| Dence Free School Waterloo Road Cranbrook Town Cranbrook |
Books and other documents | |
| Published | Title, author and references |
| 1866 | An Historical Account of Dence's School & Schoolmasters from 1568 to 1865 by William Tarbutt ⇒ p. 1 |
| 1868 | School Inquiry Commision Vol XI South-East Division by C. I. Elton and H. A. Giffard ⇒ p. 47 |
| 2008 | A History of Cranbrook from the earliest times to 1914 by Peter Allen ⇒ p. 38; p. 105 |
| Historical records | |||||
| 1568 | History | Alexander Dence, of Dence's Free School | Dence Free School | Dence's School | |
| It is to be remembered, that the new house in the Church-yard, was built by Alexander Dence, for the commodity of the parish of Cranbrook, for children to be taught in it, and is builded by the assent of the parish upon the parish ground, and the Schoolmaster shall pay to the parish for the acknowledging of the same house, 4d. | |||||
| 1568 | Appointment | Schoolmaster - for 5 years | Alexander Sharpe, schoolmaster | Dence Free School | Dence's School |
| 1574 | Appointment | Schoolmaster - for 2 years | Robert Brito, schoolmaster | Dence Free School | Dence's School |
| 2nd Apr 1622 | Appointment | Schoolmaster - for 24 years | Jonas Botting, schoolmaster | English Free School | Dence's School |
| 23rd Nov 1668 | Appointment | Schoolmaster - for 4 years | Jonas Botting, schoolmaster | English School | Dence's School |
| 31st Mar 1673 | Appointment | Schoolmaster - for 1 year | Robert Hattley, schoolmaster | English School | Dence's School |
| 20th Apr 1674 | Appointment | Schoolmaster - for 1 year | John Avery, schoolmaster | English School | Dence's School |
| 1675 | Appointment | Schoolmaster - for 2 years | John Lake, schoolmaster | English School | Dence's School |
| 24th Jul 1677 | Appointment | Schoolmaster - for 10 years | John Barnden, schoolmaster | English School | Dence's School |
| 7th Jan 1687 | Appointment | Schoolmaster - for 5 weeks | John Hosmar, schoolmaster | English School | Dence's School |
| 14th Feb 1687 | Appointment | Schoolmaster | Richard Rabson, schoolmaster | English School | Dence's School |
| c 1690 | Appointment | Schoolmaster - for 7 years | Samuel Bailey, schoolmaster | English School | Dence's School |
| 16th Jan 1696 | Appointment | Schoolmaster - for 3 months | James Bullock, schoolmaster | English School | Dence's School |
| c Apr 1696 | Appointment | Schoolmaster - for 1 year | John Rossam, schoolmaster | English School | Dence's School |
| 4th May 1697 | Headmaster | re-elected Schoolmaster - for 16 years | James Bullock, schoolmaster | English School | Dence's School |
| 21st Dec 1713 | Appointment | Schoolmaster - for 43 years | John Hassell, schoolmaster | English Writing School | Dence's School |
| 4th May 1757 | Appointment | Schoolmaster - for 5 years | Richard Willis, schoolmaster | English Writing School | Dence's School |
| 30th Apr 1762 | Appointment | Schoolmaster - for 10 years | John Adams, schoolmaster | English Writing School | Dence's School |
| 3rd Apr 1772 | Appointment | Schoolmaster - for 8 years | John Wooton, schoolmaster | English Writing School | Dence's School |
| 15th Jul 1780 | Appointment | Schoolmaster - for 40 years | Samuel Waters, schoolmaster | English Writing School | Dence's School |
| 5th May 1820 | Appointment | Schoolmaster - for 15 years | George Waters | English Free School | Dence's School |
| 29th Oct 1835 | Appointment | Schoolmaster - for 4 years | Mark Andrews Smith, schoolmaster | English Free School | Dence's School |
| 30th Apr 1839 | Appointment | Schoolmaster - for 22 years | Alfred Harbroe Andrews | English Free School | Dence's School |
Mr. Andrews, who had taught a Day School in the town for some years, was elected on the 30th of April, 1839, and I believe by a larger number of parishioners assembled in vestry, than at the election of any previous Master, there being no less than 65 persons present. At the election, it was appointed that Mr. Andrews should teach, as other late Masters had done, sixteen boys on the foundation, "reading, writing, and arithmetic," and the application for admission was to be made to the "Churchwardens and Oversees, which officers were appointed to attend to any regulation that might be desirable." Mr. Andrews continued Master 22 years, and then resigned through blindness. Mr. Andrews’s resignation was tendered and accepted on 11th of April, 1862. | |||||
| 6th Jun 1862 | Appointment | Schoolmaster | John Edward Tompsett, schoolmaster | English Free School | Dence's School |
| 1868 | History | Dence Free School | Schools Inquiry | ||
| The inhabitants are anxious to restore the school and repair the old house, and have drawn up a set of excellent rules for the master and future scholars. They have applied without success to the Charity Commission for leave to spend their endowment on repairs. The commissioners recommend them to sell the present schoolhouse, adding the sum received to their present capital. The Poor Law Board has also declined to allow any part of the parish property to be applied to the repair of Dence's school. Various other plans have been considered, with no result as yet. 1. The vicar has offered to the parishioners a site upon the glebe, in consideration of regaining the old site for the churchyard ; but they are unwilling to destroy the original building. 2. It was wished to incorporate this foundation with the National schools : this could not be done, the children in the latter being instructed in the principles of the Church of England, while Dence's school was free to all. 3. The best course appears to be this: to sell the old house, and to increase the master's stipend, requiring a commercial education at a low charge for a few foundationers; and, if possible, to affiliate this middle school to the grammar school, thereby removing some of the inconveniences caused by the narrowness of the classical foundation, of which the inhabitants complain. | |||||
| 2008 |  | Formerly Dence's School, Cranbrook | Allen's History of Cranbrook | ||
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