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CHAPTER VIII.
Parish Finance and Charities.
EXTRACTS FROM THE CHURCHWARDENS’
ACCOUNTS.
The oldest accounts existing are those for the year 1791. No item of unusual interest is found in that year, unless it is this, “Mr W Bans for Hearse cloth £3. 13. 0.” The usual charges are there for bread and wine for the Holy Communion “The Sacriment,” for washing the minister’s surplice, and for parchment for church registers. William Burton is paid £1 for ringing the bell, and 1/- for oiling the clock. There is an absence of charges for fuel and light.
| £ | s. | d. | ||
| In 1794 | Paid Wm Burton for Church Clock and Bell | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1795 | Do. do. Cleaning Clock ... | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| " | Do. do. “ for Writeing Regeister ” ... | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1801 | Paid for a new Surpplass (surplice) and making ... | 2 | 6 | 6 |
| 1804 | " William Annabell’s bill on acct of the Church roof etc ... | 148 | 3 | 6½ |
| " Richard Crane's bill ... | 33 | 4 | 8 | |
| 1806 | " Expenses of Young people at Loughborogh at the Confirmation... | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| " | " Mr Winfields bill for writing the account of the Doles in the Church | 0 | 11 | 9 |
| 1811 | " Mrs Gamble for New Weathercock weight 7½ lbs. | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| " | " Mr West, Gilding and painting Do | 0 | 15 | 0 |
| " | " for Stone Ball and Neck for Steeple | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| " | " Wm Ristes bill for pointing and repairing the Tower and Steeple | 21 | 17 | 8 |
| " | " Jno Hardy’s bill for Ale for Workmen | 1 | 5 | 7½ |
| " | " Jno Guttridges bill for do | 0 | 18 | 0 |
| 1828 | " for Coals1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1829 | A Ton of Coals and Carriage | 1 | 0 | 0 |
EXTRACTS FROM THE PARISH
CONSTABLE’S ACCOUNTS.
The Parish Constable’s accounts exist from 1791. There are a few interesting entries. Ale seems to be paid for on every or any pretext.
|
|
£ |
s. |
d. |
| 1791 | Paid Wm Smith for 2 Hedge hogs | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Gave to 3 Irishmen | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| For Carrying 1 of them to Kegworth | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| Nov 5th “paid for Ale Gunpowder plott” | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
| paid for Ointment for Sarah Hopewell’s mouth | 0 | 1 | 6 | |
| paid for Letters about Roman Catholicks | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| paid Charles Cross for the Poor | 80 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1792 | paid for Six Dozen Sparrows | 0 | 1 | 6 |
| paid Charles Cross, Mole Catcher | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
| paid Charles* House rent | 1 | 5 | 0 | |
| recd Mr Meynels yearly payment for the Fox Cover | 21 | 0 | 0 | |
| recd Mr Saviles payment (Ling’s Cover) | 15 | 15 | 0 | |
| recd of Lord Steer’s man for exercising horses in the lings | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
| paid Edwd Smith for Nogging Cows | 0 | 16 | 0 | |
| paid to 4 Scotch men | 0 | 0 | 6 | |
| paid when the Cows come over ye water | 0 | 10 | 0 | |
| paid Spencers Dole (Decr 21st) | 0 | 6 | 0 | |
| 1793 | (March) paid Rights (Wright’s) dowl (dole) | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| paid for ale when doing the bells | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| paid Thos. C. Angrave for two days Work with Common plough | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
| paid for swearing two pinders | 0 | 2 | 6 | |
| paid John Buxton for work at Castle Chimney | 0 | 0 | 8 | |
| 1795 | paid for a letter from London | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| 1796 | paid the Militia man | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1797 | paid for Ribons for Cockcades | 0 | 5 | 2 |
| paid Wm Kirk for ale & Bread chees when Shipwash was stop’d | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
| paid Wm Bently for Castle Chymneys | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
| For 27 Score of Thatch for Castle at 2/6 per Score | 3 | 7 | 6 | |
| paid John Guttridge for the Stocks | 1 | 14 | 6 | |
| 1798 | paid to John Dugmore his Bill for Castle Windows | 0 | 8 | 5½ |
| 1802 | paid to Nottm General Osp1 (Hospital) | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| 1816 | Repairing Castle Chamber | 1 | 14 | 6 |
| 1820 | Paid for spinning | 1 | 11 | 6 |
| (A prior entry, Received for Linen Yarn £3 0 0) | ||||
| 1824 | Dole and other Bread | 0 | 15 | 0 |
| 1829 | Dole and other bread to the poor | 1 | 12 | 0 |
| 1830 | For cotton and Angola and stockings making | 12 | 17 | 8½ |
| For a Sedan Chair for Mr Stokes | 0 | 5 | 0 | |
| 1832 | Paid for a Survey and Plan of the Lordship | 68 | 0 | 0 |
| 1834 | Paid the Ratcatcher | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 1835 | Paid for Sparrows | 6 | 11 | 0½ |
“Memorandum of Good Received by Charles Cross from Richard Garner the 5th day of May 1794—that are Parish or Work House Furniture—are as follows
| Eight Blankets | One frying Pan |
| Three flock Beds | One Round table |
| Three Bedsteads | One Lining Wheel |
| Two Boulsters | One Small Brass Pan |
| One Pillow | One Small Iron pott” |
| Three Bedmatts | |
| One Pillow Case |
Under the date 1807 we have the following balance sheet of the expenses of hiring two Militiamen at East Leake:—
| Paid for the two men | 52 | 10 | 0 |
| Swearing in the two men | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Total expenditure | 53 | 11 | 0 |
| Reduced by subscriptions | 29 | 14 | 5 |
| Reduced by subscriptions at Gotham | 12 | 5 | 0 |
| 41 | 19 | 5 | |
| Sum paid by the parish | 11 | 11 | 7 |
In the parish chest there is a “Servants Register for the Parish of East Leake” for 1818 to 1833. Each servant is registered as being hired for fifty-one weeks. This was not so much for the purpose of giving the servants a week’s holiday as to prevent them from getting a status as parishioners, and consequently chargeable on the poor-rate.
