Robert Francis Cholmeley

“ Manchester grammar school was in 1859 a free school, with no power to charge fees, and with a decaying revenue derived partly from fishing rights in the Irk and partly from a monopoly in grinding corn, attached to a soke mill belonging to the school. ”

“ During Walker's tenure of office the school was completely reorganised in every direction; a change in the constitution of the governing body enlisted the help of the wealthy and able nonconformists of Manchester; the admission of fee-paying scholars, vehemently opposed by those who clung to the idea of a free school, put the finances of the school upon a secure basis; bequests and gifts to the amount of about 150,000l provided new buildings and scholarships. By the time that Walker left, the numbers of the school were second only to those of Eton ”

“ Paul's in 1876— the only other school in England whose head bears the title of high master — was in some respects not unlike what Manchester grammar school had been in 1859; but its constitution had just been remodelled by the charity commissioners, and it possessed ample and increasing revenues. One hundred and fifty-three foundation scholars [see Colet, John] and a few paying pupils were educated at the school; the foundationers were generally chosen by patronage, and the traditions were not favourable to educational efficiency. ”