Sources: Schools

A Survey of Documentary Sources for Property Holding in London before the Great Fire. Originally published by London Record Society, London, 1985.

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'Sources: Schools', in A Survey of Documentary Sources for Property Holding in London before the Great Fire, (London, 1985) pp. 152-156. British History Online https://www.british-history.ac.uk/london-record-soc/vol22/pp152-156 [accessed 23 April 2024]

Schools

403. Charterhouse (Sutton's Hospital and School), London

Hospital and free school fd. 1611 on site and adjacent lands of former Carthusian priory, just outside the N. W. limits of the city in the liberties of Charterhouse and Glasshouse Yard and the parishes of St. Sepulchre (152) and Clerkenwell. The records relate to this area. The school moved to Godalming, Surrey, in 1872.

The records are at Charterhouse, London EC1. There is a card index, arranged by class, listing individual deeds etc. in some detail.

a. G1/1–6: foundation deeds and charters from 1611. D1/1–26: deeds, leases, etc., 1371, 1538–1661 (Charterhouse site). D1/693–700: deeds, 1604–56 (Charterhouse churchyard). D1/179 et seqq.: deeds, leases, etc. from 1548 (Pardon churchyard).

b. AR5/2: list and survey of lands and leases with abstracts, 1633. D1/A/2: survey and rental of Pardon churchyard, 1654.

c. G7/1'A': reg. of leases, patents, etc., 1611–22 indexed by tenants; table at end identifies properties. G7/2'B': similar vol., 1630–70.

d. AR3/2–35, 'Quarter Books' 1621–67: rough bks. of quarterly rent receipts, arranged by place; also payments, incl. to workmen for repairs and building. AR1/1–66, receivers' a/c rolls, 1614–70 (with duplicates and some other a/cs: see card index): total receipts from each manor or estate, incl. Charterhouse area.

e. G2/1–3, 'Assembly Orders', 1613–98: minutes of governing body, incl. notes of leases granted, indexed by personal names and (some) subjects; microfilm to be deposited in GL.

f. Plan chest, 'London' drawer: plan of tenements to N. of Charterhouse, ? 1677.

404. Christ's Hospital, London (now Horsham, Surrey)

Fd. 1553, on the site of the former Franciscan (Grey) Friars' precinct (47).

The school moved to Horsham in 1902.

The London estate, which included short-term leases and annuities as well as freeholds, increased steadily in extent from 1553 to the late 17C. Unless otherwise stated, the records cover properties in: 9, 20, 21, 23, 26, 36, 38, 42, 43, 45, 46, 47, 51, 53, 54, 56, 59, 60, 62, 67, 75, 81, 83, 85, 87, 89, 92, 93, 94, 99, 104, 111, 112, 113, 119, 120, 123, 124, 125, 128, 131, 132, 134, 137, 139, 141, 144, 145, 148, 149, 150, 151, 152, 155, Bucklersbury, Distaff Lane, Fenchurch Street, Friday Street, Lothbury, Old Fish Street, Philip Lane; the records also concern interests in Blackwell Hall (in 123) and Leadenhall (in 149).

The records, not all of which have been catalogued (November 1983), are in GL.

a. Deeds, leases, papers, and loose plans, 14C to 19C, arranged by 'gifts' (i.e. names of donors). MSS 12886–13816 incl. refs. to London properties, the locations of which can be identified from the catalogue entries. Of the uncatalogued boxes of deeds and papers the following incl. refs. to London properties up to 1666: 'Wale, Warren, Webb' (149); 'Weld' (89); 'West (26, 56, 60, 112, 148); 'Wilcox' (155); 'Woodward' (46); 'Wood' (152); 'Papers re Wills' (38, 45, 46, 93, 134, 145); 'Purchase: Holborn' (20); 'Purchases and properties outside London' (128); 'Purchase: Pudding Lane and New Fish Street' (36, 87, 94); 'Purchase: Spring Gardens; Friday Street' (89); 'Purchase: 63–5 Friday Street' (120); 'London Properties' (20, 23, 42, 46, 89, 119, 131, 137, 152); 'Properties exchanged with St. Bartholomew's Hospital, 1819' (42, 152); 'Deeds and Papers for Various Gifts' (131); 'Blackwell Hall' (123).

