MUNICIPAL CHARITIES
Most of the endowed charities established in Leicester between the Reformation and the Municipal
Corporations Act of 1835 were vested in the corporation as trustee. The lands bought with the money
left by the founders of charities were always regarded as corporation property and the money for
the payment of the charities came out of the general
funds of the corporation. (fn. 1) The corporation seems in
general to have administered its charities very conscientiously. At the beginning of the 19th century
charges of corruption were brought against the unreformed corporation, especially with regard to the
large loan charities and the patronage which it exercised in the right of appointments to vacancies in the
hospitals for the elderly. (fn. 2) In 1826 Robert Cave denounced in detail the corporation's administration of
the White and Newton charities in the House of
Commons. (fn. 3) These charges were not unfounded and
the singular care which the corporation took of its
charity funds was not unconnected with their political potentialities. The very large sums of money
which came from the loan charities made them a
formidable weapon of patronage, and the money
was said to go to the rich supporters of the corporation rather than to the poor artisans for whom it was
intended. (fn. 4)
Not quite all the corporation's care of its charities
can be put down to the desire for political patronage.
There was a genuine feeling in 1835 that it was
morally indefensible to contemplate placing the control of primarily Anglican charities, like Alderman
Newton's charities, in the hands of men whose religious ideas would be at variance with those of the
founder. (fn. 5) By the Municipal Corporations Act of
1835 two bodies of charity trustees were established
in Leicester, the Trustees of the Church Charities,
to deal with the Anglican charities, and the Trustees
of the General Charities, to manage most of the rest. (fn. 6)
In 1837 the Charity Commissioners made their report
on the charities of the borough and county of Leicester. (fn. 7) The report describes the situation as it was
before the passing of the Municipal Corporations
Act, as it was begun in 1836, only seven months
after the dissolution of the old corporation and before the new trustees had taken office. It shows that
with one or two exceptions, Leicester's charities were
well and fairly administered and that there were in
fact no glaring misappropriations of funds or defiance
of the intentions of the founders of particular
charities.
In 1955 most of the old charities were distributed
by the Trustees of the Leicester General Charities,
who were appointed by the Charity Commissioners,
and in whom the legal estate of some charities was
vested by the Charitable Trusts Act of 1853, confirmed by the Municipal Corporations Act of 1882. (fn. 8)
The corporation still paid a considerable proportion
of the charity money. The Church Charity Trustees
were responsible for Tamworth's Gift, Thomas
Hayne's Charity, and Hickling's Charity, and for
St. John's Hospital.
This article is confined to charities in existence
before 1836 which are or were vested in the corporation. The charities of the ancient parishes are
dealt with elsewhere. (fn. 9) There are in Leicester charities of various kinds of more recent foundation
which are not mentioned here.
Corporation Charities
Before 1628 a Mr. Bennett of London gave £10
to the corporation for the use of the poor. In 1635–6
John Ward of Coventry gave a similar sum. These
two donations have been managed together for many
years and in 1837 were regarded as part of the Wood
and Coal Money. (fn. 10) In 1955 £1 was paid by the
corporation to the Trustees of the Leicester General
Charities. (fn. 11)
Alderman Thomas Blunt by will dated 1664
left a rent-charge from three houses and a close in
Leicester to be distributed by the corporation in the
following way: for shoes for Trinity Hospital, St.
John's Hospital, and selected poor persons, £6 10s.,
with 10s. to be spent at their distribution; to the
mayor for gloves, 5s.; town clerk and mace-bearer,
each 2s. 6d.; town crier and beadle, each 6d.; four
borough servants, each 1s.; poor persons in the
Spital, 2s.; Vicar of St. Margaret's, £1; clerk of St.
Margaret's, 5s.; poor of Walton on the Wolds, 18s.
By 1837 the money for shoes was given solely to
Trinity Hospital. (fn. 12) The other payments were still
made in 1955 according to the terms of the bequest.
