Quaker New Meeting House now disused by the Society of Friends and let at a nominal rent as Charities. hereinafter mentioned.

Benfieldside (1.) It appears that the first surrender of the Old Meeting House and Burial Ground Property is dated 23rd March 1744. On the 10th March 1798 it was surrendered "for the use continued. "of the people called Quakers of the Meeting of Benfieldside for ever." In the next surrender dated 16th of 6th month, 1827, it is stated that "the said house and premises are not now used by the people called Quakers, but some time ago were converted "into a school house and are the property of the people called Quakers of the Quarterly "Meeting of Durham, who are now in receipt of the rents." The following are particulars of the last surrender of these premises :

At a court held for the manor of Lanchester on the 18th December 1865, Edward Backhouse Mounsey, Thomas Willian Backhouse, Henry Procter, Joseph Baker (since deceased), William Henry Holmes, and Robert Spence Watson were admitted tenants of the following hereditaments, viz. :

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(a.) "One house containing in length ten yards, lying at the head of a close called Whitfield, and ten yards of land in length and six yards in breadth, on the "east side of the said house, and one rood of land, be the same more or less, lying on the north of the said house, being the same premises as are described "in a surrender bearing date the 16th June 1827," and (b) " a piece of ground "situate in the township of Benfieldside and adjoining on the north the east "and south sides of the burial ground belonging to the Quakers' Meeting "House there, containing in length on the north side thereof 58 feet, on "the east side 102 feet, and on the south side 39 feet, bounded on the south by the Meeting House," in trust for the Society of Friends called Quakers of the Quarterly Meeting of Durham for ever; and it was provided that when the number of trustees should by death, &c. be reduced below the number of three trustees resident in Great Britain and members of the Society of Friends, the surviving or continuing trustees or trustee should on the request of the Society of Friends of the Quarterly Meeting of Durham surrender the above premises to six new trustees to be nominated and appointed by the said Quarterly Meeting upon the same trusts and with the same proviso.

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The surviving and continuing trustees under the last-mentioned surrender are Edward Backhouse Mounsey, Thomas William Backhouse, Henry Procter, William Henry Holmes, and Robert Spence Watson.

(2.) At a court held for the manor of Lanchester on the 31st December 1863, Edward Backhouse Mounsey, Thomas William Backhouse, Henry Procter, Joseph Baker, William Henry Holmes, Robert Spence Watson, Thomas Pumphrey, David Richardson, Arthur Edwin Tregelles, Joseph Whitwell Pease, James l'Anson, and William Richardson were admitted tenants of a plot of ground near Shotley Bridge, in the township of Benfieldside, containing 522 square yards or thereabouts, together with the chapel belonging to the Society of Friends and other erections thereon built, upon the surrender of William Backhouse and Jonathan Richardson; and it was declared that the premises were so surrendered in trust for the Society of Friends, called Quakers, of the Quarterly Meeting of Durham for ever, and provided that when the number of trustees should by death, &c. be reduced below the number of three trustees residing in Great Britain, and being members of the Society of Friends, the surviving and continuing trustees or trustee would on the request of the said Society of Friends of the Quarterly Meeting of Durham surrender the premises to six new trustees to be nominated and appointed by the said Quarterly Meeting upon the same trusts and with the same proviso; and it was stated that the above surrender was made in consideration of the sum of 250l. previously paid to the said Jonathan Richardson.

By deed poll dated 30 December 1864 (enrolled in the High Court of Chancery 4th February 1865) under the hands of all the trustees named in the last-mentioned surrender, it was declared that the said trustees and their sequels stood seized of the plot of ground and chapel comprised in that surrender in trust for the Society of Friends called Quakers, of the Quarterly Meeting of Durham for ever; and the deed further contained a covenant to surrender to new trustees identical with that contained in the surrender.

The two cottages now representing the Old Meeting House are let for 177. a year, and the net income after payment of repairs, &c., is applied for the general purposes of the Newcastle Monthly Meeting, within whose area the property is situate. The New Meeting House is let to the Primitive Methodist Church, Consett Circuit, on a yearly tenancy at 5s, a year.

Durham Burial Ground.

Quaker Charities.

This property forms part of former meeting house premises of the Society of Friends Durham situate in Claypath in the city of Durham. It is stated in Mr. Samuel Hare's book, Burial that the meeting house was acquired by the Society in 1692.

It appears from the recitals of a deed of conveyance to new trustees dated 13th August 1791, that by indentures of lease and release dated 10th and 11th July 1777, (inter alia) a garth was conveyed in trust for the use and behoof of the people called Quakers belonging to the Particular Meeting of Durham for a burying place. Mention of the burying place is made in an earlier deed dated 31st December 1745, also recited in the deed dated 13th August 1791.

By the deed dated 13th August 1791, new trustees were appointed both of the burial ground and of the meeting house premises adjoining thereto.

It is stated in the Register that by indenture dated the 1st August 1840, relating to the premises, trusts were declared thereof to sell, exchange or let in such manner as the Durham Quarterly Meeting should by minute direct, and in the meantime to permit the premises to be used as a meeting house and burial ground for Quakers of the Durham Particular Meeting, subject to such regulations as should be specified by any minute or minutes as aforesaid.

It appears that the meeting house, with a schoolroom and an adjoining stable, was sold to the Durham Town Council in or about the year 1873, for the sum of 7167. 14s. 3d. which was applied towards the cost of meeting houses at West Hartlepool and Middlesborough. Trustees of the burial ground are appointed by the Quarterly Meeting from time to time by deed under Peto's Act, the last appointment being dated 10th of 10th month, 1894. The following are the present trustees :-Herbert Corder, Francis Gayner, Alfred Ernest Pearman, L. Richardson, W. A. Mounsey, Ellwood Holmes, Lionel Clapham, James Alaric Richardson and Edward Joshua Watson, together with Joseph Richardson, a continuing trustee under a previous appointment. The property is disused as a burial ground.

Witton Gilbert Burial Ground.

Ground.

Burial

In the recitals contained in a conveyance to new trustees dated 23rd March 1744, Witton and made between Henry Mason of Brandon, yeoman, of the first part, and Martin Gilbert Doubleday and others of the second part, it is stated that John Mason, then late of Ground. Witton Gilbert, by his indenture of lease (date not mentioned) demised to Henry Mason and others a parcel of ground in Witton Gilbert, by estimation 20 yards square, for the term of 999 years in trust "for the use and behoof of the people commonly called Quakers belonging to Witton Gilbert for a burying place."

The trustees are as in the case of the burial ground at Durham.

The property is disused as a burial ground and is under the care of a committee of Newcastle Monthly Meeting for outlying burial grounds.

2nd January 1901.

G. B. M. CODRE,

Assistant Commissioner.