Notes on the Parish of Arksey, Part 10

Notes on the Parish of Arksey, by A E Trout 1913

The Transcriptions - Part Ten

Concluding the transcription of a note book written by Archie Ernest Trout in 1913 and discovered in Arksey Vicarage. It is copied just as Archie wrote it. Presented in ten parts, this is part ten.

For part nine go to - Notes on the Parish of Arksey - Part 9

For an introduction to this series go to - Exciting Find at the Vicarage.

Contents

• Almshouses and Other Charities
• The School
• Hall's Charity
• Dole Charities
• Indentures and Other Parish Papers
• Miscellaneous Notes
• Notes and Link

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Pages 47, 48, 49

Almshouses and Other Charities

There are several charities in connection with the parish, one of these is recorded on a tablet in the church as follows:-

'George Radley of Gainsborough, Gent. paid into Doncaster Savings Bank April 24, 1824, benefaction of £20 to the Churchwardens and overseers of the poor of Bentley with Arksey, in trust for them and their successors for ever, the interest arising there from to buy bread, to be distributed annually to the worst neccessitous widows and widowers of the said parish, on the Sunday nearest to St Thomas's Day. In Commemoration of his only child, Elizabeth Foster, who died at Lingodel, Dec 12 1811, and was buried at the west end of this church.'

Thomas Hall, Halvil, and John Lilleyman, Arksey, Churchwardens in 1826.

A full report of the charities of the parish of Arksey with Bentley will be found in vol 1 'Endowed charities of West Riding, Yorks' (parliament papers), and the report of the charity commissioners dated 17th July 1827 (appointed and extended Geo III & IV) is briefly as follows:-

'By will dated 3/1/1660 Bryan Cooke Esq (afterward Sir Bryan Cooke, Baronet*) devised the Rectory and Parsonage of Arksey with glebe lands, tithes and other profits (except the advowson) upon trust to Sir Godfrey Copley, William Adams, Thomas Yarborough, William Mellish, esquires, and Henry Cooke, gentleman, their heirs and assigns, that the vicar of Arksey and his successors should have paid to them out of the said rectory etc, so much yearly as should make his stipend (then 19 marks per annum) £100 and also with three score pounds more of the rents and profits of the premises to build an hospital or almshouses in Arksey, for the inhabitation of 12 of the poorest and ancient people of Arksey, and that the 12 should have yearly paid to them £5 a piece for their yearly relief and maintainance in the hospital, and he further willed that out of the said rents, profits etc £40 yearly should be paid to a schoolmaster to keep school at Arksey for the better breeding and education of youths at Arksey, in learning and literature, and he desired the trustees to see the premises settled according to his instructions.'

Various other deeds have, from time to time been executed relating to these charities.

30/0d was to be expended for the entertainment etc at the yearly meeting, of those concerned in the management of the charity.

An almshouse was erected in pursuance of the directions of the will, and has been and continues to be, occupied by 12 persons chosen from the poorest of Arksey.

The almshouse is kept in repair and the various payments made by the Baronet of Wheatley for the time being.

In addition to the £5 yearly, the 12 people receive in equal shares, rents of an allotment of two acres in Hessecroft Common, which was awarded to the trustees of the almshouses on the enclosure of the commons etc, in the township of Bentley and Arksey, under an act passed 32 George III,

Richard Brewer of Gainsborough, woollen draper.

Court rolls of Epworth 1699, Sep 13. Richard Brewer, late of Gainsborough, is deceased. He founded various charities and gave lands for the augmentation of the almshouses at Arksey near Doncaster.  

(Brewer's Charity, Reliquary vol 23, p175).

Under will 11/11/1687 devised his lands and hereditaments in Bentley, except a close, to Sir Henry Cooke and his heirs upon trust, that he would give the rents and profits thereof, as an augmentation of the gift of Sir Bryan Cooke, amongst the poor widows in the almshouses at Arksey.

Pages 50, 51, 52 & 53

Note: page 50 has been badly damaged by mice and some of the text is missing. I have been able to work out some missing words, and these are bracketed, other missing words are marked ___.

Mouse damaged page.

The School

Sir George Cooke under will 2/7/1683 devised to John Manhood, Bryan Neville and John Ellerker and their heirs upon trust, the land with two cottages and a (house)(in)(Arksey), that the trustees should build there _______ schoolhouse and he gave £200 towards ______ school. A manuscript book in possession (of) the Cookes states the houses were demo(lished) and the school built and finished at a charge of £__.

There is also the stipend of £40 for a schoolmaster before mentioned, and 4 (acres) of land at Arksey awarded to the scho(olmaster).

