This does not mean that no charges at all were to be made. The teaching was free; but all boys were expected to pay for luxuries, such as fires, candles, writing and washing materials, cock-fights, and birchings. Cock-fights, especially on Shrove Tuesday, were a regular school institution, and Pocklington Grammar School still preserves its silver cock-fighting bell. Doubtless school cock-fights were well worth a special fee, but fancy having to pay a fee for the privilege of being birched—a sure case of insult added to injury! [Illustration: ANCIENT COCK-FIGHTING BELL OF POCKLINGTON SCHOOL, A.D. 1666. ] Boarders, too, were not kept for nothing. Far from it. John Aucher and his two companions at Beverley Grammar School had their board paid for at the rate of 8d. each per week, and they were also provided with pocket-money for their ‘small necessaries.’ The foundation of a Free Grammar School was looked upon as a great benefit to the town in which it was established. This we see clearly in the complaint made in 1660 by the Vicar of Pocklington on behalf of the inhabitants of the town. The complaint stated that there were then not above eight or nine little boys in the school, whereas formerly, by the pains and industry of some former masters, there had been six or seven score scholars in our school, of which three or four score of them hath been _tablers_, gentlemen’s sons, which was a great benefit to this our town. Secondly, the salaries paid to the masters of the Hull and Pocklington Grammar Schools are interesting. The Pocklington master was to be paid £13 6s. 8d. a year, the Hull master £3 6s. 8d. less. But in a few years’ time the salary of the latter had risen to be almost as high as that of the more-favoured master at Pocklington. In 1548, ‘John Olyver, Bachelor of Artes, incumbente, being of thaidge of 46 yeres, of honeste conversacione and lyvinge, and well lerned,’ was to receive a ‘yerely stipend of £13 2s. 3d.’ Shameful to say, this was not paid in full, the amount actually received by John Olyver being first £13 2s. 2¾d., and later £13 2s. 2½d. Then, the source of income becoming stopped, the poor master got nothing, until the Mayor and burgesses took up his cause and successfully sued the Court of Exchequer for the amount due yearly. * * * * * With the Reformation there came in 1548 what was called the CHANTRIES ACT. This, by confiscating their revenues, put an end to all such chantries as that founded by Bishop Alcock. It proved also a death-blow to all Song Schools and to many Grammar Schools. Their ancient endowments were seized by the Government, which engaged itself to replace the endowments of the Free Grammar Schools with fixed annual payments; but as it promptly forgot all about its engagements these did not prove of much value. [Illustration: A BOYS’ PLAY-GROUND IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY.]