ursuits; and partly founded on an income of L900 a year,
derived from certain tenements bequeathed by John Carpenter, town-clerk
of London, in the reign of Henry V., "for the finding and bringing up of
four poor men's children, with meat, drink, apparel, learning at the
schools, in the universities, &c., until they be preferred, and then
others in their places for ever." This was the same John Carpenter who
"caused, with great expense, to be curiously painted upon a board, about
the north cloister of Paul's, a monument of Death, leading all estates,
with the speeches of Death, and answers of every state." The school year
is divided into three terms--Easter to July; August to Christmas;
January to Easter; and the charge for each pupil is L2 5s. a term. The
printed form of application for admission may be had of the secretary,
and must be filled up by the parent or guardian, and signed by a member
of the Corporation of London. The general course of instruction includes
the English, French, German, Latin, and Greek languages, writing,
arithmetic, mathematics, book-keeping, geography, and history. Besides
eight free scholarships on the foundation, equivalent to L35 per annum
each, and available as exhibitions to the Universities, there are the
following exhibitions belonging to the school:--The "Times" Scholarship,
value L30 per annum; three Beaufoy Scholarships, the Solomons
Scholarship, and the Travers Scholarship, L50 per annum each; the Tegg
Scholarship, nearly L20 per annum; and several other valuable prizes.
The first stone of the school was laid by Lord Brougham, October 21st,
1835. The architect of the building was Mr. J.B. Bunning, of Guildford
Street, Russell Square, and the entire cost, including fittings and
furniture, as nearly L20,000. It is about 75 feet wide in front, next
Milk Street, and is about 160 feet long; it contains eleven class-rooms
of various dimensions, a spacious theatre for lectures, &c, a library,
committee-room, with a commodious residence in the front for the head
master and his family. The lectures, founded by Sir Thomas Gresham, on
divinity, astronomy, music, geometry, law, physics, and rhetoric, which
upon the demolition of Gresham College had been delivered at the Royal
Exchange from the year 1773, were after the destruction of that building
by fire, in January, 1838, read in the theatre of the City of London
School until 1843; they were delivered each day during the four Law
Terms, and t