The founding of Hall's Grammar School in Snettisham
I was researching the history of of one of my ancestors (Kate May Wharton) when I came across details of the school she attended in the 1871 census. It listed a Robert Lubbock as the school master. so I decided to google his name and see what history I could find out about the actual school. It turns out that the school has quite a fascinating story to tell.
The school's founder was someone called Antony HALL. He was a Yeoman of Snettisham who lived in Snettisham during the early 1700s. He lived in a house called Cherry Hill which had about 5 acres of land. It was the house and land that he owned that would eventually be what was turned into the school.
Apparently in 1708 he was taken ill and rewrote his will because he did not get along with his three children, however he did love his grandchildren. His wife had already died and he wanted to provide assistance to the poor of his village in helping them to read and write and get an education.
When he died in October 1708, his children don't appear to be that happy about the outcome of it because he had left all his land and buildings with specific instructions to start a grammar school in the village. The will said that the school should take care of the education fo 20 poor boys from the village whose parents occupied property not worth more than £20. No other free scholars were allowed to be taken in unless they were descendant from Antony Hall. He did however allow fee paying scholars to attend, which I guess was how the school would be maintained and be able to survive.
The school's founder was someone called Antony HALL. He was a Yeoman of Snettisham who lived in Snettisham during the early 1700s. He lived in a house called Cherry Hill which had about 5 acres of land. It was the house and land that he owned that would eventually be what was turned into the school.
Apparently in 1708 he was taken ill and rewrote his will because he did not get along with his three children, however he did love his grandchildren. His wife had already died and he wanted to provide assistance to the poor of his village in helping them to read and write and get an education.
When he died in October 1708, his children don't appear to be that happy about the outcome of it because he had left all his land and buildings with specific instructions to start a grammar school in the village. The will said that the school should take care of the education fo 20 poor boys from the village whose parents occupied property not worth more than £20. No other free scholars were allowed to be taken in unless they were descendant from Antony Hall. He did however allow fee paying scholars to attend, which I guess was how the school would be maintained and be able to survive.
Nothing was done for many years after to implement the wishes of Antony Hall's will. The land and property remained with his grand daughter and eventually the Hall family died out. It wasn't until one hundred years after his death that a local vicar took the case to court to get the will moving and the school opened. The school finally opened in 1805.
When Kate May Wharton attended the school in 1871, she was one of 13 other boarders at the school. I would imagine that coming from a farming family she would have been a paying boarder.
Three years later in 1875 the school was temporarily closed because it was under pressure from the number of church and school board schools that were opening in and around the county. It opened again later in the year under a new scholarship system
For further details about the history of the school visit http://www.hallsfoundation.co.uk/halls02.htm.
For further details about the history of the school visit http://www.hallsfoundation.co.uk/halls02.htm.