Chipping Campden Grammar School

On the lower side of the street, between Woolstaplers'-hall and the Market-hall, are the Grammar School buildings. consisting of an imposing erection of three stories, containing school-rooms and boarding accommodation and master's residence to the north, and playground in the rear. All the original ordinances and deeds have been lost time immemorial, but according to a decree in Chancery, dated 9th June, 1627, it was found by the Court that about 140 years previously one John Verby, or Fereby, and Margery, his wife, being seized in fee of half the manor of Lynham, in Shipton- under-Wychwood, co. Oxon, and 19 yardlands there, and of a great close called Fynes Court or Close, made a feoffment thereof to certain persons of Campden upon the trust that there should be a free school built within the borough of Campden and good allowance made to a learned schoolmaster to educate the children of the parishioners, and that the overplus, it any, above such allowance should be wholly employed for the relief of the poor of Campden parish. This finding of the Court was not, however, strictly correct, because part of the endowment was for the performance of certain ecclesiastical rites, viz. an obit, which being so, a return was made of the foundation in the Charity Certificates of Henry VIII. and Edward VI., which return was evidently unknown to the Court in 1627. The Commissioners of Henry VIII. report that the endowment was to "ffynde a preste for ever to kepe a ffrescole, and to have for hys salary by year viii. li. To kepe an obyt and to gyve almes yearly xls.," the value being returned as £13 6s. 8d. per annum. The Commissioners of Edward VI. (18) state that ,The Scolemaistr. suice al. dict. fferbye suyce ffounded by one John fferbye and Margery, his wiffe, and the lands putt in feoffment to thintent to fynde a priste to maynteine a ffrescole in the said pish. of Campden for ever," In connection, with this is a memorandum, as follows:–

"Md. that there hathe byn tyme oute of mynde kepte wtin. the seid pish. a gramr. schole, ffreelie taughte, comenlie ffurnysshed, wt.the nombre of iij or iiijxx Scolers, ffor rneyntennce and kepinge whereof oon John fferbye and M'gery his wiffe gave and putt in feoffent the moytie of a certeyne manor, wt. thappr. tenns., amountynge to the yerelie value of xiijli, vjs. viijd, wt. web. yerelie rent comynge of the pmisses, the seid schole hathe byn alweys, and yet is kepte and maynteigned accordingelie, the teacher havinge for his salarye sometymes xli., sometimes xijli., by yere, as his learning qualities and behavyor byn. The residue thereof hathe byn distributed and converted for the Relevynge of poor people and in payeing a Stuard's ffee of xxs. by yere."

In 1548 the obit therefore seems to have been discontinued, the whole endowment being appropriated to the school and charity, the value remaining the same as before, £13 6s. 8d. There is no reason to doubt the earlier certificate, but it cannot be ascertained why the obit was discontinued. Perhaps it was done in order to escape the seizure by the Crown of the whole endowment which it seems to have been liable to in consequence of the close connection of the superstitious office with the teaching office. Probably in view of the discontinuance of the obit the small proportion of the endowment allocated to that purpose, the great good that had been and was then being done under the major portion of the endowment, and the discreet action of Protestant feoffees, the Crown tacitly allowed the whole income to be used for teaching and charity, and did not enforce, their legal rights of moral robbery. Although one cannot but feel thankful that the school was allowed to continue in its splendid work, the feeling is unavoidably mixed with resentment at the disgraceful national act that put the endowment in jeopardy. It seems likely, too, that the master having but a small ecclesiastical duty, had no strong feelings on the new order, and was amenable to discreet action. He is returned as "Sr, Rob. Glaseman, Incumbent there of thage of Iiii yeres, having no other lyving than in the svice."

