Loyola University Chicago Loyola eCommons Master's Theses Theses and Dissertations 1946 Religious Factors Influencing Education in Colonial Virginia Charles William Duffy Loyola University Chicago Follow this and additional works at: https://ecommons.edu/luc_theses Part of the History Commons Recommended Citation Duffy, Charles William, "Religious Factors Influencing Education in Colonial Virginia" (1946).edu/luc_theses/157 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Theses and Dissertations at Loyola eCommons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Master's Theses by an authorized administrator of Loyola eCommons. For more information, please contact ecommons@luc. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.
Copyright © 1946 Charles William Duffy ._, RELIGIOUS FACTORS INFLUENCING EDUCATION IN COLONIAL VIRGINIA by Charles William Duffy A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment for the Requirements of the Degree of Master of .\rts in Loyola University February 1946 TABLE OF CONTENTS • I. The European Backgrownd Page 1 II. Anglieaniea Transplanted 9 III.T Colonial Attempts in Education 14 IV. The Virginian Environment into Which Education CUle 27 v.
The Establlshlllent of Education after 1624 45 CHAPTER I THE EUROPEAN BACKGROUID The beginning of Eneliah colonization in North Aaerica which began with the eatabliahllent of the colony of Vir&inia in l«YT 1 wu accOIIlpanied by the transplanting of the educational, reli&ious and governaental traditions of the Old World on the soil of the lew. Since the first schools of Virainia were primarily under th~ watchtul care of the Estab- lished Church of England,- they will be better understood after a glance at the educational interests of that Church in the JIOther country. At the time England launched out to colonize North America earl.T in the reip of Jaaew I, the Episcopal Church was enjoying the position of being the onl7 recognised reli&ioua authoritr in the land. In England, since ita earliest histoey, the task of educating the children was looked upon as a spiritual concern and as such it was conscientioual.T tended to b1 the entire clero.
Prior to the religious uphea'Yal 1 which colored the late 7ears of HellrJ VIn, the majorit7 of achools-graaar and univer- sitr--were directl.T connected with the Roman Catholic Church as cathedral, 1 cbant1"71 collegiate church, gu.Ud, 110nastic 1 or other schools. However 1 whether the program of English education is looked at during the pre- Reformation or post-Reformation rears, it was an ecclesiastical \. Historz gt Ccaaon Schoo~ Education. Jew York: Henry Holt & Co.
That various legislative measures instituted and executed during the reien of Henry VIII, namely, the dissolution of the smaller monaster- ies in 1536 and the suppression of the larger in 1539 and the Chantries Acts of 1546 plus those inaugurated by Edward VI, dealt a stunning blow 2 to English education there is little doubt. It was through the enact- aent of these measures that ecclesiastical property and institutions were placed in the bands of the Crown. This was done •on the ground that theJ were improperly administered, or turned to superstitious uses, and with the implication that the ~ds could be better applied.•) The high a1a of which the Chantries legislation spoke, namely, the alteration, change and amendment. of the same certain chantries, colleges and :tree chapels, and converting to good and godl.J' uses, as in erecting grmaar schools to the education of youth in 'rl.rtue and godliness, the further augmenting of the Universities, and better provision tor the poor and needy,4 was not attained.
From the banda of the King soDte of the confiscated church estates--either through sale or grants passed into the possession of private citizens--and the properties or moneys raised from th•, were 2 Jamea Gairdner. "Henry nii" 1 C&llbri!lce Jlodern History. Edited by Sir A. Prothero and Sir Stanley Leatbea.
lew York: MaCK11Jan Co. The Old Graaaar School. Caabridp:' Univers:li. !b!, Prosreas 2! Education ~ Engl.
London: Knight & Co. trequentl7 used tor purposes tar r eaoved from the reala ot education. Whatever a&7 bave been the contention ot the kings and their llinisters, the Chantries legislation ot Henr7 VIII and Edward VI did not reeult in the jaaecliate adYancement ot learning; 5 the hindrance was rerrettable • .llan7 ot the former, well-establishecl schools were never reopened and s011e ot those that were, were reconstructed on leas generous endowments and on a smaller scale. 6 However, the withdrawal ot Roman Catholic authorit7 and intluence, which up to the Reformation directed the Mue&tional }rogram ot tbe entire nation, did not sever the ties between religion and education.
It aerel7 transferred. that reaponaibilit7 into the hania ot the clerQ ot the dul7 recognized Episcopal Church. Since the control or the nation' a education-from gra.ar school through the univerait7-is, or was, then imperative to the lite ot a vigorous State Church, the clero ot tbe Episcopal Church was tira in asserting ita control and was just as tixed in ita polic7 that the schools ot the land be "sound" as was the Roman Catholic clero. As would seem moat reasonable, the tirat place to receive the attention ot the church authoritiu-once the7 were sutticientl7 awakened to ita iaportance--was the position ot the schoolmaster.
The status ot the English schoolmaster was unique in the sense that, although he llight be a 18.,D, he was nevertheless "a cleric in • • • that his work was 5 J!!2. clerical in character for teaching was considered to be a spiritual concern, was carried out in an ecclesiastical institution and was super- vised by Church authorities."? For many years prior to the leformation, it was the practice of the bishops to issue licenses to those whom they belieTed were spiritually as well as intellectually qualified to teach. Just when this practise of licensing started is not certain, but ita usefulness to the churchmen in keeping unsound teachers out of all achools--eapeciallf those schools ~bich were be,rond the t.Bediate, dq-to-ciay superrlsion of the Church-can be clearl. Nevertheless, it is of interest to note that, during t~e troublesome ,.ears ot He1117 VIII and Edward VI's reign, the bishops and other clerD of England ae• to ban overlooked the merit of the polic1 of licensing and also to haTe ignored the intelligent precaution of examining the relilious conrlctiona of the schoolmasters.
