The ruffled water of the well Mov'd by bosom's fall and swell Alternate ebbs and flows.

The tale is o'er; the old man gone. With tottering steps and slow He pauses ever and anon, To view the vale below: And, leaning on his staff the while, Gazes with pleasure on the pile, Which crowns that landscape fair: Then as the grateful tear-drop falls, For blessings on those goodly walls Breathes forth this fervent prayer.

Such was the poetical achievement of three boys in 1851.

The School might reasonably be expected to go forward quickly, with new buildings, a new Headmaster and strenuous Governors, and in 1850 they received a just recognition of the quality of the teaching. The Provost and Fellows of Queen's College, Oxford, had a very large sum of money at their disposal, which was devised to them by Lady Elizabeth Hastings. She had intended the money to be divided annually among boys from schools in the North of England. The privilege of being one of the schools able to send boys in for the Exhibitions—which were very valuable—was offered to Giggleswick and gratefully accepted. The Exhibitions have frequently been won.

The first Examination under the new scheme was held in December, 1862. The Bishop of Ripon appointed the Rev. William Boyd, M.A., Examiner. He found the School in "an efficient working condition," in both the higher and lower departments. The first class, which in those days consisted of the senior boys, passed a good Examination in Greek Testament, a play of Aeschylus, Homer, Thucydides, Horace, and Vergil, Geography and Ancient History. The Latin Prose Composition of two or three was very good.

The Second Class were examined in Homer, Xenophon, Ovid, and Caesar. Books were given as prizes to the value of L13 4s. Both in this Examination and in the two succeeding years the proficiency of the first form was very marked, and the general efficiency of the teaching was commented on. The most general excellence lay in Divinity, but as the subject was a limited one e.g. Life of Abraham, and the work for it began six months before, perhaps too much stress should not be laid on it. There were seven classes, all of them doing Latin, with the fourth class doing Eutropius, and they were also examined in Modern Geography, the History of England, and the Catechism.

In 1844, four old boys, William Garforth, John Saul Howson, John Birkbeck, and William Robinson agreed together to contribute to a fund for the provision of two prizes each half year. They were to be called, "The Giggleswick Pupils' Prizes," and were to consist of Books, stamped with the School Seal. One was to be given to the boys of the Upper part of the School for the best English or Latin Essay, and the other to the Lower boys for General Merit.

In 1853, the Howson Prizes were given by the Fellows of Christ's College, Cambridge, and other friends, in memory of George Howson, a son of the Usher, and himself a Fellow of his College. It was a striking testimony to the character of the man that his associates should thus wish to "perpetuate the name of our highly gifted and lamented friend." They wished in some small degree to advance "the interests of an institution, which was, we know, most dear to him, from early associations, and also from his worthy father's long and honourable association with it." They asked that two prizes should be given annually to the boys of the Lower School, one for General Proficiency, regard being had to conduct, and one for the best examination in a defined portion of Scripture History; the subject was to be announced at least six months before.

The School had been re-built chiefly in order to provide room for a Teacher of Modern Languages, and in 1855 the Governors proposed to appoint such an one. They laid down the following regulations: He should attend five days a week—all classes except the highest and lowest should learn French, and the highest might, if they wished. Italian, German and Hebrew were to be optional with all. Lastly, all classes except the highest must attend the English Master. The salary of the Modern Language Master was to be L130 a year.

The Masters were requested to draw up a scheme of work. The hours of School had been altered in 1844 and were now from 8-0 a.m. till noon, and from 2-0 p.m. till 5-0 p.m. (in the Winter till 4-30 p.m.). All the Masters and Assistants were compelled to teach every hour of every school day. The scheme is as follows:

THE HIGHER DIVISION.

- - - - - - MONDAY. TUESDAY. WEDNESDAY. THURSDAY. FRIDAY. - - - - - - Morning 1. Classics & 1, 2, 3. 1, 2, 3. 1. Classics & 1, 2, 3. Mathematics. Classics. Classics. Mathematics. Classics. 2 & 3. 2, 3. French. French. - - - - - - Afternoon 1. Classics & 1. Classics & 1. 1. Classics & 1. Mathematics. Mathematics. Mathematics. Mathematics. Mathematics. 2, 3. 2, 3. 2, 3. 2, 3. 2, 3. Classics & Arithmetic. Arithmetic. Classics & Arithmetic. Arithmetic. Arithmetic. - - - - - -

THE LOWER DIVISION

- - - - - - MONDAY. TUESDAY. WEDNESDAY. THURSDAY. FRIDAY. - - - - - - Morning 4, 5. 4, 7. 5, 6. 4, 5. 4, 5. Classics & Classics & Classics & Classics. Classics & Scripture. History. Geography. Geography. 6, 7. 6. 7. 6, 7. 7. Arithmetic & Arithmetic. Arithmetic. Arithmetic. Arithmetic. Scripture. 5. French. 4. French. 6. French - - - - - - Afternoon 5, 6. 4, 5. 6, 7. 6, 7. 6, 7. Classics. Classics. Classics. Classics. Classics. 7. 7. 4, 5. 4. 4, 5. Arithmetic. Arithmetic. Arithmetic. Arithmetic. Arithmetic. 4. French. 6. French. 5. French. - - - - - - 6, 7. One 7. One hour 6, 7. One 6, 7. One hour in the in the hour in the hour in the morning for morning for morning for morning for Latin Grammar, Geography Exercise, Grammar, Exercise, Exercise, Grammar or Exercise, etc. etc. History. etc. - - - -

THE MODERN LANGUAGE MASTER

- - - - - - MONDAY. TUESDAY. WEDNESDAY. THURSDAY. FRIDAY. - - - - - - Morning 2, 3. French. 5. French. 4. French. 2, 3. French. 6. French. - - - - - - Afternoon 4. French. 6. French. German. 5. French. German. - - - - - -

N.B. The numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, mark the different classes

The stragglers, not classified, are included under number 7.

Every class did Classics for at least two hours every day, very often four. English had no place in the Schedule for the first three forms; yet by the scheme the second and third had to attend the English Master. Arithmetic was the only subject of a mathematical type. It was only a scheme for the General Course of Instruction and doubtless under the name of Classics or of Mathematics, they may have found some scope for English or Scripture. Scripture was certainly done by the first and second but possibly only in the Greek Testament.

The Examiner appointed by the Bishop of Ripon in 1855 paid many tributes to the excellence of the first class, and added "all of whom bid fair to do honour to the School by high University distinction." It is the nature of some men to exude praise, but words such as these certainly seem to point to a very fair level of scholarship in the class taken by Dr. Butterton and to considerable powers of teaching on his part.

Dr. Butterton was destined to rule the School for two more years, but they were filled with such bitter fruit that it is difficult to describe them. It will be remembered that the Governors according to the new scheme held themselves responsible for the election of boys who wished to enter the School. At the beginning of every term the Headmaster would supply them with a list of boys, with the district from which they came and, if there was room for them, there seems to have been no hesitation about admitting them. There was not even, as far as appears, a question of a certificate of character for those boys who wished to be Boarders, though perhaps it was so customary since Ingram's early years that it passes without comment. Only once, in 1854, does the number of applicants appear to have exceeded the number of vacancies. Acting on the presumption that such a selection or election was almost a matter of form Dr. Butterton admitted certain boys into the School on his own authority in 1856. He had clearly put himself in the wrong and he was admonished by the Governors.

There was also at the same time a dispute between him and the Governors, relative to the appointment of the Modern Language Master. There had been several applicants and one had been chosen, but the Headmaster did not consider the choice wholly an impartial one and he was unwise enough to say so. The Governors pointed out to him that the appointment of the Masters was vested wholly in the Governors and that it was most improper for him to interfere. The Governors were acting perfectly within their rights and in accordance with the scheme. But the scheme was totally unsound for the proper management of a School. Again when Dr. Butterton wished the Whitsuntide holidays to be added to the month in the Summer, he was informed that according to the scheme there must be holidays at Whitsuntide and not more than a month in the Summer, and so nothing could be done.

Perhaps as a man he was too impetuous and slightly intolerant, and, though it would have been difficult for the most godly of men to keep a school alive and progressing under such conditions, it was quite impossible for him to hope to succeed, unless he kept the staff upon his side. But he quarrelled with John Howson, the Usher, on two distinct occasions, one on a question of discipline and one with regard to a French Class that he caused to be held during School hours in his own house, by a man of his own choice. On both occasions the immediate cause of disagreement was but the final spark of a smouldering and mutual discontent, and it is impossible to distribute the blame.