It may be observed that the later of the certificates throws doubt upon an important point in relation to the endowment, and that is its date. If the latter was in fact 1487, it is inconceivable that in 1548–but 61 years later–the foundation should have been stated to be "time out of mind," and the author thinks that, bearing in mind this alone, the foundation could hardly have been later than 1450. Except for this school, the name of Fereby is unknown in Campden annals, and to this day it is not known what induced the founder to present such a magnificent endowment to Campdeners. Therefore, taking the decree in Chancery as authority, and paying no heed to the Chantry certificates, it has generally been stated that the foundation was about 1487. When records outside Campden are searched, however, it is found that John Fereby, so far from being a person of little or no fame, as has been assumed naturally in consequence of lack of strong local connection, was a person of considerable notoriety. His name frequently occurs in the Patent Rolls, and from these entries a good deal may be learnt of his circumstances. His first public appearance seems to have been as Clerk to the Royal Household, about the time of Grevel's death, and in 1406, a few years later, he was granted by Henry IV. the wardenship of the Hospital of St. Deweys, co. Northants, of which, however, he was disposseesed by Chancery on the petition of one who had been instituted by the true patrons, and who alleged that Feriby (as the name was spelt) obtained the grant by falsely suggesting to the King that the appointment was vacant and in the King's collation. Evidently in lieu of this Feriby was in 1408 granted the wardenship of the Hospital of St, Michael, Llandeweryn. In 1410 the office of Controller of the great custom and the subsidy of wools, hide, and wool-fells, with the keeping of part of the coket seal, was conferred on him, and in 1415 he was awarded by the Crown a life annuity of 12d. per day out of the fee farm of the City of London, which grant was confirmed in 1422. Soon after this he is frequently referred to as King's Esquire and Controller of the Royal Household, and was evidently in high favour with the House of Lancaster. He appears to have been a Surrey county magnate, perhaps in consequence of his having in 1421 obtained a grant for life of the manor of Witley, in that county, from the King, who in 1433 granted to Feriby the office of parker there and keeper of the warren. In 1424 and 1427 he was on the commission of the peace for Surrey in 1432 King's escheator for Kent, and in 1434 Knight of the Shire for Surrey and a commissioner of gaol delivery at Guildford. In 1430 he obtained license to grant in mortmain to the House of the Salutation of the Blessed Mary of the Carthusian Order in London, the predecessors of the present Charterhouse, a spring and small piece of land at Islington for the purpose of supplying the house with water. In this license the first mention of Margery, wife of Feriby, is made, and this appears to identify the founder of the Grammar School of Campden with the influential Crown officer. Some time prior to 1435 Feriby loaned £40 to the King for aiding defence of the realm, and in 1439 and 1440 was a commissioner to raise loans for the same purpose in Surrey. In 1436 and 1439 he was a commissioner to inquire into alleged wastes, etc., of lands of the King's inheritance in Surrey, and of the King's park of Asshehurst. In 1439 another mark of royal favour was shown Feriby by the grant to him for life of a tun of Gascon wine per annum for Easter in the City of London. The last special office conferred on him seems to have been as commissioner to collect portion of a subsidy in Surrey in 1441, and on the 13th Jan. 1443, he is referred to as then deceased. After hie death his widow Margery is several times referred to in the Patent Rolls. She appears to have been executrix of his will, and by 1445 had married again to one Jno. Bourghchier. In 1433 John Fereby and Margery, his wife, conveyed the manor and advowson of West Horselegh, co. Surrey. Unfortunately in all the references to Fereby found by the author there is no reference to Campden, nor yet to Lynham, although a debtor of Fereby was described in 1445 as of Great Tew, some 11 miles from Shipton. Nevertheless, the peculiar combination of wealth, name, and the name of his wife leaves little room for doubt that the Controller of the Household arid the faithful servant of Lancastrian Kings must have been him to whom Campden is indebted. What induced John Fereby to give Campden its first endowed school must at present remain a mystery. Possibly in his office of commissioner for collecting the King's subsidy of wools he came in contact with the wool merchants of Campden, and what at first was a relationship of tax collector and the taxed became in course of time a special friendship. That the Margery Fereby referred to in the records was not of a Campden family is quite clear, for she was a daughter of Richard and Philippa Bernerd, and held the manor of Bernersbury (now Barnsbury), Islington. She was married to Fereby in 1421, evidently while very young, because in the same record she is stated to be of the age of 13 and upwards (19), If John Fereby, the founder, died about 1442, it is evident that he founded Campden school between 1421 and 1442, a time of foundation which, as previously stated, accords more with the statement in the Chantry certificate than the recital in the Chancery decree does.

