selves in the formation of his opinions. Simplicity and nature were his idols; and he let the grass every where supersede the plough, and his fences and divisions fall, through his extensive domains, that his immense and increasing herds of cattle might have a wider range, till in his latter years he saw the complete success of his system, and beauty, pleasure, and success, united in an unexpected degree. By these means, and an uniform and unostentatious life, he died possessed of a large property in addition to his hereditary estates; although he had omitted to make even the lowest interest of a considerable portion of his money, and although he never raised a rent: and the riches he has thus honourably accumulated, he has distributed equally honourably, and with an equally sacred regard to all the professions of his life. He was author of several political pamphlets at various periods of his life; and was much looked up to by the party in his county whose cause he espoused."

TOPOGRAPHICAL NOTICES.

I. Account of Milton Abbas School.

Bristol, Jan. 24.

MR. URBAN, IN the biographical anecdotes of the Rev. Mr. Hutchins, author of the History of Dorset, (in Bibl. Topog. Britann. No. XXXIV.) a short account is given of the foundation of Milton Abbas School in that county. The author of the anecdotes has very properly observed, that the account inserted in Mr. Hutchins's History is so very inaccurate, that one can hardly suppose it to have been the work of Mr. Hutchins. A hint is given, that the manuscript was interpolated after it went out of Mr. Hutchins's hands. Whether that was, or was not the case, let those who are acquainted with the business speak out. It is not my present intention to examine the errors of Mr. Hutchins, or his transcribers, but to present to the public, by means of your Magazine, a fuller relation of the foundation and endowment of the school than has hitherto appeared.

The school of Milton Abbas was founded by William Middleton, Abbot of Milton, in the twelfth year of Henry VIII. About the same time he purchased of Thos. Kirton the manor, farm, and free chapel of Little Mayne, in the county of Dorset, with which he endowed the school. The founder of the school was also a great benefactor to his convent, and his rebus may be seen in the south aisle of Milton church, in which parish he was probably born. By a deed, dated 10th of Feb. 12th Henry VIII. under the common seal of the Abbey of Milton, the said abbot, with the consent of his convent, granted the said manor of Little Mayne to Kirton, which he had before purchased of him, upon trust that Kirton should convey the same unto Giles Strangways, Knt. Thomas Arundell, Knt. Matthew Arundell his son and heir apparent, Thomas Trenchard, Kut. John Horsey, Knt. Geo. De La Lynde, Esq. John Rogers, Esq. Thos. Hussey, Robt. Martin, Thos. Moreton, Robt.Coker, Robt. Strode, Henry Ashley, John Frampton, Thomas Trenchard, John Williams, and Walter Grey, Esqrs. and others, to the

intent to maintain a free grammar-school in the town of Milton, and to employ the profits of the said manor to the maintenance of the said school, and of a schoolmaster, for the term of ninety-seven years: but if within that time licence might be obtained to alien the said manor in mortmain, that then the above-mentioned feoffees should grant the same manor to the use of the said school; but, if such licence could not be obtained, that then the feoffees, after the expiration of the said term, should sell the said manor, and employ the money arising therefrom in the maintenance of the school, as long as might be. In pursuance of which, Kirton conveyed the same manor, farm, and free chapel, to the beforementioned feoffees, for the purposes above-mentioned.

The chief design of the foundation was, without doubt, for the education of the novices of the abbey. The purchase money for the farm, with which the school was endowed, was paid out of the abbey stock, and, as far as we can learn, the monks were interested in it as much as the abbot. It is well known that the sons of gentlemen were often instructed in the monasteries; and perhaps, before the foundation of this school, there was no one belonging to, or near the monastery of Milton, to which the neighbouring gentlemen might send their children. On which account this school might be considered as not only beneficial to the abbey, but also to the whole adjoining country.

In a late suit between the lord of the manor of Milton and the feoffees of the school, it was insisted on by the plaintiff, that the school was not intended for grammar learning, but for teaching reading, writing, and arithmetic, to the poor inhabitants of Milton. It will require no great strength of reasoning to refute so idle an hypothesis. The probable intention of the foundation I have mentioned above; and shall only observe, that the service of the church, the registers of abbies, and most acts of law, were at that time written in Latin. Even in common letters the Latin language was generally used. Would an abbot then found a school for teaching English only? Of what service could that be either to the abbey or the state? Besides, it was not for the interest of the religious to diffuse learning amongst the laity they knew too well that the pillars of superstition must be shaken when the people were as intelligent as themselves. Add to this, that the servile tenants in most of the manors belonging to the monasteries were not permitted to put their children to school without consent of their lords; the reason of which prohibition was, lest the son

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being bred to letters might enter into holy orders, and so stop or divert the services which he would otherwise be obliged to do, as heir and successor to his father. That this custom existed in the manors belonging to the abbey of Milton, may be learned from the Customary of that abbey, from which some extracts are given in the first vol. of the History of Dorset, p. 117. Can we imagine then, that the school at Milton was originally intended for the abbot's servile tenants, or that he was willing to lose his vassals? It is impossible that this could have been the case; and one may therefore safely conclude that the school was purposely designed for the use of the monastery, that the Latin language was taught there, (I cannot say the Greek, for it was then but little known,) and that it was not intended to be of any advantage to the poor inhabitants of Milton.

The first master was perhaps appointed by the abbot and convent; but, at the dissolution of the monasteries, the lands belonging to the school were not considered as part of the possessions of the abbey, they being vested in the hands of trustees. And it is well known that Archbishop Cranmer, and others of the reformers, were so far from destroying schools, that they caused divers to be endowed, and even wished that a greater part of the abbey lands had been employed for that useful purpose. After the disso lution of the abbey, the masters were always appointed by the feoffees, as the design of the school was now altered, and was become of general utility to the whole adjoining country. The lord of the manor of Milton can no more be considered to be the abbot's vicegerent, than the Pope to be St. Peter's.

The school seems to have been kept originally in the abbey, and afterwards in the belfry of the church. The custom of keeping schools in the belfries and porches of churches is of high antiquity. It originated from such schools being kept by the parish clerks, who were formerly required to be men of letters. These clerks were generally maintained by the parish. I mention this, that no one might imagine that the school of Milton was always kept in the belfry of the church, for this school was endowed, and the master was not chosen by the parishioners. Indeed, the church of Milton was appropriated to the convent, and there was another belonging to the parish, which was destroyed about the time of the Reformation.

In 1634 the ground whereon the late school-house stood was granted by John Tregonwell, of Anderston, Esq. and John Tregonwell and Thomas Tregonwell, his sons, to Thomas