The Modern Language Master was placed upstairs in the High School and a space was partitioned off for him from the main part of the room, where Mr. Langhorne was giving Elementary Instruction. Such an arrangement was not entirely suitable and the French Classes were afterwards taken in the room which had been especially built for them next to the Library.

The next months saw the gradual development of a situation that caused Dr. Butterton's retirement. The Rev. John Howson also showed signs of so serious an illness that he expressed his readiness to retire, should some suitable arrangement be made. The Governors agreed to give him a pension of L120 a year.

Dr. Butterton's Headmastership cannot be dismissed without a reference to certain customs that were prevalent in his time. Down the centre of the pathway that runs alongside the School palings on to the main road there is a black stone fixed in the ground. This was a familiar place of torture. Every new boy was taken thither and made to sit down heavily on its top. It was a custom that continued for some years, until the removal of the School buildings to their present position took away the temptation. The distribution of Figs and Bread on March 12 still continued but cock-fighting had gradually died out. It had long been the custom to use the Figs as missiles and the objects of attack were Masters, Governors, spectators and even Ladies. It is very difficult to say whether March 12, was ever a day on which the Masters used to collect money gifts from the boys. Potation Day was the customary day for such offerings in many schools, but at Giggleswick the practice of receiving money from the Scholars was particularly forbidden in the case of the Writing Master in 1799, and at other times. And it may be that money was taken in a more official way. Three guineas frequently appears in the Minute-Book as the "contribution of the Scholars" towards the firing and heating of the School, and in 1852 blinds were provided for the School windows, but the Minute-Book expressly said that they were to be kept in repair by the Boys.

There has already been occasion to notice the very heavy glazier bills that the Governors had to meet, and there is a fitting commentary upon them in an extract from a letter to the Governors written by the Rev. Dr. Butterton:

"I take the opportunity of mentioning a circumstance, which requires the interference of the magistrates or at any rate of the police. Every evening all the rabble of Giggleswick and Settle assemble in the Schoolyard and conduct themselves in such a riotous manner, that no schoolboy dare enter the yard and no lady dare pass through it. They play at ball against the library wall to the imminent danger of the windows, and frequently climb up to the top of the building to the serious injury of the roof. As the nuisance seems to increase every evening, it appears to me that strong measures must be taken to put it down."

This chapter cannot close without a brief and inadequate account of the Rev. John Howson. He was born at Giggleswick in 1787 and was a pupil at the School during the later years of William Paley's Headmastership; in 1798 his name was in the list of pupils who received a prize. He graduated B.A. and M.A. at Dublin, and in March, 1814, he came back to his old School as Second Master on John Armstrong's death. He was ordained Priest and married a daughter of Mr. J. Saul, who had been at one time Writing Master at the School. He remained at Giggleswick till his death. He was of a type of schoolmaster, now extinct, hot tempered, but kindly natured; one of his pupils is said to have returned from the Colonies bent on one thing, determined to have his revenge on Howson for some act of supposed injustice done to him as a boy. His portrait reveals a geniality that marked him always, though at times he was inclined to distrust new ideas and new men. He preferred the well-trodden path.



The year before Dr. Butterton had been appointed Headmaster had been marked by the first appearance of a School Magazine, of which record remains. The Giggleswick School Olio ran to three numbers under the motto of Vade, Vale, Cave. Its contributions are ambitious and graceful, poetry haunts its pages, and is of a kind that reflects considerable Classical reading.

Two boys under Dr. Butterton deserve some mention. Jackson Mason, the son, grandson, and father of Giggleswick boys, recited a poem in honour of the re-building of the School in 1851, and after being a scholar of Trinity College, Cambridge, became later Vicar of Settle. Though an invalid, he made his mark as a translator of many hymns from the old Latin, and his work remains in the Ancient and Modern Hymn-Book. J. H. Lupton was a Scholar of St. John's College, Cambridge, and afterwards Fifth Classic and Surmaster of S. Paul's School. These are not isolated examples of the academic success that attended Dr. Butterton's Headmastership. The Speech Day of 1855 recorded not a few. It was notable for being the first year a Giggleswick boy—Bramley—had ever won the Lady Elizabeth Hastings' Exhibition at Queen's College, Oxford, and was marked by high distinctions gained at Cambridge by three other former boys, Lupton, Mason, and Leeming.

Under Dr. Butterton there is probably little doubt that, with the exception of his last year, the School had increased greatly in efficiency. Its numbers averaged eighty-three and once reached ninety-one. It had re-built itself and had attracted the generosity of old boys and friends in the endowment of prizes. The subjects of instruction had been increased. The discipline, had improved. Fresh blood had been wanted, and a fresh scheme. They were both obtained. But perhaps the scheme did not represent the summit of human wisdom, perhaps the fresh blood was too rich.



CHAPTER IX.

The Rev. J. R. Blakiston.

The resignation of Dr. Butterton did not in any way modify the determination of the Governors to hold by the existing Scheme. A printed notice of the qualifications required by the new Master and Usher was sent out. The Master had to excel in all branches of learning, the higher branches of Greek and Latin Literature, advanced Mathematics, Logic, Rhetoric, English of all kinds and Moral and Political Philosophy. The qualifications of the Usher were less exacting. Salaries at a minimum of L210 and L150 were offered, and for every additional boy in the School after the first thirty and up to sixty, the Master received L5, the Usher L2 as a capitation fee. Each was given a house and garden, rent free, and could take boarders.

More than forty applications for the mastership were received and the Rev. John Richard Blakiston was appointed. Born in 1829 he was educated at Trinity College, Cambridge, where he gained a Scholarship. In 1853 he was Second Classic and took Mathematical Honours. A Fellowship Examination was to be held in October, 1854, and Mr. Blakiston was studying for it, when Thring, who had been recently appointed to Uppingham, offered him a post there as a House-Master. After three-and-a-half years he accepted the Headmastership of Preston Corporation School and a year later—December, 1858—was appointed to Giggleswick. At the same meeting of the Governors the Rev. Matthew Wood was appointed Usher. Born in 1831 he was a Scholar of S. Catherine's College, Cambridge, and later an Assistant Master at Durham School.

John Langhorne was the only survivor of the days of Butterton and almost immediately he resigned and was succeeded by Mr. Arthur Brewin, who had been trained as a teacher in the Chelsea Training College and had served under Blakiston at Preston. His salary was to be L130 a year. A Modern Language Master was also chosen.

The following December the usual examination took place and the Bishop of Ripon appointed the Rev. Frederic William Farrar, who at that time was a Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge, and a Master at Harrow. This first report is important, because of the great contrast it presents when compared with later years. The School in 1859 was staffed by very able, young and ambitious men, indeed Mr. Blakiston's intellectual capacity and ability as a teacher were quite exceptional, and the report speaks in terms of commendation of the work of the School, especially of the boys under Blakiston and Brewin.



In the next year 1860, the examiner appointed was the Rev. J. T. B. Landon, sometime Fellow of Magdalen College, Oxford; the progress that he reported was by no means so satisfactory as in the previous year. He praised the efficiency of the staff, but he pointed out that the pupils were not so advanced as to be able to profit sufficiently from the teaching. Similarly in 1861 there were no boys whose knowledge corresponded with that of an average sixth form in one of the greater Public Schools.

The causes were twofold. The number of boys had steadily decreased from ninety-six in Dr. Butterton's time, to fifty-six in 1860, and thereafter to an even greater extent. The consequence was that the competition became considerably less acute, and the proportion of boys from the neighbourhood considerably greater. Such boys would clearly in the main be less likely to profit by the efficiency of the teaching than boys from a greater distance. But there was a second and a contributory cause. The anomalous position of the Master and Usher, each of whom had a freehold in his office, had led to awkward incidents under the late Headmaster. But they were now accentuated by the fact that both Master and Usher were young men and were appointed at the same time. The subordination of the Usher to the Master was regulated by the Statutes of 1592, but in so vague a manner that they allowed room for all manner of evasion. It would be an unprofitable task to discuss these differences in detail; let it be sufficient to say that matters reached such a pitch that the Master was summoned before the Settle Bench of Magistrates on a charge of excessive vigour in applying punishment, and that the Usher was expected (though he did not do so) to appear as a witness for the Prosecution. The summons was dismissed, and the Master exonerated from all blame, but such a procedure was not calculated to enhance the prestige of the School, or modify the mutual difficulties of the Headmaster and Usher.

