There is a curious item of 26s. 4-1/2d. being incurred in 1720,
"for attending on Kent when she was sullivated," and a gratifying
instance of the best kind of charity--that of enabling the poor to
help themselves--occurs in 1710, when 5s. were spent in "teaching
Eliz. Harrison to spin and card, and for her lodging for a month." The
parochial benevolence does not appear to have been confined to the
parish boundary, nor even to the class of paupers, for in 1693 the sum
of £5. 2s. 1d. (equal to £30 of the present money) was raised here
"towards the relief of Francis Laugher, of St. Peter's, who lost all
his corn and other his substance by a sad and lamentable fire." The
guardianship of the poor as also the office of churchwarden, although
an object of honourable ambition to many, was not welcome to others,
for it was found necessary, in 1709, to order that all guardians should
have 2s. 6d. allowed to defray the charge of their qualifying; in 1690
Mr. T. Browne offered to be at the expense of putting out a parish
apprentice if he were excused from serving the office of churchwarden;
Mr. Baddeley and Mr. Weston, in 1720, paid £5 each not to serve as
churchwardens, while at other times handsome presents were made to the
vestry for the same indulgence. In 1684 an estate at Cradley, called
Shewsters, was ordered by the vestry to be purchased for the poor, and
the amount paid for it was £143. Fifteen years afterwards the title to
the said estate was called in question by one Mr. Millman, and the
churchwardens were instructed to defend it. In this they seem to have
been successful, as in 1711 the vestry ordered that another lease
for three lives should be granted on it. The Shewsters' estate still
belongs to the parish, and is occupied by Mr. William Johnson at a
gross annual rental of £20.
Before leaving the subject as affecting the poor of this parish, and
the benefactions made to them, it may be stated that in 1737 the
clothing trade was so reduced here that there was no "young thriving
clothier" to be found to whom the sum of £5 could be lent gratis. This
and other similar cases afford precedents for vestries to amend and
regulate the appropriation of charities when it is no longer possible
literally to comply with the stipulations of the donor.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account