Agnes Mellers ( – 1513/4) was a benefactor and the co-founder of

Nottingham High School , motto_translation = Praise to the end , address = Waverley Mount , city = Nottingham , county = Nottinghamshire , postcode = NG7 4ED , country = England , coordinates = , type = Independent day school , established = , closed = , religious ...

Life

Mellers' date of birth is unknown. In the 1480s she is mentioned as married. She came to notice when her husband Richard Mellers died in 1507. He left substantial bequests to her, their three children and many good causes. He had manufactured bells and he had been the

Mayor of Nottingham The Lord Mayor of Nottingham is a largely ceremonial role for the city of Nottingham, England. The position was historically Mayor of Nottingham; this was changed to Lord Mayor in 1928. The position is elected every May by Nottingham city co ...

twice. Agnes set out to found a school in Nottingham and she got support from Sir

Thomas Lovell Sir Thomas Lovell, KG (died 1524) was an English soldier and administrator, Speaker of the House of Commons, Secretary to the Treasury and Chancellor of the Exchequer. Early life He was fifth son of Sir Thomas Lovell of Barton Bendish in Norf ...

. A document was drawn up and it received the agreement of

Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disa ...

in 1513. This authority and the Mellers' money created a school for boys in Nottingham. The money came from Agnes, her two elder sons, the mayor and over eighty others. This is the first clear evidence of the foundation of what today is

. The school opened on 2 February 1513.Adrian Henstock, ‘Mellers, Agnes (d. 1513/14)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, Oct 2006; online edn, May 201
accessed 24 May 2017
/ref> Agnes' will, which she had written on 10 June 1513, was proved on 12 May 1514 so she must have died some time between those dates.

Legacy

Agnes' will left the income from several properties to fund her school. There is a primary school now (2017) that is named after Mellers and this school has a Founder's Day.Mellers Primary School
, Retrieved 24 May 2017 Agnes' eldest son was Mayor of Nottingham and her second son was mayor three times.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mellers, Agnes 1510s deaths Founders of English schools and colleges