The corporation then made no payment to the town
crier or beadle, there being no such officers in the
town; the four town servants chosen were usually
the Town Hall porters. The 2s. for the Spital was
paid to St. Margaret's parish for the former Cock
Muck Hill Houses. (fn. 13) The sum of £4 was still paid
from 38–40 Gallowtree Gate, formerly the Crane
Inn, and £2 from 79 Belgrave Gate, which belonged
to the corporation. (fn. 14)
The sums forming the charity known as Sir William Courteen's Gift are three separate donations, one
by Courteen, one by the 'Gentlemen of the Lottery', (fn. 15)
and the third by a donor named Evington or Elkington. The donations seem to have been made about
1617, and the money was vested in the corporation
for the use of the poor. In 1625 the corporation purchased Freak's Ground and undertook to pay
£4 16s. from it yearly to the poor. In 1837 the
charity was distributed in the form of bread. (fn. 16) In
1955 the corporation distributed money to the parishes of the old borough in the following proportions:
St. Margaret's, St. Martin's, and St. Mary's, each
£1 1s. 4d.; All Saints', 18s. 8d., and St. Nicholas's,
13s. 4d. (fn. 17)
William Cavendish, later Earl of Devonshire, gave
£100 to the corporation before 1615 for the distribution
of £6 yearly among 20 poor freemen for the purchase
of coal. In 1837 this was dispensed as part of the
Wood and Coal Money. (fn. 18) In 1955 the corporation
was paying £6 yearly to the Trustees of the Leicester
General Charities, who distributed it to 20 freemen. (fn. 19)
Shortly before 1629 Margaret Hobbie left at her
death two tenements in Southgate Street out of
which small sums were to be paid by the corporation
to the Free Grammar School (12s.), the poor of
Leicester (1s.), Trinity Hospital (2s. 6d.), Wyggeston's Hospital (2s.), St. John's Hospital (6d.),
and St. Martin's and St. Mary's parishes (4s. divided
between them). (fn. 20) The payments to the grammar
school, St. John's, and the poor were no longer made
in 1955, but the rest were continued. (fn. 21)
William Ive by deed dated 1638 granted lands to
the corporation charged with yearly payments of
£5 12s. to Trinity Hospital, another £1 (the gift of
his wife, Jane Ive) to the same hospital, 8s. to Wyggeston's Hospital, £4 for the purchase of gowns
for eight poor widows, and £4 for bread for the poor
of Leicester. (fn. 22) The payments to Trinity Hospital and
Wyggeston's Hospital were made in 1955 by the
corporation, which also distributed the £4 for bread
among the parishes of St. Margaret, St. Martin, and
St. Mary (£1 each), All Saints (12s.), and St.
Nicholas (8s.). (fn. 23) The corporation paid £4. to the
Trustees of the Leicester General Charities. (fn. 24)
William Moreton by will dated 1620 gave to the
corporation a yearly rent of £3 for the purchase of
fuel for St. John's Hospital and for seven poor freemen of Leicester. In 1837 this was regarded as being
part of the Wood and Coal Money. (fn. 25) In 1955 the
corporation was paying 18s. to the hospital and £2 2s.
to the Trustees of the Leicester General Charities,
who distributed it to seven freemen. (fn. 26)
Elizabeth Ossiter by will dated 1634 gave £100 to
the corporation for the distribution of £6 yearly to
twenty poor householders of Leicester for coal. In
1837 this charity was regarded as part of the Wood
and Coal Money. (fn. 27) In 1955 the corporation was paying £6 to the Trustees of the Leicester General
Charities. (fn. 28)
At an unknown date John Stanley granted £80 to
the corporation for the payment of certain sums as
charities. In 1837 the corporation paid £1 10s. to
the Vicar of St. Martin's, £1 to the headmaster of the
Free Grammar School, 13s. 4d. and 6s. 8d. to the
head and under ushers of the school respectively,
and 10s. to ten poor women. (fn. 29) In 1955 the corporation was paying £1 10s. to the Vicar of St. Martin's
and 10s. to the Trustees of the Leicester General
Charities. (fn. 30)
In 1955 Leicester Corporation also paid £8 yearly
from Thomas Ludlam's Charity to the Trustees of
the Leicester General Charities. (fn. 31) Andrew's Loan
Charity (will dated 1636), Nurse's Charity (c. 1644),
and the money known as the Benevolence Money
(c. 1649) were apparently lost very soon after they
were first mentioned in the borough records in the
17th century. The incomes may have been combined with those of other charities. (fn. 32)
Leicester General Charities
Anthony Acham by will proved 1641 left a yearly
rent-charge of £9 from the manor of Asterby (Lincs.)
to be distributed in the form of bread to the poor of
Leicester. In 1837 this sum was paid to a baker for
bread for the parishes of St. Martin, St. Margaret,
St. Mary, All Saints, and St. Nicholas. (fn. 33) In 1955 the
charity was administered by the Trustees, who received the annuity from Wroxham Estates Ltd.
