III.
THE FREE SCHOOL OF HOPE.
E know that there was a schoolmaster at Hope,
wills, in 1559, as the will
of Edward dated in that year, to which reference has been previously made,
was drafted by Francis Langton, schoolmaster of Hope. There is no
In
1695 the opinion of Counsel was obtained as to the liability of the
Churchwardens to be called to account for payments made by them for the
repair and upkeep of the School House.
These payments occur from time to time in the Churchwardens'
Accounts in common with their expenditure upon the repairs of the Church,
and the opinion of Counsel appears to have been that as the Accounts had
been duly passed by the parishioners nemine contradicente. the
Churchwardens could not be held liable. One of the documents of 1695,
stating the case for Counsel's opinion, opens as follows : " One
Skinner, born at Thornill in the parish of Hope and County of Derby,
goeing up to London where he for sometime lived and there dieing, did by
his last will and testament, as supposed, give A Hundred Pounds, the
Interest thereof to be paid to A Schoole-master to come and reside in Hope
aforesaid, and allso upon condition that the parishoners would build a
Free Schoole-House in Hope aforesaid for the fit habitation of an honest
and sufficient Master and Schollars;
42
The
Free School of Hope.
which
in the seventh year of the Raigne of King Charles the first, in the year
1632, A messuage was bought in Hope aforesaid by the Gent: and Parishoners,
and in times after by ye Parishoners repaired and most part new built, the
Hundred Pound put forth to Interest and by gifts and Legacies of severall
Gent: and other persons of the said parish since added Sixty Pounds more
to the said 100"'—but the first 100"' and part of the rest
given with this proviso that the Schoole-House be upheld and kept in good
repair, as by their severall last wills and testaments will appear ".
The
rest of this document states the case for Counsel, and contains his
opinion on the various points raised, with the signature T. Parker
attached.
These
documents of 1695 were enclosed in a letter, without date or address, from
William Browne, a former vicar of Hope (1679 to 1690), to John Hall of
Hope, gent, one of the Trustees of the School. After alluding to his
interview with' M^ P ", the Counsel whose opinion he had obtained,
Mr. Browne proceeds : " The sixth of April next it will be seventeen
years since I was collated to the vicaridge of Hope. I continued there
eleven years within nine or ten weeks, part of which time I was School
master, viz: from the death of M' Stanley till my leaving of Hope, all
which time, as well as the residue of the eleven years I was there, the
School of Hope was repaired at the publick charge of the parish, without
the least opposition or contradiction of any person in the parish. And I
doubt not but the yearly Accounts of the Churchwardens seen and allowed by
the parishioners will evidence the same.
And my- Brother, who was Schoolmaster a year or thereabouts can
testifie the same likewise ".
The
brother referred to was probably Thomas Browne, who succeeded him as vicar
on his resignation in 1690.
43
Notes
from a Peakland Parish.
In
a deed of May 27th 1688 (1st William and Mary), relating to the
appointment of fresh trustees to fill vacancies caused by death of those
appointed under a deed of 1655, which is now missing, it is recited that:
Whereas
Thomas Stevenson heretofore of Hope aforesaid, gent", deceased, by
his Indenture of Bargaine and Sale, under his hand and seale beareing date
the first day of May in the seventh yeare of the Raigne of King Charles
the first over England, (1632) and for the consideration therein expressed
did give grant bargaine sell aliene enfeoffe and confirm unto Thomas Eyre
of Highlow esq", Ellize Woodroffe of Hope aforesaid esq", Thomas
Balgay of Aston aforesaid gent, William Leadbeater clerke, Richard
Stevenson of Over Shatton gent, Thomas Eyre of Nether Shatton gent, Thomas
How of Little Ashopp gent, Robert Ward of Twitchill, Adam Eyre of
Crookehill, William Glossopp of Offerton, Francis Wilcockson of Abney,
Nicholas Hadfeild of Hope aforesaid, Richard Middleton and Godfrey Kirke
of Bradwall aforesaid yeomen, their heires and assignes, one messuage
containeing fourteene yards in length and seven yards in breadth, situate
and beinge in Hope aforesaid, then or late in the occupation of one Ellize
Longden, with the appurtenances, upon trust and confidence, and to the end
intent and purpose that they the said" (here follow the names of all
the above trustees again) " should employ the said messuage and
premises for a Free School House in Hope aforesaid, and for the habitation
of an honest and sufficient School master and scholers, And that when they
the said Trustees should be all dead but foure of them, that then those
foure survivors should convey the said messuage and premises unto other
fourteene of the most sufficient inhabitants within the said parish of
Hope and their heires upon the like trust and confidences in them to be
reposed." The deed
proceeds to the appointment of new trustees to fill vacancies caused by
death.
44
The
Free School of Hope.
It
would appear from the above deed that in 1632 Thomas Stevenson of Hope
sold a messuage there for the purpose of a School House, thus enabling the
conditions of Skinner's legacy of ^"100 towards a School master to
become effective in accordance with the latter's will. Thomas Stevenson
defined the purpose of the sale and the conditions of Trusteeship, and it
would appear that his representatives furnished a further endowment in
1655 (Charity Commissioners' Report, vol. xviii, page 79), when other
Trustees were appointed. At this time the School House appears to have
been rebuilt. The 1655 deed, as I liave stated, is missing; and this
circumstance gave rise to a legal difficulty in 1855, when Counsel's
opinion was again taken, to which I shall refer later.
