A HISTORY OF THE RGS IN ITS PEOPLE DAVID GOLDWATER

A HISTORY OF THE RGS IN ITS PEOPLE

BY DAVID GOLDWATER (51-62)

David Goldwater continues his popular series for this special issue of ONA Magazine. Here he imagines taking a step back into 16th Century Newcastle and conducts an interview with the school’s Founder, Thomas Horsley, its original benefactor, and an exemplar of enlightened people facilitating the education of less privileged children. A worthy example to follow!

DG Thomas, it’s good of you to spare me some time. I know you are a very busy man with all your business and civic responsibilities. This is a fine building we are in. Nearly 500 years on, it still stands on the Quayside, known as the Cooperage, where barrels were made for many years.

Yes, it was granted to me in 1531.

TH The ground floor timbers are reported to have come from a Dutch merchant ship sunk in the River Tyne. Forsooth, it is a great wonder to me that you have visited me from another time. It is akin to me talking to the man who built our great Castle Keep, or his father, William I, known as the Conqueror.

Thomas, it is the year 1533 and you

DG have just been appointed Lord Mayor of this fine town. In our age, it is termed a city, largely because of the Cathedral of St Nicholas, near the Castle. Thomas, you know I have come from a year, 486 years in the future, to ask you about my own school, which was founded with the benefit of the generosity and foresight of you and Johanna your wife.

Did you say, a Cathedral? To us, it

TH is the Parish Church of St Nicholas, but you have said it looks much like it does in your … is it 2019?

That will be because of the fine

DG work carried out about 40 years ago with the addition of the splendid stone crown and tower.

Back to your question, yes, I have

TH been Lord Mayor now five times, in the years of our Lord, 1513, 1519, 1524 and 1525 and also this year. I have received the support of some fine Sheriffs, including my great friend Robert Brandling.

DG

We still appoint the Lord Mayor, often a woman.

What you say is making me laugh,

TH David. Say that again! Next you will be telling me that the Hye School teaches boys and girls!

Well, we’ll come on to that later,

DG

Thomas. Tell me about your well founded calling as a Corn Merchant. We remember you as a Merchant Venturer. How did they become so named?

Under the King’s father, Henry

TH Tudor, Henry Vll, a licence was granted to the governor and merchants of the Merchant Guild of Newcastle, empowering them to buy and ship wool and wool skins from our nearby counties to Holland and the Low Countries. Just over 20 years ago, his son, good King Harry (Henry Vlll) renewed these grants and we can now also import many commodities including corn, which is my special skill. Much coal leaves the Tyne for London and other places and the corn returns on the same ships from Lynn, Boston, Yarmouth and other ports. Our River Tyne was only a few years ago a tortuous, shallow stream, full of sand shoals. We are all beholden to the Guild of the Blessed Trinity for bringing great skill to its improvement.

We still know of Trinity House in

DG our day. So, Thomas, you are a wealthy and successful man.

I have worked hard and done well.

TH I have known many great people including the Cardinal Wolsey, who only four years ago fell from his great position. He was Bishop of Durham, in truth, Prince-Bishop, did you know, as well as of York? All this divorce business with the King and the Boleyn girl! Do you know about that, David? Only this year has Henry announced his marriage to her and a baby girl was born at the outset of September. Elizabeth – a girl and I hear the King is enraged. The break with Rome is almost complete and the monasteries will soon be gone.

I started to think how my kinsmen will educate their boys. There is uncertainty in Europe. The peace with France is so recent and Wolsey’s inability to prevent Hapsburg expansion has been another reason for his downfall. This is a time of great change.

Perhaps things haven’t really

DG changed so much, Thomas. Does that bring us to your Will of 1525? The beginning of the school, which is still flourishing in my days? It is to you, Thomas, that we all owe a debt of gratitude for your generosity.

The Cooperage granted to Thomas Horsley in 1531

You speak the truth with clarity!

TH I have prospered and have influence in this great town, which I and my kinsfolk regard as equal to London. I have devised certain property for the establishment of a school, a Hye School, I will quote from my testament, “Under the superintendence of the town’s corporation, who I trust will ensure that an able and sufficient priest or master of arts, profoundly learned and instructed in the knowledge of grammar, and that he is to keep a Public Grammar School for the free erudition and instruction of all scholars, not only of those inhabiting the town, but of those resorting to it.” This is my legacy to the town, its inhabitants, now and I trowe, into the far future.

So it has proved to be, Thomas, a

DG Royal Grammar School. The baby just born will be a great Queen and will endow Newcastle with a Royal Charter, incorporating your school. Please do not reveal this to a living soul. But in our day, we strive hard to appeal to local citizens of our northern lands and further afield, to give generously, so that both boys and girls who otherwise could not attend the school, will benefit, at no cost, from its fine tradition of dedicated learning.

Allow me to say Amen to that. It is

TH veritably a miracle that we have been able to converse today.