Walter Gale

“ Sir John Deane, the founder of the Grammar School at Wilton, near Northleach, declares, in one of his statutes, "Because nothing that is perpetual is pleasant, I will that the schoolmaster shall have liberty, in every year, to absent himself for thirty days, to recreate himself." A sentiment in which Master Gale entirely concurred. ”

“ Hassell the conjuror came to school, and brought with him a map which he had made of a farm belonging to Colonel Fuller. We went together at noon to Elliott's, where he treated me with a quartern of gin, and I gave him a dinner at Coggin's Mill. Having dined the conjuror, we returned to Elliot's, where he treated me as before. ”

“ Sunday.—I set out for Withernden. My sister was still extremely ill. I told them in discourse that on Thursday last, the town clock was heard to strike 3 in the afternoon twice, once before the chimes went, and a 2d time pretty nearly a 1⁄4 of an hour after. There were present at the time in the school, Mr. Sawyer, Mastr. Kent, Cousin Vine, and myself, who all observed it. The strikes at the 2d striking seemed to sound very dull and mournfully; this, together with the crickets coming to the house at Laughton just at our coming away, I look upon to be sure presages of my sister's death. ”

“ Mary Overy, passed in 1614, "of a wise, sociable, and loving disposition, not hasty or furious, nor of any ill example; he shall be wise, and of good experience to discern the nature of every child, to work upon the disposition for the greatest advantage, benefit, and comfort of the child, ever proposing to clear up and put life and spirit into the capacity and memory; love, patience, diligence, gentleness, and moderate desire of praise in the scholars." ”

“ I ordered him into the school, and took the management myself. I was told by Mr. Downer that the day before James had been so indiscreet as to suffer Richardson's boy George to bring beer into the school, and, old Kent coming in before the mug was out, the boy asked him to drink; thereupon he fell into a great heat, and drove the boy out of the school."
Such a circumstance as this would probably not have occurred had the liberal rule in force in several old grammar-schools prevailed at Mayfield, that the boys should have an hour from three o'clock till four for their drinkings. ”

“ When the people of Chorley, in Lancashire, built their schoolhouse, they recorded this their resolution, that no schoolmaster or minister who might hereafter be, should, for "diverse great causes, inhabit therein;" the real "great cause" being, as was afterwards explained, that the wives, and children begotten in such habitation, might become chargeable to the parish. This difficulty, as far as Walter Gale was concerned, was obviated by the selection of a single man, who dwelt with his mother at a place called Coggin's Mill, near Mayfield. ”

“ The importance of attending to sermons and of taking down notes of the preacher's words was more thought of in the days of old than at present. In the rules of many an old grammar-school this duty and practice are strictly enjoined both on schoolmasters and scholars. ”

“ Whereas you have been recommended to us by the testimony of the ministers and churchwardens and many of the principal inhabitants of the parish of Mayfield, as a person of a sober and virtuous life, and of sound morals, and well qualified to teach and instruct youth in reading, writing, and arithmetic, whereby we are inclined to have a favourable regard unto you ”

“ Walter Gale, the object of the choice at Mayfield, and the writer of the journal from which the following extracts are taken, was not such an one as Joseph Moxon, who, having acted as waiter at his father's inn at Market Bosworth, was placed by the patron of the school there at the head of it, despite of all his own earnest remonstrances and protestations of incompetency. On the contrary, he was a sort of universal genius: he could turn his hand to almost anything ”

“ One of his pupils, who survived till within the last twenty years, used to relate how that he thought Satan Had his dwelling among the tombs in Heathfield Churchyard, and that he often expressed a wish that he would show himself in the daytime, thinking that Master Vine, with his forty scholars, would be able to drive him once and for ever out of the parish. ”

“ The subject of his discourse kept very close to the sense and words of the text, and seemed to be but little less than a comment thereon, and tended to nothing more than to shew that those, who by their lives' example, precepts and commands should teach others to break the commandments of GOD, should be called the least in the kingdom of heaven, viz., be excluded for ever therefrom, it being a more heinous offence to corrupt others than to live loosely ourselves. ”

