THE FIRST PARLIAMENTARY GRANT. 239 admitted he would have wished to have seen a far larger grant'. The first grant for elementary education. August 17th, 1833. and On Saturday, August 17th, 1833, in a very empty House of Commons, a vote of £20,000 for the purposes of education was passed after a hot debate by 50 votes to 26 votes. Mr T. B. Macaulay voted with the majority in favour of the grant. Lord Althorp English explained that the object of the grant was to build schools where there already existed the means of carrying on such schools. In the debate Lord John Russell pointed out, in answer to a complaint that no ground for the experiment had been shown, that in the Report of the Education Committee in 1818 there were cases referred to of parishes which, if they could have been assisted in the first outlay, would afterwards have supported their own schools. This was still the case in 1833, justified a vote for building grants. Mr William Cobbett3, the Member for Oldham, opposed the grant on the ground. that education was not improving the condition of the country. In the country districts, he said, the father was a better man and a better labourer than his son. Reports on the table of the House proved, he declared, that men became more and more immoral every year. Then what had become of the benefits of education? Education had been more and more spread; but to what did it all tend? "Nothing but to increase the number of schoolmasters and schoolmistressesthat new race of idlers. Crime, too, went on increasing. If so, what reason was there to tax the people for the increase of education? It was nothing but an attempt to force education-it was a French-it was a Doctrinaire-plan, and he 1 Hansard, vol. xx. col. 719. The first University grant of this type appears to have been made on June 28th, 1821 (Commons Journal, vol. LXXVI. p. 487). 2 See p. 225, supra. 3 (1762-1835). It should be remembered that in 1803 he originated the Parliamentary Debates which became Hansard in 1812. 240 THE OPENING OF THE NEW ERA. should always be opposed to it." It is difficult to realise that Mr Cobbett a praiser of times past, a hater of State intervention, a despiser of French philosophy--was the advanced reformer of his day. One does not usually couple such opinions with the conceptions of reform. Mr Joseph Hume opposed the grant on the somewhat reasonable ground that it was too small to constitute a national system, and without such a system there was no justification for the grant. In the division on the grant he acted as one of the tellers for the Noes'. The form of vote was as follows: "That a Sum, not exceeding Twenty thousand pounds, be granted to His Majesty, to be issued in aid of Private Subscriptions for the Erection of School Houses, for the Education of the Children of the Poorer Classes in Great Britain, to the 31st day of March 1834; and that the said sum be issued and paid without any fee or other deduction whatsoever2. The vote of £20,000 appears in the Revenue Act, 18333, as a grant for the erection of school houses in Great Britain. The birth of modern State-aid for education. With this beginning may conveniently end an introduction to the history of English education in its relationship to the State. The method by which this grant was distributed by the Lords of the Treasury cannot be dealt with here. It belongs to the history of the important period from 1833 to 1839 and requires elaborate treatment. The year 1833 is the dividing point between the old education and the new. August 17th, 1833, was the first date on which the monies of Parliament were voted for elementary educational purposes in Great Britain. An important and historic precedent had been set, and from that moment the House of Commons, amid all its drifting and irresolution, never turned back. 1 Hansard, vol. xx. cols. 732-737. 2 Commons Journal, vol. LXXXVIII. pp. 692, 693. APPENDIX I. THE TEXT OF THE GLOUCESTER GRAMMAR SCHOOL CASE, 1410. Les Reports del Cases en Ley, que furent argues en le temps de tres Haut et Puissant Princes les Roys Henry le IV. & Henry le V.......London......MDCLXXIX....... De Termino Hillarii. Anno xi. Henrici IIII. page 47. Case 21. Trespas. Action sur le case 28 F. & 42 B.1 "Deux Masters de Grammer Schole porterent briefe de Trespas vers un auter Master, et counta que lou le collacion de Grammer Schole de Gloucester de temps d'ont memory ne court, etc. appertient al Prior de Lantone juxta Gloucester, le dit Prior aver fait collacion as dit plaintiffes, d'aver le governance des dits Escholers, et d'enformer les enfants et auters, etc. la ad le defendant levy un Eschole en meme le ville, per que lou les plaintiffes soloient prendre d'un enfant per le quarter xl. d. ou ii. s. ore ils ne preigne forsque xii. d. as damage, etc. Horton fist plein defence. Till. [Tickill] Son briefe ne vault riens. T Skrene. Il est bon Action sur le case, et les plaintiffes ont ore monstre sufficient matter coment ils sont en damage, per que, etc. ¶ Hank. [William de Hankeford] Dampnum (puit estre) absque injuria, Come si j'ay un Molyn, et mon vicine leve un auter Molyn, peront le profite de mon Molyn est diminish, j'averre nul action vers luy, uncore il est damage a moy, quod Thir. [William Thirning] concessit, et dit, que enformacion des enfantes est chose espirituel, et si home reteigne un Master en son meason d'enformer les enfants, il serroit damage al 1 This is the side-note. The references are to Fitzherbert's and Brooke's Abridgements. 