b. MS 12815/1: register of wills, gifts, and grants, comp. c. 1552–1702; incl. refs. to Bridewell (409) and mid 16C rentals for Bethlem, Savoy, and St. Thomas's, Southwark, hospitals (102, 105, 226); also (f. 219 et seqq.) refs. to 9, 73, 105, Birchin Lane. MS 12805: register of lands, leases, and annuities, incl. late 16C list of gifts and properties (details of tenants and rents); 17C plans of London properties. MS 12879/1: register of leases (dated 1660 but comp. 1665–6 and later), with details of leases and annuities in tabular form. MS 12812/1: register of benefactions (cash gifts and legacies only), 1552–1820.

c. MSS 12819/1–10, treasurers' a/c books. 1552–78: particulars of rents (arranged by 'gifts', but few locations named), fines, and expenditure on maintenance (principally at the hospital); MS 12819/1 also incl. a/cs for Savoy and St. Thomas's hospitals. MS 12826/1: rough a/c, 1653–4. MSS 12820/1–4, treasurers' cash bks., and MSS 12821/1–3, treasurers' day bks., 1624–57: 2 sets of bks. forming single series (for 17C) recording daily receipts and expenditure. MS 12848: a/c for rebuilding Blackwell Hall (123), 1612–15. MS 12849: a/cs and other papers concerning Blackwell Hall. Uncatalogued box 'Blackwell Hall Building Accts. 17/18thC': a/cs concerning Blackwell Hall (incl. plan, 1681), and building at the hospital. MS 12825/1: incl. a/c for repairs to church of 47, 1605–8.

d. MSS 12806/1–6, court min. bks., 1556–1677 (contemp. indexes, most reliable for names): much detail on estate management; MSS 12806/1–2 incl. circumstantial and topographical information on children admitted, incl. parentage. MS 12806A: rough court mins., 1611–32. MSS 12811/1– 3, committee bks., 1654–69 (contemp. indexes to vols. 1 and 2): mins. of delegated court business. MS 12828/1: letter bk. 1579–85, 1624–38, incl. some letters concerning property.

e. MSS 12834/1–2, view bks. 1622–1722: detailed reports on structures, dimensions, valuations (contemp. indexes; best guide to contents via personal names indexed). MS 12862: memorandum and a/c bk., Aldworth's charity, 1646–58; incl. inventory of house (111). MS 12864: as preceding, 1660–3; incl. expenditure on fabric of hospital.

f. For plans of properties, see above, a-c. The uncatalogued box 'Precincts of the Hospital' incl. 17C–18C plans of properties near the hospital, incl. city wall and ditch.

405. Dulwich College, London SE21

The college, fd. 1619, had property in 45 and in 62 outside the liberty. The records are described in G. F. Warner, Catalogue of Manuscripts and Muniments of Alleyn's College of God's Gift at Dulwich (1881), and F. B. Bickley, Catalogue of Manuscripts and Muniments . . . Second Series (1903). Some account of and transcripts from the records are given in W. Young, The History of Dulwich College (1889). The records are in the library at the college.

a. Muniments: deeds, leases, etc. from 1537 (45, 62, also 25), calendared and indexed in Warner, Catalogue. MSS (2nd series) 100/1–323: incl. deeds, leases, etc. from 1604 (45, 62), calendared and indexed in Bickley, Catalogue. Further muniments, 17C and later (45, 62), stored in numbered boxes; MS index available.

b. MSS (2nd series) 27, 28, Register Bks. of a/cs, 1626–78: yearly a/cs of rents, fines, expenditure, with minutes (incl. leasing decisions) of Audit meetings; extracts in Bickley, Catalogue, and Young, History. MSS (2nd series) 35–8, Rent Bks. I–IV: tabular rent a/cs, with notes of payment.

c. MS IX, Edward Alleyn's diary and a/c bk., 1617–22, transcribed in full in Young, History, and extracts in Warner, Catalogue: incl. notes of rents, legal costs, repairs (25, 45, 62); MS index available. MSS I–VII, vols. of letters and papers, calendared/listed and indexed in Warner, Catalogue: refs. to 25, 45, 62. MS VIII, Alleyn's memorandum bk., 1594– 1616: incl. notes on purchase of properties, lists of evidences.

King Edward's School, Witley, Surrey, see 102 and 409.

406. Eton College, Eton, Berks.

Fd. 1440. Property in 5 and 111, 96, and 152, and quit-rents (several of which were lost or in arrears by the mid 16th century) in 5, 14, 38, 42, 54, 85, 123, 137, Carter Lane, Distaff Lane, Holborn Bridge, Whitefriars. Some of this estate derived from St. James's Hospital, Westminster (255), placed in the custody of the college in 1449.