One of the chief of the minor causes of complaint was the position of the boarders. The advertisement issued for the purpose of encouraging applicants for the posts of Master and Usher had signified that both men could take boarders and so increase their salary. But Craven Bank, which was the Master's residence, was quite unsuited for the housing of boys. Butterton had only the attics to put them in, and Blakiston found it impossible to take any boys, except by allowing them to live entirely with his own family, and inhabit the same rooms, and for this he asked a higher fee of L75 a year. The Usher on the other hand was given a smaller house, but in April, 1859, the Governing Body spent L700 in enlarging it, and building what is now the Sanatorium. By this means he was able to take ten or twelve boys, keep them quite separate from his own family, and board them on lower terms than the Master at L56. As the numbers declined, the necessity for both men to have boarders disappeared, and in consequence the lower fees and the more comfortable internal arrangements of the Usher's house caused it to be more desirable in the eyes of the parents, and in January, 1863, the Usher had ten boarders, the Master one.

These were the more trivial causes of complaint, but Mr. Blakiston had too big a mind to suffer himself to be obsessed by the accidentals. He was fighting, and consciously fighting, a much bigger battle. Dr. Arnold had fought and won it at Rugby some years before, but the path at Giggleswick was not therefore the easier. The real point at issue was the 1844 Scheme for the Management of the School. It had driven away Dr. Butterton, it was harassing his successor. Mr. Blakiston on one occasion had to receive permission from the Governing Body to have the floor raised on his dais in the School, in order that he might have a better view of the boys as a whole. He could not arrange holidays without permission, he could not admit the boys without authority, he could not insist on a change in the pronunciation of Latin without rousing the interference of the Governors. The pronunciation, that is to-day called "new," was introduced by Mr. Blakiston in 1860, as well as a novel method of pronouncing Greek; he tried in vain to induce other Headmasters to follow his example.

These restrictions were particularly harassing to an ambitious and enthusiastic man, and in March, 1862, he applied to the Charity Commissioners for an amendment of the Scheme. They were unwilling to take any hand in it on the mere motion of the Master, and their refusal led to much recrimination. Men, anonymous and otherwise, wrote to the Newspapers commenting on the decadence of the School in efficiency and numbers, and the subject became well-worn. In the midst of it Mr. Blakiston received generous and unexpected support. Mr James Foster, a City of London Merchant, who had been educated at Giggleswick and had property in the neighbourhood, heard of the dissension that was going on, and read the published pamphlets of Mr. Blakiston. He accordingly asked his nephew and partner—Mr. James Knowles—to wait upon Mr. Blakiston with the offer of L500 wherewith he might be enabled to continue his efforts. James Knowles also wrote independently to the Charity Commissioners, as a member of the public anxious for the welfare of a School in whose neighbourhood he owned property. He called attention to the differences which had arisen between the Master and the Usher and the consequent depression of the School, and desired that they should open an investigation themselves in the interests of the Public.

Meanwhile the Governors had at last bestirred themselves and in September, 1862, had caused a letter to be written to the Commissioners, asking for an amendment to the Scheme. They suggested that, in accordance with Mr. Blakiston's suggestion, the area, from which members of their body could be chosen, should be slightly extended and their numbers raised from the statutory eight to fifteen. They put forward the names of seven additional members, but on two declining the honour, they reduced the number to five. The great danger of the previous number of eight drawn from the small area of the Parish of Giggleswick had lain in the tendency to choose men, who were closely allied one to another by ties of relationship and so possibly of prejudice. In 1864 the Scheme was so amended and the new Governors were chosen. They included three men, who soon shewed a very real, active and enlightened interest in the prosperity of the School—Sir James Kay Shuttleworth, Mr. C. S. Roundell, and Mr. Walter Morrison. One object had now been attained and the way lay open for a more thorough amendment of the position of the Master.

But first it will not be amiss to mention other features of the School life. Potation Day was celebrated to the usual accompaniment of Figs until the year 1860, when the Charity Commissioners objected to it and to the Governors' dinners as a waste of trust funds. The Governors declined to entertain the objection, but limited the expenditure on the dinner given by the Governors to themselves and the Masters to L12, and any further expense was to be borne by the whole body of Governors present. The following year the dinner was again held and paid for as formerly, but in 1862 the differences between the Master and Usher and the death of one of the Governors gave them an opportunity of omitting the dinner in a dignified manner. Since that date the dinner has never been held. Fig-day, as far as the boys were concerned, was also celebrated this year but for the last time. In 1863 it was resolved that the customary payment of three guineas by the Scholars for School fires and cleaning should be discontinued and the money which had been collected in the winter of 1859-60 was to be applied to the purchase by Mr. Blakiston of books for the School Library. This is the first recorded intimation of the buying of books for the Library, which had been built by Dr. Butterton.



In 1861 it was decided to purchase for the School a clock not exceeding the value of L5 and also to erect a shed in the Schoolyard. It was to be used as a playing and drilling place for the boys in wet weather, but as the estimated cost of it was L80 the Governors refrained from carrying the matter further until July, 1862. In that year some members of a committee, who had been appointed many years earlier to promote the decoration in the re-building of the School reported that they had L66 3s. 9d. in hand. This they offered to the Governors to assist them in the building of the shed in an ornamental style. In 1864 it was suggested that the Building Committee should report on the additional cost, for which the shed then in course of erection could be converted into Fives Courts. In 1865 Mrs. Kempson, of Holywell Toft offered L150 as a prize, to be called "The Ingram Prize," in memory of her father, the Rev. Rowland Ingram, sometime Headmaster. Five years previously the Pupils Prize and the Howson Prize had been suspended, but Mrs. Kempson's offer was gratefully accepted. She wished it to take the form, if possible, of a Bible with references.

The Usher had already absented himself for one term in order that he might undertake work at Cirencester, but he found it uncongenial and returned to Giggleswick. In June, 1864, he definitely resigned. The Governors at once requested permission from the Charity Commissioners to suspend for six months the post of Usher and to appoint a temporary Assistant to take the work. It was inconvenient to have the freehold occupied at a time when the Governing Body were contemplating amendments to the 1844 Scheme. In the meantime the Master was allowed the option of living in the Usher's house.

Henceforth the fortunes of the School began to improve. The position had been so unenviable that with the temporary vacancy in the freehold of the Usher, the Governors and the Headmaster began to consider seriously the alteration of the Scheme of Management. The Charity Commissioners had been approached first in 1862, by Mr. Blakiston, and, after he had been supported by the Governing Body, the matter received official attention. An Inspector was sent down in the early part of 1863, and taking advantage of a reconciliation between the Master and Usher, he refused to discuss or enquire into the personal aspect of the matter.

His report described the financial resources of the School, which consisted of 732 acres of land, and produced a yearly income of over L1,120. There was also an increasing surplus of revenue over expenditure, which three years later amounted to little less than L800. The average number of boys during the years 1846-1860 had been eighty-three, and the highest point had been ninety-six. This according to the testimony of those, who had the longest associations with the School, was a considerably larger number than had ever been reached at any previous period. In 1860 the number had dropped to fifty-six, and at the time of the Inspector's visit was fifty-one. Ten of these were boarders, of whom nine lived in the Usher's House, one with the Headmaster. There was one day boarder; nine lodged with strangers, four more with relatives, the rest, twenty-seven in all, were home boarders or boys coming to School from their homes in the neighbourhood. The education was mainly Classical, although some boys who were intended for a commercial career were excused Greek and Latin Verse, while almost all learned both French and German.

The chief difficulty under which the School was labouring, was the class of boy from which it drew. The whole education was given free and this tempted many parents to send their sons, who in reality were not fitted to take advantage of the curriculum provided. There were exceptions, and some boys of humble parentage had distinguished themselves in an intellectual sphere, but their proportion was not great. It was therefore suggested that tuition fees should be imposed. Such a charge was revolutionary and was stoutly condemned by all the inhabitants living around. It formed the battlefield for ten years. Face to face with the Inspector, the Governors gave their consent to the change, but presently local pressure became so strong that they withheld it. But the short Scheme of 1864 which enabled members of the Governing Body to be chosen from a wider area, and the consequent appointment of Sir James Kay Shuttleworth gave a great impetus to reform. There was now no faintness of heart. The increased efficiency of the School became a dominating idea, and the principle of capitation fees was accepted. But it was impossible to carry through such a principle without the consent of the neighbourhood. Their enthusiasm could hardly be looked for, but their goodwill was indispensable. In 1865 their hostility was lessened to the extent that a compromise was suggested, by which fifty boys should always be admitted free of capitation fee, and that ability to read and write should be deemed sufficient to gain admittance. The School had never within living memory educated more than ninety-six boys, and at this time the numbers were down to thirty-seven, in 1864 they had been thirty-four, so that the suggested number of free boys was perhaps somewhat an exaggerated number. The Governors replied by suggesting twenty-five boys drawn from a radius of eight miles. This would probably have sufficed for as many as would be likely to benefit in the limited area, and the limitation in area was only a return to the original desire of the founder to educate boys who were sons of parents in the neighbourhood.

