CHARITIES FOR THE POOR.
Fulbourn was
well endowed with charities from the 15th
century. (fn. 51) In 1442 (fn. 52) John Careway, rector of St.
Vigor's, enfeoffed c. 100 a. whose rents were to
pay parliamentary fifteenths for the poorer
inhabitants of the whole vill, excluding those
with over 40 a. of land, unless they could not
afford to pay without selling (or from 1699 mortgaging) land. Surplus income was to go in gifts,
particularly of clothing, for the poor. The land
included 12 a. of closes and 104 a. of arable until
inclosure, when 58½ a. were allotted for the
latter, and yielded rents that increased from
£23-35 in the 18th century to c. £120 in the
early 1830s. The fieldland, then let as allotments
of 1/4-1 a. to 60-70 labourers at rents totalling
£90-100 in the mid 19th century, but £120-150
from the 1860s to the 1890s, (fn. 53) was still used for
allotments in 1910. (fn. 54) It yielded c. £400 in the
1960s, £650 by 1980.
In the early 18th century the income still went
partly to pay rates and taxes for poorer villagers,
but partly in cash gifts to the sick and needy,
partly in shoes and clothing. From the 1760s it
was given mainly in clothing or materials for
making it. Between the 1830s and the 1860s that
portion was distributed yearly through £50-60
worth of vouchers redeemable at village shops:
the 300-350 recipients included almost all the
settled labourers c. 1860, when coal was also
given out. A coal club was supported in 1880.
Gifts of clothing to pensioners by such vouchers
continued until 1970. Thereafter part of the
income went to support the village almshouses.
The rest, under a Scheme of 1974 which combined the management of Careway's and
Bishop's charities, (fn. 55) was given for various
charitable purposes or in the 1980s partly
accumulated. (fn. 56)
The vicar, Geoffrey Bishop, (fn. 57) gave 63 a. of
arable in 1474 to discharge, after supporting his
obit, Peter's Pence and Ely farthings on behalf
of All Saints parish. Any surplus arising was to
pay 'great rates' for its poor inhabitants, defined
by a Decree of 1689 as those occupying houses
worth under £3 yearly. At inclosure 83 a., later
Bishop's Charity farm, was allotted for the
arable. Its rent rose from £15-22 in the 18th
century to £155 c. 1855-6, reduced after 1909
to £83. The income from the stock acquired in
1953-5 from the sale of the farm and of four
cottages rebuilt by the vicar in 1871 produced
by 1970 over £300 yearly.
In the early 18th century some money still
went to pay rates for the poor, but distribution
of the surplus in bread at Christmas and Easter,
customary by 1699, absorbed over half the
income in the 18th century, most of it by the
early 19th. The bread was given at church after
service to all settled poor inhabitants of All
Saints. In 1860 630 people shared 6,250 loaves.
From 1941 (fn. 58) Bishop's charity was restricted to
c. 125 pensioners, who received grocery vouchers. After 1970 the income was applied like
Careway's.
By the 1720s a row of eleven cottages,
described by 1800 as almshouses, (fn. 59) perhaps the
Town houses named in 1666, (fn. 60) stood along the
north side of the churchyard. They were controlled by the parish officers, who chose their
inmates, but, unendowed and infrequently
repaired, they were almost uninhabitable by
1860, though still occupied by 15-18 paupers. (fn. 61)
They were pulled down and eight new tworoomed brick dwellings were built in 1864 on
a site across the road provided by C. W.
Townley. (fn. 62) Under rules of 1905, confirmed
under a Scheme of 1960, places were reserved
for poor people, old or sick and of good character, who had dwelt in Fulbourn for two years.
H. F. Chaplin of the Bury, Fulbourn, by will
proved 1931, left £1,000 to be invested to repair
the almshouses and to provide pocket money for
their occupants. (fn. 63)
William Farmer of Fulbourn (fn. 64) by will of 1712
directed that, after his widow died, his estate
there and elsewhere be sold and the proceeds
invested in land to pay doles each Sunday to
those poor of All Saints parish who were 'constant' churchgoers. In 1746 £543 were used to
buy 65 a. at Brinkley, for which 41½ a. there
were allotted in 1816. It was sold in the 1950s.
It had yielded £24 yearly in the 18th century
and £55 c. 1835-60, but only £40 in the early
20th. After 1960 investments produced £130
yearly. From 1750 the income was given as
required in 6d. weekly doles after services to
10-20 people. By the 1820s imborsation had
been introduced to induce regular attendance
among those on a set list. (fn. 65) From c. 1860 vouchers, redeemable quarterly, were instead issued
to 40 people out of those named on the list which
included 110-125 people in the 1840s, 145-160
by the 1860s, but only c. 50 by 1920 and 25 in
the 1940s. Although distribution nominally
continued until c. 1970, the income was partly
by the 1880s and wholly from c. 1980 devoted
to church expenses. (fn. 66)
Thomas Oslar by will of 1722 left £12 to buy
land to endow an annual dole to poor widows of
St. Vigor's parish. The 'Widows' Acre' bought
in 1751 yielded 10s. c. 1780 and £2 in 1837, paid
c. 1780-1840 to 6-10 widows, The income was
still given as directed c. 1990. (fn. 67)
Ellen, widow of William Weston of Fulbourn
(d. 1900), gave in 1901, for the poor of St.
Vigor's, twelve cottages whose rents, £60-80,
were distributed by voucher in the 1910s,
as was the income, £22-32, from the proceeds
of their sale in 1921-2 under a Scheme of
1918. In the 1960s there were up to 20 beneficiaries. (fn. 68)