medieval-atlas/social-and-cultural/437

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Schools This map records all documented schools before the first act of parliament (1633) which introduced an element of compulsion, omitting, however, highland schools as not acceptable of easy categorisation. It shows a much more nationwide spread than local historians of education are apt to reveal. The 1560 Book of Discipline planned a school in every parish, a prospect which the violence of Reformation conflict could only hinder. The first object was to restart medieval schools where extant, especially in towns, since there boarding facilities were more available. The post-Reformation reader replaced the chaplain as customary rural teacher, existing chaplains continuing sometimes as readers, though several parishes chose to have a separate schoolmaster. A full four-year grammar course was less usual than the more rudimentary Latin one of two years or so, yet Latin was a central Renaissance requirement, if not any longer for churchmen a vocational necessity. This vernacular education slowly took on greater prominence. Music teaching was revived with support for lames VI and was more widely available as his reign proceeded: the figures for song schools hardly do justice to the basic musical education that seemingly went on. While most rural schools occupied a site in the parish kirk or a nearby chapel, a significant proportion of schools were 'adventure' schools sponsored to an extent at least by lay heritors. The unexpectedly large number of school sites must reflect population growth, though some may only have existed sporadically from lack of the sound maintenance called for in the submissions to the 1627 commissioners: though again these reports must be treated with caution. The relatively large number may also be related to the 1616 statute of privy council. Documentary dates assigned here however should not be relied upon as more than provisional indications, as our awareness of schools may be determined more by the increased documentation rather than by any other factor. kms 0 I 25, 50 ,, 75, , 100 ,. miles Distribution of Lowland schools before 1633 ID 437

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