SDO10270 - A history of Sherborne School

Second edition of Gourlay's 'A history of Sherborne School', taking events under the rule of successive headmasters and including an introductory chapter concerning the early history of Sherborne Abbey. In this early section Gourlay mentions a tradition that the Royal court was transferred to Sherborne from Winchester in 860 AD when the latter was sacked by the Danes. Furthermore, Sherborne is reputedly the burial place of Aethelbald and Aethelbert and that Alfred was educated here at the age of 11. The second edition also has a later section concerning a description of the school buildings. In a description of the slype, mention is made of it having served as the monk’s mortuary. In a footnote: ‘The bones lie thick beneath the soil hereabouts; skulls were unearthed as recently as 1964, skeletons in 1888 and 1903…the latter…was when…Wescott excavated to add a bay window to his study…then was revealed the course of Fons Limpidus which ever since has been carried in the unromantic pipe just beneath the window.’