The same care explains the following document concerning apprentices:—
“At a Vestry Meeting held at E. Leake the 7th day of April 1826 the following Agreement was made & Signed by the Principal Inhabitants of the Parish of E. Leake
That if any person or persons in Trade whether Blacksmith Wheelwright Joiner Tailor Cordwainer Collar Maker or any other Occupation whatever take an Apprentice or Apprentices without the Consent or Approbation of a Majority of the Persons whose names are hereunto subscribed, We the undersigned will not employ such Tradesman or Tradesmen in any manner whatever
And that if any of us the Undersigned employ such Tradesmen as shall take an Apprentice or Apprentices contrary to this Agreement, We the undersigned do hereby agree to forfeit the sum of Ten pounds to be applied as we the undersigned shall think proper at the time such forfeiture is made. Witness our hands this 7th day of April 1826
| John Burrows | Wm Angrave | Wm Nixon |
| Thos C. Angrave | Ed. Burrows | John Wootton |
| Wm Kirk | John Oldershaw | John Marshall” |
CHARITIES.
In the Abstract of Charities 1786-8 the following are enumerated as belonging to East Leake:—
1. Donor unknown. Land given to Poor. Vested now in Will. Mercer, John Hardy, Dan: Woodroffe, Thos. Wootton, Thos Bosworth, Thos. Burrows, and John Angrave.
Clear annual produce, £10.
- John Bley, 1730, left by will, land to endow a School.
Vested now in same as last (1) except Thos. Burrows for Thos. Bosworth. Clear annual value £20.
- John Rite (? Wright), 1681, gave unknown) £5 for bread to Poor. Vested in Overseers. Annual value, 5/-.
- Thomas Spence (? Spencer), 1686, gave (unknown how) £6 for bread to Poor. Not stated in whom vested. Annual value, 6/-.
If the charity No. 1 exists, it is to be identified with the Town Land. No. 2 was sold to build the Board School, a small balance remaining was invested in the Funds. Charities Nos. 3 and 4 are lost. They were lost in the following way: The Overseers placed the capital sum of £11 in the hands of a supposed substantial person. This man failed, and the charities were lost.2 The Parish Accounts for 1791 and onwards to 1823 have the entries of 11/- for Dole Bread. In 1824 the entry is, “Dole and other Bread 15/-” In 1829— the last entry of the Doles—it is “Dole and other bread to the poor £1. 12. 0.”
An item for writing the account of these Doles upon the Church wall appears in the Churchwardens’ accounts for the year 1806. Tradition locates this writing on the West end of the North wall of the nave.
A Modern Charity.—Mary Attenborough,3 widow of Richard Attenborough, bequeathed, by will, dated January 10th, 1854, the sum of one hundred pounds, £10 to be distributed along with the interest on the 26th December next after her death, and upon each subsequent December 26th, until the £100 with its interest was expended “unto and amongst such of the Poor of the Parish of East Leake otherwise Great Leake,” in such manner as her trustees or executors should think fit. The same testator bequeathed £100 to “the Rector for the time being of the Parish of East Leake . . upon trust to lay out and invest the same at interest in . . any .... Parliamentary Stocks or Funds of Great Britain in his name and to receive and take the interest . . . and apply so much . . as shall from time to time be sufficient . . . for maintaining . . . and keeping in good repair . . . the Vault with the Monument and palisadings erected to the memory of her father and husband . . .”
In case the Rector is of opinion that the money is not all required for these repairs, he is given discretionary power “to distribute such overplus . . amongst such poor persons residing in the Parish of East Leake” as he shall think most proper.
SCHOOLS AND SCHOOLMASTERS.
THE BLEY ENDOWED FREE SCHOOL.The first School of which there is any record was erected and endowed by Mr. John Bley, in 1724. It occupied the site of the front playground of the present School. Some of the masters connected with that School were—
Patrick James.
Wm Lester.
Richard Hawley, for 48 years schoolmaster, died in 1867.
Joseph Taverner.
This School was carried on until 1874. On April 28th in that year the East Leake School Board was created.
Schoolmasters under the School Board.
W. Shannon, 1875-1877, in the old building.
W. H. Richardson, 1877-1884, in the new building.
W. H. Waddington, 1885-1889.
R. B. Hancock, 1890-1896.
R. Humphreys, 1896 (June)
(1) First entry for fuel.
(2) Mr. Richard Hawley related this to Mr. John Oldershaw, who informed the writer.
(3) Died June 5th, 1855.