1 827 . J Public Charities. 30 I 



to the corporation of the city of Bristol, there are many others under the 

 management of other public bodies. The principal of these is the Society 

 of Merchant Adventurers. 



MERCHANTS' ALMSHOUSE, in King Street formerly called St. Cle- 

 ment's Alrnshouse, which seems to have been founded in the reign of 

 Edward VI. Lands and money have been granted by several individuals, 

 particularly Mr. Colston, down to Mrs. Mary Ann Peloquin, whose liberal 

 bequests we have already commemorated. The buildings consist at 

 present of thirty-one rooms, which are occupied by nineteen men and 

 twelve women each receiving 3s. a week, except the chief brother, who 

 has 5s., and all some articles of clothing. The expenditure, exclusively 

 of repairs, on an average of nine years is 310/. ; but the permanent income 

 appears to be only 188/. 13-9. 8d. The deficiency is made up by the 

 society's general funds. Connected with this institution, there are also 

 eighteen other rooms, called 'perquisite' rooms, at present occupied by 

 twelve men and six women, to whom small, very small, payments are occa- 

 sionally made. 



COLSTON'S ALMSHOUSE, instituted in 1696, for twelve men and twelve 

 women, by Edward Colston, founder of the free-school, and a most muni- 

 ficent benefactor to the city. In addition to the lands and rents with 

 which Mr. Colston endowed his institution, the late Mr. Hart Davis gave 

 a piece of land in Westbury-upon-Trim, now a nursery -ground, which 

 brings up the whole annual income to 297/. \6s. 6d. The expenditure, 

 however, in J820, was 415/. 6*. 2d. ; the deficiency is supplied from the 

 surplus income arising from Mr. Colston's gift for specific purposes to the 

 Merchants' Almshouse. Of the almsfolk, twenty-three receive each 4*. a 

 week, and the chief brother 7*. They must all be free of the city, and 

 members of the Church of England. 40/. is paid to a chaplain for read- 

 ing prayers. 



MERCHANTS' HALL SCHOOL, King Street. This school appears to have 

 been instituted for the purpose of teaching ten boys the art of navigation. 

 Some time in the last century, the funds, amounting to 460/., were made 

 over to the Merchants' Society, on condition that they should find a person, 

 well skilled in navigation, 'capable of instructing twenty boys, and pay 

 him 207. a year. The school now consists of forty, and the master has 

 SQL All above 20/., which the society covenanted to pay, is to be con- 

 sidered a contribution of their own, and entirely voluntary. The master 

 is not bound to teach navigation to more than ten, nor do the society 

 supply instruments, charts, and navigation books for more than that num- 

 ber. There is no restriction as to the age of admission. 



BRIDGE ON THE AVON. Mr. William Vicks, in 1753, left 1,000/., to 

 accumulate till it amounted to 10,000/., for the building of a bridge on 

 the Avon he having understood a bridge might be built for less than that 

 sum. The merchants accepted the trust, and allowed three per cent. 

 In October 1821, the principal and interest of this sum amounted to 

 4,139/. 9*. Sd. The society, however, having from the year J782 

 actually been paying four per cent, for money borrowed, the Com- 

 missioners considered them as taking an unfair advantage, and recom- 

 mended an advance of interest at least from the year 1782. They, in 

 consequence, reconsidered the case, and finally agreed to credit the trust 

 with the sum of 6,074/. 17s, 5d. calculating at four per cent. The 

 Commissioners are thus doing some good, besides the communication of 

 facts. When the accumulations reach the sum of 10,000/., if a-bridge 



M.M. Neiv Series, VOL. IV. No. 22. 3 A 



