Charities of Newcastle, 1855

GENERAL CHARITIES OF NEWCASTLE-UPON-TYNE. 

The following account of the charities of Newcastle is extracted from the report of the commissioners appointed, in pursuance of acts of parliament, to inquire concerning charities in England and Wales, presented to parliament in 1837. See also the particulars of the almshouses, schools, and other charitable institutions, at preceding pages.

SIMPSON'S CHARITY.- Alderman John Simpson, by his will, left the sum of £100 at five per cent, to be paid to the ten oldest men in the Keelmen's Hospital on Christmas eve. The sum of £100 still remains in the hands of the donor's family, and the yearly sum of £5 is paid in respect thereof, and divided equally among the ten oldest keelmen, according to the intentions of the donor. 

Newcastle is one of the twenty-four cities and towns to which Sir Thomas White gave, in rotation, the sum of £104, to be lent, in sums of £25, to four young freemen, without interest, for ten years, preference being given to clothiers, the odd £4 to be employed by the respective mayors, etc. "for their care and pains." This charity was established in 1566. 

FRANKELEYN'S CHARITY. John Frankeleyn, by his will bearing date 19th November, 1572, directed that £100 should be delivered to the mayor and aldermen of Newcastle, and the four and twenty of the council of the said town for the time being, to be lent to one or two honest young men, upon good security, at £10 interest; and he directed that of the said £10, £3. 6s. 8d. should be yearly given to the poor of the said town of Newcastle, by the appointment of the mayor ani his brethren, and the twenty-four. That £3. 6s. 8d. should be yearly given to the alderman of Durham and his brethren, whereof 12d. every Sunday should be given to the prisoners in meat and drink, such as should be most meet and convenient for them, and 14s. 8d. yearly should be delivered by even portions to the curates and churchwardens of St. Nicholas's Church and St. Giles's Church, who should distribute the same to the most needy, aged, or impotent persons, men and women, in both the said parishes, against Christmas or Easter, and that the said mayor, aldermen, and four and twenty of the council of Newcastle should, yearly, deliver to the parson and churchwardens of Houghton-le-Spring, four nobles, other part of the said £10, to be given to the most poor and needy through the -whole parish, at such day and times as the sum of four nobles was appointed to be given by his wife Jane, out of Cocken, and the rest of the said £10, being 40s., he directed should be given into the town chamber of Newcastle, and that the clerk of the said chamber should therewith provide as much white or russet cloth as would make six large gowns for six aged men, to be given to such as should be most needy and least able t6 help themselves. 

Nothing is now given to the poor of the almshouses in Newcastle in respect of this charity, but the voluntary payments made to the different almspeople by the corporation far exceed the sum which the donor intended should be so applied. 

MARCH'S CHARITY. By indenture, bearing date 5th June, 1595, between Robert Atkinson and George Farnaby of the one part, and the mayor and burgesses of Newcastle-upon-Tyne of the other part, reciting that John March, by his will, gave £100 to be placed in the town chamber of Newcastle, by Robert Atkinson and George Farnaby, his executors, to remain there for ever, the mayor and burgesses of the said town giving sufficient security to the said executors for employing the same in the manner therein-after mentioned, viz., that the said £100 should yearly, or every second year at furthest, be lent out by the mayor and burgesses unto the honestest and least wealthy of the young men of the fellowship or company of merchants, or any other free burgess inhabiting the town and county of Newcastle-upon- Tyne, upon good security for repayment of the same, with £10 interest for the use thereof, and for the duly employing of the said £10, according to the will of the said John March, and further reciting that the said mayor and burgesses having received the said £100, they covenanted that they would let out the said £100 to one, two, three, or more persons, as mentioned in the said will, and that they would take £10 a year for the use thereof, and pay the same according to the will of the said John March, viz., £5 thereof yearly to the poorest and neediest of the inhabitants of Newcastle, at the discretion of the mayor and burgesses, and their successors ; and the other £5 to be paid and distributed amongst the poor people inhabiting and dwelling in the parish of Heighington, in the county of Durham, on a certain day yearly, by the said mayor and burgesses, to be appointed for the same.

