Obrázky na stránke
PDF
ePub

1681. John Cæsar

1711. Henry Mills*

the bottle, yet without sinking into the debauchery of his contemporary wits. As he was of a disposition very different from that of his father, the character of the old Parson at the end of his works, is supposed to be designed for him. He was patronized by the Earl of Kingston, who would have made him his chaplain, if he would have qualified himself. He lived with the Earl, however, till his death, which was occasioned by the small pox, Dec. 9, 1683. He was particularly esteemed by Dryden, who has done him great justice in "Verses to his memory." His works have been frequently printed in one volume 8vo: in 1722 in 2 vols. 12mo. with the Author's life; and very lately, under the inspection of Capt. Thompson, in 3 vols. 12mo.

* Mr. Mills in the Bangorian controversy, distinguished himself as an opponent to Dr. Hoadley in the most disgraceful part of that once important dispute. The Bishop, who resided on his living at Streatham, had received into his family Francis De La Pillonniere, a converted Jesuit, who had formerly been usher of the school at Croydon, to instruct his children. This circumstance was noticed by Dr. Snape in the following manner. "Before you are so free then in casting reproaches upon others as papishly affected, you would do well to put away the Jesuit whom you entertain in your family, your intimate companion and confident. A Jesuit he certainly was (and your Lordship is not ignorant of it) and if he has given you any satisfaction that he has renounced the Romish errors, he has given the world none. His putting on the air of a Free-thinker is so far from being a proof of his conversion, that it is to me a sure evidence of the contrary, and gives me the same impression as if I saw him officiating at High Mass." A second letter to the Bishop of Bangor in

1742 Samuel Stavely

1752 John Taylor Lamb

vindication of the former, by Andrew Snape, D. D. This charge produced an answer by Pillonniere, with a preface by the Bishop; and that again a reply by Dr. Snape in vindication of himself, in which Mr. Mills's name was introduced as criminating the quandum Jesuit. Each of these replies encreased in virulence; and the latter was answered in a pamphlet, entitled, "a Reply to Dr. Snape's vindication of a passage in his second letter to the Bishop of Bangor relating to Mr. Pillonniere, wherein a full answer is also given to Mr. Mills and all his other evidences, by F. De La Pillonniere. To which is prefixed a letter to Dr. Snape from the Lord Bishop of Bangor;" 8vo. To this Mr. Mills answered in a pamphlet, called, "a Full Answer to Mr. Pillonniere's reply to Dr. Snape, and to the Bishop of Bangor's Preface, so far as it relates to Mr. Mills: in which the evidences given to Dr. Snape are justified, the Bishop of Bangor's objections answered, Mr. Pillonniere's pretended facts disproved, and base forgery is detected; as likewise the true reasons of such malicious dissenters' proceedings against Mr. Mills. The whole supported by ample testimonies of gentlemen, clergy, and many others. In a Letter to the Lord Bishop of Bangor, by H. Mills, A. M. to which is prefixed a Letter to his Lordship, by Dr. Snape." 8vo. A third pamphlet, by Pillonniere, and Bishop Hoadley, seems to have closed this illiberal controversy. Mr. Mills was of Trinity College, Oxford, where he took the degree of A. M. June 25, 1698. By his pamphlet we find that he was appointed Rector of Dinder and Prebendary of Wells, about the year 1700; and that he served the cure of Pilton, and chapelry of North Wootton, and was master of the School at Wells. About the year 1711he came to Croydon, and afterwards was presented to the living of Mestham, one of the Archbishop's peculiars, in the

1774 James Hodgson.

1801 John Rose*

1812 J. C. Bisset

county of Surrey. He published in 1732, 8vo. "An Essay on Generosity, and greatness of spirit. The builders of colleges, hospitals, and schools, praised and commended. The valuable blessing of a sound, useful, and pious education; especially that of school learning; with a particular view to Archbishop Whitgift's foundation in Croydon, Surrey. By Henry Mills. A. M. Master of the said foundation, and Rector of Mestham, Surrey." To which he prefixed a dedication of above sixty pages. He died April 12, 1742.

* In the year 1813, an Action was brought against this gentleman respecting his management of the revenues of this noble charity; complaints had long existed of very great embezzlements by the masters, and of the mismanagement in the estates, revenues, and renewal of leases, &c. &c. The amount of fines not having been brought to account. At length complaint was made to his Grace the Archbishop of Canterbury, who is the Visitor, of the great misbehaviour of Dr. Rose, the Schoolmaster of this foundation, and his Grace was pleased to institute an enquiry; in consequence of which, the above action was brought against him by the Warden and Poor of the hospital; and by the evidence given, it appeared that he had stated an account, from 1801 to 1810, in which, charging himself with the receipt of rents, produce of timber, and fines on the renewal of leases there specified, and discharging himself of monies alledged to be paid, he made the hospital Dr. to him £302 9 10. Amongst the Items of these discharges, is one of £5 a year to himself, as a poor Brother. These accounts not being satisfactory, his Grace appointed Dr. Vyse, Rector of Lambeth, and Dr. Ireland, Vicar of Croydon, to examine them more minutely;

CHAP. IX.

Schools.

It appears that in ancient times there were

T

certainly some grammar schools in this Town,

The result was, that taking Dr. Rose's receipts on his own statement, instead of there being £302 9 10 due to him from the hospital, there appeared £233 13 due to the hospital from him. This account he signed. The gentlemen, however, who had promoted this enquiry on behalf of the poor Brothers, discovered, that in stating the fines received, in six instances, he had charged himself with much smaller sums than had actually been paid him, and one was wholly omitted. He paid into court the balance of £233 13 abovementioned, but pleaded to the rest, in order to put the poor people to the proof; he, however, was advised to withdraw the plea, let judgment go by default, and make the best defence he could before a Sheriff's jury; a Writ of Enquiry was accordingly executed on the 1st of November 1813, and was attended by council on both sides. After a long investigation, the Jury found that there was due from him, on account of fines received, but not accounted for, £480 7 7. and on the £5 a year as a poor Brother £48 15 0 making together £529 2 7 to which is to be added the balance which he paid into court, £233 13 0 making a total recovered by the people (instead of having £302 9 10 to pay) £762 15 7. He had charged the hospital with the taxes and assessments paid for the house he lived in, and the amount of these payments was claimed in the action, but from some particular circumstances this was

though we can give but little account of them: in the Register of Archbishop Courtney, there is a memorandum of his having ordained one John Makneyt, master of the grammar schools of Croydon, a Deacon at Maidstone.

The only schools of remote date at present continuing in Croydon, are, that of Archbishop Whitgift, (already mentioned) and the one founded by Archbishop Tenison in the year 1714. This latter was endowed as a charity school for ten poor boys and ten poor girls; and the Archbishop, in addition to the sum he bestowed upon it in his lifetime, afforded it a liberal proof of his consideration in a bequest of £400.

not recovered. A plan has since been suggested for improving the revenues of this charity, by letting the leases fall in, and, instead of taking fines, letting the estates at the full annual value. This will not only produce a more uniform maintenance of the objects of the charity, but will prevent the recurrence of such circumstances as have been here detected for the future.

In April, 1812, Dr. Rose resigned his situation in the Hospital of the Holy Trinity, in Croydon. He was born on Shirley Common, in the said parish, and bred up at Christ's Hospital, was for a time the under master of Merchant Taylors' School, took the degree of Dr. of Divinity, was put into the Commission of the Peace for the county of Surrey, and has the Living of St. Mary Outwich, London.

Appendix, Manning's Hist. of Surrey.

« PredošláPokračovať »