Bread was distributed by the Trustees to persons
recommended to them. (fn. 34)
At an unknown date Hugh Botham left an annuity
of £2 payable out of a house in Loseby Lane for
distribution to the poor of St. Martin's, St. Margaret's, and St. Mary's. In 1837 the payment was
still made from a house. (fn. 35) In 1955 the charity was
managed by the Trustees, who held stock producing
an income of £2. (fn. 36)
Catherine Brown by will dated 1731 left a house in
St. Margaret's parish to provide an income to be
distributed to three poor women, relatives of her
parents in the first instance. If these failed, the
mayor, who was to receive a guinea a year for his
trouble, was to choose suitable recipients. In 1837
the house, with two others built in the garden, was
being let for £20. (fn. 37) The Trustees held in 1955 stock
yielding an income of £49, which was then being
distributed between two relatives of Catherine
Brown and a third recipient. (fn. 38)
About 1627 Charles I granted 40 acres of land in
Leicester Forest, the revenue from which was to be
used to buy fuel for the poor of Leicester. In 1837
this was regarded as part of the Wood and Coal
Money. (fn. 39) In 1955 it was administered by the Trustees, who held stock in its name and distributed the
income to applicants who must be freemen or freemen's widows. (fn. 40)
The origin of the charity known as the Coal
Money is unknown. From the end of the 16th century the corporation was in the habit of arranging for
the distribution of cheap coal to the poor of the
borough once a week for about six weeks in the
winter. Various small sums and the surplus from
other charities were used for this purpose. (fn. 41) The
charity was in 1956 administered under an order of
the Charity Commissioners of 1864. (fn. 42) In 1955 the
Trustees held stock producing an income of
£1 2s. 8d. This charity is not technically regarded
as one of the General Municipal Charities. (fn. 43)
In or shortly before 1623 Elizabeth, Countess of
Devonshire, gave £50 for the purchase of land to
yield an income of £3. This was to be distributed in
the proportion of one-third to St. Leonard's parish,
and two-thirds to the other borough parishes. The
property purchased lay in All Saints' parish near the
former church of St. Michael. In 1837 the corporation was drawing more than £3 in rents and distributing only £3. The Charity Commissioners advised
the selling of the property for building purposes. (fn. 44)
By 1877 the income had increased to £35. (fn. 45) In 1955
the Trustees held stock producing an income of
nearly £60. (fn. 46)
The Educational Charity was formed in 1900 from
two former charities. Thomas Ludlam by will dated
1742 gave £200 to the corporation, the interest from
which was to be used to apprentice a freeman's son
each year. The sum had not been paid by the corporation for some years in 1837. (fn. 47) The origin of the
other charity, the Lottery Money, is not known, but
it first appears in the accounts of the corporation in
1701, and consisted of a yearly payment of £5 for
apprenticing a boy. (fn. 48) In 1900 these two charities
were amalgamated to form the Educational Charity,
the income of which was to be used for the payment
of the fees of poor boys at the Leicester Colleges of
Art and Technology, or in giving prizes there. (fn. 49) The
charity was under the management of the Trustees,
who in 1949 delegated the application of the income
to the committee of the colleges. In 1956 stock was
held by the Trustees for the Lottery Money; Ludlam's
Gift was paid each year by the corporation. (fn. 50)
Richard Elkington by will dated 1607 left £100 to
the corporation to be lent in sums of £10 at 5 per
cent. interest to poor workmen in St. Martin's
parish, Leicester, and in Lutterworth. The interest
from the loans was used to give certain small sums
to corporation officials for dispensing the charity and
to distribute to the poor in St. Martin's parish and
in Lutterworth. This charity was in a chaotic condition in 1837. (fn. 51) In 1840 it was regulated by an order
in Chancery. The Trustees were in 1955 dealing
with that part of the charity which concerned Leicester and held stock to produce an income of
£28 6s. 8d. yearly. The interest was to be given to
the Vicar and Churchwardens of St. Martin's parish
for distribution among the poor of the parish, and
the principal was to be available for loans. (fn. 52)
Robert Heyrick at his death in 1618 left a rentcharge of £5 on his house in Leicester Market Place
to be used by the corporation to buy bread for the
poor. (fn. 53) The rent was paid in 1955 to the Trustees
from 48 Market Place, and was distributed to the
vicars and churchwardens of the parishes of St.
Margaret, St. Martin, St. Mary, All Saints, St.
