and soiling in it, that they should have the pipe that
conducted and conveyed the water from the above
park, to the scite in the late St. Augustine's monastery, for ever, and the free liberty of conveying the
water from the king's park there to the cathedral, at
all times in future, without interruption and molestation, in as full and ample a manner as it had been
heretofore conveyed to that monastery. (fn. 12)
That the priory was supplied with water from the
North Holmes, in very early times, is plainly evident
from the remains of the old aqueducts, which have
been discovered, quite dry, when found by accident
several years ago, in digging in the yard at the back
part of the house at the north-east corner of Ruttington-lane, in Broad-street, being formed of a row of
earthen pipes, which lay in a proper direction. The
form of them was tapering, in length about twenty
inches; the diameter of the bore at the bigger end
five inches and an half, the lesser end fitted to enter
such a bore, with a shoulder or collar rising about
three-quarters of an inch, and about an inch from the
end, to make the better joint and to prevent its leaking, which was still further provided against, by burying the whole in a thick bed of terras.
Whatever the age of this aqueduct might be, some
remains of another, in all probability of still greater
antiquity, were found in 1737, in digging Dr. Grey's
grave, in the body of the cathedral; which being sunk
deeper than usual, the workmen came to a pavement
of the broad Roman bricks, and under it several earthen pipes, of a different construction from those just
now described, each being made in two pieces, as if
slit the long way, so that two were laid together to form
a pipe; the length of them was about seventeen inches
and a half each, the bore at the bigger end (for these
were made tapering to enter one another like those
found in Broad-street) full five inches, and the thickness about three quarters of an inch.
Edwyn, in his drawing already mentioned before,
probably made between the years 1130 and 1174,
though he carefully notices the method of providing
water from rain, for the different parts of the monastery, yet he takes no notice whatever in it, of any supply from the springs in the North Holmes; but besides the above drawing, which is published, there is
another in the same manuscript, which seems to have
been the first rude sketch of that, which he afterwards
finished; it appears from this, that his intention was
to shew the different courses of the water collected
from the roof of the church, and of that from the
springs in the North Holmes, of which they had not
long been in possession. These different water courses
are distinguished on this first draft, by the colours yellow and red, that from the North Holmes being yellow. At the north-east corner of the print, there is a
circle for the water-house; it is brought thence under
a tower of St. Gregory's priory, through a field, a
vineyard, an orchard and under the city wall into this
priory. As the drawing from which the print is made,
is coloured, it is to be wished, that the different water
courses had been expressed by a difference in shading
them, that these two aqueducts might have been distinguished one from another, and from the great
sewer, which runs across what is now called the Greencourt. (fn. 13)