In October, 1865, Mr. J. G. Fitch inspected the School as an Assistant Commissioner, under the Schools Enquiry Commission. There were only twenty-two boys in the higher classes learning Latin, and the Sixth Form consisted of one, while only eight boys in all were able to read a simple passage from a Latin Author. He noticed several disadvantages under which the School was labouring, and consequent upon which it had declined. One of them was the narrow and local character of the Governing Body, but this had been recently amended by the Scheme of 1864. Another was the obvious one of the impossibility of having two masters, one nominally subordinate to the other, and yet each enjoying a freehold. Lastly, he pointed out that there was no effective supervision by the Governors over the boarding arrangements, and he condemned the gratuitous character of the instruction, which attracted boys for whom the education at the National School would have been sufficient.

The Report was issued and negotiations went forward with regard to capitation fees. The inhabitants of the Parish of Giggleswick were quite open to compromise within a limited extent. They were willing to reduce the number of free Scholars, but they could hardly be expected to waive their rights altogether. Instead of fifty they suggested thirty-five as a suitable number and the Governors agreed to accept thirty but no longer wished them to be chosen from a limited area. Limitation of area was however a very important point in the eyes of the Parish and they could not accept the offer. A deadlock arose. Sir James Shuttleworth saw the danger of jeopardizing the whole Scheme by their inability to agree upon one point and he boldly proposed to omit the clause altogether and allow it to stand over, while the rest of the Scheme was carried through. The Commissioners were asked to give their consent to this omission, and they were only very reluctantly persuaded to do so, for they had considered it to be a very important clause.

Even so a further difficulty arose. The freehold of the Usher was in abeyance, and Mr. Blakiston for the sake of the promised prosperity of the School had been willing to waive his rights but, when the question of capitation fees was wholly dropped, he changed his mind and proposed to retain his former position. The whole Scheme was in danger, until the Governors decided to point out to Mr. Blakiston that his refusal would in no way impede some of the essentials of the change but that, as they could not intrude upon his privileges, he would, while he retained the Mastership, continue to labour under all the disadvantages, which had for seven years made his position so irksome. He would still be unable to appoint or dismiss his Assistants and his power over the Scholars would not be changed for the better. The Master's decision was unaltered, but in March, 1866, he determined to accept an appointment as a Government Inspector of Schools and so the difficulty was at an end.

The following May the Commissioners promulgated the new Scheme and it will be as well to discuss it at this point. All boys were to be admitted who could read and write and were not afflicted with any contagious disorder. The Headmaster was to receive a salary of not less than L250 a year and was to be appointed by the Governors subject to the approval of the Bishop of Ripon, the Visitor of the School. He could be dismissed by a two-thirds majority of the Governors, without any cause being assigned. A house was provided for him and he could both appoint and dismiss all the Assistant Masters and have complete and sole control over the supervision and discipline of the boys. These regulations were a great step forward and the power of the Headmaster became a real power. Scholarships were also to be given to deserving boys, and they were to be tenable at the School. This was a new departure and had been suggested by the desire to impose capitation fees, which would in particular cases be excused. The Scholarships under the amended Scheme would be spent in part payment of the boarding fees. Leaving Exhibitions were also to be awarded and were intended to supplement the various moneys massed under the heading of Burton Rents.

The year 1865 was marked also by another equally notable enquiry. At the half-yearly meeting a Committee was appointed to enquire into the advisability of extending the boarding accommodation. The present arrangements were not satisfactory. The Usher's house could not accommodate more than ten boys, the Master's not so many. Any other boys from a distance were compelled to live with anyone in the village, who was willing to take them. The boys would be under no proper supervision and frequently the conditions would be not even sanitary. There was a clear need for an enlarged building, where as many boys could live, as were attracted to a school, which had many natural advantages.



The Committee issued their report in October and proposed that a Boarding-house should be built and a level piece of ground provided in its vicinity for Football and Cricket. The Boarding-house was to provide a dining-hall, rooms for preparatory studies and dormitories for fifty boys, together with apartments for a Master in charge. The Trust Funds were not sufficient to build the School up afresh, with new Boarding-houses and new Class-rooms and it was a debateable question what site they should choose. The first proposal was to use the recently built School and convert the upper room into a dormitory and so increase the accommodation with a minimum of expense. But the close proximity of the Churchyard gave a suggestion of insanitariness to the site and the absence of playing fields made it impossible. There was a further choice. Near Craven Bank was a certain amount of land belonging to Mr. Robinson and also a field of five acres. Other sites were suggested including one between the Workhouse and the Station but finally in January, 1866, the plot of land near Craven Bank was bought for L375. Mr. Ingram's house—at the present time occupied by the Headmaster—was offered to the Governors for L2,600 subject to Mrs. Kempson's life interest, but it was not accepted. There was a further question of the lines on which the Boarding-house should be run. The alternatives were, to let the buildings to the Master on a rent of six per cent. on the total outlay and allow him to make what money he could out of the pupils, or to adopt what was called the Hostel System. The Master would then have a limited control over the internal discipline of the boys, but the other responsibilities would rest with the Governors. All profit could then be appropriated by them with a view to the adoption of a Sinking Fund and an Exhibition Fund. Finally the Hostel System was decided upon. In March, 1866, Sir James Kay Shuttleworth, Mr. Carr and Mr. Morrison were appointed as a Committee to obtain plans for the erection of a Boarding-house and to prepare a scheme of management for it.

Mr. Blakiston's resignation was accepted at the same meeting, and Mr. Thomas Bramley was appointed as his temporary successor. He had already been acting as an Assistant in the place of the Usher, and his salary was now raised to L250 a year, and he was liable to supersession at three months' notice; he had no freehold, and was only intended to act as Master for a limited period. Before closing the Chapter on Mr. Blakiston's career at Giggleswick it will be well to recapitulate briefly some of the excellent work that he had accomplished. He had come in a time of transition. Education throughout England was in the melting-pot. Giggleswick itself had very considerable opportunities of expanding into one of the foremost Schools in the North of England. The population was growing rapidly. New industries were springing up on every hand. A generation was coming to manhood, whose needs were as yet a matter for speculation. But Giggleswick had a traditional hold upon the minds of the North, it had also a rich endowment. Was it prepared to meet the necessities of the hour, or was it to continue in the same self-centred policy that had served well enough in the past? Mr. Blakiston answered the question at once. He was young, he was ambitious, he was a scholar. He was also in his ideas a revolutionary. It is not difficult to picture the result. Thrown into the midst of a slow-moving machinery, alone in his estimate of the potential greatness of the School, supremely conscious of his mission, he found himself a solitary. There are two methods of progress. One to oil the old cog-wheels and pray for progression. Another to point out the clogging nature of the machinery and propose a new device. He chose the latter method. It was bold and dangerous. But he went through with it courageously. The numbers dropped rapidly, the fame of the School suffered a relapse, but in the end the victory was his. Before he retired, one new scheme had been adopted, another and a better one was awaiting confirmation, the suggestion of a new Boarding-house was being pressed forward, and the field was clear for the great and revolutionary change—the adoption of a system of capitation fees. The subsequent prosperity of the School owed much of its swift development to the Headmastership of Mr. Blakiston, and it is a grateful task to record it.



CHAPTER X.

A New Era.

On the resignation of Mr. Blakiston, in March, 1866, the Rev. Thomas Bramley, an Assistant Master, was appointed temporary Headmaster. The Charity Commissioners had been asked for their advice, and had expressly stipulated that the temporary office should not carry with it any freehold. After holding this position for eighteen months, Mr. Bramley sent in his resignation in October, 1867. The Governors held a meeting to consider the position, and a letter was read voicing the opinion of the inhabitants of the neighbourhood that a permanent Headmaster should be appointed. They shewed that the numbers of the School proved that the education received had value in the eyes of the locality, and they suggested that a permanent Headmaster would be more likely to take a close interest in the boys. The Governors replied that they could not see their way to making a permanent appointment, until the Boarding-house had been completed and the regulations drawn up for boys who wished to reside with strangers in the neighbourhood.



