SIR, 5, Sandfield Place, Lewisham. 31st July 1863. REFERRING to the interview which Mr. Legh and I had with you at Leathersellers' Hall on the 25th instant, relating to the Colfe Charities, I beg to inform you that a meeting has been held this evening, when all the parishes but one, interested in the Free Grammar School at this place, were represented by the attendance of one of the churchwardens from each parish, and it was resolved that I should inform you the meeting was adjourned, and request you would be so good to appoint a day to receive a deputation upon the subject, but at the same time to ask that you will not fix such meeting for a month or six weeks, as several of those desirous of attending will be absent from home. DECLARATION of TRUST of ALMSHOUSES and SITE To all to whom these presents shall come or be shown, the wardens and society of the mystery or art of the Leathersellers of the city of London send greeting. Whereas the said wardens and society were in the year one thousand eight hundred and thirty-eight and now are seised to them, their successors and assigns, for an estate in fee simple of a certain piece or parcel of land situate in the parish of South Mimms, in the county of Middlesex, containing one rood and thirty-two perches or thereabouts, formerly part of a field called Butts Field or Bakers Field, and parting the north side of the high road leading from Barnet to Stanmore. And whereas the said wardens and society, being so seised as aforesaid, did, in the year one thousand eight hundred and thirty-eight, build and erect, or cause or procure to be built and erected, on the said piece or parcel of land hereinbefore described, certain messuages and tenements, consisting of six small dwelling-houses, together with walls, gardens, and appurtenances thereunto attached or belonging, which said messuages and tenements are still standing on the said piece or parcel of land or on some part thereof. And whereas the said messuages and tenements so built and erected as aforesaid have long since been finished and put in an habitable condition, and have ever since they were in such condition been occupied by poor persons belonging to the said Society of the Leathersellers of London as almshouses. And it is intended that the said piece or parcel of land in South Mimms aforesaid, and the said messuages and tenements erected thereon, shall be henceforth used and occupied by poor almspeople of the said society in the same manner as the same have heretofore been used and occupied by them. And whereas the expenses incurred in erecting the said messuages and tenements in South Mimms aforesaid, and in fitting the same for almshouses and in maintaining the poor people occupying the said almshouses, amounted in the whole to the sum of 3,2741. 9s. 5d., which was paid by the said wardens and society in manner following, that is to say, the sum of 1,2087., part thereof, with a like sum of 1,2081. presented to the said wardens and society by Richard Thornton, of Old Swan Stairs, Upper Thames Street, in the city of London, esquire, the then master of the Company, for the purpose of in part defraying the expenses of building the said almshouses, and the sum of 2,0667. 9s. 5d., residue thereof, with and out of certain rents and profits which had from time to time, subsequently to the month of August in the year 1819, been received by them the said wardens and society in respect of certain hereditaments and premises purchased in the years 1627 and 1634 respectively, chiefly with monies received under the wills of Ann Elliott, William Moseley, John Sudbury, and James Bunce respectively, whereby certain legacies were bequeathed to the said wardens and society upon trust to invest the same and apply the rents and produce of such investments in such payments to poor alinspeople, and for such other charitable purposes as are in the said wills respectively mentioned. And whereas in the year 1825 his then Majesty's Attorney-General filed an information in the High Court of Chancery against the said wardens and society, praying (amongst other things) that the said wardens and society might be declared to be trustees of the several hereditaments and premises in the said information mentioned (which were the said hereditaments and premises purchased in the years 1627 and 1634 respectively) for the several Charities whose funds were invested in the purchase thereof, and that an account might be taken by and under the direction of the said court of the rents and profits of the same hereditaments and premises received by the said wardens and society, or by their order, or for their use, from such time as the said court should think fit to direct, and of their application thereof, and that the trusts affecting the said hereditaments and premises might be ascertained and declared. And whereas by the decree made on the hearing of the said cause on the 6th day of May, in the year 1830, it was declared that the Charities in the pleadings of the said cause mentioned, founded respectively by Ann Elliott, William Moseley, John Sudbury, and James Bunce, were entitled to such proportion of the said hereditaments and premises purchased as aforesaid as their several and respective funds contributed to the original purchase thereof. And it was thereby referred to the master of the said court, to whom a certain other cause then pending between the same parties stood referred, to settle the proportions in which the said Charities were entitled. And it was ordered that the said master should take an account of the rents and profits of the said estates come to the hands of the said wardens and society, or to the hands of any other person by their order, or for their use, since the 23rd day of August 1819, being six years before the filing of the said information. And it was thereby further ordered that the said master should inquire and state to the court in what manner such rents and profits had been applied since that time. And whereas in pursuance of the said reference and order in the said decree contained the said master proceeded to take the accounts thereby directed, and on the inquiry as to the application of the said rents and profits the said wardens and society claimed to be allowed the said sum of 2,0661. 9s. 5d. so expended by them in the erection and completion of the said almshouses on the said piece or parcel of ground in South Mimms aforesaid, and in maintaining the poor people occupying the said almshouses, but the said attorneygeneral objected to the allowance of the same on the ground that the same was not intended by the said wardens and society as an application of the rents and profits of the said hereditaments and premises purchased in the years 1627 and 1634 respectively, in execution of the trusts in the said several wills contained. And whereas it was subsequently agreed by and between the said AttorneyGeneral and the said wardens and society that the said sum of 2,0661. 9s. 5d. should be admitted in the said account of the application of the said rents and profits by the said wardens and society upon the execution by the said wardens and society of a declaration that the said sum of 2,0661. 