are subscribed together with ye sums they gave towards it. (A
list of 69 Scholars follows.)
.... Out of 1 10 5d.
Subduct 1 6 0d.Remaines towards buying colours 0 4 5d."
On January 17th, 1643, Dugard offered his resignation, with the stipulation that he should be reimbursed with the sums he had expended upon the repair of the School. The Corporation Accounts contain this acknowledgment of the offer:
" Assembly of 13th March 1642/3. At this Assembly it is ordained that whereas Mr Dewgard hath made offer to resigne his scholemastershipp of the free Grammar schole of this town upon condicon that the Mayor and Commonalty shall paie unto him the said Mr Dewgard the sume of one hundred poundes in full paiement and satisfaccion of all such debts, dues, and demands whatsoever . . . . It is now ordered and agreed that the said sume of one hundred poundes shall forthwith be paid to Mr Dewgard upon his resigning his school-mastershipp of the said Grammar Schoole and givinge to the Mayor and Commonalty of this towne a generalle acquitance." (Round : A List of Colchester Scholars, 1897.)
Dugard had been nominated by John Knowles, Town Preacher of Colchester[1] since 1635. Knowles was of the "nonconformist" persuasion, and in 1639, having fallen foul of Archbishop Laud, he resigned his preachership and sailed for New England. There he met Thomas Waterhouse, who was to succeed Dugard at Colchester in 1643. (Concerning Waterhouse see an article by H. J. Cape in The Colcestrian, No. 86, 1930; Essex County Standard, March 29th, 1930).
Waterhouse provides an interesting link between Colchester and the oldest municipal foundation in North America. The City of Dorchester, Massachusetts, was founded in 1630 by a group of emigrants from Dorset, and was the first town in the New England Colonies to have a municipal governing body. It was also the first town in New England to found a "Free—School" (1639), when a salary of £20 per annum was provided for a master to teach "English, Latin, and other tongues, and also writing." The first master of this school was Thomas Waterhouse, who held the post for four years; he then returned to England, where he was elected master at Colchester in 1643.
- ↑ Town Preacher (Morant, i, 96). "The bailiffs, and afterwards the Mayor, had a chaplain, styled the General or Common Preacher, or Lecturer : and the first was about the year 1564. He was generally some noted Preacher from Cambridge, chosen during the pleasure of the Bailiffs (or Mayor) and Commonalty; and presented to, approved, and licensed by the Bishop of London. His business was to preach on Sundays in the afternoon, Wednesdays in the forenoon, on the greater festivals, and on the fast and fair days, coronation days, at elections, gaol deliveries, &c. At length, the office dwindled to a few Sermons, preached by some of the Clergy in the town, the election and swearing of a Mayor. Their maintenance at first was by subscription: but in 1576, a salary of 40l. . . . was settled upon them. In 1593 it was increased to 100 marks. . . . To that in 1610, an addition of 10l. was made for a house. In 1620, the salary was raised to 100l. besides the 10l. for a house." The salary eventually fell to £70. The office of Mayor replaced that of Bailiff in 1635.
