JOHN BEND'S CHARITY

REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONERS APPOINTED IN PURSUANCE OF ACTS OF PARLIAMENT TO INQUIRE CONCERNING CHARITIES AND EDUCATION OF THE POOR IN ENGLAND AND WALES

1815-1835

Parish of Wisbeach St Mary [sic]

JOHN BEND's CHARITY

(Transcribed directly from the Commissioners' Report)

"John Bend, of Wisbech Murrow, by Will, bearing date the 1st July 1593, after reciting that he had made a feoffment unto Thomas White, and certain other persons therein named, of one cottage and 61 acres of land, situate in Wisbech Murrow, in several fields; viz, 56 acres in Richey, two acres in the same, abutting upon Belly Mile Dike on the east, and three acres and one cottage in Chappel Field, abutting on Murrow Gale north, did Will that the said Thomas White, and the other persons therein named, should stand possessed of the same, according to the form and effect of the said feoffment, viz., after the decease of himself and wife, in trust for and to the use of the poor people of Wisbech aforesaid, and that the clear yearly profits of the same should be employed for and towards the making of a stock to set the poor people on work, or else to be distributed among such poor people inhabiting within Murrow, Guyhirn, Tholomer's, and St Mary's, in Wisbech, as were there born, or there continued for the space of six years together without need of relief, and that for default of such not having need to bestow the same upon, that then such part of the profits as should not be so employed should be yearly bestowed where most need should be in any of the aforesaid places in Wisbech, upon discharging of any needful common charge at the discretion of the feoffees and their assigns, and the greater number always; and that the profits which should be made of the aforesaid cottage and three acres of land in Chappel Field, should be bestowed for such purposes as were before mentioned, or to such like poor as were before declared inhabiting only in Murrow; and in default of being so employed, then in discharge of some needful common charge, which should be borne by the inhabitants of Murrow, at the discretion of the trustees; and he directed that when any four or five of the feoffees should die, the survivors should make over the estate to 8 or 10 persons inhabitants of Wisbech aforesaid by deed, the counterpart of which should remain in the custody of the 10 men of the body corporate of the town of Wisbech St Peter's.

By the Bedford Level Act,15 Car II., the commissioners awarded, in right of the above mentioned cottage, eight acres of land, lying in Richey Field, in Wisbech St Mary's, next the Sea Dike, north; the lands of the said feoffees,south; Sand Bank, east; and the lands of William Edwards, west.

The cottage above mentioned was taken down many years ago and has not been since rebuilt.

The last deed appointing new feoffees bears date 2nd February 1830, whereby Abraham Culy, the elder, Thomas Williamson, John Hollingworth, and John Morris, as surviving feoffees, conveyed all the above mentioned premises (except the cottage) to the use of the said Abraham Culy, senior, Thomas Williamson, Abraham Culy, the younger, Cheeseman Williamson, John Morris, the younger, Robert Abbott, William Williamson Stringer, John Reave, Joseph Peck, and Robert Holmes, upon the trusts mentioned in the Will of the said John Bend.

All the above feoffees are now living except William Stringer and Robert Holmes. The following is the acreage and rent of lands:

The Will of Bend states only 61 acres, but there are two acres of land intermixed belonging to Daniel Swaine's heirs, and the lot has been added as a common right for the cottage at Murrow, making, as near as can be, the above quantity, the difference arising from the pieces having been parted and remeasured.

C Williamson hired the land for Dring, and is bound with him for the rent, the trustees not thinking Dring responsible by himself. The above lands are let by auction, in small allotments, for the convenience of the poor, to 10 yearly tenants, at an annual rent of £140.

Persons wishing to obtain the benefit of the above charity apply personally to the trustees, and if qualified by being married, belonging to and residing in the parish above six years without relief, according to the directions of the Will of the testator, they are admitted, and receive 2s 6d for the first half-yearly payment, which is gradually increased, according to their good behaviour; there are at present 98 persons receiving relief from this charity, and the average receipt is about 25s. In extreme cases £4 is the greatest donation.

TOWN HOUSES

There are 15 town houses, brick and tile, with the exception of two, which are brick and thatch. These houses are inhabited by paupers at a nominal rent of 1s per annum. There are no deeds or documents relating to these houses, except a receipt from the commissioner of the enclosure for the sum of £5 paid by the parish in consideration of an acre of ground whereon 10 new town houses had been recently constructed.

POOR ALLOTMENTS

By an award on the enclosure of lands in Wisbech St Mary parish, dated 2nd September 1835, it was decreed that not less than 20 acres and not more than 30 should be set apart for the use of the poor, and in consequence thereof four parcels of land, containing about 25 acres, were allotted, and are now in the possession of the parish. This land is divided into small allotments of one or two roods, according to the quality of the land, and are let to poor persons, at a nominal rent of 2s or 2s 6d per annum. It is not yet decided how these rents shall be appropriated. It may be presumed that the poor's allotments are the lands stated in the Parliamentary Returns to have been given by the majority of the freeholders.

NOTES

No information was obtained concerning the charities of William Deans or Francis Hardy mentioned in the Parliamentary Returns of 1786.

