A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE 



charities have been lost. 252 There remain, however, 

 a number of others, so that over 30 a year is given 

 in money doles, 253 the gifts of bread having ceased. 



The township of Barton has a poor's stock of 

 unknown origin, represented by 78 5/. 8</. consols. 

 The interest, 39.;., is divided between poor persons in 

 the township. In 1904 there were only two, both 

 imbeciles. Miss Mary Cross of Myerscough in 1889 

 gave 200 for the poor, and the income is divided 

 as the preceding charity. 



William Daniel of Broughton in 1656 gave land 

 there to trustees, charging it with 2Os. for the main- 

 tenance of a grammar school in the township, or in 

 default for the repair of the church and church 

 bridges. His widow added 20, and the trustees 

 were able to purchase the land for the poor. In 

 1734, after the payment of 2Os. as directed, the rent 

 was applicable to the purchase of white kersey for 

 coats for the poor, 254 for binding apprentices, buying 

 Bibles or other orthodox books, a preference being 

 had to widows, householders and dwellers in Broughton 

 Row. The charity is still known as the Petticoat 

 Charity, though for a long time only money has been 

 given. The land now produces ij a year gross ; 

 1 is paid to the school, and the rest in sums from 

 5/. to 4 among the aged poor of Broughton, being 

 Protestants. The fourth part of Thomas Houghton's 

 charity, already described, is distributed in sums of 

 money varying from 2s. 6d. to 2$s. A small rent of 

 is. 6d. from Almond's Croft has been lost, the place 

 not being known now. Miss Damaris Dixon in 1 895 

 bequeathed 1,000 for the benefice of Broughton, 

 1,000 for the benefit of the poor, and $o for the 

 repair of her grave in the churchyard there. The money 

 for the poor, producing 30 a. year, is given to the 

 sick, partly in money, partly by paying doctors' bills. 



The township of Grimsargh has a share in that 

 fourth part of Thomas Houghton's charity which is 

 due to Preston. By custom a third of the Preston 

 share is given, and the money, 26s. %d. in 1903, is 

 distributed on St. Thomas's Day in money doles. 

 John Charnley in 1737 charged his land at Pen- 

 wortham with various sums, including 2Os. yearly for 

 the poor of Grimsargh. In 1824 the land 255 was 

 owned by the representatives of one Henry Dawson, 



who died in 1823, and the money was distributed by 

 the constable of the township to poor housekeepers. 

 The payment was discontinued in 1 88 1, no reason 

 being assigned. A charge of 3 15^. a year for the 

 use of the poor of Brockholes existed as early as 1650. 

 The lands charged, known as the Boylton estate, 

 were purchased by William Cross in 1808. The 

 charge has been commuted and the capital is repre- 

 sented by 125 6s. consols, now yielding 3 2s. Id. 

 a year. This is allowed to accumulate, as there are 

 no poor persons in the hamlet. 



The townships of Elston and Ribbleton benefit 

 equally by the charity founded by John Farington in 

 1670. He gave his tenement in Elston to bind 

 children apprentices or to benefit the poor in other 

 ways. As early as 1824 there were no cottagers in 

 Elston, all the poor belonging to it residing elsewhere, 

 and from two to eight persons sharing the interest. 

 At Ribbleton the rents of a number of poor persons 

 were paid and other help given. At the present time 

 the land gives a rent of 78, and accumulations of 

 over 10,000 are invested in consols. Of the total 

 income, 145 ijs. \d. is spent on education, and 

 193 8j. 5</. is applicable for the benefit of the poor 

 in various ways in accordance with an order of the 

 Charity Commissioners in iSgo. 256 For Elston the 

 charity is scarcely required : for Ribbleton there is 

 more demand, chiefly for gifts of clothes, food, fuel, 

 and aid in sickness. Elston by itself receives a third 

 part of the fourth share of Thomas Houghton's 

 charity appropriated to Elston and Alston ; the 

 i 6s. Sd. received in 1903 was given to Grimsargh. 

