5 July 1603: In his will, William Clapham gives poor pupils at the Giggleswick free school something to celebrate on St Gregory’s Day
Henry Edwards. 1842. A Collection of Old English Customs, and Curious Bequests and Charities. London: John Bowyer Nichols and Son. Get it:
.Excerpt
Amongst other directions in the will of William Clapham is that the sum of four shillings and four pence should be yearly bestowed towards a potation amongst the poor scholars of the free school in Giggleswick on St Gregory’s day. The commissioners report that they found a custom formerly prevailed of giving figs, bread and ale, among the scholars on that day; and that at present there is a distribution among them on the same day of bread and figs, to an amount considerably exceeding the sum of four shillings and four pence per annum.
To facilitate reading, the spelling and punctuation of elderly excerpts have generally been modernised, and distracting excision scars concealed. My selections, translations, and editions are copyright.
Abbreviations:
- ER: East Riding
- GM: Greater Manchester
- NR: North Riding
- NY: North Yorkshire
- SY: South Yorkshire
- WR: West Riding
- WY: West Yorkshire
Comment
Comment
Via Janet Clarkson (Clarkson 2014), who notes that the “figs” were probably raisins.
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Original
Amongst other directions in the will of William Clapham, bearing the date 5th July 1603, is, that the sum of four shillings and four pence should be yearly bestowed towards a potation amongst the poor scholars of the Freeschool in Giggleswick on St. Gregory’s day.
The Commissioners report, that they found a custom formerly prevailed of giving figs, bread and ale, among the scholars on that day; and that at present there is a distribution amongst them on the same day of bread and figs, to an amount considerably exceeding the sum of four shillings and four pence per annum.
104 words.
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