Balshaw's School, Leyland

Founded by Richard Balshaw, 1725 to 1811.

The following information comes from "Balshaw’s School, 1782 to 1982, A History of 200 Years", by George Birtill.

The founder, Richard Balshaw is said to have been living in Hemel Hempstead when he founded a trust for a charity school in Leyland on June 14, 1782.  He was probably a native of Leyland as the memorial to him in St. Giles Charing Cross, London describes him as of ‘‘Golden Hill, Leyland, Lancashire” and a deed dated 1790 refers to him as “formerly of Leyland now of Tottenham in the Parish of St. Pancras, Middlesex’’.

He died on April 11th, 1811, at the age of 86, but he is reputed to have managed it entirely himself during the thirty years since  he founded the school.  He had of course appointed trustees to act with him.

The epitaph in the marble at St Giles, Charing Cross, is "Of whom it may be justly said, he was a truly benevolent and charitable man.’’

The foundation stone of the original school at Golden Hill reads:

“In the Year of our Lord 1784.
This Charity School was founded endowed and erected by
Richard Balshaw Gentleman
For Instructing the Children of the Poor only of this Parish,
In Reading, Writing and Arithmetic, in the English Tongue,
And in the Principles of the Church of England As by law Established
The Girls to be taught also to Knit, Sew and Mark.

The motto for the school is apparently ‘Not for yourself but for all’.