THE Rev. Rowland Lucas was a native of Westmorland and had been educated at Kirkby under Mr. Leake. In 1626 he was admitted to Christ's College, Cambridge, as a Sizar and took his B.A. in three years and his M.A. in 1633. Before he came to Giggleswick he had been Headmaster of Heversham. In 1643 his salary was increased to forty marks and in 1645 to £40, and during his six years many scholars went to Cambridge and won distinction in the world, such as Thomas Dockray and John Carr. At his death in 1648, William Wilsonne, the Usher, supplied his place for a few weeks and later William Walker was elected. He was a native of Giggleswick and had been a boy at the School under Mr. Lucas. In 1643 at the age of eighteen he was admitted as a Sizar at Christ's and commenced B.A. 1646-7 and later M.A.

The numbers of the School at this period are quite uncertain. The accommodation was slight and the teaching staff limited to the Master and Usher, but the boys were probably packed very close. During the nine years of his mastership, boys were steadily sent to Cambridge. Christ's alone admitted twenty-five and in one single year (1652) three others entered S. John's. These boys were sons of really poor men. John Cockett in 1651 was the first recorded receiver of the Shute Exhibition of £5, and in the next year it was given to Josias Dockray, son of the late Master, "whom we conceive to be a poore scoller of our parish." Both these boys became ordained and in time were appointed to one or more livings. For a century and a half Giggleswick fed Christ's with a steady stream of boys who almost without exception entered the service of the Church.

Seventeenth century Giggleswick took no heed of the progress of the School and records do not abound. It was a disturbed period in English history and political and religious troubles occupied men's minds to the exclusion of lesser matters. Giggleswick was nevertheless well-known, for in 1697 Abraham de la Prynne records in his diary an anecdote of a Mr. Hollins who thirty years before had lived at Giggleswick "as I remember in Yorkshire where the great school is." Apparently Anthony Lister, who was then Vicar had roused the resentment of a particular Quaker, who found himself anxious to go to the Parish Church to rebuke Lister publicly, when he began to preach. On his way thither he met a friend and told him of his intention. The man tried to dissuade him but finding argument of no avail, he asked him what induced him to choose this particular Sunday. Whereupon the Quaker replied that "the Spirit" had sent him. The rejoinder came quickly "why did the Spirit not also tell thee that one Roger and not the Vicar is preaching to-day?" There was at this period one particularly distinguished son of Giggleswick, Richard Frankland born at "RothmelÆ" (Rathmell) in 1631 who came to the School when he was nine and at the age of seventeen went as a Burton Exhibitioner to Christ's College, Cambridge. The Shute Minute-Book of 1651 has the following entry:

His father John Frankland is said on his tombstone in Giggleswick Church to be one of the Franklands of "Thartilbe" (Thirkleby, near Thirsk) and he was admitted to Christ's in 1626.

Richard became B.A. in 1651 and M.A. four years later. In 1653 he was "set apart" and received Presbyterian ordination. He was immediately appointed Vicar of Auckland S. Andrew by Sir Arthur Haselrig but was ejected nine years later. He was not an extreme man but he refused to be re-ordained by Bishop Cosen. After the second Conventicle Act of 1670 he made a personal appeal to Charles II, "to reform your life, your family, your kingdom and the Church." The King was much moved and replied "I thank you, Sir," and twice looking back before he went into the Council Chamber said "I thank you, Sir; I thank you." Returning to Rathmell his native place, Frankland opened an Academy, where he gave an University training in Divinity, Law or Medicine. Aristotle was taught and one tutor was a Ramist. The lectures were delivered in Latin. His pupils were not confined to any one denomination, but included Puritans, Presbyterians and Independents.