The sum of £100 is not now lent out by the corporation of Newcastle to a poor freeman of the Merchants' Company, at ten per cent, according to the intentions of the donor,. and nothing is paid in respect of this money, except the yearly sum of £4 to the parish of Heighington.

CHARITIES OF MILLBANK AND OTHERS. The following is the substance of certain entries in the cash books of the corporation of Newcastle, relating to the gifts of Mark Millbank, Esq., William Carr, Esq., and John Rumney. 

April, 1679. Received of the executors of Alderman Mark Millbank, which he left to the town by his will, £200, and £18, the interest since his decease, 'Was distributed to several poor people, for which £200 the town pays interest at six percent to the four churches of this town half-yearly.

May, 1679. Received of Mrs. Jane Carr, the relict of William Carr, Esq. and Alderman, deceased, the sum of £100 to be disposed half yearly to the four churches, at Easter and Michaelmas. £3 half yearly interest, is paid by the corporation, at the rate of six per cent.

October, 1695. Mr. John Rumney having by his will, dated 14th March, 1693, bequeathed £250 to the mayor and burgesses of the town and county of Newcastle, upon trust to put out the same, and distribute the interest as follows, viz., one fifth part thereof to the master, brethren, and sisters of the hospital of the Holy Jesus, in Newcastle, another fifth part to the poor and necessitous inhabitants within the parochial chapelry of St. John, another to the poor and necessitous inhabitants within the parochial chapelry of All Saints, another to the poor and necessitous inhabitants of the parochial chapelry of St. Andrew, and the residue to the poor and necessitous inhabitants within the parish of St. Nicholas. The sum of £250 is received into the hutch, and £12. 10s. Od. per annum is paid on account thereof.

In respect of these donations there were paid by the chamber clerk to the churchwarden of St. Nicholas, at the period of the Charity Commissioners' inquiry, the following sums, viz., in respect of Mark Millbank's gift for the poor of the four parishes in Newcastle, £12; in respect of William Carr's for the same places, £6; in respect of Rumney's for the same places, and the Hospital of the Holy Jesus, £12. lOs. Od. There was also paid to the church- warden of St. Nicholas by the chamber clerk the following sums as the charities of the persons hereafter named ; but there is no account of the origin thereof, viz., Sir Alexander Davison's gift for the four parishes in Newcastle, £8; Sir Thomas Davison's for the same parishes, £4 ; and Sir Mark Millbank's to the parishes of St. Nicholas and All Saints, £12. Total £54. 10s. Od. This sum is divided as follows :-To the poor of the parish of 

St. Nicholas, £16; to the poor of All Saints' parish, £16; to the poor of St. Andrew's, £10; to the poor of St. John's parish, £10; and to the Hospital of the Holy Jesus, £2. 10s. 0d.

FENWICK'S CHARITY. - We possess no information relating to the origin of this charity, but the sum of £1 is paid annually, at Christmas, by the chamber clerk, as the gift of John Fenwick, Esq., to the governor of the jail, who divides it equally amongst all the prisoners. 

CARR'S CHARITY. -William Carr, by his will, bearing date 11th April, 1660, bequeathed to the governor and wardens of the Company of Merchant Adventurers of the town of Newcastle, £200, upon condition that they should give security to his executrix. that the same should be lent from time to time for ever to merchants only, who should give good security for the repayment thereof at the end of five years after they should receive the same, and that no merchant should have a greater portion thereof than £50 ; and he declared his mind to be, that his heir should from time to time have power to nominate one of the said merchants.

This sum, £200, the Charity Commissioners stated to be in the hands of the Company of Merchants, ready to be applied according to the directions of the donor, but the advantage attending the loan, is not sufficient to induce persons to apply for it. Notice is occasionally given at the meetings of the company that this money is ready for the above mentioned purpose.

