PETERBOROUGH SOKE 



STAMFORD BARON 



parish of King's ClifFe. Thirteen poor men, one of 

 whom was to be warden, were to be elected, the first 

 five by Lord Burghley and his successors, the rest by 

 specified persons acting ei-officio. Allowances of 

 money, livery gowns, an annual dinner, firewood, 

 and sundry emoluments were also made, and these 

 have been increased at various times by the lords of 

 Burghley from the late 1 8th century onwards. 



Thomas Bellott by deed of 20 December, 1608, 

 provided a rent-charge of /16 per annum on pro- 

 perty in Lincolnshire, of which amount 40/. was to be 

 given to each of two nurses for the almsmen, the 

 remainder for augmenting the almsmen's allowance. 



Dorothy Lady .Burghley, afterwards countess of 

 Exeter, about 1596 gave real estate in Lincolnshire 

 for providing for the apprenticing of poor children. 

 The rents amounted in 1734 to ^^ 16. 



Elizabeth countess of Exeter, by her will of 8 May, 

 1722, left bequests of j^6o and ;^lo for the poor 

 of St. Martin's parish. These sums together with j[^ 

 given by the executrix of the will, and twosumsof jf 50 

 bequeathed by David, earl of Exeter, and his widow 

 before 1673, were laid out in the purchase of land. 



The endowment consists of about 1 30 acres, pro- 

 ducing a rental of ;^I5I 10/., which is applied for 

 the education and apprenticeship of children and for 

 medical and pecuniary relief and clothing for the sick 

 and poor of the parish. The rent of 2a. or. 4p. in 

 Uflxjrd, let at £^ per annum, is also applied for 

 the benefit of a widow of a deceased inmate of the 

 Burghley Hospital in respect of Elizabeth countess 

 dowager of Exeter's charity. 



Isabella dowager marchioness of Exeter, by will 

 proved in 1879, bequeathed /lOO (represented by 

 /^I02 3/. 9</. consols with the official trustees), the 

 dividends to be given to the two nurses attached to 

 the Hospital. 



These charities are called the Burghley Charities. 



Gifts of Catherine Gregory and others represented 

 by j^2 6 13/. 4</. consols, produce 13/. per annum, 

 which is laid out on a periodical dole of bread. 



Ann Thorold by will of 22 May, 1682, left land 

 in this parish for the benefit of the poor here and in 

 Stamford, co. Lincoln. 



Thomas Kcttleborough by deed-poll of 24 June, 

 1694, left land here, the rent of which was to be 

 used for an annual dole of bread. 



Upon an enclosure in 1 796 allotments were 

 awarded in lieu of these lands. The present endow- 

 ment of these two charities consists of 4a. 2 r. 4p. 

 in the parish ofWothorpe and la. or. 1 3 p. in New- 

 borough producing a rental of ^^22 5/. which is dis- 

 tributed in money and kind, preference being given 

 to poor widows. 



Jane Lady Buck gave j^20 for the poor before 

 1 71 7. The income of 1 2/. 5a'. is distributed among 

 the poor annually.' 



Fryer's almshouses, consisting of six houses abutting 



on the Wothorpe Road, were founded and endowed 

 by Henry Frj-er, who by his will, proved in 1823, 

 directed the interest of ^^2,000 to be divided among 

 widows of Bedesmen, who had been on the Founda- 

 tion of Lord Burghley's or Truesdale's hospitals. A 

 sum of jf 1,892 ji. dd. consols is held by the official 

 trustees in respect of this legacy. 



The almshouses are further endowed as follows : — 

 In 1839 a gift of ;^ioo by James Hurst ; in 1848, 

 a gift of ;^I20 consols by his sister Harriet Hurst ; 

 and in 1 849, a gift of ;^200 by the Rev. Thomas 

 Brown, now represented by ^44^ '3'- '''^- consols. 



In 1848, a legacy of ^loo by James Gane, repre- 

 sented by X'°6 ^'- consols. 



In 1848, a legacy by Elizabeth Kennan Hodson of 

 j^6oo consols. 



In i860, a legacy of ^^200 by will of Maria Alicia 

 Cooper, augmented by legacies and gifts of others and 

 by investments of accumulated dividends, represented 

 by £i2S OS. id. consols. 



In 1879, Harriet Hurst by deed-poll gave ;^l,ooo 

 consols. 



In 1879, a legacy of ;^ioo by Isabella dowager 

 marchioness of Exeter, represented by ;^I02 y. ()d. 

 consols. 



The official trustees hold all the above mentioned 

 sums of stock upon trust for purposes connected with 

 Fryer's almshouses. 



Henry Fr}er also bequeathed ;^ioo, now repre- 

 sented by ^94 I zs. \d. consols, the interest of which 

 is distributed to the poor in money. 



Elizabeth Kennan Hodson above referred to also 

 bequeathed ^^500 consols, the dividends to be dis- 

 tributed in fuel, and Maria Alicia Cooper also be- 

 queathed a further sum of j^200 for educational 

 purposes, which was invested in the purchase of 

 £z 1 5 6/. 9^/. consols. 



Sophia Clay, by her will proved 14 March, 

 1885, left the income of ^^499 7/. dd. consols (now 

 held by the official trustees) to be distributed between 

 four spinsters resident in Stamford Baron. 



Dr. William Landen Hopkinson, by will proved 

 in 1873, left ;^400 and produce of sale of furniture 

 for maintaining a night school and for instruction in 

 science and art. The legacy with accumulated income 

 is represented by ^734 ' S-'- 3'^- consols, with the 

 official trustees. 



Mrs. Jane Cecil, mother of Lord Burghley, who 

 died in 1588, gave by her will ^^50 to be lent to 

 poor tradesmen and artificers in Stamford and Stam- 

 ford Baron. Hugh Allington, her son-in-law, gave 

 j^40 for the same purpose. These charities are stated 

 to be ' lost ' by the commissioners in 1831, and also 

 the interest of j^ I left by Margaret Featherstone for 

 bread to be distributed to six poor widows on New 

 Year's Day, and a rent-charge on premises in Hun- 

 tingdon, given by Mrs. Jane Sallett, 6/. %d. being for 

 a sermon and 5/. for fifteen poor persons. 



THORNHAUGH 



Thornhawe (xii-xvi cent.). 



The parish of Thornhaugh, in the south-west 

 comer of the soke, covers nearly 2,726 acres, and 

 was considerably larger before the separation of 

 Wansford, now a separate civil parish, though still 

 ecclesiastically attached to Thornhaugh. The Wansford 

 ' From notea bj the late R. P. Brercton. 



district was probably part of the old parish of Sibber- 

 ton. Very few traces of this village, or the church 

 belonging to it, now remain. The name survives in 

 Sibberton Lodge, which is near the site of the village. 

 Thornhaugh is better wooded than most parts of the 

 soke. The Bedford Purlieus, in which Roman remains 

 have been found, lie in the south of the parish, and 



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