The Plans for a Boarding-house had been going forward rapidly, and in May, 1867, the Charity Commissioners had sanctioned the expenditure by the Governors of L6,400. The income of the Trust had for some years shewn a surplus of revenue over expenditure, and this surplus then amounted to over L1,200; the further L5,000 was obtained from the proceeds of the sale of the Rise Estate, in 1863. The Boarding-house was to be built by Mr. Paley, a grandson of the Archdeacon, and was to contain Dormitories for forty-nine boys and studies for eighteen.

In December, 1867, Mr. Michael Forster was appointed provisional Headmaster for a single year. It was particularly pointed out to him that the position would not carry with it any claim to be appointed to the permanent post, when it was determined that such should be filled up. Mr. Forster had taken a First Class in Classical Moderations, and a Second in the Final School, and in addition had won a Winchester Scholarship in Mathematics at New College, and had "read Mathematics as high as Plane Trigonometry."

The numbers of the School steadily increased, and in the Easter Term of 1868 there were sixty-six boys, and in the following Michaelmas Term sixty-seven, of whom four boarded in the Master's House, and eleven in Lodging Houses. The rest were day-boys living at home. The majority were very young: twenty-two boys were under twelve, and forty-one between the ages of twelve and sixteen.

In May, 1869, the Governors proceeded to the appointment of a permanent Headmaster. Mr. Michael Forster had been continued in his provisional post for a few months, and had witnessed a further increase in the numbers of the School, which at that period stood at seventy-three. The regulations for the conduct of the School had been drawn up, and the Headmaster was to receive a House rent-free and an assured income of L250, with a further additional sum for each boy, not exceeding fifty in number, who should board for a year in the Hostel or in the Master's House. The maximum would then amount to L750, but a further sum of L250 was possible, if the Governors deemed it expedient to build a second Hostel to accommodate another fifty boys.

For the first time in the history of the School it was not necessary for applicants to be in Holy Orders, but the master must be a member of the Church of England, and a graduate of one of the Universities of Oxford, Cambridge or Dublin. Under the new Scheme of Management the appointment of Assistant Masters, but not their salaries, and the control of the internal discipline and conduct of the School were to be in his sole charge. But the regulations for the admission of boys and for the subjects of instruction were to be made by the Governing Body.

A scheme had been drawn up by a Sub-Committee, whereby the charge for Boarders was fixed at L80 per annum and L5 of each boarder's charges was to be appropriated to Free Scholarships and Exhibitions. The division of the School into an Upper and Lower Division was maintained and the subjects in the latter were to be English in all its branches, Arithmetic and the Accidence of Latin. The Upper School in time was to consist of two sides, Classical and Modern. The Classical side had as its especial object the preparation of boys for the English Universities, whereas the Modern side was intended to give instruction in Latin, French, German, English Literature, Mathematics, History, Physical Geography, and, when the numbers of the School should increase, Chemistry or some other branch of Natural Science. Latin could be omitted with the concurrence of the Master and parents in individual cases. Provision was also made for an increased and efficient staff of Masters, some of whom should be resident in the Hostel.

There were four principal applicants for the Headmastership and on May 26, 1869, the Governors elected as Headmaster the Rev. George Style, Fellow of Queens' College, Cambridge, who since the beginning of 1868 had been an Assistant Master at Clifton College.

The staff of Masters consisted of Mr. Style, the Headmaster, Mr. C. H. Jeaffreson, late Scholar of Lincoln College, Oxford, the Second Master, without however a freehold, Mr. Arthur Brewin, who was still in charge of the Lower School, which at this time came rather to be known as the Junior or Preparatory School, and Herr Stanger who visited the School on certain days each week in order to teach German.

When Mr. Style came he found fifty-six boys in the School; of these, three became boarders in the Hostel, fifteen were boarding in various houses in the neighbourhood and the rest lived with their parents. In March, 1870, at the Annual Meeting, the Headmaster reported that there were sixty-one boys in the School of whom nine were in the Hostel and sixteen in private Boarding-houses. The system of Private Boarding-houses constituted a difficulty common to many of the older schools in England at this period. It was not possible to put a sudden stop to a practice that had been prevalent for the most part of three centuries and yet the accommodation in many of these lodging-houses was inadequate and the sanitary arrangements most prejudicial to health. It is only necessary to glance at the regulations which the Governors thought fit to make to realize how unrestricted had been the life of the boys who lodged in such houses. Henceforward no boy could live in a house, other than his parents', unless the tenant had received a license from the Governing Body. No boy was to be allowed to leave the house after 7-0 p.m. in Winter, and 9-0 p.m. in Summer. No boy should enter a Public House, or smoke or play cards, and any breach of the rules was to be forthwith reported to the Headmaster. This was the first occasion on which any rules had been laid down. Eventually the private Boarding-houses gave place to the Hostel, where greater opportunities existed for study and discipline; in 1871 only four such private boarders remained and soon afterwards there were none.



As soon as the Endowed Schools Act had been passed in 1869 the Governors of Giggleswick began to consider a new scheme for the management of the School. On May 30, 1870, Mr. D. R. Fearon, an Assistant Endowed Schools Commissioner, came down to confer with the Governors. He suggested that the foundations of Giggleswick and Sedbergh should be amalgamated and that out of their joint funds two first-grade schools should be established, one Classical, one Modern; and that in some respects it would be more convenient that Sedbergh should be the Modern School, because at that time it was almost in abeyance and therefore the difficulties would be less great. If the Governors of Giggleswick had not already expended large sums in building, the Commissioners would have approved a scheme for removing both schools and establishing one central foundation for Classical and Modern studies, but this was then impossible. It was proposed that the Governing Body should be increased and no teaching be gratuitous, but in order to provide for the satisfaction of local requirements a Third Grade School should be established in Settle either as a separate school or as an upper branch of the National School or alternatively they should annex to Giggleswick School a Junior Department with a lower fee and a limitation of age. Further, in consequence of the twelfth clause of the Endowed Schools Act, some provision was to be made out of the Giggleswick Endowments for the education of girls. These suggestions were not all carried out. The two foundations were treated separately, except that Sedbergh was established as a First-grade Secondary School with Classics as its main subject, and Giggleswick was similarly established on Modern lines.

The new regulations for the government of the School came into force in 1872. The Governing Body was to consist of sixteen members; eight were to be Representative Governors, and were to consist of the Justices of the Peace in the Petty Sessional Divisions in which Giggleswick and Sedbergh were respectively situated; representatives nominated by S. John's College, Cambridge, Owen's College, Manchester, and the Governing Bodies of certain neighbouring Grammar Schools. The remaining eight were to be co-optative. The Vicar of Giggleswick ceased to be an ex-officio Governor and the Bishop of Ripon was no longer the official visitor of the School. His powers were henceforward vested in the Crown. The Headmaster had no freehold but was liable to be dismissed at six months' notice without cause assigned by a two-thirds majority of the Governing Body, twice assembled for the purpose. But on the other hand he was given complete jurisdiction over the whole internal management, teaching and discipline of the School, and full power to appoint and dismiss his Assistant Masters.



The question of free education at the School was settled finally. Every boy admitted into the School had to pay an entrance fee not exceeding L3 and a tuition fee not less than L12 or more than L24. Fees for boarding in the Hostel were not to exceed L45. Certain exemptions from tuition fees could be granted as the reward of merit, and in a few instances the boarding fees might be remitted for similar reasons and to a limited extent. If the state of the Trust Funds permitted, a leaving Exhibition, to be called The Giggleswick Exhibition, might be awarded for the purpose of fitting the holder for some profession or calling. It was to be given on the results of an examination in Mathematics, Natural Science or Modern Languages.