It was stated that there was a piece of land, about eight acres, in Wisbech Fen, (see Parliamentary Returns), the rent of which was to be applied in the purchase of bread, but no further information was afforded. J Leverington is the tenant of the piece of land which is supposed to belong to the poor of Greyhirn [sic], but no evidence was afforded to support this opinion".

HARDY's SCHOOL

"Francis Hardy, by Will, bearing date 1^st March 1726, proved in the Prerogative Court of Canterbury 27^th May 1727, gave 12 acres of land, namely, four acres of pasture, lying in Richey Field in Tholomer's Drove, in the parish of Wisbeach St Mary, and also eight acres of fresh marsh, lying in Wisbeach High Fen, unto his two sons and four others therein named, and to their heirs and assigns, upon trust, that they should, out of the rents and profits of the said premises, keep six or more poor children of the said parish of Wisbeach St Mary at school, with the schoolmaster, who should be placed from time to time for ever thereafter in the school-house which he lately built, at his own expense, for such charitable purpose; and he declared his will to be that, when his trustees should be reduced to three, the survivors should convey the said premises to themselves and three others, upon the like trusts.

By indenture of lease and release, bearing date the 11^th and 12^th of November 1774, John Sumpter, the then only surviving trustee, conveyed the said lands and premises, together with eight other acres of land which had been previously enclosed and taken off the commons in Wisbeach St Mary, to the use of himself and 17 others, upon the trusts aforesaid.

The last appointment of trustees was by indentures of lease and release, the release bearing date the 12^th February 1791, whereby Thomas Beakley the elder, and six others, the then surviving trustees, conveyed the said four acres in Richey Field, eight acres in Wisbeach Fen, and eight acres in Willock Field, with their appurtenances, unto the use of themselves and 26 others therein named, upon the like trusts.

The trustees now living are Mr Joseph Beatley, Mr John Beatley, Mr Joseph Gilby, Mr John Morris, Mr Thomas Williamson, Mr Abraham Culy senr., and Mr Henry Walker Marriott. The following is the present rental:

The present schoolmaster, John Burman, was appointed by the trustees in 1819, and succeeded a person named Russell, who had neglected the school, and, in consequence, an investigation took place; previous to which period it was not even known who were the trustees of the said charity.

Gratuitous education is given to 21 children, in reading, writing, and arithmetic; the number being regulated by the rental of the land, as will appear by the regulations of the trustees. The schoolmaster has private pupils, and the number allowed is at the discretion of the trustees.

The trustees subsequently continued to act and to regulate the school, for which purpose they established, in 1819, various rules and regulations, among which are the following:

That the trustees should meet on the 21^st December in every year;

That he should live in the school-house rent free;

That the master should attend daily during six hours in the school.

There are various other regulations of less importance than the above quoted.

The following is an account of the expenditure of the trustees for the year 1834:

SUNDAY SCHOOL

"Under the Will of Dr Jobson [of Wisbech St Peter], a Sunday School has been established at Guyhirn, for the education of boys and girls. The present number is about 40.

The money appropriated to the support of this school is the interest of one-third of £300 New Four per Cent stock (now reduced to Three and a half per Cent). The remaining two-thirds are applied to the support of a Sunday School at the hamlet of Murrow, in the parish of Wisbeach St Mary".

MARGARET BENDE's CHARITY

"Margaret Bende, by her Will, bearing date 30^th March 1605, gave £50 unto the men of Wisbeach, to be bestowed for the use and benefit of the poor people for ever, viz 6s 8d yearly to the poor of Parson Drove, and the remainder to the poor of the parish of Wisbeach St Mary

The sum of £2 10s is paid by the corporation of Wisbeach annually for interest; 6s 8d is given to Parson Drove, and £2 3s 4d to Wisbeach St Mary.

The amount is distributed in small sums of money to the poor".

TOWN HOUSES

"There are 15 town houses, brick and tile, with the exception of two which are brick and thatch. These houses are inhabited by paupers at a nominal rent of 1s per annum.

There are no deeds or documents relating to these houses, except a receipt from the commissioner of the inclosure for the sum of £5 paid by the parish in consideration of an acre of ground whereon 10 new town houses had been recently constructed".

POOR ALLOTMENTS

"By an award on the inclosure of lands in Wisbeach St Mary parish, dated 2^nd September 1835, it was decreed that not less than 20 acres, and not more than 30 should be set apart for the use of the poor, and in consequence thereof four parcels of land, containing about 25 acres, were allotted, and are now in the possession of the parish.

This land is divided into small allotments of one or two roods, according to the quality of the land, and are let to poor persons, at a nominal rent of 2s, or 2s 6d, per annum. It is not yet decided how these rents shall be appropriated.

It may be presumed that the poor's allotments are the lands stated in the Parliamentary |Returns to have been given by the majority of the freeholders.

No information was obtained concerning the charities of William Deans or Francis Hardy mentioned in the Parliamentary Returns of 1786. It was stated that there was a piece of land, about eight acres, in Wisbeach Fen, the rent of which was to be applied in the purchase of bread, but no further information was afforded. Mr J Leverington is the tenant of the piece of land which is supposed to belong to the poor of Greyhirn [sic], but no evidence was afforded to support this opinion".

LAND OR PROPERTY MENTIONED IN OTHER CHARITIES THAT IS SITUATED IN WISBECH ST MARY PARISH

Compiled from the Commissioners' Report 1835 by Brian Payne

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