CHAPTER XIV.

“Whatever result await myself, I enjoy the consciousness of having done right, nor have I been denied either the happiness of having done good, or the substantial sympathies of friends, neighbours, and strangers, to all of whom I would thankfully offer the unfeigned assurance of a gratitude which will I trust never leave me. And trying as is the work in which I am engaged, with all that talent, leisure, and gold can effect, arrayed against me, I yet feel it a privilege and a blessing that I am able to labour in such a cause; assured, that truth and justice (however weak their instruments) are in their own might, stronger than all power, and will in the end assert their majesty and hold their own."-Vide, page 20, Rev. R. Whiston's Preface to his "CATHEDRAL TRUSTS AND THEIR FULFILMENT.". Third Edition.

I now began to attend the market at Bromsgrove on Tuesdays. The distance being short, (rather under ten miles) I generally went to it on horseback. The principal places on the road were Stone and Chaddesley-Corbett. Bromsgrove I found almost wholly to consist of one street, built on the turnpike road, halfway between Birmingham and Worcester. At the time of the Conqueror's survey it was in the King's ancient demesne, which freed the residents of the Manor from the expenses attached to sending members to Parliament, from serving on juries beyond the bounds of the manor, and also from all tolls throughout the whole kingdom. There were no members sent thence to Parliament when I travelled thereto, but it appears that it was represented in past times, as it is recorded in history that two members were elected as far back as the reign of Edward I.

The buying and selling of corn at Bromsgrove, I found was carried on in the main street in the open air; and, as many of the farmers dined at the "Bell," I used to put up there. This was the favourite resort of sporting farmers, and consequently the conversation was nearly all about coursing.

I heard every now and then some grumbling among the town's-people about the system adopted at their grammar school,

and as the inhabitants of Kidderminster were now bestirring themselves as to their school, I made all the inquiries I could, in hope of gaining some information on the general question of grammar, or free, schools.

The Bromsgrove School was attended by twelve blue-coat boys, this being the number originally named by the Founder, Sir Thomas Cookes, but there was also a host of boarders, from all parts of the United Kingdom, who were housed, fed, and educated in buildings attached thereto, the cost of which was, of course, defrayed by the parents, The town boys, or blue boys as they were generally called, were simply educated in the three R's, whilst the boarders were classically trained, so as to take the scholarships, which were founded by Sir Thomas Cookes in 1696, for the benefit of the twelve poor boys. This was the sore point, and all the inhabitants, except the few tradesmen who supplied the school with necessaries, were very sour about it.

I was pressed on all sides to expose the system, but I declined doing so then, as I wished to see the Kidderminster case tested; after which I told the Bromsgrove people, I would aid them in procuring a reformation if it were possible.

On my return journeys, I called several times at the free school at Stone to have a chat with Mr. Glover, the master, whose salary was only £65 per annum. The school room was very small, in fact much too small for the number of boys and girls in it, who huddled together as best they could. This could have been altered, as there was a considerable fund in hand.

Including the other charities, the sum invested by the Trustees was about £6,000; out of the interest upon which, they also supported two minor schools, one at Shenstone, and another at the Hoo, as preparatory to the school at Stone. The Trustees published their accounts for the satisfaction of the parishioners, and in the book containing the accounts, commencing in 1788, was a paper, pasted therein, containing the following words, in the handwriting of George Jordan, then master of the school at Stone :

"22nd Dec. 1794.-Samuel Steward, Esq., has in his hands of the parish money £50, for which he promises to pay interest at five per cent."

On the same paper is a memorandum in the same handwriting, dated 29th September, 1795, stating that John Steward, Esq., had in his hands of the above charity money £20, for which the arrear of interest, at four per cent., had been paid up to that time. There was also affixed by wafers in the same book an unstamped paper, in the same handwriting, in the following words :

"I do hereby promise to pay to the feoffees, or one of the feoffees of the charity at Stone, in trust for the said charity, or his or their order, £200 on demand, together with lawful interest for the same, for value received, being the monies received from Mr. William Waldron for the said charity, of Mr. William Waldron. Witness my hand, this 5th day of August, 1797. This to be entered upon stamp when required.

"Witness, GEORGE JORDAN."

(Signed)

"SAMUEL STEWARD."

The signatures of George Jordan and Samuel Steward were in the handwriting of the parties.