Hall's Charity

Samuel Hall, by deed 10/1/1677______and conveyed to John Hall, and eleven other trustees incl(cluding) the vicar of Arksey and their heirs, 5 1/2 acres of meadow ground in Bentley Ings, upon (trust) (to) permit the churchwardens and overseers (in) (Bentley cum Arksey and Stockbridge, to (receive) (rents) and profits, upon trust, to give yearly ______ of the most aged poor people ______ yards of kersey or woollen ______ 2/6d per yard for ______ of December ______ the surplus of the rents among 10 aged persons equally to buy them bread.

The whole of the rents except a few shillings yearly is laid out in puchasing cloth for coats, which is divided and given to as many poor persons as the quantitiy of cloth is sufficient for, in order to provide each of them with one coat, each person receiving 4 yards of cloth. 

The number of recipients at this time (1827) was about 18, the method of application being considered more beneficial than tha directed by the donor. It would be more conformable to the desires of the donor, however, to limit the objects of the charity to a smaller number, and give them part of the rents in money.  

Dole Charities

1.

Gift:

Will of Cartwright, alias Vicars, dated 1593 (?1597) 13/4 for a poor person in Arksey. 13/4 for a poor person in Bentley.

Property Charged or Principal Fund:

Land at Scawsby, property of Sir Joseph Copley.

Application:

Paid to poor person of Arksey, and one of Bentley.  

2.

Gift:

Margaret Wormley died in 1631, 40/0d per annum to poor of Arksey.

Property Charged or Principal Fund:

Land at Melton, property of R Fountayne Wilson esq. land at Arksey, let by churchwardens of Conisboro, Ravenfield and Arksey.     

    

Application:

Distributed as a dole among poor persons at Christmas. 

3.

Gift:

George Radley esq. on 24/4/1824 gave £20, the interest to be laid out by churchwardens and overseers in bread for the poor widows and widowers of Bentley with Arksey.

 

Property Charged or Principal Fund:

£20 invested in doncaster Savings Bank at interest of 16/- a year.

Application:

Given in bread as directed by donor, on the Sunday nearest St Thomas's Day.

The charities were again reviewed by commissioners 18/11/1897, see report dated 12/5/1897 by Arthur Cardew, assistant commissioner.

The General digest of the Charities 1873/5 gives present value of same as 254/16/8 divided as follows:

Education £52. Distributed articles in kind £14/12/0d.

Endowments of Clergy etc £87/6/8d.

Almshouses, support their inmates & pensioners £105/14/8d.

(Both of the above) Distributed of money for expenses of trustees £1/10/0d.

The award 26/5/1830 of Joseph Whittaker, commissioner (Enclosure Act) allotted to trustees of almshouses and their successors a piece of land adjoining the school allotment 2/13d in trust for the inmates, the rents etc to be applied to their benefit for ever.

Other allotments were made by the award of 18_ in favour of Brewer's Charity and the school, in place of their lands in the open fields referred to in the report of 1827.

By order 13/1/1874, the rent charges:-  £60 almshouses, £40 schoolmaster and 30/0d trustees expenses also the property mentioned in the schedule thereto were invested in the Official Trustee of Charity Lands (the vicar's money being excepted).

Mann's Augmentation was a gift of George Mann to increase the 13/4d per annum, given under Cartwright's will (see p51) to £1, but was afterwards reduced  to 19/6d owing to the reduction of Consol's (?) interest.

The hospital (almshouse) is a substantial building of stone with a slate roof, forming 3 sides of a quadrangle, and contains 12 rooms, each about 22ftx18ft. although no quailfication as to sex or condition were prescribed by testator, privilege of election has always been confined to widows.  

Indentures and Other Parish Papers 

Page 54

3/4/1792, John Trout and Daniel Miller (a poor child of Bentley with Arksey).

Miscellaneous Notes

Page 58

Index to Charters and Rolls in British Museum, relating to Arksey.

Grants etc, in 1349, Harl 45 D 17

          ^       in 1359, Harl 50 C 57.

          ^       in 1463, Harl 1/2 B 24.

Grants etc, in Lit Tylse (Parva Tils**, Tilles.

          ^       in 1364, Harl 50 I 35.

          ^       in 1398, Harl 58 A 19.

Fines of the Advowson 1389-90 add 18220-18221.

Rector John Kyrtelynge 1429, Harl 43 H 9  43 I 50.

 

The End   

Notes by A E Trout:

*This is not correct, Burkes Peerage gives Sir George as 1st Baronet. 
** See page 39.

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Notes and Link

The index page, although present and titled, has not been completed.

To see the scans go to - Notes on the Parish of Arksey - Scans

Alison Vainlo 

First written 2013, updated 2020