Soon after Sir Baptist Hicks became connected with Campden his business acumen enabled him to discover that the feoffees of the school in the past and those then acting had by no means done their duty to the school and town and had quietly "feathered their own nests" as one would say now. This Sir Baptist sought to remedy by a suit in Chancery, brought in his name and those of the vicar and bailiffs and other parishioners, on behalf of themselves and 300 more poor inhabitants, against Thos. Bacon, als. Butcher, senr., Thos. Bacon, als. Butcher, junr., Wm. Davenport, Jno. Gilby, Ant. Jarrett, and Ant Bonner, who seem to have been the then feoffees, and the decree before referred to in that given in this suit. The decree is very lengthy, and gives in detail a narrative of what had been going on previously and what should be done to stop the "rot". It appears that for many years the premises at Lynham had been leased to the inhabitants of that place at £20 per annum, but that, free of these demises, the premises had been well worth £250 per annum, which raises the suspicion that the leases had only been grant on pretty heavy premiums; paid to the feoffees which they Probably pocketted. The school had been built and the schoolmaster provided many years prior to the suit, and the surviving feoffees had from time to time made a further feoffment, according to the intention of the donor, until some 30 years previous Christopher Jarrett and Thos. Bacon, senr., were feoffees, and at that time, having under false pretences obtained possession of the evidences relating to the charity, contracted with Sir Jas. Mervyn, Knt., the then owner of the other moiety of Lynham Manor, for "some great sum" paid to them by him to grant a lease to him of their moiety for 101 years at £20 per annum, without impeachment for waste, with a power of renewal of the lease in the last year of the term. This lease was made, and Sir James cut down timber to the value of £500. The premium was retained by the lessors to their own use, as also was the £6 13s. 4d., the overplus of the rent, after paying the schoolmaster £13 6s. 8d. per annum. About 30 years previous to the suit the feoffees; made a feoffment to Bonner, Jarrett, Davenport and Butcher, junr., who had received the rent from Sir Jno. Walter, Knight. Lord Chief Baron of the Exchequer, who had purchased the Lynhem property from Mervyn. Later it appears Butcher and Davenport approached Sir Jno. Walter with the object of feoffees to find some suitable land for purchase with the money he was to pay for the said freehold. The feoffees sought out a parcel of land in Barton-on-the-Heath, co. Warwick, the property of Wm. Berrie, of the value of £60 per annum, and it was agreed selling the freehold of the Lynham property increased. Thereupon Sir John directed the to him, so that with the purchase money other land of higher yearly value than £20 might be bought and the stipend of the schoolmaster that the feoffees should assure the freehold of the Lynham property to Sir Jno. Walter for £700, and that the said Berrie should assure the Barton property to Walter, and should receive the £700 from him, and that Walter should thereupon convey the Barton land to certain feoffees for the ancient trusts of the endowment. As a recompense for their assent to this dealing, Bonner and Jarrett, others of the feoffees, insisted on a payment to them, and further stipulated that certain of their relations should be made the new feoffees, notwithstanding that such persons were unfit to execute the trusts and control the other trusts against the mis-employment of the profits. This exchange of lands took place about 1622, and although the Barton lands had been let by Butcher and Davenport for £60 per annum, they had given no greater stipend to the schoolmaster than £13 6s. 8d. per annum, whereby the school had fallen into great decay and disgrace, and the poor had received nothing for at least thirty years. At the hearing of the cause it was found that Butcher had converted £123 6s 8d. and Davenport £116 of the charity money to their own use, and it was decreed that the matter should go to a Master of the Court and that Butcher, Davenport, and Gilby should pay back such monies as they had received and not disbursed for the purposes of the charity, that a payment of £20 per annum which the two former had reserved to themselves out of the rent for the eight years previous should cease, and that a new feoffment of the Barton lands should be made unto the use of the complainants, Sir Baptist Hicks, Endymion Porter, Esq., Sir Nicholas Overbury Knt. Jno. Croker Hen. Jones, Wm. Child Esq., and Jno. Keyte, gent., and their heirs in trust for the school and poor of Campden, and that they or any four of them should nominate so many and such parishioners as complainants should think fittest to be joined with them as feoffees. Lastly, it was decreed that Jarrett and Bonner should pay back the £40 and £44 which they had respectively received for release of their interest in the lands. Accordingly by deed of 24 Sept., 1627, Sir Baptist Hicks, Sir Nich. Overbury (of Bourton-on-the-Hill), Knt., Endymion Porter (of Aston Subedge), Esq., Jno. Gilby and Rich. Jarrett (of Campden), gentlemen, Jno. Jenks, junr., Jno. Freeman, senr., Wm. Jarrett, Wm. Frewen, Jno. Davenport and Jno. Gold (all of Campden) conveyed to Jno. Croker and others the messuage and lands at Barton then in the occupation of Lawrence Phelps, consisting of one close of pasture of 7ace. and a close of pasture of 54ace., called Sharplands Cathill and Herrow, which the said Sir Baptist and the others conveying had had conveyed to them by Wm. Davenport and Thos. Butcher, junr., together with the school-house, with orchard and garden in Campden, to hold for the benefit and behoof of the school and poor of Campden, according to the good purpose of the founder. It was provided in the deed that

