SPELTHORNE HUNDRED 



described as a perpetual curacy from 1860 to 

 1865, in the gift of the Lord Chancellor," since 

 which date it has been a vicarage under the same 

 patronage. 



The rectory belonged with the church and 

 manor to Westminster Abbey 7 * until it was ceded 

 to the Crown at the Dissolution, after which it 

 was separated from the advowson, 75 and has since 

 followed the descent of the manor (q.v.). 



In 1610 the chapel was endowed with a house, 

 and a ' backside ' containing 28 J acres 2 yds. of 

 glebe land. 76 In 1650 the parsonage or great 

 tithes were valued at 60 per annum, and the 

 vicarage with glebe and small tithes at .24. In 

 the survey of 1 548 it was found that an acre of 

 land had been given for the maintenance of a lamp 

 in the church at Ashford.' 8 The land was in 

 Stanwell parish, and was then in tenure of John 

 Beauchamp at a rent of 1 6s. yearly. He held also 

 another acre of land worth I zs. per annum which 

 had been given to the same church. 79 



It appears from the benefac- 

 CHJRITIES tion table that Mrs. Mary Reeve, 

 by her will dated in 1679, devised 

 land in the common field of Laleham and of 

 Feltham, the rents to be applied in the distribu- 

 tion of bread to the poor of Ashford attending 

 church in the proportion of I zd. per week, and the 

 residue in bread to the poor of Laleham. Upon the 

 inclosures in the respective parishes about 3^ acres 

 in Laleham and 2 acres in Feltham were allotted 

 in respect of the lands so demised, which are let at 

 143 year. In 1906 bread was given to four re- 

 cipients in Ashford and twenty-two in Laleham. 

 There was also a sum of ^36 13;. "]d. in hand, 

 derived from sale of gravel. 



The Poor Allotment or Coal Charity consists of 

 17 acres in Ashford, let at 8 los. a year, and four 

 cottages let on weekly rents producing about 22 

 a year, which were acquired under the Ashford 

 Inclosure Act. 80 The trust is regulated by a 



EAST BEDFONT 

 WITH HATTON 



scheme of the Charity Commissioners of 24 August 

 1877. 



In 1723 Jerrard Tomlin, by will, devised an 

 annuity of i 3*. for the payment of lOi. (>d. to 

 the parson for preaching a sermon on the anniver- 

 sary of his death, ^t. 6J. for the clerk, and I o/. to 

 be distributed in twopenny loaves to the poor at- 

 tending to hear the said sermon. The charge was 

 redeemed in 1902 by the transfer to the official 

 trustees of 46 2,\ per cent, annuities. 



The Sunday School Fund. In 1817, as ap- 

 peared from the vestry book, a sum of 250 was 

 subscribed by the principal inhabitants towards 

 defraying the expenses of a Sunday school, which, 

 with a legacy bequeathed by Zacharias Foxall for 

 the same purpose, was invested in Government 

 stock. 



In 1866 a sum of 200, and subsequently a 

 further sum of 100, were authorized by the 

 Charity Commissioners to be expended in the build- 

 ing of a schoolhouse, thereby reducing the trust 

 fund to .100 consols, which is held by the official 

 trustees, and the dividends are remitted to the 

 national school fund. 



The charity of Anne Webb, locally known as 

 the ' Dog ' Charity. The donor, by her will dated 

 in 1 80 1, and by the codicil thereto dated in 1807, 

 proved in the P.C.C., bequeathed several charitable 

 legacies to take effect after the death of her little 

 dog Don, which event as appears from the Chan- 

 cery proceedings in the matter happened on 

 27 October 1808 ! 



The trust fund for this parish consists of a sum 

 of consols in the name of the Paymaster-General 

 to the credit of the suit ' Attorney-General v. 

 Smith, the Ashford Charity.' In 1906 the sum 

 of .5 14*. %d. was received in dividends, and dis- 

 tributed in accordance with the trusts between the 

 three oldest men and the three oldest women in 

 the parish. The vicar is entitled to deduct one 

 guinea on filling up a vacancy. 



EAST BEDFONT WITH HATTON 



Bedefunde (xi cent.) ; Estbedefonte (xiii cent.) ; 

 Bedefonte, Estebedefounte (xiv cent.) ; East- 

 bedefounte (xvi cent.). 



East Bedfont lies in the level country to the 

 east of Staines. The parish stretches along the 

 great main road from London to the south-west of 

 England, narrowing about the village, to the east 

 of which it spreads southward towards Ashford, 

 while westward and northward a long tongue of 

 land includes the hamlet of Hatton and reaches as 

 far as Cranford on the Bath road. The land for 

 the most part is laid out in fields and is but sparsely 

 . wooded. The village lies on the broad London 

 to Staines road, the houses standing well back from 

 the highway, leaving ample space for a green with 



fine trees, which lies before the church. In front 

 of the south porch are two very curiously cut yew 

 trees, of the most fantastic shape ; the date 1 704 

 forms part of their ornament. In coaching days 

 East Bedfont stood midway in the second stage 

 out of London, between Hounslow and Staines. 

 The inns were described in 1826 as 'respec- 

 table and yielding good accommodation.' l The 

 Black Dog Inn, about \\ miles along the London 

 road, was then the receiving house for letters. 

 A public hall, to seat 300 persons, was built in 

 1884 by the Bedfont Public Hall Co., Ltd. 

 There is a Baptist chapel, which was erected 

 in 1903. The Windsor line of the London and 

 South Western Railway runs through the southern 



78 Clergy Lilts, passim, 

 74 Doc. in custody of D. and C. of 

 Westm, no. 26751 sqq. 



7* L. and P. Hen. mi, xvii, 704. 



78 Newcourt, Reftrt. i, 735. 



77 Ibid. 



78 Chant. Cert. 34, no. 138. 

 Ibid. 



309 



80 49 Geo. Ill, cap. 17. 

 * Pigot, 1.0ml. and Provincial Direc- 

 tory, 1826. 



