In 1569, Thomas Ashton, the headmaster, who had been no party to the tomfoolery recited above, resigned, in order to act as tutor to the ill-fated Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex. Subsequently, Ashton is said to have induced Elizabeth to augment the endowments of Shrewsbury School by granting to its uses the tithes of Chirbury.

By Elizabeth's indenture, stipulations were made that the bailiffs and burgesses of Shrewsbury should apply the profits of this grant "towards the maintenance of divine service" in certain local churches, and "for the better maintenance of the Free Grammar School" at Shrewsbury. There was a clause by which, if the said burgesses and bailiffs" did not well and truly accomplish" their prescribed duties, or were guilty of malversation, the administration of the benefaction should revert to the Crown. It seems that Ashton was invested with absolute control over the foundation of Elizabeth, and probably over that of Edward VI.; at any rate, a lengthy controversy between the corporation, who considered their rights under the original charter had been infringed, and that gentleman was initiated. And this controversy, with temporary truces and patchings-up, continued till well into the eighteenth century.

On February 11th, 1571, a “tripartite indenture" was executed between the Bishop of Lichfield and Coventry, as visitor, of the first part; the bailiffs and burgesses, of the second part; and the masters and fellows of St. John's College, Cambridge, the head and undermaster, of the third part. Under this threefold constitution, binding upon all parties to the agreement, the government of the school was vested in the bailiff and the headmaster, under the general superintendence of the visitors. The right, however, of selecting the headmaster was placed in the hands of the masters and fellows of St. John's College; but the college authorities were bound to select for the post a burgess of Shrewsbury, or a native of Shropshire,

or in default thereof, a "sufficient man " who, preferably, had been educated in the school.

The surplus revenues were to be employed, amongst other purposes, in building a country house to which the masters and scholars might resort in time of plague or contagious sickness; in founding two scholarships, and two fellowships for boys educated in the school; and in purchasing, from time to time, further fellowships and scholarships at the Universities. The preference in the elections to such scholarships was to be given primarily to the natives of Shrewsbury town, then to burgesses' sons born in the suburbs, or in the parish of Chirbury, and lastly to all natives of Shropshire. The elections were to be made by the master and senior fellows of St. John's, who were to choose "the godliest, poorest, and best learned" of those presented to them by the headmaster and bailiffs.

Writing of Shrewsbury, John Stow, in his Annales (black letter folio, 1631), says: "There is yet one other Schoole of note in this Kingdome, to wit, The free Grammar Schoole of Shrewsbury, in the county of Salop, which consisteth of one chiefe Schoolemaster, and three under Schoolemasters.

"It was first founded by King Edward VI. in the fifth yeere of his raigne, being the yeere of Christ 1552, and after augmented by Queene Elizabeth in . . . 1571. Both the said famous Princes gave liberall meanes for the maintainance of it, and also power for an ordinance to be provided and made, as well concerning the rule and government, and also the disposing of the revenues thereof, which being made accordingly those persons that were trusted with the estate of it, became bound by covenant each to other, not onely to observe the ordinances thereof, but also to sue and implead both one another, and every other person that should doe anything to the prejudizing of it.

"Accordingly the said Schoole hath continued now 54 yeeres, and of those 54 yeeres my worthy and learned friend M. John Meighen, now chiefe Master of the same hath bin chiefe Master there 48 yeeres compleat, during all of which time of

48 yeeres, notwithstanding that many attempts have bin made by divers persons of place and great power, both by suits of law and otherwise, thereby as well to wrest away part of the meanes thereof, as also to breake and infringe some of the said ordinances, yet as well the meanes of the said Schoole, hath beene hitherto preserved through the good care and speciall endeavour of the said M. John Meighen the chiefe Master and Gouernor thereof, and goodly blessing upon the same, as also the ordinance thereof, to the uttermost of his power, and with the expence of his owne purse defended from violation.

