The History of Churcher's College, Petersfield, Hants

true intent and meaning of the said Act of Parliament and the rules and regulations thereto annexed, as far as the circumstances of the case would admit, unless they have in any respect acted contrary thereto in the particulars hereinbefore and in the said schedules mentioned; but, in case they have acted contrary thereto in any respect, they say, that they so acted conceiving it most for the benefit of the said school, and as most likely to promote the common good and welfare of the said borough of Petersfield, and the intention of the founder. And this defendant, George Dusautoy, saith, he was duly appointed master of the said school in the month of June, one thousand eight hundred and fifteen, by the defendants Hylton Jolliffe, Samuel Twyford, Charles Edward Twyford, and William John Jolliffe, and denies that he was standing or waiting at or near the door as in the said information in that behalf stated, or that the appointment of him as schoolmaster was preconcerted between him and the other defendants, or any one or more of them; for this defendant saith that the said appointment was quite unsolicited on his part or by himself or his friends. He admits that he has, since he was so appointed, paid to the said William Trimmings an annual sum of twenty pounds, but to no other person or persons any sum or sums whatsoever, but he denies that the said annual sum of twenty pounds was by way of remuneration or otherwise in consideration of his being so appointed; for he saith, he considers himself under no obligation to account with the said trustees of the said charity for the sum received by him in respect of his salary, and that he considers the said payment is gratuitous on his part, and that he may at any time refuse to pay the same; he admits, the last named defendants, the trustees, did request him to make such allowance to the said William Trimmings in consequence of his indigent circumstances and long services, which he assented to on that account alone. And this defendant further answering saith, that Henry Goldring was dismissed in the month of June last by the order and direction of the said defendants, Thomas Samuel Jolliffe, William John Jolliffe, Samuel Twyford, Charles Edward Twyford and the said Thomas Robert Jolliffe, and that an order was made and entered in a book to that effect, and signed by the said five trustees. And this defendant saith, that he hath been informed and believes that the said Henry Goldring was dismissed in consequence of the trustees, or some of them, finding that he was not the son of a parishioner, and that they the said trustees had, on the admission of the said Henry Goldring, been imposed upon by the evidence of a person who, in their judgement, was best able to prove the claims of the said Henry Goldring to the benefit of the said charity; and saith, that he this defendant did explain to the father of the said Henry Goldring, who, he admits, applied to him for such purpose, why his son was dismissed from the said school, by assigning the reasons hereinbefore mentioned. And this defendant saith, that ever since he hath been master of the said school, he has endeavoured, to the best of his power, to instruct the said boys in useful learning, and has paid due regard to their religious education; and that the said boys attend at the said school-room every Sunday morning, when they say by heart the collect for the day, read the lessons and psalms, and repeat the church catechism, and that they are always attended to church, where they go decently and properly dressed, by either this defendant or his assistant: that since he hath been so appointed schoolmaster, he has kept a daily account, entered in a book for such purpose, containing a statement of the time the said boys attended at the school, their behaviour while there, and the progress that each boy makes in learning; and this defendant saith, he admits that about four months since, the relators, Nathaniel Atcheson and Henry Clifton Atkinson did apply to him for the perusal of the books relative to the proceedings of the said school, which request he refused to comply with, and he denies that any other applications have been made to him, except as hereinbefore stated and set forth; and these defendants deny all and all manner of unlawful combination and confederacy wherewith they are charged, without that there is any other matter, cause, or thing, in the complainant's said bill of complaint contained, material or effectual, in the law for these defendants to make answer unto, and not

herein and hereby well and sufficiently answered, avoided, traversed, or denied, is true, to the knowledge or belief of the defendants; all which matters and things these defendants are ready to aver, maintain, and prove, as this Honourable Court shall direct, and humbly pray to be hence dismissed, with their reasonable costs and charges in the law in this behalf most wrongfully sustained.

WALKER SKIRROW,

HYLTON JOLLIFFE,

T. S. JOLLIFFE,

SAML TWYFORD,

WM JNO JOLLIFFE,

CHAS EDWARD TWYFORD,

GEO. DUSAUTOY.

Sworn by the defendant, William John Jolliffe, at the Public Office, Southampton Buildings, this twenty-fourth day of April, one thousand eight hundred and nineteen, before me, JOHN SIMEON.

Sworn by the defendant, Hylton Jolliffe, at the Public Office, Southampton Buildings, the twenty-sixth day of April, one thousand eight hundred and nineteen, before me, J. CAMPBELL.

This answer was taken, and the above-mentioned Thomas Samuel Jolliffe, one of the above-mentioned defendants, was duly sworn to the truth thereof on the Holy Evangelists, at the house of the said Thomas Samuel Jolliffe, situate in the parish of Kilmersdon, in the county of Somerset, on the seventh day of April, in the fifty-ninth year of the reign of his Majesty King George the Third, and in the year of our Lord, one thousand eight hundred and nineteen, by virtue of the commission hereunto annexed before us,

ROBT SAVAGE, HENRY MANT.

The within answer was taken, and the within-named defendants, Samuel Twyford, the Reverend Charles Edward Twyford, and George Dusautoy, were duly sworn to the truth thereof upon the Holy Evangelists, at the house of Cornthwaite John Hector, situate in the Dragon Street, at Petersfield, in the county of Southampton, the nineteenth day of April, in the year of our Lord, one thousand eight hundred and nineteen. By virtue of the commission hereunto annexed.