Delapidation

The school Trustees paid the schoolmaster’s salary from whatever income they received from the capital given by the above-mentioned gifts and others. It does not seem that any money was retained for maintenance of the building because in 1792 the school was deemed to be too small and in poor repair, so a larger school was built on part of what was previously the playground. The old building was converted into a substantial house for the master.

Under New Ownership

In 1828 the Trustees were to be in for a nasty shock and had to petition the Duke of Norfolk for his aid in saving their school. The circumstances were rather bizarre. Before he died the old Duke decided to sell off some of his surplus land in Fulwood. This included School Green Farm and the land in School Green Lane on which the school stood. The buyer was a wines and spirits merchant called Thomas Pearson who paid the substantial sum of £1,400 for the farm and just over 33 acres of land tenanted by the Barber family. It appears relations between Mr Pearson and the school were initially cordial. He even lent the trustees £30 to enable them to carry out repairs to the school and it is alleged that he offered the Trustees a 999 year lease.

The lease was never completed and for many years the Trustees neglected to pay the one shilling per annum rent. As a result, Mr Pearson seems to have developed other plans for the school. These become clear in the points made in the petition to the new Duke which read:-

1. The wall dividing the school from School Green Farm has been pulled down and the tenant farmer, Mr Barber, is now using the land as part of his fields.
2. We have had to dismiss the Master for neglect of duty.
3. Mr Pearson has served us with Notice to Quit which expires on29th of this month (September)
4. Mr Pearson has applied for a liquor licence for the premises and fixed the appropriate notice to the door of the Parish Church in Sheffield. The Brewster Sessions at which the application is due to be heard is fixed for next Wednesday.
5. The Master is refusing to hand over the keys of the house to us. He says he will only hand them to Mr Pearson. We believe the Master has been promised the tenancy of the Public House if the application is granted.

The petition ends ‘We crave your Grace’s helping hand and we will ever pray for your welfare’ Fulwood 1^ST September 1828

It seems as though the Duke did intervene as the school Trustees re-established control but did have to pay an increased rent of £1 a year for the privilege. The fate of the old Master, and would-be publican, is unknown.