"

'With the meanes so preserved, there have beene lately erected and built a faire Library, furnished with necessary bookes for the use of the Schoole, and other publique uses therewith; also a pleasant Gallery; also a Schooleĥouse in the countrey for a refuge and continuance of teaching in the times of sicknesse: and last of all, a goodly new Schoolehouse in place of the olde, being ruinated within the Towne. And all the said building being made of the faire white free stone worke without together with the inward furniture suitable thereunto, cost the best part of three thousand pounds, if not more. But with the same meanes also two Schollerships are already founded for the said Schoole, in Saint John's Colledge, in Cambridge as a beginning and precedent for succeeding times, to proceede in founding more like Schollerships, with Fellowships also in both the Universities or either of them, according to the meaning of the ordinances by which it is specially provided, that as the stocke of the said Schoole shall encrease, so it shall from time to time be imployed wholly that way, and never converted to any private use at all."

These are the words of poor John Stow, who wrote "without fear or favour," and was, naturally, for his temerity, left to die in penury and misery.

Throughout the seventeenth century controversy raged between the corporation and the college, and at length, in 1724, the election by the corporation of a headmaster under the original charter was set aside by the Court of Chancery and the House of Lords. In 1798, an Act was passed by which the government of the school was transferred to a body of thirteen trustees, of which the Mayor of Shrewsbury for the time being was one. With the

* Our Italics.

exception of the Mayor, they were to be possessed of a property qualification, and were required to be resident in the county of Salop. On a vacancy the remainder of the trustees were to elect three persons, out of whom, granting the casting vote to the Mayor, the corporation were to choose one to fill the vacant trusteeship. St. John's College retained its right to elect the headmaster. It was ordained that the sons of burgesses should be taught gratuitously, and that the surplus school revenues should be applied to the establishment of University exhibitions, open first to the sons of burgesses, then to the natives of the parish of Chirbury, and lastly to natives of Shropshire.

In 1865 there was no actual visitor, although the Bishop of Lichfield had power to sanction bye-laws and the alteration of salaries. According to those gentlemen of a very moderate right, the Clarendon Commissioners, the property of Shrewsbury School consists principally of tithe-rent charges, but it has also money invested in the public funds and Government stock, the school buildings, the masters' houses, a freehold house at Grinshill, and two chief rents. In 1572, the annual value of the property appears to have been £93 8s. 3d. (contemporary money); in 1798 (when the trust was vested in thirteen persons), it was £945 5s. 5d.; in 1811, £1,918 8s. 11d.; in 1860, £3,097 5s. 11d.; and at the present day its rich endowments are said to be equivalent to an income of £3,100 yearly.

The property and revenues, according to the report, were subject to the payment of a number of clerical stipends, and of scholarships, etc., to Oxford and Cambridge Universities. There are four benefices in the gift of the college.

By Edward VI.'s Charter, and Ashton's ordinances, the salary of the headmaster was settled at £40 per annum, the second master, £30. In 1865 three of the eight masters were paid directly or indirectly by the headmaster. The

net income of the headmaster in the 'sixties was £2,000 per annum; the second master's £560 per annum. These amounts did not include fees received from private pupils.

The Commissioners reported that out of a possible maximum of 300 boys, there were in the school 108 boarders; twenty-seven burgesses' sons, and as such entitled to gratuitous education; and eighty-six day scholars, without privileges, who resided with their friends, or guardians.

The Bailiffs' Ordinances of 1577 give no fixed limit to the age of admission, and the qualifications, outside a few very elementary philological attainments in regard to Latin grammar, specify that the applicant should be able to "write his own name with his own hand, and read English perfectly." So qualified, he was admitted on payment of an entrance fee varying from 10s., 6s. 8d., and 3s. 4d., for a lord's, knight's, and gentleman's son respectively, to 4d. for "every burgess's son inhabiting within the town or the liberties thereof, or of the Abbey Foregate, if he be of ability." Thereafter, and as long as he remained in the school, he was entitled to gratuitous education.

According to a Chancery scheme for the management of the school, August, 1853, "the sons of burgesses of Shrewsbury are to be admitted without entrance fee, and are to be exempt from other payment of any kind whatever." The exhibitions and University endowments at Shrewsbury are very rich in amount, and very numerous. A former headmaster, to whom, with the famous scholar and classical geographer, Dr. Samuel Butler, Shrewsbury is indebted for her prominence as fee school, to wit, Dr. B. H. Kennedy, stated in his evidence before the Clarendon Commissioners, that there were twenty-six scholarships or exhibitions, varying in value from £10 to £63 per annum, and tenable for three or eight years at either University. In some cases, preference was given to the sons of local burgesses, and to Salopian natives. The