The Sixteenth-Century School at St. Mary-at-Hill, London

Abstract

The churchwardens’ accounts for the London parish, St. Mary-at-Hill, are extensive for the period 1420–1558 and provide a wealth of evidence for the cultural life of the community. As a result, the parish and its church have received much attention from scholars; the parish has provided a case study for social history projects and the church is well-known as a staging post in the career of the sixteenth-century musician Thomas Tallis and for its connections with the larger musical institutions of London. This article provides an overview of the history of the choir school at the church. It offers an explanation for the particular success of the school and for the first time suggests that an educational establishment continued in some form at the church into the 1550s. Finally, it identifies a manuscript source containing pedagogical material which seems to represent a repertoire for the school in the 1550s.