Treasures of Bolton School

The Headmaster’s Chair from the old Grammar School dates back to 1685 when it cost about four shillings. Made of oak, it is extremely well built and appears in photographs of the old School with a gown draped over it to disguise the loss of the original arm. Until a relatively short time ago the School Chest was where all the School’s early records were kept. They were very dirty until 2003 when Dr Holland and Mrs Nightingale removed, cleaned and catalogued them under the guidance of the John Rylands Library in Manchester before storing them in protective files in the archive. The chest is likely to have been produced in Nuremberg in Germany and is made from wrought iron with interlaced iron bands. It was imported initially for use as a safe and the documents it contained suggest it dates from the early 17th century. Until 1832 the School did not have a bank account so the chest would have been used to store all its coins of the realm. Aware of the need for new bookcases, Dr Holland designed a new set which complement the Great Hall doors and which were made by craftsmen trained by Sir Gordon Russell (who designed all the original furniture and fittings throughout the School). The Parents’ Association kindly donated £8,000 towards the cost and the bookcases were unveiled in the Autumn Term 2007. The translation of the inscription is ‘The least knowledge that we can have of the highest things is more desirable than the surest grasp of those things that are the least’. Within the bookcases is the jewel in the crown – the chained library. One of few chained collections remaining in the country, it is the only one in a school with the original fittings intact. Chained libraries were commonplace between the 14th and 18th centuries in cathedrals, churches, universities and major schools, but few remain and only two in schools, one at Bolton School and one at Royal Grammar School, Guildford. The Guildford library, however, has lost its original woodwork so Bolton’s is therefore unique. It is all that is left of two local 17th century libraries in the town of Bolton-leMoors, one being from the old Bolton Grammar School, the other from the old Bolton Parish Church. The two libraries Meet the Archivist were merged in the mid-19th century. There are 97 items in total, 56 of which are chained in the oak cabinet given to the Eric Fairweather School in 1694 by Mr James Lever and the dates of the books If you have a question about the School’s range from 1608 to 1823. Most are theological, which is not history or would like to donate to the Archive surprising, given that education then was largely based on any photographs or artefacts from your time Divinity and Latin, and almost all are in English. at School, Eric would love to hear from you. E: development@boltonschool.org

Many books have suffered from damp over the years, a large proportion of which were restored at the expense of a Governor, Fred Tillotson, whose father, William, had been married to Lord Leverhulme’s sister. William Tillotson was also the founder of the Bolton Evening News in 1867. The books are not necessarily rare, but they form part of a library which is likely to have been read by ordinary people, including The Headmaster’s Chair clergy. They were for use, not ornament, so the bindings are plain and utilitarian. The library comprises a lectern system with a desk on which to read the books. The chains are linked to a front corner of the book because if they were chained to the spine the book would suffer greater stress from being moved on and off the shelf. Moreover, the books are placed on the shelves with the binding to the rear so that each book may be removed and opened without the need to turn it round, thus minimising the risk of the chains getting tangled. One of the most prized books is the Ainsworth Dictionary. Robert Ainsworth (1660-1743) was a pupil at the Grammar School and later taught there. He later moved to London and opened a boarding school. He insisted on Latin being the only language used by the boys he taught. He is remembered for his Dictionary of the Latin Tongue, which was the most important Latin dictionary of its time and remained the standard Latin dictionary until Victorian times. The copy in the chained library was his gift to the School. The most interesting books are arguably the three-volume copy of the Acts and Monuments by John Foxe, full of woodcut illustrations of people condemned to death during the reign of Queen Mary Tudor. When first produced in 1563, this was the largest publishing project ever undertaken in England. It was reprinted many times; the edition in the chained library is the ninth edition, printed in 1684. It is often referred to as the Book of Martyrs, but that was not John Foxe’s title and it only became known by this name after the The Chained Library edition printed in 1631. All are indeed treasures of Bolton School.

The Ainsworth Dictionary Foxe’s Acts and Monuments