RUGBY, anciently Rocheberie, a town of England in Warwickshire, has an elevated situation on the south side of the Avon, and about a mile from the place where it receives the rivers Swift and Dove. The town is neat, and the streets, which are irregular and badly paved, are disposed in the form of a trian gle. Many of the houses are of wood. The church is a commodious structure, handsomely fitted up with an organ.
This town has been long celebrated for its grammar school, founded by Laurence Sherrif, Esq. in Queen Elizabeth's reign. It is managed by twelve trustees from the nobility and gentry of the county. The pro perty of the school is at present worth above £2000. It sends fourteen exhibitioners, with annuities of each, to the universities. Vacancies are filled up at the annual examinations, which are attended by a member from both universities, appointed by the vice-chancellor. The scholars amount to 330, 50 of whom are on the foundation. A handsome and com modious building has been erected for the school since 1808. It is of white brick, while the angles, cornices,
and the dressings of the windows and doors, are of stone. Sixty of the boys are lodged in this building, and the rest are accommodated at the house of the as sistant master, or at boarding-houses in the town. The principal front is 220 feet long, with a tower gate way in its centre leading to the principal court, which is a fine area 90 feet long and 75 wide, with a plain cloister on three sides. On the south side of the court are the dining hall for the boys in the head master's house, and three schools for different classes; the great school occupies the west side, and the schools for French and writing the north. The house of the head master is at the east end of the south front; and there is between it and the schools a range of build ings divided into small apartments for the boys. The town contains about 278 houses, and 4490 inhabitants.