The History of Colchester Royal Grammar School/Appendix 2
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
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
Table 3. THE OLD ENDOWMENTS
| 1348 | 1585 | 1833 | 1910 |
|---|---|---|---|
| One of which said messuages is situated in the town of Colchester in the parish of the church of the Blessed Mary aforementioned, to wit between the tenement of Edward the Pelterer (Edi' P'ellipar') on the south and the tenement of John Taverner, chaplain (Johannis Tav'ner, capellani) on the north. | All that capital Messuage or Tenement, with the backside and Rentarie thereto adjoining, situate, lying, and being in the parish of St. Mary at the Wall in the said town of Colchester, between the Tenement late of Robert Leach Alderman, and now of Robert Brown Gent. on the North part, and the Tenement late of John Wells Baker, and now of John Talcot in part, and the Lands pertaining to the Parson of St. Maries aforesaid in part, on the South part, one head thereof abutteth on the Queen's high-way there, leading to Head-gate, towards the East; the other head thereof abutteth upon the Walls of the said Town of Colchester towards the West. | and also all that messuage or tenement theretofore parcel of the capital messuage, formerly called the Old Three Crowns Inn in Colchester, theretofore divided into several tenements, but then consisting of two messuages or tenements, and a large shop to each, with the work-shops, yards, and gardens, being Nos. 18 and 19 in Head-street, in the parishes of St. Mary-at-the-Walls and St. Peter, or one of them, or in some adjoining parish, abutting on Head-street towards the east, and in part on a messuage and premises, formerly part of the possessions of the school, but lately conveyed to James William Coleman in exchange, together with a free right of way, at all times thereafter, to and for the trustees of the said Free Grammar School, their heirs and assigns, and their respective tenants for the time being, through the gate-way and yard belonging to the said James William Coleman, from the said Head-street to any part of the yards and premises lying behind the said messuage No. 19, and also from the said premises into the said street, without paying or allowing anything for the same; | Three shops in Head Street, Colchester. Gross yearly income £275. |
| And two acres of land lie between a certain place called Walditch on the east and the land of the said John Fitz-Walter on the west. | And two acres of land, more or less, lying in the said parish of St. Marie at the Wall, between a certain place of old called Wall ditch, and now the Postern Ditch on the East part, and the Land once of John Fitzwauter and late of the Earl of Sussex on the West part. | and also all those several tenements and all the ground thereto belonging, then occupied as garden ground, situate in the parish of St. Mary-at-the-Walls, as the same then consisted of a newly erected dwelling-house standing near the north-west corner of the said piece of ground, and seven small cottages standing at or near the lower or south end of the same (three of which had been lately rebuilt with brick), which premises abutted on the south on a passage way leading from Balkerne Hill to the back part of the King's Arms Inn;
and also all that field, containing one acre and a half, called Wall Ditch Land situate on the west side of Balkerne Hill, in the parish of St. Mary-at-the-Walls, and abutting upon a lane or drift-way towards the north; |
Six Cottages in Manor Road. Gross yearly income £62 8s.
One tenement in rear of above. Gross yearly income £20. Garden in Manor Road. Gross yearly income £3. |
| And four acres of land called Godyeresland lie between the land of the Abbot and Convent of St. Osyth on the west and a certain way (vicus) leading to Miland on the east.