 Ribbleton by itself had two charities : the Luck Field 

 in Brockholes and a rent-charge of 5 los. out of an 

 estate in Elston known as Willacy's Tenement. The 

 former, 257 augmented by a share of Ribbleto i Moor, 

 on inclosure in 1870, was sold in 1873 and the price 

 (345) invested in consols, and, as no distribution 

 was made, the capital increased to 608 by 1892, 

 when a scheme was made similar to that for the 

 Farington gift. The income is 19 3/. 4</., but only 

 a small part is used. The rent-charge, commuted, 

 with accumulations was in 1869 invested in 307 

 consols, and the income, ' not being required in the 

 township,' continued to accumulate ; but in recent 



SM These included zo given by Seth 

 Bushell, whose memorial brass has been 

 mentioned, and other sums amounting to 

 about 290, with rent-charges of 905. 

 All had been 'lost' before 1824. It is 

 possible that they had been used to build 

 the above-mentioned almshouses and to 

 found ' Brown's Charity.' The bene- 

 factions were for the poor, for distribu- 

 tions of bread, and ' for buying Bibles 

 and Testaments for the poorer sort of 

 boys who should be taught at the grammar 

 school.' 



258 Thomas Addison in 1729 charged 

 land called Davil Meadows, near Preston 

 Marsh, with a rent of 5 for twenty poor 

 housekeepers. About 1820 the land be- 

 longed to John Grimshaw, and in 1904 to 

 T. Coulthard and Co. The rent-charge 

 is still paid. Thomas Houghton in 1649 

 gave land in Woodplumpton, now known 

 as Houghton House Farm, for the poor of 

 various townships ; the gross rent paid is 

 ,67, the share of Preston being about 

 2 13*. 4-J. Mrs. Smith in 1710 gave 

 ^10 to found a bread charity, and the 

 money was (with other funds) invested 



in land in Whittingham ; the share of 

 the income due to the Smith charity is 

 2 41. 4<f. These three charities are ad- 

 ministered together. Till recently bread 

 or tickets for bread were given on St. 

 Thomas's Day to poor persons, members 

 of the Church of England ; but money is 

 now given instead. 



What is known as Brown's charity is 

 the result of various gifts of ancient and 

 unknown origin, represented by a share 

 (now 5) of the rent of land in Kirkham, 

 distributed by the vicar of Preston in 

 Christmas doles of zs. 6d. each to poor 

 widows. 



Thomas Crooke in 1688 charged lands 

 called Shaw, in Alston, with various 

 sums, including 4 for the poor of 

 Preston, to be distributed on Shrove 

 Tuesday. Richard Hoghton in 1613 

 gave land called Woodcrook in Whitting- 

 ham for charities, including 15$. payable 

 every Good Friday at the font stone 

 within the parish church of Preston. 

 The whole rent of this land is given, and 

 one fourth is paid to Preston. The 

 amount, z igs. n.A, is distributed with 



9 



Crooke's, to poor persons belonging to 

 the Church of England, in money doles. 



Anne Oliver in 1825 bequeathed 300 

 for the benefit of the poor, to be dis- 

 tributed by the incumbent of St. George's. 

 The income is now ,6 1 5*. %d., and is 

 distributed by the vicar, partly at Christ- 

 mas time and partly during the year, in 

 money doles. 



Anne widow of Nicholas Winckley in 

 1779 gave 100 for the benefit of poor 

 widows. The interest, z izs. 4^., is 

 divided equally among poor widows of 

 the ecclesiastical parishes of St. Saviour, 

 Holy Trinity and St. Matthew. 



254 The trustees were to have ' a par- 

 ticular respect to those who should be 

 most sober, honest and industrious, and 

 frequenters of the Protestant churches.' 



255 It is called Crabby Nook. 



256 The money may be applied in sub- 

 scriptions to hospitals, &c., provident 

 societies, paying nurses, or providing cost 

 of outfit, emigrants' passage-money, 

 clothes, tools, &c., money gifts, or in 

 other ways. 



257 The origin of it is unknown. 



