C. References to the Early School in the Borough Records. (From the
- Court Rolls of the Borough of Colchester, translated and epitomised by I. H. Jeayes, with an introduction by Sir W. Gurney Benham, and published by Benham, Colchester.
- Items 1 and 2 are from Vol. II, 1353-1367.
- Items 3, 4, 5 are from the MS., as yet unpublished.)
1. Hundred. Monday after All Saints Day (November 4th). 1353, p. 9.
The Will of Warin Parker of Colchester, recorded. He bequeaths lands to Christina his wife and, among others, seven acres opposite the "great school," and lands at Bradeston, Portespyghtel, Eststokewellstrat. On his wife's death lands go to Elicia and Joan, his daughters. Executors : the sald Christina, and Wm. Hadlegh. Dated Tuesday afternoon, Feast of S.S. Simon and Jude, 1352 (29th October).
2. Hundred. Monday before Feast of St. Benedict (20th March). 1357, p. 57.
Essoigns. Alice, maid of the Schoolmaster (magistri scolarum), v John Lokier. John Lokier v said Alice.
"Thomas Chytewood, master of the scholars " is mentioned in the Court Rolls, June 15th, 1383.
3. June 4th, 1425.
That the Master of the scholars of the Town of Colchester on the Feast of St. Nicholas the Bishop, I Henry VI (i.e. Dec. 6, 1422) at Colchester. In the parish of St. Nicholas, made an assault on the son of Roger Sebryght, then Bishop in the said church, with force and arms, and violently pulled him from the highway into the mud, making him dirty and treating him shamefully; and that he committed other enormities, etc.
Also that the same Master is in the habit of demanding from his scholars unreasonable fines and customs namely from the son of Nicholas Ferrour, on the ground that they were Crossbearers of the Bishops, namely 2d. each.
4. 1460-1. (1460-1. Roll 72.)
The Master of the Schools is in the common habit of digging turves under the stone wall at Colkyngescastel (i.e. Balkerne Gate).
5. Lawehundred held on Monday after Hokeday (16 April). 4 Edward IV (1464).
That the Master of the schools is in the common habit of casting the dung of his school over and beyond the stone wall of the town at le Posterne and there making a dunghill, in mercy 4d.
That William Beeche and John Foster act similarly with the slops of St. Mary's Church, in mercy 4d. each.
John Cratoun has made a dunghill at le Posterne in mercy.
Today these consist of the main buildings erected in 1853, 1909 and later, together with several adjacent houses that have been purchased, and some 20 acres of playing—fields. Like the Westons school-house of 1584 these various properties have been acquired for use and not as sources of income; and none of them has been in the possession of the School for longer than a century. In both these respects the modern properties differ essentially from the ancient endowments derived from the Elianore Chantry. They are listed in Table 1 below.
In Table 2 will be found references to Westons, including a plan of the Culver Street area in the 18th century showing the School-house there.
Table 3 is devoted to the old chantry-properties, those portions of Joseph Elianore's endowment that were assigned to the School in 1585. As the last of these properties was not disposed of until quite recently (1944), and as Morant has preserved the terms of Elianore's foundation-deed (1348), we are enabled
