neighbourhood. Their enthusiasm could hardly be looked for, but
their goodwill was indispensable. In 1865 their hostility was lessened
to the extent that a compromise was suggested, by which fifty boys
should always be admitted free of capitation fee, and that ability to
read and write should be deemed sufficient to gain admittance. The
School had never within living memory educated more than ninety-six
boys, and at this time the numbers were down to thirty-seven, in 1864
they had been thirty-four, so that the suggested number of free boys was
perhaps somewhat an exaggerated number. The Governors replied by
suggesting twenty-five boys drawn from a radius of eight miles. This
would probably have sufficed for as many as would be likely to benefit
in the limited area, and the limitation in area was only a return to the
original desire of the founder to educate boys who were sons of parents
in the neighbourhood.

In October, 1865, Mr. J. G. Fitch inspected the School as an Assistant
Commissioner, under the Schools Enquiry Commission. There were only
twenty-two boys in the higher classes learning Latin, and the Sixth Form
consisted of one, while only eight boys in all were able to read a
simple passage from a Latin Author. He noticed several disadvantages
under which the School was labouring, and consequent upon which it had
declined. One of them was the narrow and local character of the
Governing Body, but this had been recently amended by the Scheme of
1864. Another was the obvious one of the impossibility of having two
masters, one nominally subordinate to the other, and yet each enjoying a
freehold. Lastly, he pointed out that there was no effective supervision
by the Governors over the boarding arrangements, and he condemned the
gratuitous character of the instruction, which attracted boys for whom
the education at the National School would have been sufficient.

The Report was issued and negotiations went forward with regard to
capitation fees. The inhabitants of the Parish of Giggleswick were quite
open to compromise within a limited extent. They were willing to reduce
the number of free Scholars, but they could hardly be expected to waive
their rights altogether. Instead of fifty they suggested thirty-five as
a suitable number and the Governors agreed to accept thirty but no
longer wished them to be chosen from a limited area. Limitation of area
was however a very important point in the eyes of the Parish and they
c