9s. 5d. was paid by them as aforesaid with and out of the rents and profits of the said hereditaments and premises, subject to the trusts in the said several wills contained, and that the said piece or parcel of land in the parish of South Mimms aforesaid has been set apart by the said wardens and society as a site for the said messuages and tenements erected thereon as aforesaid, and for the benefit of the poor almspeople of the said society, and that the same, together with the said messuages and tenements thereon erected, is intended henceforth to be used solely for the benefit of such poor almspeople as aforesaid. Now these presents witness that, in pursuance and performance of the said recited agreement, the said wardens and society do hereby acknowledge and declare that the said sum of 2,0661. 9s. 5d. so expended by them in and about the erection and completion of the said messuages and tenements now standing on the said piece or parcel of land in South Mimms aforesaid, and in maintaining the poor people occupying the said almshouses, was paid by them with and out of the rents and profits which have from time to time, subsequently to the month of August in the year 1819, been received by them in respect of the said hereditaments and premises purchased in the years 1627 and 1634 respectively as aforesaid, and was intended by them as an application of the said rents and profits in execution of the trusts for the benefit of the poor almspeople of the said society in the said wills of Ann Elliott, William Moseley, John Sudbury, and James Bunce, or some or one of them respectively contained. Now these presents also witness that, in further pursuance and performance of the said recited agreement, the said wardens and society do hereby further declare that the aforesaid piece or parcel of land has been freely set apart by them as a site for the said messuages and tenements thereon erected as aforesaid, and that the same, together with the said messuages and tenements, with the appurtenances, are intended to be and for ever hereafter shall be held upon trust for and for the sole use and benefit of poor almspeople of the said society of the said mystery or art of the Leathersellers of the city of London. In witness whereof the said society of the mystery or art of Leathersellers of the city of London have caused their common seal to be affixed to these preseents this 22nd day of April, in the year of Our Lord 1846. JOHN (L.S.) VINEY, Master. The corporate seal of the within named wardens and society was affixed to this deed in the presence of Wm. Vines, Leathersellers' Hall, St. Helen's Place, London. In Chancery. Attorney-General v. Leathersellers' Company. This is the document marked with the letter A., referred to in the affidavit of William Vines, sworn before me the 15th day of May 1846. D. DREW. CHARITIES FOR The specific payments for the relief of poor prisoners, formerly made out of the income of the charities of Robert Ferbras, John Scraggs, Edward Taylor, Roger Daniel, Abraham Colfe, and George Humble, have under the authority of an order of the Board, dated 28th May 1878, been redeemed by the transfer into the name of "The Official Trustees of Charitable Funds" of the sum of 1,2177. 15s. 7d. Consols, the dividends of which are now applied in accordance with a scheme for the administration and management of the Prison Charities approved by order of the High Court of Justice (Chancery Division), dated 8th December 1876. The proportions of the Charities of Elizabeth Gravener and Robert Rogers, formerly applicable for the same objects, are likewise included in the same scheme. The following are the material sections of the scheme; namely: 19. The net income of the Charity (including the income of funds now belonging to the Charity which have arisen from past accumulations), after providing for such payments as are herein-before mentioned, shall be employed for the relief of persons who have suffered or who may be suffering from any kind of disease or accident, and who, being in such circumstances as to be proper objects of charity, require the aid of strengthening air and diet, and (in case of need) medicine or sea bathing, to promote their restoration to health. Such income may be so employed in one or both of the following modes (that is to say) : (a.) In making from time to time grants, donations, or subscriptions to or for the benefit of any hospitals, homes, or other institutions now or hereafter to be established for the reception and relief of persons of the class herein before designated as objects of the Charity; and (b.) If the trustees shall at any time so think fit, and the said Charity Commissioners shall sanction the same in providing and maintaining at the sea-side or in other suitable localities one or more establishments of moderate size (of the kind known as "cottage' homes or hospitals) for the support and treatment of دو POOR PRISONERS. persons of the aforesaid class, under such conditions and restrictions, and in such manner, as the trustees shall deem most expedient. 20. The trustees may make any such grants, donations, and subscriptions as aforesaid, either generally, to be applied for the purposes of the respective institutions, or (if they sball so think fit) for any special purposes, or coupled with any special terms or conditions which the trustees may deem proper, and for the benefit of the persons hereinbefore designated as objects of the Charity, and in any case may pay over the money granted to the treasurer or other proper officer of any such institution without being bound to see to the application thereof, and the trustees may from time to time withdraw or vary the conditions of any annual or other grant as they may think fit. 21. For the purpose of providing and maintaining any such establishment as herein-before mentioned under the direction of the trustees, the trustees may, with the sanction of the said Charity Commissioners, from time to time take on lease, or from year to year, or with the like sanction, purchase any suitable buildings or land and premises, and may fit up and furnish, or, if necessary, enlarge the same, and may with such sanction as aforesaid expend any sum or sums which may be required for the purposes aforesaid out of the capital funds of the Charity. The trustees may from time to time make and vary rules and regulations for the management and carrying on of any establishment so provided, and prescribe the conditions of admission, period of stay, and all other matters relative to the reception and treatment of patients, and may appoint or dismiss and pay the requisite medical and other officers, nurses, and servants, and generally manage, and, if they think fit, may at any time discontinue, any such establishment at their discretion. 22. The trustees may, if they shall think fit, temporarily accumulate, from time to time, any portion of the income of the Charity for the purpose of providing for any of the objects contemplated by this scheme, and may afterwards apply the accumulations so made as income of the Charity. |