1724 - Humphrey Parsons School

The school and dwelling house for the Headmaster was built in 1724 by Sir Humphrey Parsons MP on land belonging to the Corporation in King's Quay St. Parsons gave the Mayor, Daniel Smith, £500 which proved to be insufficient, leaving Smith to contribute a further £200. It was called the Free School as it was not endowed, in practice only a small number of places were available.

At first, the corporation agreed to pay the headmaster £20 a year to teach 20 poor boys nominated by the Mayor, Aldermen and Capital Burgesses, but this rose in 1728 to £10 quarterly to the Reverend [Rev] Nathaniel Stephens. In 1730, the Rev Henry Creek too over and lived in the school house 'with all fees, prerequisites, salarys or endowments' but no sum of money was mentioned. He still taught 20 poor boys but it seems that he also now took in others who paid fees.

The Rev William Cowper became Headmaster in 1786 with a salary of £7.10.0 (£7.50) per annum and it was the responsibility of the member of the corporation who nominated a boy to enter school to provide him with 'proper reading and writing books'.

Rev William Whinfield, then Clerk Curate at Dovercourt, became Vicar of Dovercourt cum Harwich and took over from Cowper in 1792.He asked for a rise in salary in 1800 and was given £20 per annum on condition that he did not let the school house. His work was not onerous. This was shown in a report written in March 1805 by members of the council who stated that he (Whinfield) attended two or three times a week to inspect the books, while 'the principal part of the Education of the Boys is left to the Usher, Mr Orms, who constantly attend'.

The 'Plan of Education' or timetable covered matters educational as well as hygienic and read:

Monday Morning; repeat Collects and

Tuesday read, write, spell and

Wednesday cypher

Thursday Morning. Crossmans, Catechism, Read and Spell words - With their meaning

  "Afternoon. Arithmatic Tables and Catechism

Friday Morning. Read in the Prayer Book

Afternoon. The same as Monday and Tuesday.

Saturday Abbreviations, Church Catechism, Roman hand, and get Sunday Collects

To repeat Monday morning.

School hours From Nine in the morning until twelve.

Afternoon from two to five.

The committee recommend for a request to be made to Mr Whinfield that strict order, silence and regularity be kept, and, if any complaint is made by any of the Parents for such strictness, to refer them to the Mayor.

Cleanliness

The Boys twice a week sweep the School, but the walls and every part appear very Dirty&ldots;&ldots;&ldots;

Not any attention seem to be paid by the Parents to the cleanliness and dress of the Boys, most of them are in rags, and their skins dirty and filthy.

The committee recommend that unless Children are sent clean, for them not to be allowed to go to the School.'

In 1807, boys were admitted at the age of eight and remained until they were fourteen. The Headmaster's salary was raised to £30.

In 1855 the name was changed to the Harwich Corporation School. It was closed in 1909 when Harwich High School was opened but was later used as an annexe to the Harwich Further Education Centre.

It was restored in 1981 from a derelict condition, as a dwelling house, now called 'School House'.

The handsome Humphrey Parsons crest remains. The translation of the Latin inscription reads:

This edifice for instructing the youth of Harwich in good manners, literature, and the doctrine of the Church of England, was founded and built at the proper charge of Humphrey Parsons, Esq; Citizen and Alderman of London, and Member of Parliament for this Borough, AD 1724. The Founder begs thee, O Almighty God, to take it into thy protection; do thou prosper the munificence of this illustrious benefactor, and under thy favour may both the youth and the building succeed to thy honour for ever.'