Nineteenth century society and the reform of the endowed grammar schools, 1805 to 1874

Abstract

During the period 1805 to 1874, the endowed grammar schools faced a crisis in their development. The nature of the crisis was illustrated by the Leeds case of 1805 in which an unsuccessful attempt was made through the Court of Chancery to alter the curriculum of the Leeds Free Grammar School. This attempt indicated that the endowed grammar schools were out of touch with the educational requirements of contemporary society and required reform. Throughout the period, there were repeated attempts to achieve this reform, culminating in the Endowed Schools Amendment Act of 1874 which gave the Charity Commission wide powers to remodel the schools in the light of changed social conditions. This thesis investigates the relationship of the Court of Chancery and the endowed grammar schools to see what effect the Court of Chancery had on the role of the endowed grammar schools in the nineteenth century. In particular the inadequacy of this relationship and the reasons why reform was delayed so long are examined.