The
earliest deed now in the parish chest at Hope is dated Oct. 2nd 1625, and
is a conveyance of property at Chinley, which subsequently became in part
the property of the School Trustees, and was in part acquired by the
Governors of Queen Anne's Bounty for the augmentation of the Vicarage of
Hope. The parties to this conveyance were Peter Bradshaw, the elder, of
London, gentleman, and Francis Bradshaw of Bradshaw in the County of Derby
esquire, of the one part; and Robert Slack of the Brownisyde in the said
county yeoman, of the other part. The property conveyed to Robert Slack
was the " ffourstore" (fourth) part of an estate called
Mainstonefield alias Chinnilies otherwise called Chinlees in the High
Peak". The recital of title declares that in the one and twentieth
year of King James
His
Majesty did give, grant, bargain and sell " the aforesaid property to
Edward Budbie and William Weltden ; and that in the same year the latter
sold the property to Peter and Francis Bradsnaw. It was no doubt an
enclosure from the Royal Forest of the High Peak. The conveyance was
" to the sole and proper use and behoof of the said Robert Slack his
heirs &c in fee farm for ever to be holden of our Sovereign Lord the
King's Majesty " &c., &c.
45
Notes
from a Peakland Parish.
The
above Francis Bradshaw of Bradshaw was the son of Francis Bradshaw by his
wife Anne, daughter and coheiress of Humphrey Stafford of Eyam. He
inherited the Stafford property at Eyam as well as the paternal estate of
Bradshaw near Chapel-en-le-Frith, and was in possession of the estates in
1619. Bradshaw Hall was rebuilt in his time, and he lived at Eyam until it
was completed. He was the last of his family ro reside at Bradshaw
Hall. His brother George, who succeeded him, continued his residence at
Eyam, in the Hall there which had been entirely rebuilt for him, and of
which a fragment is still standing at the upper end of the village. In the
latter's will, dated June 17th 1646, he names as supervisor his kinsman
John Bradshaw, serjeant-at-law, who presided over the trial of Charles I.
The present Eyam Hall was built rather later, in the middle of the
village, by Thomas Wright, a member of the Great Longstone family, and is
still occupied by his descendants.
The
next document in the chest is dated June llth 1726. It is written on paper
and contains "articles of agreement" in reference to a proposed
conveyance of the same property from Robert Slack of Little Hayfield,
yeoman, to Joseph Ashton of Ganissey in the parish of Glossop, yeoman.
Then
follows a deed of conveyance, dated June 29th 1738, from Joseph Ashton to
Thomas Wormald, vicar of Hope, of all that piece or parcel of land situate
lying and being in Chinlee, alias Mainstonefield, called Upper South
Head", then in the said Joseph Ashton's possession, 'as the same is
already or shortly to be set out, parted, or fenced off from the Nether
South Head, lately conveyed from the said Joseph Ashton to the Governors
of the Bounty of Queen Anne for the augmentation of the Vicarage of Hope,
also a slate break lying in Chinlee aforesaid and belonging to the said
estate ".
46
The
Free School of Hope.
Then
follow deeds of Lease and Release of the same property and the slate
break, dated Aug. 1st and 2nd 1740, between Thomas Wormald, vicar of Hope,
and Martha his wife of the one part; and Francis Foljambe of Aldwark in
the county of York esqre., of the other part. Francis Foljambe is
described as " the last and only surviving Trustee for the School of
Hope ". In the second deed reference is made to the will of John
Balguy esqre., late of Hope, dated 1712, and his legacy to the School; and
also to the will of Mrs. Phoebe Creswell, late of Castleton, dated 1727,
and her legacy for the instruction of two poor children of the town of
Hope, as should be chosen by the Vicar and Overseers of the poor of Hope
for the time being.
Two
years later, in 1742, follow deeds of Lease and Release of the same
property, from Francis Foljambe, the sole surviving trustee, to his son
and others named as new Trustees of the School.
Reference is made to the deed of May 27th 1688, appointing trustees
then to fill vacancies left by the death of all but three of the original
trustees. It is also recited that a certain messuage in Hope, containing
in length fourteen yards, and in breadth seven, with the appurtenances,
was by Indenture, dated in 1655, " granted and conveyed from Thomas
Stevenson's trustees and their heirs in trust for a Free School in Hope,
for the habitation of an honest and sufficient Schoolmaster, with power to
them to elect the said Master and remove him at pleasure and chuse another
and so toties quoties ".
The
deed of 1742 mentions Bernard Jenkinson as then Master of the School at
Hope. It also provides
that the vicar of the parish church of Hope for the time being shall
always be one of the trustees, and power is given to him, in the case of
failure on the part of his co-trustees to appoint a schoolmaster within
six months of the notice of a vacancy, to make the appointment himself.
The deed also contains provision for the
47
Notes
from a Peakland Parish.
payment
of interest on money left by Mrs. Phoebe Creswell of Castleton for the
education of two poor children of Hope. Accompanying the deed, and bearing
the same date, is an account of moneys belonging to Hope School ".
In
the parish chest is the full text of the case submitted to Counsel, and
Counsel's opinion, on the position of the School trust in 1855, before
referred to. It is pointed out that both the deeds of 1688 and 1742 were
then invalid, owing to neither of them having been duly executed by all
the conveying parties. In consequence of this, unless the original deed of
1655 could be discovered, and the legal representatives of the original
trustees ascertained, there was no one at that time (1855) competent to
appoint the schoolmaster or dismiss him, or to deal with the property or
other matters of the trust. It does not now appear to be known whether any
steps were taken at that time as the result of the above opinion of
Counsel. New trustees, however, continued to be appointed from time to
time.
There
is no allusion to religious teaching in the deed of 1742, which sets forth
the duty of the schoolmaster ' to teach poor children in writing and
reading or some other useful literature ".
There
is now a large new Council School in the village, which has taken over all
the functions of the old Free School of Hope. The school buildings erected
in 1858, in place of the school house of 1655, have been leased for Church
purposes.
48