Title
TRUST DEED: (With accompanying brass label plate)
(1) Jn Costin, Bedford, gent.; Ben King, Bedford, gent.; Rich Leach, Bedford, ironmonger.
(2) Jn Howard, senr., Cardington, esq.; Jn Howard, jnr., Cardington, gent., son of Jn Howard, senr.; Gideon Costin, Bedford, gent.; Wm Belsham, Bedford, brewer; Jn Belsham, Bedford, draper; Thos Askew Leach, Bedford, grocer; Sam Bygrave, Bedford, grocer; Wm Malden, Mogerhanger, yeo.
-- recites indenture of feoffment of 30 Oct 1775 between Jn Mott, Bedford, coalmerchant and (1) in which he sold to them the following:- Ground on which a barn formerly stood but then a garden cont. in length from E to W 35 feet and in breadth from N to S 20 feet, in Mill Lane otherwise School Lane. Abutting E on messuage occ by Mrs Bennett, N on Mill Lane, W on garden formerly belonging to Mrs Ann Belsham, now Bartholomew Hyatt, and S on the garden of the Red Lion Inn. This piece of ground was purchased by Jn Mott of Thos Marlton and was lately in the occ of Edw Chapman.
-- also recites indenture of 7 May 1777 between Ann Belsham, Bedford, wid of Jas Belsham, Bedford, dissenting minister, and also devisee of his will. For £80 she sold to (1) the following:-
Ground in Mill Lane containing in length from N to S on the W side 92 feet and from N to S on the E side 70 feet and in breadth from W to E on the S side 77 feet and from W to E on the N side 56 feet. Bounded by Mill Lane N, by gardens belonging to the Red Lion Inn and Ram Inn S., by gardens belonging to houses occupied by Widow Bennett and Edw Jefferies and a piece of ground lately purchased of Jn Mott, E., and by gardens and a corn barn of Ann Belsham, occupied by JosWhitehouse, Jn Cavit and Jn Allison W.
-- Also refers to brick building, lately erected on the ground and used as a Meeting House for Protestant Dissenters, with the Vestry adjoining "now under the Pastoral care of the Revd Mr Thos Smith".
The Members and Subscribers of the Congregation have chosen (2) and (1) as Trustees, who have applied to John Howard for a mortgage on the premises of £400 at £3% p.a., which is intended to be executed by the Trustees to Sam Whitbread of London, esq.
If any Trustees membership of the Church should lapse they are automatically deprived of their trusteeship.
When the Trustees number falls to five their number to be made up to eleven by new appointments.
Signed by (1) and (2) with the exception of John Howard, jnr.
For many years the above was framed and exposed to the light, as a result of which the bottom nine or ten lines are almost illegible
With John Howard's signature