Description:Educational provision in Wolverhampton was greatly improved by Sir Stephen Jenyns in the early sixteenth century. Born in Wolverhampton, Sir Stephen was a very important Merchant of the Staple who rose in wealth and social prominence to be Lord Mayor of London. However, as historian Dr. Chris Upton writes, Sir Stephen never forgot his hometown, endowing a grammar school in Wolverhampton in the early sixteenth century. Sir Stephen provided money for a master and usher for the school which was taken over by the Merchant Taylors of the town in the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries. The Merchant Taylors financed the construction of a gallery in St. Peter’s church for the use of the scholars. Wolverhampton Grammar School, like many municipal facilities in the town, was kept running by donations from wealthy townspeople, such as the Leveson family who owned extensive estates in Staffordshire at this time.
Contextual Information from Dr. Chris Upton, A History of Wolverhampton (Phillimore, 1998).
Wolverhampton Schools in the Sutherland Papers
By the sixteenth century the Leveson family were wealthy landowners with a considerable interest in the development of Wolverhampton. Documents in the Sutherland Papers indicate that the family were practically involved with improving education in the town, providing financial support for schools in Wolverhampton, including payments to the school staff.
Wolverhampton Charity Schools
Schools established in Wolverhampton were funded by subscriptions and donations made by local people and wealthy people interested in the welfare of the town. The Sutherland Papers include a document from the early eighteenth century listing ‘the Subscribers of the Charity School of Wolverhampton for Boys’. Both men and women appear on the list, donating money from six pounds to one shilling.
The document suggests that a similar educational facility had been founded in Wolverhampton for the education of local girls. A list of ‘Subscribers of the Charity-School for Girls’ features, telling us that most of the money donated to the school was given by women themselves. Although the list names some of the donors as the ‘wife’ of a certain man, such as ‘Mrs John Hayes Wife’, many women such as ‘Mrs Martha Turton’ appear named in their own right. Their donations indicate that Wolverhampton women were active in encouraging the development of educational facilities for young women in the town.
Click on the images on the left to find out more about schooling in Wolverhampton.