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that when four of the trustees should die, leaving nine remaining, the majority of the latter should elect four new men to be co-feoffees with them and make a new feoffment accordingly, the same proportion of parishioner feoffees being preserved. The new trustees began from this time to conduct the affairs of the school, and since then they have been conducted in a business-like and honest way. Perhaps in this business more than any other did Sir Baptist serve Campden. Prior to his time the feoffees seem to have imagined that, provided they allocated £13 6s. 8d. per annum, the value of the endowment in 1548, to the school purposes, they were free to take the benefit of the remainder of the annual income for themselves. Being obsessed with this covetous idea, it is obvious from the two evil transactions recorded that it would not hare been long before the feoffees would have found themselves possessed of but an estate worth £13 6s. 8d. per annum, their predecessors not being satisfied with the ill-begotten annual benefit, but dealing with their property in such a way as to grasp the principal represented by the difference in annual value between that sum and the premise given by the founder. As it was, Sir Baptist saved but £6O per annum out of at least £250 per annum. It is to he feared that Sir James Marvyn can hardly be absolved from all blame in the matter, because it is hardly conceivable that the Campden tradesmen feoffees actually took to themselves some £5,000 of money of the period as a premium for the lease they granted, whereas such a lease on the authority of the decree would have been worth quite that amount.

By January, 1630, one of the parish trustees, vis. Trustram Warne, and two of the outside trustees, viz. Lord Campden and Mr. Croker, had died, and an election of Jno. Jencks, Edward Lord Noel, and Sir Henry Raynesford, in their respective places, was confirmed by the Court, which declared at the same time that although no provision for election of trustees was made in the substantive decree, yet such provision was unnecessary, and it was not necessary to get the Court's confirmation of any subsequent election of new feoffees, as the survivors always had that power by law.

According to a MS. in the Lansdowne collection (227, fo. 279), Bonner and Jarrett only relinquished their positions as feoffees upon condition that the other feoffees should not elect Sir Baptist, Mr. Lilley (the vicar), Lord Noel, or Sir Charles Morison in their places, "knowing they would be strict to observe and look into the revenues and profits of the premises as well as unto former arrangements." As this was five years before the decree, it is evident that the feoffees for years previous felt a cloud would burst over them one day.

There is little doubt, too, that the loss of all the ancient deede relative to the endowment must be laid down to the cupidity of the grasping feoffees or their carelessness. No doubt if the documents were in existence when the trouble commenced they were destroyed quietly, because it was obvious that they could make the feoffees’ position no better, and might make it worse.

About 1628 the school was rebuilt, probably with the monies disgorged by the old feoffees. The new building consisted of but two storeys, the lower one consisting mainly of a large school-room against the street, which room has been incorporated in the present structure, and is still the main room. At its end is a Jacobean fireplace, and above it a bust of Fereby, the founder. This bust was obviously erected at the time of building, because instead of representing Fereby in the dress of his period, he is shown in the ruff and coat of Sir Baptist's time. This mistake has led to the statement sometimes made that Sir Baptist re-endowed the school and that the bust is of him. The inscription beneath the bust, however, which is here given, proves that the bust was intended to represent Fereby:

"DIGNA TUIS MERITIS NON HAEC MONIMENTA PUTAMUS
EBUR NEC INDICUM PARIVE MARMORA
AUREUS HIC ESSES IN FRAUS TUA MUNERA NOBIS
RAPINA TORSERAT DOLUSQUE PERFIDUS
AT TUA FAMA VIGENS ET LAUS PIA FACTA LOQUENTUR
MALUM IMPROBI BREVIQUE NOMEN INTERIT."

