Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900/Grindal, William
GRINDAL, WILLIAM (d. 1548), tutor to Queen Elizabeth, and friend of Roger Ascham, probably came from Cumberland, like Archbishop Grindal, but we know nothing of his family or birthplace. He went to St. John's College, Cambridge, as a poor student, and became a favourite pupil of Ascham, in whose rooms he lived and studied for seven years (Ascham, Epist. i. 5). Ascham praises him as surpassing all his contemporaries in character, intelligence, memory, and judgment combined, while as a Greek scholar he ranks him as the equal of Cheke and Smith (ib. ii. 15). He was admitted a fellow of St. John's on 14 March 1543 (Baker, Hist. of St. John's, ed. Mayor, i. 284), and probably at the end of 1546 was summoned to court at Cheke's recommendation to act as tutor to the Lady Elizabeth. Cheke had gone as tutor to Prince Edward in 1544 and had taken part in Elizabeth's education as well; but in December 1546 the children were separated and Elizabeth was sent to Enfield. It was probably at this time that Grindal entered upon his duties, and it says much for his power as a teacher if he managed to teach Elizabeth anything during the time when in her fifteenth year she was beginning her career as a coquette under the guidance of Lord Thomas Seymour. However, before the scandal of this intrigue became notorious Grindal died of the plague in the summer of 1548, and was succeeded by his friend Ascham in his post as Elizabeth's tutor.
[Besides the Letters of Ascham referred to above, ii. 19, 20 are written to Grindal, and 21 to Elizabeth about him. Their contents have been summarised by Strype, Life of Grindal, p. 4; Cooper's Athenæ Cantabr. i. 94.]