CHARITY OF THOMAS DAVISON, THE ELDER. Thomas Davison, the elder, by his will, bearing date 25th November, 1675, devised to the governor, assistants, wardens, and fellowship, of Merchant Adventurers of the town of Newcastle, and their successors, all his leazes and ridges of land lying in a place called Castle Fields or Castle Leazes, without the walls and within the liberties of the said town, upon condition that they should yearly, before the 

16th day of December, pay to the churchwardens of All Saints' in the said town, 13s. 4d., to the churchwardens of St. John's, £1 6s. 8d., and to the churchwardens of St. Andrew's, £1, and should distribute the surplus of the yearly revenue in the month of December, at the discretion of the said governor, assistants, and wardens, amongst the poor brethren and sisters of the said company. In a report of all the charities in which the Company of Merchants are interested, entered in their journal book, under the date of 1780, after giving an extract of the above-mentioned will, it is stated that the lands therein mentioned were sold to the corporation in consideration of the yearly rent of £14. This sum is paid by the treasurer of the corporation to the Merchants' Company, who pay yearly to the churchwardens of the parish of All Saints l3s. 4d., to the churchwardens of the parish of St. John, £2. 6s. 8d., and to the churchwardens of the parish of St Andrew, £1. The. remaining £10 is disposed of with the produce of Timothy Davison's Charity, amongst the poor of the company. Of late years there has been only one or two persons belonging to the company and falling within this description. 

TIMOTHY DAVISON'S CHARITY. Timothy Davison, by his will, bearing date 7th February, 1694, bequeathed to the governor, assistants, and wardens of the Merchant Adventurers of Newcastle, £300, to be secured to his executors thereinafter named, on trust, that they and their successors should yearly, in the month of December, distribute to the poor brethren and sisters of the said company, £12, such as should have been traders and fallen into decay to have the preference before others, and should also distribute in the said month to the four parishes of St. Nicholas, All Saints, St. John, and St. Andrew, in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, £6, to each parish 30s. to be distributed to credible freemen or freemen's widows (not of the Merchants' Company) fallen into decay, of such persons as should be returned to be needy by the minister and churchwardens of the several parishes respectively, such distribution to be made at the discretion of the governor, assistants, and wardens for the time being, and to be recorded yearly in the company's journal book in what manner and to whom the same should be distributed. The sum of £300 is placed in the hands of the corporation of the town of Newcastle, at four per cent interest, and the produce being £12 per annum, is paid to the Company of Merchants, and divided by them in the same proportions as the interest at six per cent was directed by the testator to be disposed of, viz. : - 

To the four parishes named in the will, £1 each ...... £4: 

To the poor of the company ……………………………........8

The sum of £8 is disposed of to the poor of the company, with that portion of the charity of Thomas Davison above mentioned, which was directed to be applied in the same manner. The sums appropriated to the four parishes are paid to the respective parish officers, to be distributed by them. 

CHARITIES OF WILLIAM AND HENRY WARMOUTH. William Warmouth, Esq., who died 22nd July, 1642, by his will, bequeathed to the town of Newcastle, .£100, for the use and benefit of the society of Merchant Adventurers, to be disposed of by the common council of the town, in. the following manner. 

''Imprimis. That the council should make choice of a man free of the Company of Merchant Adventurers, being the son of a freeman of that town, of good and sober behaviour and godly conversation - and for default of such an one, that they should, in the next place, make choice of one that had acquired his freedom by service, but if such could not be found amongst the company, then in the third place, that they should choose some merchant through casualty decayed in his estate but that before all others they should prefer a young freeman by patrimony.

"Secondly. That the merchant so made choice of, being in the sound judgment of the common council not worth in lands or goods £100 in all the world, should have the benefit and use of this £100 for three years complete, and no longer.

"Thirdly. That before he should receive the £100 he should enter bond to the town, with three sufficient sureties besides himself, to repay the said sum into the town chamber at the expiration of three years. 

"Fourthly. That the common council having received the said sum should put it out again in like manner. 