Which translated runs:

We do not deem this marble worthy thee, Though Parian 'twere or Indian ivory;
A golden figure should this niche have graced
Had craft and rapine spared their cruel waste.
The foul slanders made will shortly leave your name,
And flourishing praise declare expiation of your fame."

About the year 1709 the purchase of a farm at Gretton, a hamlet of Winchcombe which appears to have been contracted for about 1699, was completed by a conveyance thereof, but the deed was lost for many years prior to 1809. This is the more unfortunate from a historical point of view, as in its absence it has been impossible to ascertain how the purchase money which seems to have been about £600 was found. The Charity Commissioners, after their inquiry of 1829, came to the conclusion that the purchase money was mainly found by applying too the purpose certain money charities given to the town some years previously. William Freeman, saddler, of London, gave two dozen of bread weekly to the poor of Campden for ever, Jno. Ballard, of Weston Subedge, by his will of 15 Sept., 1677, gave to the poor of Campden £100, to be employed for their use and the interest to be paid and distributed by the churchwardens and overseers to the poor, Endymion Cannynge, of Brook, co. Rutland, by his will of 24 May, 1681, gave to the poor of Campden £200 the interest of £100 whereof was to be given to the poor every Sunday in bread, according to the custom at Campden, at 2s. every Sunday, and the other £100 was to be added to the town stock and disposed of according to the discretion of the trustees thereof already appointed. Those charities were lost sight of, and no record existed that they were ever operated. The Commissioners supposed that their sum, about £400 formed the main portion of the purchase money of the Gretton estate. This supposition, they thought, was strengthened by the fact that five dozen of bread per week was for many years provided out of the rent of the said estate without reference to any special donation, and that according to the accounts the Rev. Hicks, the then vicar suddenly became creditor to the school in 1699 for £146 5s. 4d. Thus it appeared that the £400 charity money was used for the purchase and the balance supplied by Mr. Hicks, the total, £546 5s. 4d., being thought to be probably the amount of the purchase money, because the consideration paid on the last previous conveyance on sale prior to purchase for the school was £560. This conveyance was from the Toveys, of Gretton, to Sam. Washbourne, of Wormington, co. Warwick. It is proper to remark however, that it is doubtful if a Wm. Freeman bread charity other than that still dispensed, and explained in a later section, ever existed. The Commissioners seem to have thought that there were two Wm. Freeman bread charities–one lost and one active–but the author thinks that there was but one, and that the Commissioners were misled by the same charity being referred to on different old church charity boards in different terms, as in the fact.

The trustees of the endowment were in 1829 Lords Redesdale and Northwick the Rev. L. Noel (the vicar), Sir Charles Cockerill, Sir Thos. Phillips, Charles Hanbury Tracy, Esq., the Rev. Sam. W. Warnford, D.D., the Rev. Wm. Boughton, Chas. Marshall, Sam. Hiron, Wm. Holmes, and Wm. Cotterell. The school then accommodated about 60 boys. The headmaster's salary was £50, with living rooms and partial coals; and the undermaster received £37 10s per annum. The usual number of boys upon the foundation at that time was between 30 and 40, of which six or seven received classical instruction under the headmaster. The undermaster taught writing and accounts.

In the year 1726 the rent of the Barton Farm was £50 per annum; about 1790 it was £80; 1809, £146; 1820-7, £99; and in 1829, £100. At that time it was principally a grazing farm and consisted of a house and 49a. 2r. 20p., with buildings. it will be observed that this is some 12acs. less than the sum of the areas given in 1627; but the Commissioners of 1829 made no comment on this variation.