The ecclesiastical authorities' fallure in these •tters is the DlOre remarkable when one consiclera the tremendous relig- ious influence that the &Terage schoolmaster exerted dailJ on 1outh of the nation. As a Mtter of tact, tbe conduct of the classes in England at that day was not unlike that of a SeminarJ todq. For example, before the studies of the da1 would coaence it was the duty of the schoolmaster to lead his puplls in a short period of prqer; then, too, there was a tiae during the dq when he was obliged to instruct his class in matters of religion; again, it was his responsibility to see to it that his ?Norman Wood. Routledge & Sons, Ltd.
Hereafter this book will be referred. to under the author's n•e• 5. students were regular in their church attendance and devotional habits. The English schoolmaster was indeed a cleric in the broad sense.J, it his religious connctiona were not thoee of the established order, he could easU,.
become a thorn in tbe sia ot the ecclesiastical 8 authorities. The tact;; that )(aey' I aad her ainisters ot State lost no time in rerlving the polic1 ot licensing as a aeana ot ridding the schools ot. who were not orthodox Roman Catholics seems to have impressed the impor- tance ot that practice upon the opposition. 9 In tact" thq were so illpressecl with the usefulness ot that polic1 that" as soon as Elizabeth was declared Queen, the1 used it to remove all schoolmasters and pro- fessors who were not in accord with the reli,eious position ot the Estab- lisbed Church.
Thus, it ma1 be stated that troa about 1559 the cler17 ot the Episcopal Church took up in ernest the superrlsion or education in England. 10 An attempt to ferret out teachers, preachers and others who were not in agreeaent with the doctrinal position or the Church was JU.de in the torm. or a national law which was f'cmaulated during Elizabeth's reign. That 1•, which bad the awkward title, "The Act f'or the assurance of' the Queen's Majest1' s Royal power over all estates and subject within Her Highness' Doainions," required everyone who was in or intended to be in Ecclesiastical Orders, "all schoolmasters and public and private - 8Ibid.
teachers of children,• and all persona who were connected With law or who were officials of goTeruaent to take a solaan oath 1 before he or they shall be admitted, allowed or suffered to take upon him or thaa to use, exercise, supply or occupy ~ such TOcation, office, degree, 11 ministry, room or aerTice.• fhe biahopa DOt on]¥ relied upon ciTil law, but also used the atreDgth of cuon law to substantiate their intlu.ence on education. fhq frequently sent inquiries to the pariah clerQ recar41ng the educatioDal aituat1on as a whole in the Yarioua CODIIDWlities; and usual]¥ definite information was sought about the reUpoua conyictione and practices of all those who taught children either publicly or printeq.Archbishop of Canterbur7 was so concerned about the ll\1DI.ber of school- masters who were 1 fall1DC off 1 from the established relicton of the rea~ that he was aOTed to write a letter to the bishops urcing thea to ezaaine all who taught and those who were follll4 to be •corrupt or unwortq• were 12 to be replaced b7 1 fit and sound peraona.• Just what measure of success the Cbnrch of luglaa4 had in r8110TiDg undesirable instructors in a g1Ten period of time it is difficult to ascertain; howeTer, ihe eTidence leads one to the conclusion tbat, although the clergy was haTiDC ita difficulties With the noD-contormiDg schoolmasters, the situation was at the time of the aettlement ot 1 ~•• 67-58. 12 Cornel1ua Heatwole. ~ l!•torx Rt ls\ucation J.
:Jew York: Macmillan Co •• ). Virginia "well in hand.ey, the program ot the Church pertaining to the local schoolmaster was three-told: first, he was to be doctrinally orthodox, which was verified b7 the second step; naaal7, he was to sub- scribe to the Thirt7-nine Articles; and lastly, he was to take the oath ot supremac7. 13 Thus it is seen that, when the adldniatrative and doctrinal ties with Rome were cut and the Crown was declare4 to be the Bead ot the Church ot England, the churcbaen lost no time in asserting the continuance of the polic7 at ecclesiastical control of education.14 As might be expected the concern ot the Church did not. limit itself to the mere supervision of the teaching personnel.
It also reached into the internal orgaaization of the schoola, setting forth the acceptable curriculua. However, since this is not the subject of this paper, there is no need to deal more tully with the schools of England. The value ot this brief consideration ot the interest of the Episcopal Church in education will be realised more clearly as the unfolding ot this qstea. ~ is aeen in the New World.
CHAPTER II AHGLICANISM TRANSPI.D That the Episcopal Church was in tbe earl7 1ears of the seventeenth centur1 interested in the colonization of Allerica and aware of the dawn- inc of a new era is erldenced by the fact that one of the original peti- tioners of a charter froa James I, which was granteci in April, 1606, wae 1 an Episcopal miniater, nu. Reverend Robert Hunt; and also the interest b7 the Episcopal Church is noted b7 the closing words of a seraon deliv- ered. b7 John Donne, Dean of St. Paul's, to the members of the Virginia Compa.
Said he: Those aaong 7ou that are old now, shall pass out of this 110rld with this great caatort, that you contributed to tbe beginning of the Caamomrealt)l and. the Church, althoqh not to see the growth thereof to perfection; Apollos watered, but Paul planted; he that begun the .