The case originated in the town of Gloucester, where a local man named Richard Chaundler had established a grammar school. Chaundler had set up the school to provide education to boys in Latin, which was the language of scholarship and the Church at the time. However, the local parish priest, John Colyn, claimed that Chaundler did not have the necessary permission from the Church to teach Latin, which was considered a part of Church authority.
Colyn appealed to the Bishop of Worcester, who ordered Chaundler to stop teaching Latin and instead teach in English, which was the vernacular language of the people. Chaundler refused, arguing that Latin was the proper language for instruction in grammar and that the Bishop did not have authority over his school. The case was brought to court, and it eventually reached the Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Arundel, who was a powerful figure in the Church and also the Chancellor of England.
In 1410, Archbishop Arundel heard the case and ruled in favor of Chaundler, allowing him to continue teaching Latin at his grammar school. Arundel’s decision reaffirmed the authority of Latin as the language of learning and scholarship, and it was seen as a victory for those who believed in the importance of Latin in education.
The Gloucester Grammar School case was significant in highlighting the tensions between the Church and secular authorities in medieval England, as well as the debate over the language of instruction in education. It reflected the growing influence of the English language and the emerging prominence of vernacular languages in education, which would later have a significant impact on the development of education and literature in England.