Fortune smiled very grimly upon him and he was compelled to change his place of instruction on many occasions. His pupils always followed him. One Archbishop excommunicated him, another—Archbishop Sharpe—also a Christ's man, discussed the matter with the help of tobacco and a bottle of wine. Sharpe's main objection was that a second school was not required so close to Giggleswick, and an Academy for public instruction in University Learning could not lawfully receive a Bishop's license. In the main he was undisturbed during his last years and when he died in 1698 over three hundred pupils had passed through his hands and his Academy was later transferred to Manchester and in 1889 to Oxford, where it became known as the Manchester New College. During the period of Frankland's struggles with the dignitaries of the Church, one Samuel Watson, of Stainforth, who had been a Governor of Giggleswick School was in 1661 "willing being a Quaker that another should be elected in his place." Eight years later he interrupted a service in the Parish Church, and the people "brok his head upon ye seates."

In 1656 William Walker resigned the mastership and for three months his place was taken by William Bradley, who had been a pensioner at S. John's, Cambridge, at the same time as the Usher, William Wilsonne. William Brigge was then elected. He was an University man and almost certainly at Cambridge, but his college is doubtful.

In 1659 the Shute Scholarship was to be given "to Tho. Green's son of Stainforth, when a certificate comes of his admittance" into the University. This was a precaution that was not unnecessary. It is only rarely that the money is entered as being paid to the scholar himself: far more often is it paid to the father or mother and sometimes to the boy's college Tutor. On March 12, 1660, it is agreed "that the £5 is to be paid to Tho. Gibson, his Tutor, upon his admittance into the Collidge." In 1673, Hugh, son of Oliver Stackhouse, "being ye poorest scoller" was awarded the money.

The North Cave Estate, which had been given to the School as part of its endowment in 1553, had very greatly increased in value during the hundred years to 1671, when the rents amounted to over £80. The stipends of the Masters were raised by means of a gratuity and William Brigge received £30. No reason appears why after fifteen years' service and an increased gratuity he should still be receiving £10 a year less than one of his predecessors, Rowland Lucas, in 1644.

Thomas Wildeman, the Usher, received £15. Wilson had died in 1666 and one William Cowgill, of whom we know nothing, succeeded him for four years. In 1671 Wildeman took his place. One Thomas Wildeman had been at Giggleswick as a boy and had entered Magdalene, Cambridge, in 1670, and then migrated to Christ's. The dates make it possible that they are the same person, in which case he would be continuing to keep his terms at Cambridge and be acting as Usher at the same time.

The Accounts of the School at this period shew the Governors in a different light. Their expenditure not having increased proportionately to their income, the surplus money was lent out at interest to the people in the village. Hugh Stackhouse, who had gone up to Christ's with school money on account of his great poverty, was at this time acting as Treasurer or Clerk and was one of the earliest to take advantage of the Governors' enterprize. He borrowed £10 at five per cent. and the debt continues to be mentioned for many years. He would appear to be a privileged debtor.

The following is a typical entry in the Account Book:

On March 12, 1686.

Interest and Bonds for ye Schoole

The Mr. Wildman here referred to may have been the Usher, who belonged to a Giggleswick family but had given up the post of Usher, which at this date was held by John Sparke formerly of Christ's and possibly the same as the John Sparke who was Vicar of Long Preston in 1703. William Brigge had also left in 1684 and for six months his work was taken by a former Usher, John Parkinson, who had matriculated as a Sizar at Christ's in 1676 and after taking his degree came for two years as Usher in place of Wildeman. On Brigge's death he acted as Headmaster, but whether he was definitely appointed such or was intended to be in charge for a short time only is doubtful, as he died in six months.

June 12, 1685. "Mr John Armittsteade entred to ye Schole."

John Armitstead was born at Long Preston in 1660, and after being at Giggleswick as a boy, he went up to Cambridge at the age of nineteen with a Burton Exhibition. He was entered as a Sizar at Christ's, and commenced B.A. in 1682-3 and M.A. 1688. The name of Armitstead has been very closely connected with the School even to the present day.

Henry Roome was Usher for one quarter in 1688 and then gave place to Richard Atkinson or Akinson, whose salary varied from year to year, but never exceeded a certain limit, viz.: just half the Master's, which consisted of "ye ancient Master's Stipend" of twenty marks and a gratuity which brought it between £40 and £50. There are also small entries in places, such as:

October 1, 1687.