The records (ECR) are at the college. A series of TS lists and calendars, of which further volumes are in preparation, is available on request in PRO. London deeds are listed principally in vols. 16 and 49; vol. 39 calendars letters patent, 1440–1686, incl. some London references. Vol. 54 (Misc.) also contains some London references.

a. Deeds, leases, etc., 15C to 18C. ECR 16/White Bear/1–52 (5, 111). ECR 16/St. Botolph Aldersgate/1–4 (42). ECR 16/Vintry/3–10, ECR 49/ 247–9 (96). ECR 16/The Ball in Holborn/1–30 (152). ECR 16/ London Miscellaneous/1–6, 13C–17C (2, 81, 123, Distaff Lane).

b. ECR 60/LB/1–6: lease bks. or registers, 1445–1670, contemp. indexes (5 and 111, 96; 152 from c. 1600).

c. ECR 60/RB/1: bk. cont. 16C rentals (estate above), survey 1617 (5, 111; cf. f, below).

d. Rentals, etc. ECR 60/VR/A/1 (formerly ECR 49/294): valor 1441–2 (42). ECR 60/VR/E/5: extent 1538 (96). ECR 49/312: rental c. 1574 (most of estate above). ECR 63/ as yet unnumbered: rental c. 1584, similar to preceding.

e. Accounts: see ECR calendars vols. 61 (completed), 62 (in preparation 1983). Rent receipts are recorded in rent rolls (ECR 61/RR), c. 1445– 1542 (96; 5, 111 from c. 1530); bursars' rolls (ECR 61/BR), 1549–1642 (estate as above); and audit bks. (ECR 62) thereafter (estate as above). Final a/cs (rent totals) are in audit rolls (ECR 61/AR), 1445–1505 (96); see also bursars' draft a/cs (ECR 61/BD), 1448–1556. ECR 16/Vintry/1– 2, rent a/cs 1446–8 (96).

f. ECR 16/White Bear/42–5, 49: plans and survey, 1617, c. 1666, 1770 (5, 111); see LTR 19 (1947), 1–12. ECR 49/250: rough plan, early 18C (96). ECR 60/RB/5: plan bk. of 'Eton College Tenements', 1777 (5, 111, 152).

407. Winchester College, Winchester, Hants.

Fd. 1382. Property in 67 (from 1470) and probably 114 (for short period in late 14C and early 15C). Unless otherwise stated, the records are at the college, where they are identified in a single sequence of numbers as W[inchester] C[ollege] M[uniments]. There is a card catalogue/calendar, reproduced by NRA.

a. WCM 12787–817 (described in S. Himsworth, Winchester College Muniments, a descriptive list ii, 1984): deeds, leases, bonds, papers, and an inventory, 14C to 17C (67, except for WCM 12813). WCM 12813 is a lease of 'Bealknapp's Inn' made in 1412 on behalf of the warden; this was probably the former property of Robert Bealknapp in 114, acquired by William of Wykeham in 1388 (Cal. Pat. R. 1385–9, p. 492; see also New College, Oxford, records 9836), which was probably restored to Bealknapp's heirs c. 1415.

b. WCM 22990b-c, 'Evidentiae [omega]' (Davis, no. 1058), ff. 104v–112v: mid 16C transcripts of deeds as in a, above. WCM 22993–23001: registers of leases, 1522–1667; from 22996 onwards they incl. contemporary indexes; the first register in the series (WCM 22992, 'Liber Albus') contains no London material.

c. For rentals covering London, see WCM 22236–7, 22238A (16C and 17C; earlier rentals do not cover London). Rent receipts from the London property are to be found in the a/cs of the 'general collector of rents', of which one separate a/c survives (WCM 2118, for 1545–6); copies of the general collectors' a/cs are to be found in the series of farmers' and collectors' a/cs, WCM 22239–71 (1530 to 1638, with gaps), and in the series of court books, WCM 23039–54 (1556–1667); the general collectors' a/cs usually name tenants for the property in 67, and by the mid 17C incl. receipts of rent from Petty Wales (perhaps in 33, where New College had property: see 401). The bursars' a/cs (WCM 22082– 22212, a/c rolls, 1397–1556; WCM 22213–20, a/c bks., 1556–1671) frequently include receipts specifically from London property, and may also incl. expenditure on repairs (e.g. a/cs for 1526–7 and 1629–30).