Richard Smelt is mentioned next, as Master in 1633. He held the Mastership till 1640, when he resigned it for the living of Easington. It was at the close of his Mastership that the Scottish raid took place, of which we gave an account in our last number, when "Schola (Dunelmensis) ædificium pæne totum diruerunt Scoti." Elias Smith was appointed in 1640, as faithful and devoted a servant to his Church and King as it would be possible to find in those troublous times. James Mickleton, the compiler of the Latin MSS. to which we have been so much indebted for our information, was his pupil at the School, and dwells at some length on his master's good deeds. We need not here repeat what we have already stated respecting Elias Smith teaching in the Prebendal Houses during the time that the School lay in ruins, after its destruction by the Scotch, nor the care with which he, being also Precentor and Minor Canon, guarded the property of the Cathedral Church, its books, vestments, &c., until the time of the Restoration. Those who would form a more intimate acquaintance with him may see in the Chapter library, among the Hunter MSS., one of his note books, full of very curious and learned extracts from Classical writers, with many verses written mostly by himself on the subjects of the day, in English, Latin, and Greek. We select as a specimen. the following elegant epitaph on Richard Hunt, Dean of Durham, as characteristic of the Latin poetry of that day. "In reverendum virum Richardum Hunt, S.T.P.. olim per XX annos, "plus minus, Decanum qui in Domino placide obdormivit in festo "omnium Animarum, 1638.” Qui legis hæc, gelido que sunt insculpta lapillo, Hic jacet orborumque pater, vidudeque maritus. Spes, Columenque inopum, Pes Claudis, Lumina cocis, Cur tabulis, rogitas, legat bona nulla supremis ? In promptu ratio est; donaverat omnia vivens Ad cœlum ad Christum præmiserat omnia prudens, (Coelorum portas reserat clanditque Gehennæ, u Advena, Dives, inops, omnes uno ore precemur Molliter ossa cubent; sit tibi terra levis.-Mærens posuit, C. H. E. D. Elias Smith was for some time Vicar of Bedlington, and was buried in the Cathedral in the year 1675. Thomas Battersby is mentioned as Master in 1666, the time when Bishop Cosin built his Hospital for poor men, and rebuilt the two Schools for Music and Grammar (in no way connected with our Grammar School) on the Eastern side of the Palace Green, where they may still be seen, part of the buildings being now converted into the Museum. 66 Thomas Rudd, M.A., is the last Master mentioned by Mickleton, without any comment, not as being unworthy of it, but probably because Rudd was only just appointed when Mickleton's memoranda terminated. He was son of Thomas Rudd, Vicar of Stockton, took his B.A. at Trinity College, Cambridge, 1687; became Master of the Grammar School at Newcastle-on-Tyne in 1699; Vicar of St. Oswald's, 1711; Vicar of Northallerton, 1725; Rector of Washington, 1729; Prebendary of Ripon, 1728; and died in 1733. He wrote a very valuable and learned treatise, entitled, auctore Historiæ Dunelmensis Ecclesiæ," prefixed to Bedford's edition (1732) Disquisitio de vero of Symeon, the historian of the Church of Durham, in which he (Rudd) conclusively shows that Symeon, and not Turgot, was the author of that great history. He was for some time Librarian of the Cathedral of Durham, and has left an imperishable memorial of himself in the catalogue of MSS. that were under his charge. So, at least, the writer of this notice was told by one whose opinion in such a matter must be considered paramount, the very learned historian, Dr. James Raine, himself, by the way, once connected with the School as Second Master (1811-1827), and who was also Librarian of the Cathedral. 1699. Nicolas Burton, M.A.. Ch. Ch., Oxford, son of John Burton, Canon Residentiary of York. He was author of a treatise, the title of which we give verbatim, "Figure Grammaticae et Rhetorica Latino carmine "donatæ, et exemplis tam Græcis quam Latinis illustrate; cum indice "Figurarum Etymologico. Im usum Regiæ Scholæ Dunelmensis, Londini." A tombstone, in the Cathedral, records his burying place. 1709. John Rymer. His tombstone is in the Cathedral church-yard. Desunt] cætera.-1732. Richard Dongworth, M.A., Vicar of Billingham, 1733-61. He died in Durham, February 23rd, 1761. "A learned and polite gentleman," who refused the Headmastership of Eton. 1761. Thomas Randal, B.A., Corpus Christi College, Oxford. Usher at Durham School under Dongworth, at whose death he succeeded to the Mastership, and held it, together with the vicarage of Whitworth, till 1768, when he resigned both appointments for the vicarage of Eglingham, in Northumberland, where he died 1775. He was buried at 8. Mary-le-Bow, Durham. He was a most indefatigable antiquary, and left behind him twenty volumes of MSS., extracted from the repositories of the Bishops and Chapter of Durham. These were bequeathed to his friend and associate in antiquarian pursuits, Mr. George Allan, of, Darlington, and by him communicated-first, to the Rev. John Brand, author of the History of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, who owns his great obligations to them; and, secondly, to Hutchinson, the Durham historian, who has affixed the initials of Randal's name to the documents which are borrowed at length or abstracted in his work. After the death of Mr. Allan, they came into the possession of his son, who, in 1823, sold them to the Dean and Chapter of Durham, in whose custody they now are. Of the remainder of the Masters, we regret that we are unable to give more than the date of their appointments, without any further information, carent quia vate sacro," and, therefore, with the following bald chronological list, we are obliged to bring our very meagre history to a conclusion. 1768. Jonathan Branfoot, M.A., Fellow of King's College, Cambridge. Vicar of Billingham. 1781. James Britton, Christ Church, Oxford; B.A. 1781; M.A. 1784; B.D. and D.D. 1819. Vicar of the Parish of Crossgate, in Durham, and afterwards of Bossal, in Yorkshire, where he died and was buried in 1836, aged 77 years. A monumental recumbent figure was erected in the Cathedral, by his friends and pupils, to his memory. 1812. John Carr, Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge, Second Wrangler and B.A. in 1807; M.A. 1810. First Professor of Mathematics in the University of Durham, and Vicar of Brantingham and of Hatfield Broad Oak, at the time of his death, which took place 30th October, 1833, aged 47. He was buried in the aisle of the north transept of Durham Cathedral, where a large monument is erected to him. 1833. Matthew Hughes George Buckle, Fellow and Tutor of Wadham College, Oxford. Second-class Lit. Hum. and B.A. 1824; M.A. 1831. Present Vicar of Edlingham, Northumberland. 1840. Edward Elder, Scholar of Balliol College, Oxford. First-class in Lit. Hum. and B.A. 1834; M.A. 1836; D.D.; afterwards Headmaster of the Charter House School; ob. April 6th, 1858; buried in the graveyard of Durham Cathedral, aged 45. 1853. Henry Holden, Scholar of Balliol College, Oxford. First-class in Lit. Hum. and B.A. 1837; M.A. 1841; D.D. 1857; Curate of Upminster, Essex, 1840-45; Headmaster of Uppingham, Rutland, 1846-1853-the present Headmaster. Such is the line of Durham Headmasters traced back for more than three hundred years from the present time, without a single break. Viewing it as a whole, it is not too much to say that it contains an amount of talent, learning, and industry, of which any Cathedral Church may well be proud, and to which no similar roll will be found superior. It only remains to add, that the information it contains, however meagre, could never have been acquired but for the very kind and hearty assistance of those learned antiquaries, the Rev. William Greenwell, the Rev. George Ornsby, and the Rev. James Raine, all of them old and attached alumni of Durham School. HENRY HOLDEN..) Headmaster 1851. |