And four acres of land lie between the land of the said Abbot and Convent on the west and a certain grove (grova) of Richard le Gros (Rici le Gros) on the east. |
And two Crofts of Land containing Eight acres more or less, lying by Green Tye in the hamlet of Mile-end, alias Myle-end, within the Liberties of the said town of Colchester, sometimes called Green-Tye-field, and Tyle-kiln-field. Whereof one croft, containing four acres of land, of old called Godyeresland, lyeth in Myle-end aforesaid, between the lands late of the Abbot and Convent of St. Osyth, and now of Tho. Lucas Kt, on the West part; and certain lane or way leading towards Mile-end aforesaid on the East part:
And the other Croft, containing four acres of land, lyeth in Myle-end aforesaid, between the land late of the said Abbot and Convent on the West part, and a certain grove, wood, or pasture once of Nicholas le Grosse on the East part. |
and also all that piece of land, situate in the parish of St. Michael, Mile-end, formerly called the Queen's Head Field, and containing 3a. 3r. 5p., abutting on a lane leading from the east side of the highway, near Mile-end Church, to the high woods towards the south, and on the same lane towards the east or south-east;
and also all that piece or parcel of land, situate in the said parish of St. Michael, Mile-end, opposite the last-mentioned field, and formerly called Twisted Field, and containing 4a. 2r. l2p., and abutting on the said lane towards the north. . . . . (Here follows a description of the land at Layer Breton, obtained in 1825). |
Two fields in Clay Lane, leading off the Myland Road, which adjoins the Bergholt Road, Colchester. Extent or amount, 8a. 2r. Gross yearly income, £8. |
| And four acres of land lie between the way leading towards Bergholt on the east and the park of John Fitz-Walter (Johis Fitz Wauter) on the west. | And also all that Croft of Land, containing Four acres of Land, more or less, lying in the hamlet of Lexden, within the Liberties of the said Town of Colchester, between the lands and ground called Lexden-park, once John Fitz-wauter's, on the West part, and the way leading from Colchester to West Bergholt on the East part, and the field or meadow late Tho. Audley Gent. and after Edmond Markham Gent. on the South part. All which premisses, with their appurtenances, late were let to ferme to Robert Roger, and afterwards to Nich Clere the elder, and now be in the tenure or occupation of Robert Stansted or his assigns, and be all together of the clear yearly value of Twenty Markes of good and lawful money of England, and above: To and for the maintenance of the said Free-school, and the School-master thereof for the time being, for ever. In witness whereof. . . . . . . | and also all that field or parcel of land, formerly called the Three Crowns Field, in the parish of Lexden, adjoining the highway leading from Colchester to Bures, containing 3a. 3r. 15p., coming to a point towards the north, and abutting on the said highway towards the north-east. |
Italics are of course not in the originals
the Wall, about 2'20 (i.e. 2 chains 20 feet), to the south-west angle of the Garden belonging to the Grammar School (at 11). Here we leave the Parish of St, Botolph, and join that of St. Nicholas. We now turn again to the right and proceed in a northerly direction and in a right line, about 1'50 (i.e. 1 chain 50 feet), to Culver Lane (at 12) taking in the whole of the premises belonging to the Grammar School.
From the north-west angle of the School (at 12) we cross the Lane, and the Wall into the Yard belonging to the Sea Horse Public House, and leaving the Stable and Brewhouse to the right, and another building to the left, we pass on in a strait line to the House ..... "
(William Cole's Survey of All Saints' Parish, 1794.) `
Fig. 3. WESTONS IN 1794
Westons (with garden to south) shown black. The numbers 7-14 indicate stations in the perambulation.
(From the original in the possession of Colchester and Essex Museum. By permission.)
1833
" All that capital messuage or tenement, then and for many years past called Weston's, situate in the parish of All Saints, in Colchester, in Culver Street, and abutting on that street towards the north, on certain messuages or tenements, and gardens belonging to the Blue School Charity towards the east, and on a messuage, called the Cross Keys, towards the west, as the said capital messuage had, ever since the foundation of the said Free Grammar-School, been used as the school-house of the said school, and the residence of the master thereof."
- (Indentures of lease and release, 10 and ll November, 1833.)
1853
" COLCHESTER. Sale of the old Grammar School. On Wednesday the old Grammar School-house and premises, in Culver Street, with a frontage of 79 feet, were offered to public competition by Messrs. Cook, at the Cups Hotel, when, after a spirited bidding by the company present, the property (freehold) was knocked down to J. S. Barnes, Esq., at £540, for Mr. William Sherman, coach builder of East Street, who, we understand, intends converting the premises into a carriage manufactory."
- (Essex Standard, 6 May, 1853.)