The oldest surviving text book at Sherborne School is a Latin grammar printed in London in 1703. The full title of the book is A Short Introduction of Grammar Compiled and Set Forth for the Bringing up of all those that Intend to attain to the Knowledge of the Latin Tongue.
The anonymous author of the text book was the classical grammarian William Lily (c.1468-1522/3) who in 1512 was appointed the first high master of St Paul’s School in London. Lily’s Grammar, as it became known, was compiled under the instigation of John Colet (1467-1519), Dean of St Paul’s Cathedral, and edited by the famous scholar Desiderius Erasmus (c.1466-1536).
Erasmus later described the book’s origins: ‘At Colet’s command, this book was written by William Lily, a man of no ordinary skill, a wonderful craftsman in the instruction of boys. When he had completed his work, it was handed over to, nay rather thrust upon, me for emendation (easier for me to do). So that Lily (endowed as he is with too much modesty) did not permit the book to appear with his name, and I (with my sense of candour) did not feel justified that the book should bear my name when it was the work of another. Since both of us refused our names it was published anonymously, Colet merely commending it in a preface.’
In 1540 a version of Lily’s Grammar combining two shorter Latin syntaxes was published and in 1542 Henry VIII ordered that Lily’s Grammar was to be used in all English grammar schools. Latin was a core part of the syllabus at all scolae grammaticales and therefore any student taught at a grammar school would have known their Lily, including William Shakespeare who makes reference to it in his plays Titus Andronicus, Henry IV, Part 1, The Merry Wives of Windsor and Much Ado about Nothing, and John Milton who included many quotations from it in his own Latin grammar Accedence Commenc’t Grammar (1669).
The importance of teaching Latin grammar was central to Sherborne School’s founding charter granted by Edward VI on 13 May 1550. The charter granted and ordained ‘that from henceforth there may and shall be a Grammar School in the said Town of Sherborne which shall be called the Free Grammar School of King Edward the Sixth for the Education Teaching and Instruction of Boys and Young Men in Grammar to continue and remain in all future times’.
The Old School Room (OSR) at Sherborne School was built in 1606 to replace the first schoolroom built in about 1555. For over 200 years the entire School was taught in this room, sometimes up to 100 pupils in six forms overseen by two or three masters. The boys were taught Latin, Greek, Hebrew, scripture and some arithmetic, watched over by a statute of Edward VI carved from Portland stone in 1614 by Godfrey Arnold.
One of the boys taught in this room was William Thomas Putt (1725-1797). William was a pupil at Sherborne School from 1739 to 1743 under Headmaster Rev. John Gaylard (1690-1743), whose portrait now hangs in the OSR, and Usher James Thomas (1713-1760). William was the son of Raymundo Putt of Gittisham in Devon and after leaving Sherborne went up to Balliol College at Oxford University. In 1751 he was awarded a Bachelor of Civil Law (BCL) and was later ordained. He had two sons, Raymundo (b. 1773) and Thomas (b. 1775), and died at Combe near Honiton in Somerset on 20 February 1797.
The copy of Lily’s Grammar that William Thomas Putt used at Sherborne School, which was crucial for his future study of law and entry into the church, is now in the School Archives. The pocket-sized book (measuring 14.7 x 9.4 x 1.8 cm) has been well-used and now lacks its front cover. Inside the book are numerous inscriptions made by William at Sherborne and at Balliol dated between 1739 and 1745:
‘William Putt his Book E Sch: Sherbor: in Com: Dorset 1739’, ‘William Thomas Putt his Book 1742’, ‘William Putt his Book, Sherborne School, Dorsetshire 1743’, ‘Gul: Putt his Book Anno Domini 1743/4’, ‘Gul: Putt E Ball: Coll. Oxon 1744/5’.
William Thomas Putt is credited by some with being the originator of the famous Tom Putt apple, which makes the beautiful woodcut of children harvesting apples that appears on the back page of his copy of Lily’s Grammar seem particularly appropriate.
William Thomas Putt’s copy of Lily’s Grammar was presented to Sherborne School by Malcolm Edward Monteith Maclaren (1915-1941), who was a pupil at the School (School House) from 1929 to 1932.
Rachel Hassall
Sherborne School Archivist
See also:
William Lily, A Short introduction of grammar (Royal Collection Trust)
Lily’s Grammar (Under the Tudor Rose blog)
For further information about the Sherborne School Archives please contact the School Archivist.
Return to the School Archives homepage.