trustees of the Darlington Grammar School in aid of the funds of the school; the Darlington. Scheme to be reconsidered on a Scheme being framed by the Endowed Schools Bellasses' Commissioners for the Darlington Grammar School.

Charity

The application of the above sum of 50l. per annum is dealt with in clauses 59 and continued. 60 of the Scheme for the Grammar School made under the Endowed Schools Acts on the 31st March 1874. These clauses are set out in full under the head of the Grammar School, page 22 ante.

sioners'

By an Order of the Charity Commissioners, dated 11th December 1874 (and made Charity in pursuance of an application submitted by the committee of management of the CommisCharity and the representatives of the last surviving legal trustee of the Charity estate), Scheme, five individuals were appointed to be the trustees of the Charity, the real estate was 1874. vested in the Official Trustee of Charity Lands, and it was directed by way of Scheme that after providing for the payment of all proper outgoings and charges, including the annual sum of 50l. payable to the governors of Darlington Grammar School in pursuance of the Scheme under the Endowed Schools Acts as above mentioned, the trustees of the Charity might apply the clear residue of the yearly income thereof in creating and establishing scholarships and exhibitions of not more than 201. per annum each, tenable at a college of science or public first-grade school as therein mentioned. The following schedule appended to the Scheme shows the state of the endowments at that date:

A piece of freehold land containing 19A. 3R. 33P., or thereabouts, called or known as "The Poor Howdens," situate at Blackwell, near Darlington, and now let to the Corporation of Darlington and used as a public park.

The sum of 250%, now lent to the Darlington Local Board of Health on mortgage of the Darlington general district rates at interest at the rate of 4 per cent. per annum.

The sum of 1501. now lent to the said Darlington Local Board of Health on mortgage of the gas and water rates and the general improvement rate at interest at the rate of 4 per cent. per annum.

In 1876, the real estate belonging to the Charity was sold under the authority of the Sale of real Charity Commissioners, and the proceeds were invested in Consols in the name of the estate, 1876. Official Trustees of Charitable Funds. Particulars of this transaction may conveniently be given in tabular form, as follows:

The sale was made subject to the condition that the land should be dedicated by the purchasers to the purposes of a public park for the benefit of the inhabitants of Darlington.

By letter dated 18th November 1878, and addressed by the trustees of Bellasses' Charity to the Charity Commissioners, it was stated that during the preceding four years the residue of the income of the Charity had been paid to the governors of the Grammar School, but in consequence of the school having been closed during rebuilding no exhibitions had hitherto been established, and that in the result of a conference which the trustees had held with the governors, it appeared that for some years to come there would probably be no boys in the school sufficiently advanced to compete for the exhibitions contemplated by the Scheme for Bellasses' Charity. In these circumstances it was proposed that the trustees of Bellasses' Charity should be authorised to pay the residue of the income of that Charity during the three ensuing years in aid of the general purposes of the Grammar School. It was added, in support of this proposal, that the number of boys then receiving instruction in the school was as under :Over 8 and under 14 years of age

16 boys
34

Darlington. Bellasses' Charity

continued.

Charity Commissioners' Scheme, 1883.

Charity

Commissioners' Order,

1900.

St. Paul's

Rents.

Accordingly, by Order of the Charity Commissioners, dated 21st February 1879, it was ordered that the trustees of Bellasses' Charity should be at liberty for a period not exceeding three years from the 25th December 1878 to pay the clear residue of the yearly income of the Charity to the governors of the Grammar School, to be applied by them in aid of the funds and for the general purposes of the school.

By a further Order of the Charity Commissioners, dated 13th December 1881, the period limited by the last-mentioned Order was extended for a period of two years from the 25th December 1881.

By Order of the Charity Commissioners, dated 20th December 1883, a Scheme in substitution for the Scheme of 11th December 1874 was established, whereby it was provided that after payment of all proper outgoings and charges, including the annual payment of 507. to the governing body of Darlington Grammar School as above, the trustees might pay the clear residue of the yearly income of the Charity to the said governing body, to the intent that the same should be applied by the said governing body in the manner following, viz. :—

Firstly, in establishing and maintaining an exhibition of not more than 40% per annum, to be called "The Bellasses Exhibition," to be tenable in like manner as the exhibition called or known as "The William Barningham Exhibition," founded by William Barningham by deed dated the 21st day of April 1879 for the general encouragement of learning in the said Darlington Grammar School, is tenable, and subject to the same qualifications, regulations, and conditions as those affecting the last-mentioned exhibition; and

Secondly, as to the balance of the aforesaid clear residue of the said yearly income which shall remain after providing for the maintenance of the aforesaid Bellasses' Exhibition, towards the remission of the tuition fees, except that for Greek, in cases to be determined by the said governors, of six of the scholars at the said Grammar School called "Bellasses' Scholars."

