X1010/10/9

A statement of facts made by Clarke Barber Merry and Charles Dines on the part of 800 inhabitants of the town of Bedford in the matter of the Bedford Charity now before W. Wingfield Esq Master in Chancery laid before the Attorney General for his consideration July 28 1849 with a brief account of the proceedings for a New Act.

1849

From: 1849 To: 1849

Introduction: Account of the proceedings for a new Act of Parliament to support the Bedford Charity in consequence of the represented financial difficulties of the Trustees in 1848. The Bill was read twice in the House of Commons and a Select Committee appointed, when it was found that the consent of the Lord Chancellor was required. There were four hearings concerning the alleged necessity for a new Act; the building of the Grammar School and fixing the amounts of the masters' salaries; the eleemosynary parts of the parts of the Charity to be reduced in proportion to the increased expenditure. The Master in Chancery not having brought his report in time for the Select Committee the Bill was thrown out. The Master in Chancery having delivered his heads of report to the Trustees it was agreed by a majority of 19 to 13 of the Board to take exceptions to the Master's report in respect of the excessive amount of salaries of the masters of the Grammar School therein proposed which would lead to an enormous reduction from the poorer classes of the inhabitants. Some of the inhabitants twice memorialised the Board against it and petitioned both Houses of Parliament and the Lord Chancellor. The petition to the House of Commons was ordered to lie on the table, that to the Lords remains under the care of Lord Brougham and that to the Lord Chancellor was dismissed with costs, being strongly opposed by the Solicitor General as Counsel for the Trustees and other Counsel on the part of New College and the Masters. Statement of Facts: The Attorney General having offered to give his consideration to any Statement of Facts, the following facts and accompanying Scheme were submitted to him. (There follows a detailed account of the petition.) Conclusion: After deliberation the Attorney General delivered his opinion thereon and expressed his disapprobation of the Statement and Scheme and consequently declined to support them The authors conclude "The inhabitants of the Town having ancient vested rights in the distribution of the funds of the Charity, which never were intended by the benevolent Founder to be monopolised by the rich, have been hardly and unfairly dealt with throughout the whole course of these proceedings; but some advantage has been obtained for them by the bill being thrown out last Session, and they are not without hope that a new act, founded on such unjust principles WILL NOT BE PROCEEDED WITH. A sufficient warning has now been given of the evil results to the poor inhabitants of the town by an application for a new act at all, the wolves and vultures being found at the door ready to devour their substance!!!"

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Merry, Clarke Barber,
Dines, Charles

BEDFORD, Bedford Charity