ABSTRACT
I N 1611 Thomas Sutton obtained permission by letters patent to establish a hospital and a free grammar school at the Charterhouse, the site of the dissolved Carthusian monastery in London.1 The Founder endowed his establishment amply with lands and money. The school was occupied by forty “ poor ” scholars in 1614 who were fed, clothed, housed and educated at the expense of the Foundation. This number remained unchanged till the beginning of the nineteenth century. Among the officers of the establishment the House Steward or Manciple had to provide the food, for which he accounted weekly in his Diet Books except during holidays. Within four days of the end of each week these were submitted to the Auditor who made an annual statement of all accounts of the Foundation at about Christmas. The Receiver made the payments to the Manciple necessary for his disbursements to the tradesmen.