Nicholas, and St. Leonard in equal portions. (fn. 54)
Robert Heyrick also left a sum of £2 to be paid
annually from Grey Friars for distribution to 40
poor widows, 20 from St. Martin's parish and 20 to
be chosen at the discretion of the mayor. (fn. 55) The
trustees in 1955 held stock producing an income of
£2 which was distributed at Christmas to the first
40 applicants. (fn. 56)
John Norrice in 1619 granted an annuity of £10
from lands at Willoughby Waterless to the corporation. Of this sum £5 was to be given to the
Vicar of St. Nicholas's Church, and the other £5 to
be divided between Trinity Hospital and the poor of
the borough. In 1837 the charity was not being correctly managed: if distributed at all, it was not
usually given in the right proportions, for it was
often simply divided between the parishes and
Trinity and St. John's hospitals. (fn. 57) In 1877 the income had increased, and £10 was given to the vicar
and the rest divided in the proportion of one to two
between Trinity Hospital and the poor. (fn. 58) The income, which is obtained from stock, was in 1955
divisible under an order of the Charity Commissioners of 1929 by the Trustees in the proportion of
one-half to the Vicar of St. Nicholas's, one-sixth to
the hospital, and one-third by the decision of the
Trustees to poor persons of the borough. (fn. 59)
John Parker by will dated 1639 bequeathed £50
to the corporation for interest-free loans to poor
knitters, weavers, and lace-makers, or to other
artisans. (fn. 60) This has for long been administered with
the sum of £3 6s. 8d. bequeathed for loans by Robert
Heyrick in 1618. (fn. 61) This sum was in 1955 still paid
from the Spital House Close in Belgrave Gate. Stock
in the name of Parker's Charity was then held by the
Trustees, who arranged loans of the interest, half
for poor burgesses of Leicester and half for poor
artisans. (fn. 62)
John Poultney at his death in 1637 left £10 yearly
charged upon the manor of Cotes-de-val to be distributed by the corporation among the parishes of Leicester. (fn. 63) In 1955 this charity was administered by the
Trustees. The rent-charge was paid out of the manor
until 1944 when it was redeemed for a lump sum,
which was invested. (fn. 64)
Sir Thomas White's Charity is vested in the corporation of Coventry, but the borough of Leicester
is entitled every five years to the net rentals of the
properties named in the foundation deed of 1551. (fn. 65)
The practice in 1837 was to lend sums of £100 to
freemen, free of interest, for nine years. The charity
was a valuable form of patronage in the hands of the
old corporation, and the town clerk, Thomas Burbidge, was held responsible after 1836 for nearly
£5,000 of the charity's money. The Charity Commissioners recommended that the whole charity
should be put into Chancery. (fn. 66) In 1850 the Charity
Commissioners issued a new scheme under which the
charity was still administered in 1955, with modifications made at various times. (fn. 67) The Leicester funds
of Sir Thomas White's Charity were managed by
the Trustees of the Leicester General Charities.
The funds of the charity in Leicester were lent free
of charge in sums of £50, £100, or £200, free
of interest for nine years, to men between the
ages of 21 and 35 upon the production of adequate
sureties and reasons for the loan. (fn. 68)
Leicester Church Charities
Thomas Hayne of London by will dated 1640 left
money for the purchase of lands by the corporation
for the payment of the following sums: £6 to a
schoolmaster to teach ten poor children in Thrussington; £6 to two scholars at Lincoln College,
Oxford, founder's kin in the first instance, but in
default chosen from the free grammar schools of
Leicester or Melton Mowbray; 20s. for the purchase
of three Bibles yearly, to be given in Leicester two
years, and in Thrussington one year; and 20s. for a
preacher in Leicester to preach a sermon on the
Sunday next to Armada Day. The remainder of the
charity money to be given to the poor of Leicester
at the discretion of the mayor and corporation.
In 1837 the charity was well regulated, although
there were some surplus funds, partly owing to the
fact that the bequest to the Lincoln College scholars
had not been claimed for some years. (fn. 69) In 1890 that
part of Hayne's bequest which referred to the school
was transferred to the new Wyggeston School. (fn. 70) In
1955 the total disposable income of the charity was
£58, which was divided in the proportions of 6/24 each
to Thrussington school and to the Leicester Education Committee; 1/24 was used for the purchase of
Bibles, and 1/24 was paid to the vicar of a Leicester
parish for the sermon. The remaining 10/24 was distributed to poor persons in three Leicester parishes
chosen by the Trustees. (fn. 71)
The Trustees of the Church Charities were also
made responsible for the payment of the bequest
known as Tamworth's Prayers to the Vicar of St.
Martin's Church. (fn. 72) The Trustees hold stock, the
whole income from which is given to the vicar. (fn. 73)
The Trustees administer Alderman Gabriel Newton's Charity. (fn. 74) Of the funds which are available for
Leicester from the charity, the first £80 are paid to
the Alderman Newton Schools for religious education, and the remainder is divided in the proportions
of two-thirds to the Education Committee, and onethird for the assistance of scholars at the schools. (fn. 75)
Alderman Thomas Read by will dated 1821 bequeathed £200 to the corporation, the interest to be
paid to any pupil of the Alderman Newton School
who had served a satisfactory apprenticeship. (fn. 76)
Alderman Read's Charity is now (1955) amalgamated
with Alderman Newton's. (fn. 77)