“ The salary of the Mayfield schoolmaster was only £16 a year, which was subsequently increased by the bequest of a house and garden, which let for £l8 a year. There were none of those perquisites, so common in old grammar schools, by which the scanty fortunes of the masters were increased, and the boys instructed in the humanities, as in the Middle School at Manchester, where the master provided the cocks for which he was liberally paid, and which were to be buried up to their necks to be shied at by the boys on Shrove Tuesday and at the feast of St. ”

“ We next went into the chancel, in which is an incomparable fine monument, erected to the former Duke and Dutchess of Dorset and their 13 children; the surviving children are represented as holding an olive-branch in their hands, those deceased a death's head. On the north side of this monument kneels the Duke in his armour, and a commanding-staff in his right hand. ”

“ The smugglers fled in all directions; a riding-officer, as they were called, met this man, and called upon him to surrender his booty, which he refused to do. The officer, to use the words of the editor's informant, a very respectable man and neighbour, who in early life was much engaged in such transactions, knew that "he was too good a man for him, for they had tried it out before ”

“ It was very common in the south-eastern counties of England, and still prevails in the town of Lewes and some of the neighbouring parishes. It is confined to women, who formerly, in return for the alms which they received, used to present their benefactors with sprigs of evergreens, probably to deck their houses with at the ensuing festival.— (Brand's Popular Antiquities.)
"Returning, to Coggin's Mill, I found old Fitness there, who wanted me to go with him to witness a will which he had in his pocket, in which his uncle had given him all the moveables at the mill. ”

“ He said he would produce a woman in the town who would vouch for the truth of the assertion.
"Sunday, 11th. Feb.—Gave attendance at divine service, 4th chap. of St. John, 24th verse. He gave an historical account of our Saviour's conversation with the Samaritan woman; he then made an explanation of Jacob's ladder, and he found great fault with some of his auditors that they did not attend prayers on holydays.
"15th.- Master Kent and Mr. M. Baker came to the school. They discoursed with me of the number of scholars I would teach for £I6 per ann. ”

“ To these rules were subscribed the names of John Gorman, vicar; the mark of John Kent x, Edward Sawyer, Samuel Baker, John Diplock, Ansell Day, and John Russell.
There is something very interesting in the wise and careful way in which the duties of a schoolmaster are enforced in the rules of many of our old grammar-schools. "He shall be a man," say the statutes of the school of St. ”

“ Matthew: 'Take no thought, saying, What shall we eat, and what shall we drink, or wherewithall shall we be clothed,' and I went to Jones', where I spent 2d., and here came Thomas Cornwall, and treated me with a-pint of twopenny.
"10th.- I finished diamonding two heel-bands and three hind-quarter pieces of a pair of shoes for Squire Baker's lady.
"May, 1750, 13th Sunday.- I heard, on my arrival at Coggin's Mill, that Mr. Godman had died the day before. Gave my attendance at church. Service was performed by the Rev. Mr. Delves (text, Acts xxiv. v. 25) , Who made an excellent discourse. ”

“ I spent 1s. on them, and we reached my brother Stone's about 2 o'clock. We put the coffin into the parlour, and went to Cripps', at the Greyhound, where I treated them with bread, beer, and tobacco, 8s. 6d., and with cheese, 2s. 6d. After paying them 2s. 6d. each, they returned to Mayfield. ”

“ It may be satisfactory to know that this ceremony has ceased, and that the school in question is now carrying out worthily and well the objects for which it was founded.
↑ See Carlyle's Concise Description of the English Endowed Grammar Schools, from whose book all the cases alluded to are taken. ↑ Cock-fighting was, in fact, the great national amusement, particularly in the north of England, and Berwick-upon-Tweed was among the places most celebrated for it. ”