The most important clause in the scheme was that which inaugurated the Shute Exhibitions. Giggleswick had been founded as a Free School, and the fundamental alteration of its character had been vigorously opposed by the inhabitants of the neighbourhood for close upon ten years. They were fighting a losing battle. It was clear that no school could maintain the efficiency of its education without the imposition of fees. One of its two original characteristics must go. Either the education must cease to be free, or it must lose its former liberal element. For three hundred years and more a Grammar School education had been such that by its very breadth it endeavoured to fit men for whatsoever walk in life they intended to adopt. But in the nineteenth century education was becoming more expensive, and the old ideals could not be maintained at the old cost. It is always an odious task to change the character of a benefaction, and to deprive people of long-standing privileges, but on the other hand it is essential to look at the matter from a different standpoint. Did the imposition of fees rob many boys of the chance of an education by which they were likely to profit? The answer is almost certainly in the negative. That there were some few to whom a higher education would be a gain is equally certain, and for these provision was made. The bequests of Josias Shute had been made in order to enable poor scholars to go up to the University, and for two hundred years the money was used in this way. But in 1872 it was diverted. It was henceforth to be applied to the payment of the tuition fees of such boys as had for not less than three years been educated at one or other of the Public Elementary Schools in the Ancient Parish of Giggleswick, and who should be deserving of it. These boys were to be called Shute Exhibitioners. The change has limited the numbers of boys from the neighbourhood who have been educated at the School, but the results have been excellent. Many Shute Exhibitioners have been enabled by this help to fit themselves for various positions in life, in which they have afterwards distinguished themselves, and it is improbable that any have been kept back by their failure to gain an Exhibition. The Governors further determined to change the character of the Lower School and make the education received there similar to that of a Preparatory School. In order to carry out the second aspiration of the Endowed Schools Commissioners, namely to "promote the education of girls," the Governors were ordered to pay L100 yearly to some girls' schools, which should be chosen later. This sum was paid to the Endowed School for Girls at Skipton.



The subjects of instruction at the Grammar School were fixed according to the ideas prevalent for the promotion of "Modern" Education. Natural Science was included, and Latin found a place. Greek did not form part of the regular course, but the Governors could accord permission to learn it to such boys as needed it to qualify them to enter an University. The permission was frequently granted, and in such cases Greek was taken in place of German.

The establishment of the new scheme was followed by a great development in the numbers of the School. Whereas in March, 1871, there were only fifty-eight boys, in the following March there were sixty-seven, and in December, 1873, one hundred and one. Never before in the history of the School had the numbers, so far as is known, reached a hundred, and the rapid increase justified the decision of the Governors to build the Hostel and to lower the boarding fees. It is a remarkable fact that although in the early part of 1872, no boys had been required to pay any money for tuition, yet no boy left the School when fees were imposed later in the same year in accordance with the provisions of the scheme.

It is probable that the provision made under the Scheme for the teaching of Natural Science contributed largely to the increase in numbers. In January, 1872, the Headmaster had appointed Dr. W. Marshall Watts, as an Assistant Master, to take charge of the Science subjects, viz.: Chemistry, Physics, and Botany in the Upper School. At the same time arrangements were made by the Governors for the building of the first part of the Chemical Laboratory. The plans for the buildings and all the arrangements were carried out in accordance with the advice and under the personal supervision of Dr. Marshall Watts, who brought to bear upon the subject the experience which he had lately gained at Manchester Grammar School. In consequence the Laboratory, which cost about L1,500, was excellently adapted to its purpose. While the building operations were in progress, the Science teaching was begun and carried on under difficulties in two or more rooms at Craven Bank, which was then empty. A new residence for the Headmaster had been provided by the Governors in 1872. Holywell Toft had been built by the Rev. Rowland Ingram, a son of the former Headmaster, and he had used it as his residence while he was Vicar of Giggleswick; when he resigned the office, his sister Mrs. Kempson remained there. In 1871 the Governors were given the opportunity of purchasing it for L2,000, and in the following year it was used as the official residence of the Headmaster.



The additions to the Hostel, rendered necessary by the increase in numbers, were sanctioned by the Charity Commissioners in 1874, and a sum of L10,000 was named to provide for the same, and for the provision of further accommodation in the Laboratory. The Hostel already provided accommodation for forty-nine boys, but with the additions, which included, besides other buildings, the whole of the South Wing, and on the North the present Dining Hall and the Dormitories above it, room was made for about sixty-six more boys. From this time also the three-term system was adopted. Previously the School had assembled in the middle of August until Christmas, after which they came back for a long term extending from January till July, with only a short holiday at Easter. The holidays were now lengthened from eleven or twelve weeks in the year to fourteen.

In 1876 the numbers had increased to such an extent that it was found necessary to build new Class-Rooms. Teaching had been still carried on in what is now known as the Old School, and the accommodation for some time had been so inadequate that rooms in the Hostel itself had been utilized. The Governors therefore determined to build rooms sufficient for one hundred and twenty boys, and to add a Lecture-room to the Laboratory. A difficulty arose about the site. It was at first proposed to lessen the expenditure by adding to the Old School, where there was a sufficient space, but such an addition would have permanently divided the life of the School, and apart from the question of finance, it was clearly of the utmost importance that the Class-rooms should be adjacent to the Hostel. This course was finally decided upon, and six Class-rooms were built. The total cost of these buildings and of the Hostel additions reached over L13,000, and the Governors were empowered to sell certain of their North Cave Estates, and to borrow L6,000 from the Governors of Sedbergh. This debt was finally paid off in 1881 out of surplus revenue, which was so great that in 1878 Fives Courts were built out of it, and three years later L1,100 was spent in alterations and additions to the Headmaster's House. In spite of this considerable expenditure the Governors were still able to put aside each year the sum of L800.



The numbers continued to increase rapidly, and in 1884 the Charity Commissioners agreed to the proposal of the Governors to extend the Class-rooms. Those already standing had been built in such a way that it was an easy undertaking to add to them. The road up High Rigg alone stood in their way, but permission was obtained to divert it and make a better road further South. On the ground-floor two new Class-rooms were built and connected by a corridor on the West side, while above it Big School, eighty feet long by thirty feet broad, absorbed one of the former Class-rooms, and supplied what had previously been a great defect in the arrangements of the School. It was capable of holding between three and four hundred people, and was thus of the utmost use on Speech Days and other great occasions, besides providing a fit place for assembling the whole School for Prayers and Concerts. At the southern end of the building a transverse addition was built, of which the lower half was to serve as a Library, and above were two Class-rooms opening into the Big School. Thus in addition to the Science Block, the School Buildings now consisted of Big School and nine large Class-rooms, each of which was capable of holding from twenty to twenty-five boys. Another long-felt need was also supplied. A large Covered Playground was erected on the West side of the Class-rooms. It was one hundred and five feet long and fifty feet broad, with a height of forty feet; its floor was paved with wood, and its walls were cemented. There a large proportion of the School could amuse themselves on days when the inclemency of the weather made out-door pursuits difficult. The cost of these buildings was defrayed out of the Trust Funds, but at the same time a Gymnasium and Changing Room were added by money provided by the subscriptions of Old Boys and other friends of the School, and in particular of Mr. John Birkbeck, one of the Governors. The cost of this part alone amounted to over L1,300.

The twenty years from 1866 to 1886 saw the whole character of the School transformed. A complete set of new buildings had been erected with boarding accommodation for one hundred and fifty boys, and Class-rooms for two hundred and forty, all within one central space. Over twenty thousand pounds had been expended, and yet it had been found possible to meet these many claims without unduly depleting the total revenue arising from the Estates in the possession of the Governors in the East-Riding. The rental in 1894 was over L700, and shewed a decrease of a little less than L500 a year. That such a sudden and swift development should have been possible reflects the greater credit on the foresight of Sir James Kay Shuttleworth and his fellow Governors and on the energy and enthusiasm of the Headmaster.



No branch of the School life failed to grow during these eventful years; in work and in play success was pre-eminent. Dr. Marshall Watts was possessed of new buildings and up-to-date apparatus, and he did not fail to use them to the full. Mr. Style himself superintended the Mathematical work of the School, and both Mathematics and Science turned many a Giggleswick boy towards paths which brought honour and distinction to himself and his School. Between the years 1880 and 1891 five Scholarships were won for Mathematics, and nine first-class Mathematical Honours. In Natural Science thirteen boys won Scholarships at Oxford or Cambridge, and eleven took first classes. One Classical Scholarship was gained, the Junior Mathematical Scholarship at Oxford and one Mathematical Fellowship at Cambridge. Two boys passed into the Indian Civil Service direct from the School. Many others won Second-class Honours or Exhibitions or Scholarships at other places and several were placed extremely high in the Honours List of the London University Matriculation. These successes speak for themselves, and cover only a period of eleven years. The last decade of the century was almost as fruitful.

At this point it will be as well to picture more definitely in the mind the characteristics of the School. A contributor to the Giggleswick Chronicle, in June, 1893, has described the conditions as he found them on his admission in 1871. The Dining-room stood where the Senior Reading-room now is, but it extended further back, including what is now a passage and the Servants' Hall. The eight Studies at the end of the lower passage formed a single large room for evening preparation and for prayers. Gas was not used, but oil-lamps were in every study and the school-room in the Hostel was lighted by candles fitted into tall metal candlesticks heavily weighted. The Old School was the chief place for work and the practice was continued of having the Junior School, which corresponded to the more ancient Lower School, upstairs and the Upper School consisting of three classes worked on the ground floor. The Class-room and Library were soon called into use and as the numbers rapidly increased two large rooms at the South end of the Hostel which had been recently built were also used. Science Classes were held in Craven Bank.



