BOROUGH OF HICHAM FERRERS 



Nicholas Latham's Dole consists of a yearly pay- 

 ment of j^3, paid by the bailiff of Parson Latham's 

 Hospital in Barnwell. Nicholas Latham died about 

 1620. 



The Honourable Lewis Watson about the year 1708 

 gave £50. 



Elizabeth Frei-man, by her will dated 18 Tcbruary 

 '7'5. g-i^'-'^^o. 



Richard W'aijstaff, who died in August 1 747, by 

 his will gave 20/. a year to the poor and 10/. yearly to 

 the minister for a sermon. The endowments of the 

 three last mentioned charities consist of 2 acres of 

 land known as Thorp End Close, which produced 

 £7 i6s. 6d. in 1924. 



John Dewberry's charity originally consisted of a 

 yearly sum of j^i which had long been paid as a rent- 

 charge issuing out of land belonging to Earl Fitz- 

 william. This charge was redeemed in 1914 by the 

 transfer of £^0 Consols to the Official Trustees. 



.Ann Sanders, who died in July 1804, gave ^^50 to 

 the poor, and 



Mrs. Maskell, by her will dated about 1819, gave 

 ;£20. These two gifts are now represented by 

 £6() lis. gJ. India 3 per cent. Stock. 



George Newman, by his will proved in the Preroga- 

 tive Court of Canterbury 3 November 1855, gave 

 such part of his personal estate as he could lawfully 

 b'^queath for charitable purposes for the support of 

 six poor almswomen. The legacy, together with 

 accumulations, was invested in ^^5,834 12^. c)d. India 

 3 per cent. Stock. 



Selina Dennis Pressland, by her will proved in the 

 Peterborough Registry, 3 June 1891, gave ^^3,000 for 

 the benefit of poor widows. The legacy was invested 

 in ;^3,030 6s. id. Consols. 



The gross income of the charities amounted to 

 ;^3i3 is. 6d. in 1924. 



The yearly income of the charity of Archbishop 

 Cliicheley is applied in stipends to 13 bcdespeople, 

 being 12 men and one woman. ^^33 13/. was so ap- 

 plied in 1924. 



There are six almswomen who receive a stipend at 

 the rate of 8/. per week. They occupy almshouses 

 which are held on a yearly tenancy from the Cor- 

 poration at a rent of ^51. 



A stipend of not less than ^^5 yearly is paid to each 

 of not more than 15 poor widows called the Pressland 

 Widows. 



The residue of the income of tlie charities is applied 

 for the benefit of the poor generally at tlie discretion 

 of the trustees. 



.Archbishop Chichclcy before-mentioned also pro- 

 vided for the maintenance of two chaplains. In 

 respect of this a sum oi £1$ a year is paid to the vicar 

 in augmentation of the vicarage out of the estates of 

 Earl Eitzwilliam. 



By her will Mrs. Wilde, who died about 1814, gave 

 £'}o to the poor. .\ sum of ,^27 was received by the 

 vicar in respect of this legacy and the interest amount- 

 ing to ^l js. was distributed in bread during winter. 

 Owing to the insolvency of the holder this charity 

 has been lost. 



By an award, dated 27 December 1839, of the In- 

 closure Commissioners 9 a. I r. 31 p. of land situate 

 in the beast pasture was allotted to six trustees for 

 the use of the inhabitants as a recreation ground. 



In 1910 the trust was transferred to the Town 

 Council of Higham Ferrers. The land is let for 

 grazing at a rent of £j per annum, which is applied 

 in the upkeep of the gates and fences. 



The Church Land. By the award above-mentioned 

 6 a. I r. 1 1 p. of land in the beast pasture was allotted 

 to the churchwardens for the benefit of the church. 

 The land is let in allotments to about 50 tenants and 

 produced ^16 6j. 8d. in rent in 1924. The income 

 is applied to church maintenance. 



By declaration of trust dated 13 July 1910 a sum 

 of ;^2oo India 2j per cent. Stock was transferred to 

 the Official Trustees of Charitable Funds by John 

 Crew, of the Manor House, upon trust that the divi- 

 dends should be applied by the vicar and church- 

 wardens towards the repair of the church. The 

 dividends amount to £^ per annum. 



By an indenture dated 20 March 1866 it was 

 declared that the interest to arise from a sum of £100 

 given by Mrs. Ann Burgess should be applied in pro- 

 viding clothing for one or more needy local preacher or 

 preacliers of the Wesleyan Society in Higham Ferrers 

 Circuit. The gift was invested in ^{^88 gs. lid. 

 Consols and the income amounting to £2 4J. is 

 applied in the purchase of suits of clothes every few 

 years. The last distribution took place in 1893, 

 when three suits costing ^^lo 101. were distributed to 

 three recipients. 



The several sums of stock are standing in the name 

 of the Official Trustees of Charitable Funds. 



HIGHAM PARK 



Park of Hecham (xii cent.). Park of Hegham Ferrers 

 (xiv cent.). 



Higham Park, the park attached to Higham Ferrers 

 Castle, was formerly extra-parochial and included in 

 the liberty of Rushden, but is now an independent 

 parish. It lies in the south-east of Higham Hundred, 

 on the borders of Bedfordshire and covers 600 acres, 

 of which 167 acres are in the parish of Knotting in 

 Bedfordshire. About half the total area is arable land 

 where wheat, oats, barley beans and turnips are grown 

 and the remainder permanent grass. The surface is 



friable clay, the subsoil Oxford clay witli streaks of 

 cornbrash. In 1921 the population numbered thirteen 

 persons. 



There has never been a parish church, but there was 

 a chapel attached to the Great Lodge of the Park which 

 fell into decay with the house. 



The park was at one time surrounded by a ditch. 

 The principal entrance was on its north-west side by 

 the road leading indirectly from Rushden. A moated 

 inclosure, now partially destroyed, marks the site of 

 the Great Lodge, where the keeper of the park lived. 



279 