As to the William Barningham Exhibition, see under the head of the Grammar School, page 38, ante.

With reference to the provisions of the trust deed of the William Barningham Exhibition, by an Order of the Charity Commissioners dated 18th January 1889, it was ordered in variation of the foregoing Scheme as follows:

Fifteen years shall be substituted for sixteen years as the age on the 1st July of the year of competition, under which no boy shall be allowed to be a competitor for the Bellasses' Exhibition. The Darlington Corporation mortgage of 4007. (representing the mortgages of 2501. and 1501. mentioned in the schedule to the Charity Commissioners' Scheme of 1874, ante), was repaid in 1896; and under the authority of an Order of the Charity Commissioners dated 14th July 1896, the amount was paid to the Official Trustees of Charitable Funds, and invested by them in the purchase, in their name, of 3697. 1s. 10d. 24 per Cent. Consols.

By Order of the Charity Commissioners dated 27th February 1900, and made upon the application of Mr. C. R. Fry (who died before the completion of the Order) aud Mr. John Manley, the then surviving trustees, Mr. Manley was removed from being a trustee, and the governors for the time being of the Grammar School were appointed to be the trustees of the Charity.

The present endowments of Bellasses' Charity are shown in tabular form in the Schedule of Endowments of the Grammar School (page 26 ante), and the income is brought into the Grammar School account (see page 30 ante).

The total income of Bellasses' Charity is 961. 14s. 8d. Of this amount 50l. is appropriated by clauses 59, 60 of the Grammar School Scheme of 1874, and 401. is applicable under the above Scheme of 1883 in the maintenance of an exhibition. For financial reasons no exhibition was awarded for the year 1900, but it is intended to make the award this year. The last exhibition was held at the University of Cambridge.

As to the contemplated loan from Bellasses' endowment to the Grammar School, see page 27 ante.

As herein-after shown (page 49) it would appear that the two freehold closes in the township of Blackwell, now held by the Poor Stock Charity, comprising 6a. 2r. 16p., and forming part of premises comprising in all 12a. 3r. 38p. and let for 30l. per annum, should be considered as forming part of the endowment of Bellasses' Charity.

St. Paul's Rents.

Mr. Edward Wooler, solicitor, a former churchwarden of the parish church, called attention at the Inquiry to certain ancient rents payable to the churchwardens of Darlington in respect of property in the town, and known as St. Paul's Rents. There is no mention of these rents either in the Report of 1829 or in Mr. Hare's Inspection Report of 1855, nor has their existence been otherwise previously made known to the

Charity Commissioners. In Longstaffe's History of Darlington (1851) Part III., p. 267, Darlington. it is stated that these are ancient rents reserved on church property leased in perpetuity St. Paul's and paid on St. Paul's Day, when much church business was formerly transacted. RentsLongstaffe gives the subjoined epitome of a deed of grant of the burgage afterwards the continued. Kilnegarth in Hundgate, translated by him from the original then in possession of R. H. Allan, Esq. He remarks that the payment on St. Paul's day was an after arrangement for convenience.

"Christ. (rp'c.) To all by whom this indented charter shall be seen or heard, John Thomson, John Gragrete, John Thomson, banker, and William Stapilton, wardens (iconomi) or masters of the fabric of the collegiate church of Derlyngton, greeting. Know us the said wardens, or masters, by and with the consent of the four and twenty electors, to have given &c. to Stephen Bland, of Derlyngton, our one messuage or burgage, in Hundgate, as it lies there between the burgage of the said Stephen, on the west, and the venell called Hundgate Welle, on the east To have etc. of us, the said masters, and our successors, the wardens or masters of the said church, for the time being, to the said Stephen Bland, his heirs and assigns, for ever Paying and rendering to us and our successors yearly 38. 4d., at the terms of Penticost and St. Martin, in winter, by equal portions. And if it happen that the said annual rent shall be in arrear and unpaid for half a year, no sufficient distress being found in the same messuage, then it shall be fully lawful for the said wardens for the time being the said messuage etc. to re-enter and peaceably re-have and hold &c. And the said Stephen Bland shall repair, sustain, build, and repair the said mesзuage in all necessaries and edifices, at the proper expenses of him and his heirs for ever. [Ueual warranty]. In witness whereof, to this our present indented charter, we have caused to be affixed the common seal of the said collegiate church. Dated on the feast of the conversion of St. Paul, A.D. 1507. Endorsed: 'An auncient dead frome the churchewardens of Darnton to Stephen Bland, for a house in Hongaite -Hond Gayt Hows."