In 1877 the death of Sir James Kay Shuttleworth robbed Giggleswick of a firm friend. His position as Chairman of the Governors had enabled him largely to mould the destinies of the School during its very difficult and important period of transition. He had been the most strenuous supporter of all who had the true interests of the School at heart, and he had fought amongst the foremost in the struggle for a new Scheme. Sir James Shuttleworth came to Giggleswick free from local prejudice and trained in educational work and the success that attended the School from 1872 onwards is largely due to the broad-minded sagacity that he displayed.

Lord Frederick Cavendish succeeded him as Chairman and for five years gave Giggleswick of his best. He was followed by his brother Lord Edward Cavendish, who held the office for nearly nine years till his death in 1891. In that year Mr. Hector Christie entered upon his long term as Chairman. Ever since the Scheme of 1864 the Governing Body had been an exceedingly strong one. In addition to those already mentioned there were at different times Mr. Morrison, Mr. C. S. Roundell, Rev. H. I. Swale, and Mr. John Birkbeck, junior. All these men took a great individual interest in the School and as a body they were generous and progressive.

From time immemorial the School had attended Giggleswick Parish Church for services on Sunday, and during this period two pews, one for the Headmaster and one for the Second Master, were set apart immediately on the North and South sides of the Communion Table. Boarders sat in their respective Master's pew or overflowed into other seats in the Church. But with increasing numbers it became difficult to provide seats for the School without interfering unduly with the convenience of the general congregation. Accordingly at the beginning of the year 1875 the School was allowed to have the use of the Church on Sundays for a special service at 9-0 a.m., but they still attended the ordinary afternoon service at 3-0. This system continued for five years until in 1880 the Governors laid on gas in the Church and put in suitable fittings. The School was then enabled to have a second special service at 7-0 p.m. A few years later the Rev. W. H. Coulthurst, the Vicar, consented to a plan for the restoration of the Church, and it was only fitting that the School should take a special interest in the work. The Headmaster issued an appeal for financial help to the Old Boys and to the School; L120 was collected for the General Fund, special contributions were made to the new organ, and the Headmaster and Boys, Past and Present, gave the Church a clock with S. Mary's chimes. This clock replaced an old one, which was put in the School Museum. Its works were made partly of wood and it required daily winding by hand, a process which occupied a considerable time. The School services during the progress of the restoration were held in Big School, while the Old School had been given over to the Vicar for the holding of the Parish services. The Church was re-opened on May 11, 1892, by the Bishop of Richmond, and on the following Sunday the sermon at the first School service was preached by the Rev. Delaval Ingram, a son of the former Vicar and a grandson of the Rev. Rowland Ingram, the former Master of the School.



During Mr. Style's Headmastership Athletics also became a permanent part of the School life. The Cricket-field had been purchased in 1869, and had been used for both Cricket and Football. Unfortunately it was a fair-weather ground. Its foundations rested on peat, and continuous play all the year round did not improve it. The first matches that were played took place in the early seventies, when the Hostel had as yet only fourteen boys, but in spite of their small numbers a match was arranged between them and the rest of the School. Later on other School fixtures were mapped out, and the great days of the year were when Sedbergh, and, for a time, Lancaster School were the opponents. Between the years 1871 and 1895 forty-six Cricket Matches were played against Sedbergh, of which nine were drawn and seventeen won. Similarly during the period 1880-1895 twenty-four Football Matches took place, and Giggleswick won ten. The two Schools were equally matched, and the football of both reached a high standard. The Swimming Bath had been built in 1877, and was roofed in for use in winter. The Fives Courts were well attended, and Golf was begun on the playing fields at a later time. In 1893 a new Football Field was bought and an adjoining one rented. This was a material help to the School Athletics, for it was one of the few level fields in the district that was not in the winter almost permanently a marsh.



One of the most distinguishing features of the School was Music. The first resident Master was Mr. Charles Frederick Hyde, who came to the School in 1886, and for nearly seven years organized the music. With the help of Mr. L. Watkins all branches of the subject were developed, and, unlike the custom of most other Schools, music teaching was not cramped or regarded merely as an unfortunate necessity, but was given considerable opportunity. When Mr. Hyde died in 1893, his friends combined together, and, collecting L560, presented to the School Trustees a fine Organ, which was placed in Big School. This was a striking testimony to the appreciation that he had inspired after just seven years' work. Three men have up till the present succeeded to Mr. Hyde's place, and musical enthusiasm has been maintained at a very high pitch.

The School Library had been begun under Dr. Butterton in a room especially built for the purpose. But as the centre of the School life gradually changed and new Class-Rooms were built near the Hostel, the Library was transferred to its present position. For a time each boy paid a small terminal subscription to maintain it with a supply of books. Reading in the Library was never compulsory, but a number of boys would go there on wet afternoons or at other free times, and it proved itself very valuable. Among the Books in the School's possession there is a copy of the "Breeches" Bible; A Paraphrase and Note on the Epistles of St. Paul, by John Locke, the Second Edition, published in 1709; An Edition of Cocker's Arithmetic, and several of the first collected Editions of Charles Dickens.

The establishment of the Preparatory School had led Mr. Style to consider the question of providing a house for the boarding of younger boys, who should in time come up to the Hostel. Bankwell seemed a suitable building and was taken on a lease in 1887. Mr. G. B. Mannock was placed in charge. There was an excellent garden attached and the house had rooms for twenty boarders, while an adjoining field was rented for games. Thus the boys living there were able to keep almost entirely apart from the older boys in the School, except in school-time. Two years later Holly Bank was also taken for the same purpose.

The Junior School had for a period of nearly forty years been in the charge of Mr. Arthur Brewin, who had succeeded John Langhorne as Writing Master in 1859. He had seen the complete development of the School and had watched each of the many schemes of management mature. His own department had been completely revolutionized. Formerly it had been a Writing School, in which generally he had been accustomed to give an elementary education, that in some cases was to be the only book learning that the boys were ever to get; but he eventually found himself teaching boys whose average age was under twelve and scarcely one of whom left the School before going into the higher classes. In July, 1897, he retired.

In November, 1896, what might have proved an irreparable disaster came upon the Laboratory. During the early hours of the morning a fire was discovered in the Chemistry Room and it spread to the rest of the building. Most fortunately the Class-rooms and Hostel, which were both separate from the Laboratory, were not injured and the fire was quenched by 6-0 a.m. The misfortune seemed only to inspire the Headmaster and Dr. Watts to draw up plans for replacing what was already an excellent Laboratory with a still better one. In the following term both the Chemistry and Lecture Rooms were almost re-built and in 1899 a more extensive scheme was carried out by which two new Class-rooms, a Physical Laboratory and a Science Library were designed together with some smaller rooms, and the building fitly completed the appearance of the School.

An Educational Exhibition was held at the Imperial Institute, London, in 1900, and many of the Schools of England exhibited their ancient documents and summarized their schemes of work. Giggleswick was allotted a certain space and sent up a survey of its past history and a detailed statement of its curriculum. In the Sixth Form, the thirty-two teaching periods a week were divided thus: Latin was allotted six, Mathematics eight, English and Divinity one each, Modern Languages eight, and Natural Science eight. Boys who wished to take Greek omitted German. In addition preparation for the next day's work was done each evening and on Saturday nights an essay or theme was set. Drawing formed part of the regular work of the School below the first three Forms. Singing was taught to all the younger boys and a School Choir had been formed consisting of boys and masters. Nearly half the School learned instrumental music, chiefly the Piano, and there were one or two School Concerts given every year and in addition concerts of classical music were held every fortnight.

The School Museum occupied the place of the Library in the Old School, and in it were some particularly interesting specimens. The Victoria Cave which had been discovered in 1837, was carefully explored by Mr. Tiddeman and other experts, and after five years' work the results were presented in 1878 to the School Museum. In 1893 Mr. J. Walling Handby sent a Collection of Forty-one Skins of New Zealand Birds, and Mr. Clapham, of Austwick, gave a valuable Collection of British Birds. In addition there were Collections of Minerals (notably the Keate Collection), Fossils, Eggs, and South Sea Shells. The Museum was open at certain times to the public. School Societies flourished. The Photographic Society was instituted in 1876, the Debating Society in 1877, and a Literary Society in 1879.

