An important period in the history of Sedbergh
Roger Lupton (1456–1540) from Hole House Cautley was ordained acolyte in York in 1475 and from that lowly position rose in rank and wealth in the church. Among the posts he held during his life was a chaplain to King Henry VII and Provost of Eton. The latter meant that he was in overall control of several organisations including a school. The present Eton College contains two of his buildings, Lupton Tower and Lupton Chantry. In his late sixties he decided to spend money on his home town by building and endowing a free grammar school which he combined with a chantry for prayers for him, his family and the lords of the local manors and all their souls when dead. To fund this he bought 29 messuages and lands including the Lofthouse where the schoolmaster cum chantry priest was to live. The school was to be open to any boy but preference was to be given to his kin and boys from Sedbergh, Garsdale and Dent. Teaching of grammar (Latin and Greek) was to be free but any other subject had to be paid for. The date that the school began is not definite but two pieces of evidence suggest that it was functioning by early 1525 at the latest.
In the period 1510–1524 three boys were ordained acolyte in York, two from Dent and one from Sedbergh which suggests some sort of education was available at times locally before Lupton’s school. An acolyte took part in the ceremonial of the mass by carrying the candles for instance and ordination usually took place in a boy’s late teens. Then in March 1525 two boys, one from Dent and one from Sedbergh, were ordained in York and in September 1525 two boys from Sedbergh were ordained in York. This strongly suggests that Lupton’s school had started operating. In March 1525 a deed was signed by the Archdeacon of Richmond concerning a Lady Chapel which had already been built by James Cowper a wealthy inhabitant of Sedbergh. James and his wife were to have free seats in the stalls made by him but no one else unless agreed by him, his heirs and the churchwardens. Anyone allowed had to pay a lump sum for the privilege and it could not be passed on. However, the chaplain and scholars celebrating the mass and anthem of Our Lady were to have free places. This is another piece of evidence suggesting that Lupton’s school was functioning. Cowper’s chapel seems to have been the present chancel and there are two pieces of evidence in support of this. The school always sat in the present chancel during services until they ceased worshiping in the church. Also Margaret Wharton was the last of the local Cowpers and in her will dated 1735 she tried to safeguard the family quire by endowing it with the income from Swine Ridding but was thwarted by a piece of recent legislation. She was buried in front of the altar in the south aisle and her gravestone stayed there until 1920 when it was moved by the Uptons while founding their chapel.
The building and fittings for Lupton’s schoolroom and Cowper’s chapel meant that work and money came to Sedbergh. Also there was the prospect of boys from wealthy families coming to the school to spend money in the town and needing lodgings. Sedbergh was starting to prosper and so two lords of local manors decided to obtain a market charter. The first charter had been granted to Lady Alicia de Stavely in 1251 but the market had since died out. A second charter was granted by King Henry VIII on 6 January in the 17th year of his reign which was 1526 in modern dating. It was granted to Thomas Stanley who was Lord Montegle and William Parr for a market every Wednesday and two fairs a year. Unfortunately an error in a history society pamphlet resulted in the plaque on the town library wall giving the wrong date. Sedbergh School will be celebrating its quincentenary in 2025 and perhaps the town should celebrate theirs in 2026.