NOTES ON THE MERCHANT TAYLORS' SCHOOLS AT GREAT CROSBY, LANCASHIRE.

By Thomas Goffey.

Read 10th April, 1902.

THE HE Guild of Merchant Taylors of the Fraternity of St. John the Baptist, in the City of London, is one of the oldest of the great City Companies. I have not been able to ascertain the date of its foundation, but one of its earliest records is dated 1267.

Its first charter was granted in March, 1326, by Edw. III.

It was originally a purely trade guild, but for a long period it has ceased to have that distinctive character.

My purpose is not, however, to give a history of the Company, but some account of its schools at Great Crosby.

The school for boys is now held in a handsome modern building, known popularly as the "Gram"mar School," but its real name is "The Merchant "Taylors' School, founded at the charge of John Harrison." The girls' school is of very modern creation, as will be shown further on.

Since the present head master, the Rev. Canon Armour, D.D., Hon. Canon of Liverpool, has occupied that position, the school has emerged from a

state of obscurity, and become a celebrated seat of learning for the middle class on the north side of Liverpool.'

To Canon Armour I am indebted for the loan of the memorials of the Merchant Taylors' Company, from which most of the facts following are taken, besides other information, for which I am much indebted to him. I am also under obligation to Miss Bolton, head mistress, for information as to the girls' school. The master and wardens of the Company have kindly given me permission to make use of the information extracted from the memorials.

The founder of the school, as the name indicates, was one John Harrison. Little is known of him, except that he was a member of the Merchant Taylors Company, to the freedom of which he was admitted, by patrimony, on the 9th August, 1591. He was chosen warden at the election of master and wardens on 9th July, 1593, but does not seem to have filled the office of master, and his name. soon disappears from the records as being present at the Courts. His occupation is not known, but from his being a member of this Company he is supposed to have been a member of the linen or woollen trade, as it was not customary in his day for members outside the fraternity of the particular trades to which these companies belonged to be admitted members, as is now the case.

His father was also named John, and was a member of the same Company, to the freedom of which. he was admitted on the 5th August, 1558 (4 and 5 William and Mary). Local tradition says the father was a shepherd boy who belonged to Crosby, and left his employment there to seek his fortune in the great city of London, as so many, both

I Since this was written, Canon Armour has retired from the position of head master, and I wish him all happiness in his retirement.—1903.

before and since, have done. In his case, he appears to have found it; hence, no doubt, the reason why his son founded the school in Great Crosby, rather than elsewhere. That the father was born in Great Crosby is stated in his son's will.

Both father and son lived and died in St. Augustine's parish, near St. Paul's gate.

John Harrison the father married a lady called Ann Staper, and left a numerous family.

John Harrison the son died in the year 1619, having made a will, dated 15th May, 1618, with a codicil dated 24th July, 1619. He died childless, but left a widow, of whom no record seems to have been kept.

By his will he gave and bequeathed as follows:

I give and bequeath unto the Master and Wardens and Assistants of the Company or Fraternity of St. John Baptist of the mystery of Merchant Tailors [Tailors being spelt with an i instead of a y, as now] in London, whereof I am a Brother, 30l. to make the said Company a Dinner on the day of my funeral.

He evidently meant them to have a good feast, for I suppose £30, in 1619, would be equal to £100 now. It then proceeds:

Item, I give and bequeath unto the Master, Wardens, and Assistants of the said Company or Fraternity 500l. in money, to the end and intent that they or their successors, Master, Wardens, and Assistants of the said Company or Fraternity for the time being, should erect and build up in Great Crosby, in the parish of Shefton, in the County of Lancaster, where my father was born, within convenient time after my decease, One free Grammar School for the teaching, educating, and instructing of youth in the grammar and rules of learning, for ever, which shall be called by the name of "The Merchant "Tailors' School, founded at the charge of John Harrison.' And I will that the said School shall have continuance for ever of one Master and one Usher, and my will and meaning is that the Master, Wardens, and Assistants of the said Fraternity for the time being and their Successors shall be Governors of the said Free School for ever, and shall from time to time

for ever nominate and appoint one sufficient discreet, learned man to be Master of the said School, and one other sufficient discreet, learned man to be Usher of the said School. Item, for the maintenance and continuance of the said school and of the said Master and Usher, and for preferment of other charitable payments hereafter mentioned, I do give will and devise unto the said Master, Wardens, and Assistants and their Successors for ever, all my messuages, houses, grounds and tenements situate in Crane Court, in the parish of St. Augustine. And all my four houses on the street side which lieth in the parish of Saint Augustine aforesaid in the street called the Old Change, in the Ward of Farringdon within the City of London, and all those my two houses lying in Saint Swithin's Lane, near London Stone, with this and every of their appurtenances and the reversion and reversions thereof. To the end and intent that the said Master, Wardens, and Assistants for the time being and their Successors for ever, shall with the rents, issues, and profits of the said messuages, houses, and tenements yearly for ever pay unto the Master of the said School for his stipend and wages 30l., and to the Usher of the said School for his stipend and wages 20l. per annum, and that the said Master, Wardens, and Assistants and their Successors shall yearly for ever out of the said rents and profits pay to and amongst the poor for the time being dwelling in Lamb Alley aforesaid, by and with the consent of the chiefest of the parish of St. Augustine aforesaid, 20l. per annum, and that the remainder of the said rents and profits of the said tenements (reserving 51. per annum for repairing of the said School) shall be bestowed to and amongst the poor Brethren of the said Company so far as it will extend by 20s. a quarter a piece.

After the testator's death, in 1619, the Court of the Company, having had the will read, and ascertained (mark the prudence) that he had left "sufficiently in money and lands for the perform

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ance thereof "..." lovingly and willingly accepted "of the said gift, and purpose, God willing, to "perform the contents of the said will according "to the true meaning thereof."

So far as I have been able to make out, the property devised consisted of 9 houses in Crane Court, 2 houses in St. Swithin Lane, and 4 houses in Old Change, London. The total rental appears to have

been £131 135, 4d., but the houses in Change Alley appear to have been destroyed by fire, and not rebuilt till 1634; during which time, of course, no income was derived from them.

It would appear that before his death John Harrison had been in communication with Sir Richard Molineux, ancestor of the present Lord Sefton, on the subject of the school. The master, wardens, and assistants accordingly placed themselves in communication with Sir Richard, and arranged for the erection of the school, under the supervision of another John Harrison, at Crosby, a kinsman of the founder.

It seems probable that the building had been begun in testator's lifetime, but whether or not Sir Richard Molineux gave the land on which the school was built, or whether he was only asked, as the notable man of the district ("farmer" of the manor), to assist the company by overlooking the work, does not clearly appear. The letter, however, recorded in the Court minutes, under date 18 August, 1619, would appear to favour the latter view. It is so quaint, I will give it in extenso :

A Lre to Sir Richard Molineux knight, the words whereof are these, viz. :—

Right Woor" Sir,

Whereas Mr John Harrison a brother of our Company lately dec., having in his life tyme as it is well known unto yor woorpp a full determinacon for ye building a free grammar schoole, in Much Crosby, and as we have heard yor woorpp was a great furtherer of that work. Now right woor in that Mr John Harrison hath devised unto ye Corporacon of the Company of Mchant Taylers in Lond. five hundreth poundes in money for ye finishinge of the said Schoole [note the word finishing," implying that the erection had been commenced] and competent meanes for the continuance thereof for ever, Wee therefore ye Mr and Wardens of that Comp. (having according to the trust in us reposed in performance of the Testator's will a determinate purpose to hasten the finishinge of the same) doe humbly intreat yo' woorpp that you would be