Before the state became involved in education in the nineteenth century, there were basically two types of school available. In the
first category were the private schools, run by individuals to provide themselves with a livelihood and relying on the fees of the
pupils. The second category, with which this study is concerned, was made up of those schools, legally endowed by individuals and forming part of the great philanthropic movement from the fifteenth century onwards, During the fifteenth and, more particularly, the sixteenth century onwards, grammar schools were founded as distinctive institutions in which the classical languages were taught. In the sixteenth century, the founders of the schools were usually men of great wealth and social standing, representing the church and gentry but increasingly their role was taken over and even surpassed by merchants, usually living in London, who now sought to remember their own place of birth. During the seventeenth century, a further development took place as schools were founded catering only for an elementary education based on reading and the
bible, Although grammar schools continued to be founded in small numbers in the eighteenth century, the emphasis now moved to the provision of ’charity schools' which sought to rescue the poor from ignorance and crime. Schools received endowments from a much wider social range in the course of the century which not only resulted in increased educational provision but also in books, writing equipment and sometimes clothing, as well apprenticeships being available for poor scholars. In Lancashire, the scale of philanthropy, in terms of amounts given, exceeded those of any previous century. In the course of the century, women became more prominent in providing educational bequests. Educational opportunities for girls began to increase and in Lancashire, at least a quarter of the grammar schools catered for them. Usually, they received an elementary education in the usher's department but occasionally there is evidence of girls receiving a classical education. In addition to these aspects, this study also considers the extent to which grammar schools were able to continue their charitable function, especially as a number received fixed endowments, which increasingly lost value due to the effects of inflation. The changing nature of the curriculum is also reviewed. Grammar school decline in the eighteenth century is also investigated and the general conclusion is that for most schools the eighteenth century was a healthy period, especially as compared with the previous centuries, as schools adapted to changing social demands.