"Fifthly. That the common council should not put out the said sum, twice to the same person, but that it should pass from merchant to merchant as before expressed, it being the intent of the said William Warmouth to have it so disposed of, hoping that by so doing it might be a means to raise many a good merchant, he himself having no more than £100 to begin with when he first adventured beyond the seas. 

"Sixthly. It was the desire of the donor, that the common council should give the town's seal for an acknowledgment of the receipt, as also for the assurance to perform the said articles and likewise that from time to time there should be a record kept in the town chamber wherein all the names might be entered of those who should receive benefit by that or any other gift of that nature.''

Henry Warmouth, by his will, as appears by an entry; without date -in the journal of the Company of Merchant Adventurers, gave to the mayor, aldermen, and common council of Newcastle, the sum of £100, to be disposed of by them to ancient decayed merchants of that town, in like manner as the £100 was disposed of, which his father, William Warmouth, deceased -put into the chamber of the town.

The sum of £100 left by William Warmouth, is in the hands of the corporation of the town of Newcastle. It very rarely happens that any person qualified according to the directions of the will makes application for a loan. Some years ago it was lent to a poor brother of the Merchants' Company, and when it was paid in there was no person qualified to take it out again. The corporation have therefore paid four per cent for the money to the Company of Merchants. for whose benefit this charity was intended, and the amount is carried to the general account of the company. 

It appears from the corporation books, that the £100 left by Henry Warmouth, was lent 21st April, 1742 to Henry Eden, and there is no trace of its having ever boon repaid. 

RUMNEY'S CHARITY. - John Rumney, by his will, as appears by an extract thereof in the journals of the Merchants' Company, without date, bequeathed to the Company of Merchants, £100, to the intent that the same might, from we to time, upon reasonable security for the repayment thereof, be lent to some younger trading member or brother of the said company, for any time not exceeding the term of three years, without paying any interest for the same. The above-named John Rumney was probably the same person whose will, bearing date 14th March, 1693, has been already noticed under the head of Charities of Millbanks and others. The sum of £100 is now lent out according to the directions of the donor.

ATKINSON'S CHARITY· Joseph Atkinson, Esq., by his will, bearing date 13th March, 1712, gave to the Company of Merchant Adventurers, £100, to be lent to a brother upon reasonable security, without interest. The directions of the donor with regard to this charity are strictly carried out.

CHARITY OF THOMAS DAVISON, THE YOUNGER. By deed poll, bearing date 19th August, 1755, reciting that the mayor and burgesses of the town of Newcastle had given a bond, bearing date 29th July, 1755, to Thomas Davison, with condition thereunder written, for securing the sum of £500 with interest at the rate of four per cent, the said Thomas Davison declared that the said bond was taken in his name, upon trust, to pay the interest of 

the said £500 from time to time as and whenever the same should amount to £50, to any son of a merchant, or young man, who should have served his apprenticeship to a merchant in Newcastle, being a freeman of the Company of Merchants in the said town, to enable him to set up the trade of a merchant there ; such person to be from time to time nominated, after the death of the persons therein named by the mayor, aldermen, sheriff, and 

common council of Newcastle, in common council assembled: and that, in ease the said £500 should at any time be paid in, the same should be placed out at interest, upon security, in the name of the said Thomas Davison, his executors or administrators, and the interest thereof applied in like manner. The sum of £500 still remains in the hands of the corporation. The Governor of the Company of Merchant Adventurers keeps an account of 

the interest arising thereon, and whenever it amounts to £50 he announces the same to the company, and an application is thereupon made to the mayor, aldermen, and common council, who select such person, being a freeman of the said company, and otherwise qualified according to the directions of the donor, as they think fit and the sum of £50 is paid to him to enable him to set up his trade.

PAROCHIAL CHARITIES.

Besides the Charity Schools, and their portion of the general charities, each parish possesses several bequests for charitable purposes, which we subjoin in a tabular form, for the convenience of reference: 

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