The school benefaction was included in the gifts of Folyott, Wall, and Thatcher, for various purposes, prior to 1648,-viz., 16th and 19th Henry VII. In August, 1831, a sum of stock, producing £2,633 4s. 5d., was sold out to defray the expense of rebuilding the parish church, leaving £3,688 15s. 7d., which was increased, by a purchase made 7th April, 1832, to £4,104 3s. 1d. On the 12th of May, 1832, there was £1,331 10s. 1d. to the credit of the trustees, at Farley and Turner's Bank, Kidderminster.

A sum was annually contributed out of the funds of this charity towards the support of Hill's school; and by different entries, the interest accruing upon the several sums in the hands of the Messrs. Steward were shown to have been so appropriated. Thus, a sum of £9, for twelve years' interest up to Michaelmas, 1807, upon the above-mentioned sum of £20, was stated to have been paid to the master of Hill's school, and Samuel Steward was acknowledged by the said George Jordan to have paid him the interest upon the £200 of Stone charity money up to the year 1805. The interest of the £50 was also entered as paid. From the year 1805, the interest was stated in the book to remain unpaid up to the year 1810, at which period the accounts cease. By an account entered in the same book, in the handwriting of

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Jordan, it further appeared that on the 21st December, 1802, there was in the hands of Samuel Steward a balance of £101 6s.

John Steward was the father of Samuel, whose son, Thomas Steward, died about 1832. They were all possessed of considerable real property in the parish of Stone. Before the time of the Charity Commissioners' Inquiry, application had been made to the family on behalf of the charity; but, although a disposition to settle the claim had been expressed, no arrangement had taken place. The Commissioners renewed the application by letter to the daughters of the late Samuel Steward, who were in possession of the family estate, and had an interview with their solicitor. After that they received a letter from the professional friend and adviser of Mr. and Mrs. Evans and Miss Steward, the parties above alluded to, stating that they were willing to pay to the Stone charity the sum of £500, in discharge of the claim arising out of the above circumstances. This very liberal offer the trustees acceded to, being so advantageous to the charity.

The following is the Commissioners' report as to Hill's benefaction to the school:

Richard Hill, rector of Thurcaston, in the county of Leicester, clerk (who died in 1730), by his will gave all his lands at the Hoo, in Stone, to the vicar, church wardens, and constable, for the time being, of the parish of Stone for ever, in trust, to put to school at Stone as many of the poor children of the parish as the rent thereof would pay schooling for, and buy Bibles for; and he desired that the children of his poor kindred and relations might be chosen before all others to be his scholars, of what parish or name soever they might be, if they should live near enough to come to school at Stone, and their parents should desire it; and after his kindred, the poorest children in the parish, preferring those of Shenstone, cæteris paribus, being his native place; and once in ten years he allowed one to be put to school out of his native house at Shenstone, and out of his charity house at the Hoo; and he desired that the master should receive 2s. a quarter for each of his scholars, the number of the scholars to be regulated by the amount of the rents, and a proportionable

number to be chosen out of every village or other little place in the parish, according to their poverty, the vacancies to be filled up by the vicar, or if the vicarage should be vacant, by the churchwardens. And he committed the entire management of the school estate to the vicar, churchwardens, and constable, for the time being, jointly; and he directed the churchwardens to pay halfyearly to the schoolmaster his proportion of the rents, and to take care that the buildings be always kept in repair; and to pay to the vicar, whenever it should be necessary, 20s. or 24s., to buy four good Bibles, it being his will that a good Bible, with the Common Prayer and Singing Psalms, well bound, of about 5s. or 6s. price, should be given at leaving the school to every one of his poor scholars who should have been timely admitted, and of good behaviour and diligent, and able to read that chapter in the Holy Bible, truly, distinctly, and leisurely, in which the vicar should please to try them, upon their coming to him on the very day of their leaving school, to thank him for their learning, to be examined by him, and to receive a Bible, together with a farewell charge from him. But no scholar not qualified, or who should neglect to come to the vicar on the very day of his leaving school, was to receive a Bible; and it was his earnest desire that the vicar should take care that the schoolmaster should always be a sober, grave, orthodox member of the Church of England, well-skilled, and careful to train them up in good morality and orthodox Christianity, and should carefully teach them to read the Holy Bible, to write a fair hand, to understand and practice arithmetic, to sing psalms, and say the Church Catechism. And he directed the churchwardens to account yearly for the rents and profits of the school estate at the Hoo before the vicar, overseers, and constable, and such other parishioners of Stone as should be present at the first parish meeting at Stone church after Easterday; and he requested the lord bishop of Worcester to have a watchful eye upon the administration of the charity; and if it should happen that the same should be misapplied, then the testator gave the lands at the Hoo to the vicar, churchwardens, and overseers of the adjoining parish of Kidderminster, in trust,