The Premises at Gretton consisted of 59a. 0r. 4p., with farmhouse and buildings, 28a. 2r. 34p. of which was in 1829 pasture. In 1726 the rent was £25; 1790, £40; 1816, £84; 1822-9, £70. These rents were low compared with those of the Barton Farm but it was reported that the land at Gretton was of "middling quality."

The annual income and expenditure about 1829 were:

Income:	£.	s.	d.
Rent of Barton Farm Rent of Gretton Farm Total	100 070 170	00 00 00	00 00 00
Expenditure:	£.	s.	d.
Taxes on school premises Poor's rate on same Church rate on same Treasurer's salary Insurance Land tax, Barton Land tax, Gretton Surveyor of highways fee Expenses of annual meeting Bread to the poor Two tons of coals for the school and headmaster, about Masters' salaries Total	03 01 00 02 02 06 04 00 01 13 02 87 125	08 16 08 00 05 17 04 04 07 00 13 10 12	03 00 00 00 00 01 00 00 00 00 00 00 04

For many years there was a balance to the credit of the endowment after paying the credit of repairs to the school and farms, although these were heavy. Out of these balances small payments were sometimes made to the poor of the town and coals bought for them, and at one time a contribution of £69 was made towards building a gallery in the church.

In the early "sixties" it was decided to enlarge the school premises and rebuild the master's accommodation. For the purposes of the extension £560 was first publicly subscribed, and with this sum it appears that the two messuages adjoining on the north were purchased from the Gibbs family that immediately adjoining having been used as a silver-smiths' shop, etc., by Wm. Gibbs. About £1,700-£1,800 was then raised by public subscription, and with this the present commodious master's house was built on the extension site and a third floor added to the school, etc. As before remarked the seventeenth century schoolroom and some other rooms were retained, but all the upper portion of the school structure with the roof, were rebuilt. The foundation-stone of the additions was laid 27 May, 1863 by Mrs. Kennaway, the then vicar's wife and the building work was carried out by Sir. Emmanuel Tomes, a builder of the town. Step. Sylvester, Esq. gave the bell turret and bell, and I. D. T. Niblett, Esq., J.P., carved the inscription over the front door.

The headmasters of the school have been as under:–
1627–Rev. Ambrose Jenks.
Elected 1669–Rev. Taylor.
Elected 1686–Rev. Stores.
Elected 1700–Rev. Smith.
Elected 1717–Rev. R. Goodall.
Elected 1741–Rev. Lumbert.
Elected 1766–Rev. W. Boyce.
Elected 1772–Rev. Thomas Symonds,
Elected 1797–Rev. Jos. Worgan.
Elected 1823-–R. O. Wilsop.
Elected 1832–Rev. Jos. Harling.
Elected 1835–Rev. T. F. Layng.
Elected 1837-Rev. H. Miniken.
Elected 1847-Rev. Barton.
Elected 1855-Rev. G. B. Dodwell.
Elected 1862-Dr. S. F. Hiron.
Elected 1871-Rev. Joe. Foster.
Elected 1889-Rev. F. Osborne (the present master).

By the munificence of Geo. Townsend, Esq., of Lincoln's Inn, Campden Grammar School has the right of presenting a scholarship in turn with schools at Gloucester, Cheltenham, and Northleach, tenable for four years at Pembroke College, Oxford, and worth £80 per annum. The endowment was made by will dated 14 Dec., 1682, and proved 29 Nov. 1683 and the property given for the purpose was Little Aston Farm and tithes. In 1887 the income was £200, paid to the College, and the scholarships were then limited to as many at £80 per annum as the income allowed. Originally the scholars of Campden were chosen by the Corporation and master, subject to refusal of the College to admit if the scholars chosen were unsuitable; but the College now examines candidates.

The school has boasted some famous scholars Rob. Harris, before referred to, was educated here , as were Rich. Graves, the antiquary, of Mickleton died 1729; and the late Dr. Payne, Smith, Dean of Canterbury, who was born here. The latter was a Townsend scholar, and always remembered the town with affection. His sister is buried in the nave of the church. George Ballard, the antiquary, and Jonathan Hulls may also probably be claimed as scholars.

*18. Commission dated 14 Feb., 1543.
*19. Ex. 5 Hen. V. 8, 9 Hen. V. 24