Building record 1563/5 - Grammar School

Macclesfield School. Found 1503 by Sir John Percyvale, formerly Lord Mayor of London. The original building stood at the rear of the church, on what is now a municipal garden at the top of the 108 steps. The school was founded at the instigation of Percyvale's friend, Thomas Savage, who was building his chantry chapel in the church at the time. The school probably acted as the house for the chantry priest, who may also have acted as schoolmaster. This chantry was suppressed in the 1540's by Henry VIII, but the school was refounded by Edward VI by special dispensation. A late C19 photograph, taken just before its demolition, shows it to be a long timber framed structure with chevron decoration (1). The original site of the school was on the east side of the parochial chapel. In 1748 the school moved to King Edward Street and in 1856 to its present position in Cumberland Street (2).

<1> Turner, RC, 1985, Notes on Medieval Macclesfield (Unpublished Report). SCH2286.

<2> Ormerod, G., 1882, The History of the County Palatine and City of Chester, Ormerod G 1882 3/742 (Book). SCH1389.

<3> Earwaker, J P, 1877-1880, East Cheshire Past & Present, 2/1880/511-525 (Y) (Book). SCH1080.

<4> Harris, B.E. (ed), 1987, Victoria County History - A History of the County of Chester: Volume I, 3/237-240 Harris B 1980 (Book). SCH3556.