242 THE GLOUCESTER GRAMMAR SCHOOL CASE, 1410. Common Master del ville, uncore jeo croy que il n'aver my action. Skrene. Le Master de Paul's claime que ils ne serroient auters Masters en tout le City de Londres, forsque eux. Et puis Horton demande judgement si le Court voillent conustre ¶ Skrene. Vous estes passe, Et puis ¶ Horton Demurre que l'action ne suit mye meintenu. ¶ Skrene. Entant que nous voillons averrer le title le Prior, ut supra, et que nous summes en dammage, pur ceo que il ad retretes nos Escholers, et ensement lou nous solomus prender d'un Escholer xl. d. ou ii. s. per le quarter, ore nous ne prendromus forsque xii. d. nous demaundomus judgement, et priomus nous damage. ¶ Hill. [Robert]. Il fault foundement en cest case de mainteiner l'action, pur ceo que les plaintiffes n'aver nul estate, mes un ministery pur le temps, et coment que un auter, que est auxibien apris de faculty come les plaintiffes sont, vient pur enformer les enfants, c'est vertuous et charitable chose, et ease al people, pur que il ne puit estre puny per nostre ley, per que, etc. Thirn[ing]. Si le Prior poiast aver tiel Collacion des Escholes ou nient, cest court ne puit my conustre, pur ceo que le doctrine et enformation des enfants est chose espiritual, et donques les plaintiffes ont claime les Escholes per le collacion le Prior, et sur cel ont foundue lour action, que est accessory, et depende sur le title le Prior, que est le principal et chose espiritual, il semble que cest action ne puit estre trie en cest Court. Skrene. Si un Market soit levy al nusance de mon Market, j'avera assise d'anusans, et en un commen case si les venants a mon Market soient disturbes ou batus, per que jeo perds mon tolne, j'avera assets bon action de trespas sur mon case, auxy icy. ¶ Hank[eford]. Nient semble, pur ceo que en vostre case vous aves franktenement et enheritance en le Market, mes icy le[s] plantiffes ont nul estate en le Scholemastership, etc. mes pur le temps non certein, et il sera encounter reason, que un Master serra disturbe a tenir Schole on luy pleist, sinon que le fuit en case ou un University fuit corporate, et Escholes foundus sur auncient temps, et en case d'un molyn (come jeo disoy avant) si mon vicine levy un molyn, auters que soloient moulder a mon molyn, alent a l'auter molyn, peront mon tolne est amenus, pur cel cause jeo n'avera my action: Mes si un moliner disturbe l'ewe de courger a mon molyn, ou face tiel maner de nusance, j'avera action, sicome le ley donne. Et l'opinion del Court fuit, que le briefe ne gist my: Per que fuit agarde, que ils ne pristeront riens, etc.: eins, etc." APPENDIX II. THE ENDOWMENT OF SCHOOLS BETWEEN 1660 THE figures in the Table of Schools given below are calculated from the undigested Digest of Schools and Charities for Education as reported on by the Commissioners of Inquiry into Charities presented to Parliament in 1842. Table I. here constructed shows the total number of endowed grammar schools and "Schools not Classical " in England and Wales. The totals for each county are given. The total number of grammar schools for the whole country according to this report is 701, while the total number of "Schools not Classical" is 2194, making a final total of 2895 endowed schools in England and Wales. The period 1660-1730 is next analysed. During that period 172 grammar schools were founded, and 51 grammar schools previously founded received additional endowments. Thus a number approaching one-third of the grammar schools that existed in 1842 were either founded or additionally endowed in the period 1660-1730. A much larger proportion of the existing endowed elementary schools owe their existence to the same period. During that period 905 endowed unclassical schools were founded, and 72 endowed unclassical schools previously founded 72 received additional endowments. Thus a number approaching one- 977 half of the elementary endowed schools of England and Wales (the decimal, to be more exact, is 445...) were either founded or additionally endowed in the period 1660-1730, while 412 of all the endowed elementary schools were actually founded in the period. These figures are not complete. Some of the 168 elementary schools with "unknown" foundations and of the schools that have their origin in undated wills or deeds may be referred to this period, and the same may be said with respect to undated additional endow 905 |