Paid to Mr. Armitstead for repairs about ye schoole loft and garden that he had laid out, as particulars may appeare, which noate of particulars he delivered to ye summe of £4 17s. 06d. In which noate theire was a Presse that stands in ye schoole chamber, it is theire to remaine to belonge to ye schoole.

Richard Ellershaw, the Vicar, took a very great interest in the School, and in 1718 he wrote to Christ's College, Cambridge, seeking information about the Carr Scholarships. It was probably due to him that in 1693 two shillings was laid down for transcribing part of Carr's Will, which money "the schollars that receive Burton Exhibitions must then (i.e. 1694) allow to the school stock."

One point of interest remains connected with this period: it is a curious slip of paper without date, which contains an invitation to the reader, whoever he may have been, to visit the writer J.N. in the country. It is written on the back of some of Armitstead's accounts, with an alternative version by its side, which was no doubt a revised copy of the theme after correction by the Master:

The money left to the School by Josias Shute was in part intended to be paid to the poor of the parish, together with two further sums of five shillings left by William Clapham and nine shillings by Mr. Thornton for the same purpose. It is difficult to note the payment of these sums, for they were as a rule added together and entered as "For the Poor Fund," but in 1695 there was paid to:

Shute's surplus was certainly given to the poor in some years but there is no consistent record and by the scheme made under the Endowed Schools Acts it ceased. In 1692 "Arthur, son of Joshua Whitaker, of Settle, appearing to us to be ye poorest schollar that stood candidate for ye said gift" was allowed the Shute Exhibition of £5. He also received £7 of the Burton Rents, and in May, 1698, as much as £9 10s. 0d. With these sums he was enabled to go to Christ's College, Cambridge, where he gained a Scholarship and by the year 1698 in March, which under the new style would be March 1699, he had returned to the School as Usher, in succession to Richard Akinson. He taught for fifteen years and received as usual, just half the Headmaster's stipend, the amount varying between £23 and £27. On March 12, 1712, the following entry occurs: "Recd of ye Governors of ye free Gramar School of Gigleswick ye sum of two pounds eighteen shillings and sixpence for ye use of my brother Wm. Foster, now Curate of Horsefield," but it turns out to be a payment of that part of the Exhibition to which he was entitled, up till the time he had left Cambridge, presumably in the previous June.

John Armitstead's receipts end in 1704, and he died in 1712. It is impossible to determine the worth of a Master, when so few documents remain to judge him, but the Governors of 1768 thought fit to refer to "the artful and imperious temper of Mr. Armitstead." Their particular grievance was that in 1704 the Governors had a balance of £230 with which they purchased a farm called Keasden. This they let and its profits went to the Master and Usher, and in 1712 the "easy, complying disposition of the Governors" was persuaded to allow the Master to collect the rents of all the lands belonging to the School and simply enter a receipt "of the wages now due to us." Consequently no accounts were kept from 1704 till 1765, and because there was no reserve fund presumably no repairs were done. The Master collected the rents and with his Usher divided the spoil. He even seized the £15 which remained over from the purchase money of the Keasden farm. Nor was this all. Up to the year 1705 the Master paid for the expenses of the Governors' Meetings but in that year the Governors were persuaded to deduct sixpence in the pound from the Exhibitions given to the boys going up to the Universities. This deduction continued till the nineteenth century. Judging then from the opinions of the Governors fifty years later, John Armitstead was not wholly an altruist. It is still more unfortunate that his evil lived after him.

The number of Scholars, who went up to Cambridge in his time though less than it had been, was still considerable. During his twenty-eight years, as many as twenty-seven went to Christ's alone, including the first Paley who is known to have been educated at the School. The greater proportion always went to Christ's until the last decade of the eighteenth century, but other Colleges received them also, notably at certain periods S. John's.