ENDOWED GRAMMAR SCHOOLS. (Hansard, 16 March 1854)

§ MR. APSLEY PELLATT
, in bringing forward the Motion of which he had given notice with respect to Endowed Grammar Schools, said, it was his conviction that if the funds which were now lying uselessly by in the hands of parties entrusted with them were devoted to educational objects, an Imperial or Government grant for the purpose would not be required. He might be told that the Charitable Trust Commission was amply sufficient to make the inquiry which he sought to have instituted; but from the number of subjects which he was informed they had before them, a considerable time must elapse before the matters which he desired to have revealed could be brought to light. It was now twenty years since an inquiry had been made into schools or charities; and unless they had a Commission specially appointed for the purpose, they would wait until a period when inquiry would be almost useless. Let them look to the case of Dulwich College, where an immense amount of revenue was available for educational purposes, and was intended for that purpose by the founder. The income was 9,000l. per annum; and, according to the intention of the founder, 5,617l. per annum of that sum should be devoted to the purposes of education; but this intention was not carried out. As another illustration, he might mention the case of the grammar school of Cheltenham, founded by Richard Tate. A Chancery 873 suit instituted with reference to that charity had been stayed, and an arrangement had been made; and instead of sixteen pupils, the largest number there for some years, there were now no less than 300 pupils enjoying the benefits of education in the town of Cheltenham. It was now going on flourishingly, and presented a case where, from a rigid inquiry on the part of those who had to do with the subject, a great advantage had accrued to the public. A school ought to have been established to a similar extent in connection with the cathedral church of St. David's, in South Wales. The Rev. Mr. Davis, the schoolmaster, published a pamphlet to show that the funds had been taken away, and that a very small sum was left for the instruction of the children. He stated that in the reign of Henry VIII. a sum of 50l. a year—which in the present money was about 800l. a year—Was given for the purpose of those schools, and all he received was 20l. a year and some other sums, amounting in the whole to under 50l. a year. It was also stated that if all the land belonging to the chapter were let at a fair value, it would produce 6,000l. a year; whereas, according to the Report of the Ecclesiastical Commissioners, the rental was under 1,500l. a year, and there was only a sum of 50l. a year voted for this school, for the purposes of education. He was, quite willing to leave the matter in the hands of the Government if they would pledge themselves to undertake it.

§ LORD JOHN RUSSELL
said, the subject brought before the House by the hon. Gentleman was certainly one of great importance, and he would not deny that some further measures might be necessary for the purpose of investigation and improvement. But the hon. Gentleman's Motion would lead, in the first place, to very great expense, and, in the next place, it might lead to inquiries which would cause some interference with the Charity Commissioners who were appointed last 874 year. The inquiry proposed as to the libraries, and the kind and condition of books, would be very minute; and it was not quite obvious to what particular end that inquiry would be directed. Inquiries with respect to charities had been carried on for a great number of years, at a vast expense to the public; the Reports of the Commissioners filled many folio volumes, which were now in the library of the House. Last year the House had passed a measure by which they gave very considerable power to these Commissioners. There were other things still remaining to be done; and if the Commissioners appointed last year were not able to inquire into the endowed schools or grammar schools of the country, it might be necessary to extend their powers by a larger staff than they at present had, or it might be desirable, before adopting that plan, to have a Parliamentary Commission with respect to the endowed grammar schools of the country. But before taking any of these steps, it was desirable that the Government should seriously consider the matter, and should inquire of the Commissioners what was their opinion as to the means they had, not only of remedying gross abuses, but also of giving to the grammar schools the utmost efficiency of which they were capable. Before taking any of these steps, the Government wished to consider the matter, and they would then state to the House whether or not they thought any further steps necessary. He believed that the staff of the Commissioners was hardly adequate for their purpose, and that it might be proper to give them greater power. But these were all matters requiring a good deal of detail and examination. The Commission had but recently received its powers, under the Act of last Session; he was therefore not prepared to assent to the Motion, and should meet it by moving the previous Question.

MR. HUME
said, that a vast number of the schools referred to were charity schools, and would come under the examination of the Charity Commissioners. To institute another inquiry would cause a clashing of authorities; he, therefore, hoped his hon. Friend would withdraw his Motion. The Commissioners had not yet had time to see their way, or ascertain what could be done. He gave the Government credit for sincerity in appointing that Commission. An idea prevailed that their inquiry would occupy some forty years; and that the pre- 875 sent generation must be deprived of the benefit of it. But he hoped that they would report on the cases as they investigated them, so that a better appropriation of the funds might be made. Believing that the Government meant to follow up the appointment of the Commission by acts, he did not wish their responsibility to be interfered with.

§ MR. KERSHAW
said, he rose simply to express his hope that the hon. Member for Southwark would adopt the suggestion of his hon. Friend the Member for Montrose.

§ MR. HENLEY
said, he hoped that the observations which had fallen from the noble Lord (Lord J. Russell) would not give countenance to an impression that it was the intention of the Government to extend the objects of the Charity Commission to other purposes than those specified last year. He believed that every one wished to see real abuses corrected; but that was a very different matter to applying the funds of those schools in such a way as had never been contemplated by the donors.

§ SIR GEORGE GREY
said, he had understood the noble Lord to state that it would be necessary to increase the powers of the Charitable Trust Commissioners by an augmentation of their staff. If the hon. Member for Southwark pressed his Motion, he should be prepared to show that the present Commissioners had power to conduct the first part of the inquiry now proposed. By the law, as it present stood, endowed schools were bound to send in, before such day as the Commissioners appointed, a full statement of their revenues; but it would be impossible, with so limited a staff, to undertake the whole inquiry.