It is possible that the rents are burgage rents, properly so-called, that is, rents due to the lord in respect of the burgage tenure of property in the ancient borough. If so, they would have passed to the churchwardens by grant from the bishop as lord of the manor. Longstaffe states that in the 17th century a sum of 6s. 8d. or 7s. was paid out of the rents for a dinner for the minister and churchwardens, and for "towlling the bell then 2d., and the balance was brought into the churchwardens' accounts. In the next century, the following entry occurs in the church accounts: "1768, January 25. To "Paul dinner, 17. 18.; minister and curates extraordinaries, 5s.; bell-ringers' drinks, "5s. 6d.; and servants, 2s. 6d." In 1830 the rents were thus applied :-" February 24, "64 old men dined at Three Tuns, 1s. 6d., 4l. 16s." (Longstaffe's Hist. of Darlington, Part III., p. 268.)

Of late years the rents, when collected, appear to have been given to the poor with the other charity monies.

Lists of the rents occur frequently, though not regularly every year, in the old parish books. The earliest extant is for the year 1630. This list is transcribed in Longstaffe's History with notes as to the later owners of the properties. The subjoined schedule contains in the left-hand column the list of 1630, and in the right-hand column Longstaffe's notes, which have, as far as possible, been brought down to date by Mr. Wooler in a written statement received from him since the date of the Inquiry, and embodied herein.

Notes as to later Owners, &c.

John Thompson; also subject to Pape's Charity (Long-
staffe); now Ewbank Harrison, silversmith, Nos. 3
and 4 High Row.

Talbot Inn (Longstaffe); now Nos. 21, 22, and 23,
High Row, and Nos. 26, 27, 29, 30, and 31, Post
House Wynd. Also Dougill's Sale-room, and Catholic
Apostolic Church above.

Afterwards the Allans' residence, in 1851; property
of R. Thompson (Longstaffe); now Nos. 10, 11, and
12, Houndgate, Messrs. Laidler, School Board Offices,
W. J. Reed.

In the Rose and Crown Yard, now Crown Yard.
Thomas Horner's in 1818 (Longstaffe).

Punch Bowl Yard; Thos. Tutin, 6d.; John Dixon, Sd.;
W. Dixon, 1s. 2d.; Miss Robinson, 6d. ; Wm.
Robinson, of Haughton, 6d. (Longstaffe); 1890,
Miss Hall, Mrs. Tutin's devisees, T. Ness, and Mr.
Thompson.

Schedule of rents, 1630, &c.

The following is a schedule of St. Paul's Rents printed by order of the inhabitants at a Darlington. vestry meeting held 24th November, 1818:

St. Paul's Rentscontinued.

Schedule of

The rents have not been regularly collected of recent years, the churchwardens encountering considerable difficulty in getting the payments; collections have, however, been made from time to time. An entry in the parish church accounts in 1889, reads as follows:-" July 27. To rents per E. Wooler, churchwarden, 27. 14s. 11d., October 18. "do. do. 5s. 6d., total, 31. Os. 5d." Mr. Wooler, however, states in letters received from him since the date of the Inquiry, that in 1889 and 1890 he collected all the rents except the following comprised in the list of 1630, viz. John Cowton 8s. 4d., Vincent Hodgshon 6s. 8d., and Margery Budles 3d.; but that they were not duly entered in the church books, as the churchwardens could not agree as to their proper application. only record of rents received within the last 12 years, which is at present forthcoming, is for 1898, the year in which the last collection was made, as follows:

The

Yearly Amount
payable.

Schedule of 1898.

The above sum of 3l. 78. had not been applied at the date of the Inquiry, but was retained in suspense in the churchwardens' books owing to doubts as to its proper application. In view of the history of these endowments, it would seem that the rents are properly applicable for the purposes of a church rate for the parish church.

Forster's and Bellasses' Almshouses (see pages 5 and 6).

The foundation and early history of these Charities are sufficiently referred to in the Foster's and Report of 1829.

Bellasses'

Mr. Hare, an inspector of Charities, in his Report dated 12th December 1855, and Almshouses. presented to the Charity Commissioners, described Forster's two almshouse tenements