Mr. Edward Grubb, and are said to have been portraits of two of the children then actually in the school. The first bequest recorded is that of Mrs. Elizabeth White, who in 1722 left nearly 30 acres of land worth about £250 per year for the support of the school. In 1726 Benjamin Salusbury left 30s. per year for the preaching of a sermon at St. Martin's and St. Philip's, and a further 40s. per year as a subscription; as did also Thomas Dunscombe in 1729. In 1795 the Lord of the Manor presented the school with a slice of Birmingham Heath, above five acres in extent, which is now let on a long lease at £96 10s. per year. In 1806 other land was devised, and from time to time considerable sums have been invested in like manner and in consols, so that a fair income is derived from these sources, in addition to the voluntary and annual subscriptions, but judging from the past and the admirable way in which the funds have been administered it may be truly said that if the income were doubled or trebled so would be the benefits in like proportion. At first opening 22 boys and 10 girls were admitted, and 10 others of each sex were taught and clothed ; the latter system, however, had many inconveniences, and was soon discontinued. At present the average number is 150 boys and 100 girls on the original foundation, 20 being paid for out of Fentham's Trust.
Bourne College is situated at Quinton, and is an institution for the education of the sons of friends belonging to the Primitive Methodist denomination. The memorial stones were laid June 6, 1881, and the College was opened October 24, 1882, with accommodation for 70 boys.
Church Schools.—St. Alban's Schools were commenced in 1865. Bishop Ryder's Schools were opened in December 1860, and for girls in March 1866. Christ Church Schools were built in 1837 at a cost of nearly £4,000 St. George's Schools were built in 1842; St, John's (Sparkhill) in 1884; St. Mary's, Bath Street, in 1824, the present schools dating from January, 1847. St. Martin's Church Schools were opened Nov. 1, 1816, but were transferred to the School Board, July 9, 1879; St. Matthew's, Lupin Street, October 20, 1841; St. Paul's, December 18, 1845; the Legge Lane Schools being erected in 1869. St. Anne's School, Deritend, was opened May 31, 1870; St. Mary's, Aston Brook, April 16, 1872.
King Edward the VIth's Schools.—For 300 years known as the Free Grammar School, having been founded in 1551, the fifth year of the reign of Edward VI., and endowed with part of the property taken by his reforming father Henry VIII., in 1536, from the religious foundation known as the "Guild of the Holy Cross." At the time the charter was granted (Jan. 2, 1552) these lands were valued at about £20 per annum, and so little was it imagined that Birmingham would ever be more than the small hamlet it then was, that a funny tale has come down to the effect that the good people of King's Norton, when offered their choice of similar lands or a sum equal thereto, wisely as they thought, chose the "bird in hand" and asked for the £20 per year for their school, leaving the Brums to make what they could out of the bare fields once belonging to the brotherhood of the Holy Cross. Like the majority of so-called charily schools, this foundation was for many generations so managed that the funds went into almost any channel except the purpose for which it was designed—the free education of the poor—and even now it would be an interesting question to find out how many boys are receiving the advantages thereof whose parents are well able to pay for their learning elsewhere. The property of the charity is widely scattered over the town, here a piece and there a piece, but it is rapidly increasing in value from the falling in of leases the rentals, which in 1827 were about £3,000 per annum, being in 1840
