to trace their history, and to identify at least some of them in their modern boundaries. There are four main sources of information : the Elianore Grant of 1348; the Foundation-Deed of the School in 1585; the indentures conveying the School Property to new Trustees in 1833; and the Scheme for the Administration of the School, dated 1910. The relevant passages from these four documents are here arranged in tabular form (Table 3), to facilitate comparison of the various descriptions.
The general importance of such identification (as is possible) greatly exceeds even the interest which arises from its connection with the School, for the determination of property-boundaries is an indispensable part of the study of the Town's history, and it is extremely fortunate that in this case we have a number of independent checks fairly evenly spaced over a wide period of time, six centuries.
Table 1. THE MODERN PROPERTY
Buildings. (For ancillary buildings, such as cricket-school, see p. 34.)
1. The main School Buildings erected in and since 1853.
2. Gilberd House, No. 16, Beverley Road, the garden of which has been opened into the Close. (Acquired 1903; previously "Mansfield House").
3. Elyanore House, on the east side of Beverley Road at its junction with Lexden Road. (Acquired 1920; previously " Playford House.")
4. Gurney Benham House', immediately west of the main buildings. (Acquired 1934; previously " Beverley Lodge.")
5. Lessenden, No. 8, Lexden Road, next west of the School and flanking the drive into Gurney Benham House. Now leased.
Playing-fields. Alongside footpath running south from Park Road.
Field 1266. 11 acres 1 rood, (Acquired 1908.)
Field 1132a. 11⁄2 roods. Occupied by allotments. (Acquired 1908.)
Field 1266a. 5 acres 23⁄4 roods. (Acquired 1938.)
Field 1266c. 2 acres 3⁄4 rood. (Acquired 1938; this field lies west of the footpath, and will not be incorporated into the playing-fields until the right-of-way provided by the footpath is replaced by the projected by-pass road from Lexden around the south of the town.)
Table 2. WESTONS
Date unspecified
The Crouched Friars "received several rents of assise, or Quit-rents. to the amount of 17s. 41⁄2d. per annum, out of the following tenements.... " A mention of 27 tenements follows, among them " John Weston's in All-Saints." (Morant, ii, 43.)
1357
" Monday following Feast of St. Andrew." (l0th April.)
" Will of John Weston, made 12th January, l357, by which he bequeaths his tenement in All Saints' Parish, and his tenement called Nicodemus in the same parish, for his executors to sell."
- (Transcript in Rolls of the Borough of Colchester (Benham), II, 59.)
1584
" It ys concluded . . . . that the house called Westons, whish hathe byn used to be a Grammer Schole-house, in the parishe of All Saints, shall be purchased of John Christmas Gent, and that the said John Christmas shall have for his right in the said house, of the Bayliffs and Commonalty of the said Town, 20l. of lawful money of Ingland."
- (Assembly Order, l8th Aug., 26 Eliz. (1584). Morant, iii, II.)
1794
" Leaving Mrs. Hawes Garden (at 10) we turn again to the west, and passing a part of Mr. Keymer's and some other gardens, we go on, by the direction of