Cricket, Football, Golf, Fives, Swimming, and Athletic Sports, all found their place in the School year. The School Colours—Red and Black—were worn by most of the School, but, as is common, distinctive colours were assigned to members of the first two elevens in Cricket, and the two fifteens in Football. Inter-School and Dormitory Matches were also played.



In September, 1897, an Old Boys' Club was formed under the presidency of the Headmaster in order to maintain a closer union between past and present members of the School, and to organize Meetings and Athletics. The Scheme met with considerable support, and from time to time meetings and dinners have been held.

For the most part of the last twenty years of the century the numbers of the School had been too great for the Hostel to include them all. In 1894 there were two hundred and eight boys in the School, of whom only twenty to twenty-five were Day Boys. Craven Bank had consequently been used as another Dormitory. Bankwell, and for a time Hollybank, were filled with some of the younger boys. The great difficulty under which the School laboured was the frequent change of Masters, especially of those who took the higher forms. It was therefore suggested that the House System as opposed to the Dormitory System should be given a trial. Hollybank was no longer needed in 1900 to take the overplus from Bankwell, and a Master was put in charge of it, in the hope that older boys would come. The attractions were twofold. In the first place it was intended to give the Master in charge of it an opportunity of marrying and the expectation of a sufficient income to make him content to continue at Giggleswick. In the second place it was hoped that the fact of a man being married would tend to induce parents to send their boys more readily. Unfortunately the scheme was not wholly successful, and was soon abandoned.

Every boy in the School attended the Gymnasium, which since its opening in 1887 had been under the superintendence of Sergeant-Major Cansdale. Many boys also learned carpentry in the Joiners' Shop, which had been fitted with benches and lathes, and other necessary materials in the upper room of the Old School.

This brief summary of the School life was depicted at the Educational Exhibition and it was a worthy record for a small School. It will be seen that the main characteristic of the School was that it was amongst the first to adapt itself to modern needs. It is probably no exaggeration to say that at that period no school in England could approach Giggleswick in the practical teaching of Science; to this was due a great measure of its success. In every branch of school life excellence was attained, an unusual number of Scholarships were won and the Football Fifteen for two successive seasons in 1894 and 1895 never had a single point scored against them in any School Match.

Throughout the history of the School there have been very few signs of literary exuberance. Only one School song has been written, called "Now Reds" by Mr. J. R. Cornah for the Giggleswick Chronicle, April, 1898. The Giggleswick Chronicle was begun in 1880 but it was edited by Masters and was intended rather to place on record the terminal life of the School than aspire to literary eminence. As such it has achieved its purpose and is a valuable and interesting record. But apart from official matter boys have shewn themselves very loth to summon forth their energies and write. With one exception no paper, written by boys alone, has been published since the Olio caused Sir Walter Scott to smile.

The Boer War claimed a certain number of Old Boys, some of whom did extremely well. Captain H. H. Schofield distinguished himself at the Battle of Colenso, and helped to rescue two guns, for which he gained the Victoria Cross, while Lieutenant S. A. Slater was largely responsible for a clever and daring capture of Bultfontein. Altogether at least nineteen boys went out.



CHAPTER XI.

The Chapel.

House of Commons Library, March 1, 1897.

Dear Style,

I have an idea in my head of offering to build the School a Chapel with a Dome as an architectural experiment, employing Jackson, the famous Oxford Architect. One would call it the Diamond Jubilee Memorial. Site the knoll in the Cricket Field. We have very few domes in England and it might give a hint to others.

But I should like to hear any suggestions of yours. A Domed Building on the site should look well. It would need much thinking out as we do not understand Domes. The Round Church at Cambridge gives some hints.

Yours truly, W. MORRISON.

Rev. G. Style.

This letter was received by the Headmaster on March 2. The effect of such news coming without any previous warning can be imagined. The difficulty of commemorating the Diamond Jubilee year had seemed overwhelming and this unexpected offer from Mr. Walter Morrison dissipated the troubles in a moment. In the second place a School Chapel had alone been wanting to complete the seclusion and privacy of the School, and hitherto the prospect of such a building had seemed unattainable. It was now offered as a gift.



Mr. Morrison had recently returned from travelling in the East and had been greatly impressed by one particular feature of Eastern Architecture. The dome is almost universal in Palestine, and Mr. Morrison desired that an architectural experiment should be made in England. He wished to see the School Chapel built in the Gothic Style but with a dome. Mr. T. G. Jackson, R.A., was approached upon the subject and remembering that his former Master, Sir Gilbert Scott, had always hoped to undertake such a work, he gladly made his plans.

The aim of all the best Architecture is to construct a building of such a kind that it will withstand the ruin of the ages and will prove an opportunity for doing well whatever it is built for. The purpose of a house is that a man should be able to live in it. The essence of a church is that it should provide a place of worship. It is easy enough to construct a four-square building with accommodation for a required number of people but brick walls are not sufficient. Utility does not consist only in adequate space; it has many other features, closely inwoven with it. Fitness is the keynote of beauty. Taken by themselves there is little beauty to be seen in two parallel straight iron lines running through the country-side, but conceive of them as railway lines, adequately and without any unnecessary waste of material performing the office for which they were made, and few sights can be more charged with the very essence of beauty. The purpose that underlies the construction and the complete fulfilment of that purpose is beauty.

But a Church cannot be content only with a building sufficiently well-built to hold its worshippers and sufficiently in tone with its surroundings to express the unity of art and nature. It has a further form of expression that it must satisfy. It is a religious building, and as such its characteristics and its form must exemplify religious tendencies and thought. A barn can be supremely beautiful, but it does not radiate the atmosphere of worship. A Church must be characterized by certain great and instinctive elements of grandeur, it must breathe the spirit of reverence, it must, as Ruskin says, "speak well and say the things it was intended to say in the best words." Giggleswick School Chapel may justly be said to fulfil all these conditions. It is in harmony with its surroundings, and it is a structure of great architectural beauty, that is to say, it expresses its purpose in the best way.



Every style of Architecture makes its own peculiar appeal to mankind. One kind of Church seems better adapted to the needs of Englishmen; Eastern peoples prefer a different style. Mr. Morrison proposed to take a distinctive feature of each and make them one. For the general building he chose the Gothic style because, though not native to England, it has imposed itself to an overwhelming extent on the Parish Churches and Cathedrals of the country, and to it he added a Dome. There is one feature that these two apparent opposites have in common. Gothic Churches vary greatly, but many of them are notable for their appearance of loftiness. The clustered columns seem to lead the eye upwards to the roof, as if men naturally went about the world cramped and confined, and were now bidden turn their gaze to the heights. A dome has a somewhat similar effect: it carries on the gaze and it gives an increased and unexpected vision. The bold union of the two has created a School Chapel, which satisfies every wish. It is suited to the surrounding country, it is possessed of great beauty, and it breathes the atmosphere of worship.

But there is another consideration. One of the most striking characteristics of boy-life is the feeling of personal possession. Everything that is of importance has a personal aspect. Whatever a boy sees belonging to his own School is at once invested with a curious sanctity and defended with all the armour of pride. It is of supreme importance that the side of school life, the religious side, which sometimes appeals to a boy with a greater force than any other, should have a building of its own. The Parish Church can never lay claim to the same devotion, and therefore can never exercise the same influence. A School Chapel develops a feeling of unity and brotherhood; such unity is less possible in a Parish Church.

Buildings and surroundings have a power to mould character. It is the big, silent things of life that often really move a man: the walls that he can learn to love and know, and invest with life and memory. These feelings are not recognized at the time, and it is well that they should not be. Emotionalism and probing self-analysis are dread dangers. But the memories of school in after life are not in the first instance memories of friends, but of the places where those friends were met and the friendships made. A boy's life is made up of moments and impressions, and many of the indelible impressions of his youth are formed in the School Chapel. Hence the gift of a beautiful School Chapel is the greatest gift a man can give. Boys at Giggleswick have at their right hand the natural glories of the Craven District, they have now also a supreme example of the architect's skill and courage and success. Environment is the keynote to the development of character. These boys have the twofold opportunity of profiting from Nature and from Art.

The mind must go back three centuries in the history of the School to find a parallel to this gift, and even then no individual example will stand comparison. The difficulties of the work were great, but were surmounted with complete success. The Chapel is a striking and beautiful landmark. The Building was begun in 1897, and the foundation stone was laid with some ceremony on October 7, by the Duke of Devonshire, and work proceeded for four years without interruption.