Pock 500 ed.4 - outer low - Pocklington School

AN ELIZABETHAN MYSTERY: PART 1
EDWARD FAIRFAX (OP 1579-80)
Sometime in the year 1579, during the
Mastership of Anthony Ellison, a member of
a powerful Yorkshire family was admitted to
Pocklington School. He was Edward Fairfax, born
at Bilbrough near York in c.1565 and one of the
eight children of Henry Fairfax and Dorothy née
Aske.
His maternal forebears included John, Lord
Clifford, characterised by the Tudor historians
and Shakespeare as the murderer of the young
Earl of Rutland, brother of Edward IV and
Richard III, in 1460. Robert Aske, the Yorkshire
Leader of “The Pilgrimage of Grace” against
Henry VIII, who was hanged in chains
at York in 1537, was his mother’s great uncle.
His paternal forebears included Sir Guy Fairfax,
an eminent Judge and a Yorkist, who had fought
on the opposite side to Clifford at the bloody
Battle of Towton in 1461 and had survived.
Edward’s grandfather, Sir William Fairfax, High
Sheriff of Yorkshire, had in his youth carried off a
rich and beautiful young heiress, Isobel
Thwaites, from a nunnery at Nun Appleton. She
would become Edward’s grandmother and Sir
William would feature in five cases in the Court
of Star Chamber which involved complaints
against him, as High Sheriff, of lawlessness and
oppression. Later, in 1541, Sir William sat on
the grand jury which found a true bill of
indictment against Katherine Howard, 5th
Queen of Henry VIII, on charges of adultery.
Edward was first cousin of Sir Thomas Fairfax
“the younger” (later 1st Baron Fairfax of
Cameron) who would become the father and
grandfather respectively of the two great
Parliamentary Generals of the Civil War,
Ferdinando (2nd Baron) and Sir Thomas
Fairfax (3rd Baron).
Edward had been attending Coxwold School
for eighteen months before his admission to
Pocklington. The reason for this move at the age
of 14 is not of course known. Maybe it was
because his elder brother Gabriel left Coxwold at
the same time to go up to Cambridge. In the
early 1570’s Pocklington had been a flourishing
school with 140 boys attending, but academic
standards were failing towards the end of
Ellison’s mastership which lasted from c.1558
to 1581.
An essential qualification would have been
Pocklington’s strong Catholic sympathies at that
time. Edward’s parents were Catholic recusants
and a list compiled in 1572 for Sir William Cecil
had noted Thomas Dolman of Pocklington and
Robert Aske of Aughton (Edward’s maternal
grandfather) as being “Lesse Evill” among the
Catholics.
From Pocklington Edward went up to Gonville
and Caius’ College, Cambridge in October 1580
as a ‘pensioner’ or ‘commoner’. Caius at that
time was a hotbed of popery attracting the
notice and concern of the authorities. Of the
Master, Dr. Legge, the Archbishop of York
complained to Cecil in 1582 that “all the popish
gentlemen in this country (i.e. county) send their
sons to him.” At Lent 1581 an ‘Edward Farfax’
matriculated as a ‘fellow commoner’ from Clare
College. Whether this was the same person
moving from one College to another (a not
unusual practice then) or another Edward Fairfax
cannot be established.
The next record of Edward is in the Visitation of
Yorkshire of 1584-5 by Robert Glover, Somerset
Herald, in which he is recorded (incorrectly) as
Henry’s ‘second’ son. After that he disappears
completely. There are records of every one of
Henry’s children except Edward after that date.
It would be natural to assume that he died
unmarried some time after 1584: but did he?
That question will be addressed in a further
article.
(To be continued)
David Stather (OP 1949 - 1957)
(This article is based on a larger paper by David
Stather, a copy of which is in the School Library.)
DINNERS
The first of the fundraising dinners in fine houses
was given a trial run at Knavesmire Lodge, York,
in March, and was judged a great success by
those attending. After a lively reception in the
Regency drawing room, guests moved through
to the dining room, designed by Walter Brierley,
the architect responsible for much of the older
part of school. Here, Darrell Buttery gave an
introduction to the house and its history.
The sixth form cabaret team, who entertained
guests so well after dinner, also did a splendid
job as waiters. The exceptional main course was
prepared on the spot by Andrew D’Arcy and
Gwen Walton, with delicious soup and desserts
provided by Jill Atkinson, and the host providing
the other two courses. Sales of antiques
contributed another £200 to the total of £1400
raised.
The second fundraising dinner was held at
magnificent Everingham Park, a Grade I listed
Georgian mansion by John Carr of York. The
owners of the house, Pocklington parents Helen
and Philip Guest, gave those attending a
memorable evening.
The event began with drinks on the lawn and
then the party moved into the astonishingly
grand chapel for an introduction to the house
and its former owners.
A superb five-course dinner was served to 70
people in three of the great reception rooms, the
sixth form cabaret team visiting each one in turn
to perform their light-hearted look at the school
in Edwardian times. The event raised just over
£2000 towards the school archive appeal.
Our thanks go to all who helped to make the
evening so successful, especially to the Guests
for coping with such an invasion so cheerfully.
Instead of a dinner, the next
Pocklington 500 event will be:
An evening of music, theatre and discovery at
Y o r k M e r c h a n t
Adventurers’ Hall
The finest surviving Medieval Guildhall in Europe
Wednesday 15th September, 7.00pm,
Tickets £15.00 each
Pimms and Jazz Reception on the lawn
followed by entertainment in the Great
Hall featuring Pocklington School’s
performance of the famous Merchant
Adventurers’ Mystery Play, ‘The Last
Judgement’ and musical items from
current pupils.
For tickets contact Rachel Dare
Tel: 01759 321307
email: darer@pocklingtonschool.com
Contacting us: If you’d like to be in touch with
us about any aspect of the 500th, then please
contact Rachel Dare at Pocklington School,
West Green, Pocklington YO42 2NJ,
Tel: 01759 321307,
e-mail: pock500@pocklingtonschool.com
Newsletter edited by: Darrell Buttery,
e-mail: pock500@pocklingtonschool.com
The Pocklington School Foundation - Registered Charity No 529834