On 26th November 1615 a Thomas Corbin executed a deed poll giving land to the parish of West Parley. The rental income from the land was to be used to provide linen and woollen cloth for the poor of the parish.
The Abstract of Returns for 1833 shows the rent received per annum was £1 15s 0d and that the land was vested in James Bramble. Particulars of Stocks and Shares standing in the Name of “The Official Trustees of Charitable Funds,” in the Books of the Governor and Company of the Bank of England and Public Companies, on 31st December 1866 records the annual rent for the land received that year was £2 10s 0d. By 1874 the annual rent was £5.
Richard AUGUSTINE Chudleigh M.A was the Rector of All Saints Church in West Parley from 1874 until 1912. From the date of his arrival until 1905 he maintained a ledger book for the parish’s charities. The ledger includes a list of recipients of Corbin’s Charity and some pithy observations regarding events affecting the charities. This ledger is held in the Dorset History Centre Archive Ref.: PE-WPY/CH/1/1. What follows is a transcription of extracts from the ledger.
1874
List of Charities
in West Parley Parish
1. Corbyn’s Charity.
In the year 1615 Thomas Corbyn gave in trust to the Rector of West Parley and one other; the fields known as “Frezzell’s Land”; the rent of which, amounting now to £5 per annum, is to be expended “in Linen and Woollen Cloth for the Poor where most need should be”.
In 1855 the trees on Frezzell’s Land were sold, & produced, net, £18..4..10. the Interest of which is expended annually together with the £5. The Rent is due at Michaelmas; and the present Tenant is Mr Henry Gould.
2. Baldwin’s Charity.
Mrs Mary Baldwin (A.D. 1855) evidently intended to leave in trust to the Rector, Church wardens and Overseers of the Parish, a sum of £50, from the Interest of which there should be paid annually on the Feast of St Thomas sixpence a piece to “Sixty of the oldest Residents who in the judgment of the Trustees shall be most deserving”. But the wording of the Will (by involving certain legal deductions) so reduced the Principal that the Interest is only 27/- in the distribution of which the Trustees have to use their own discretion. This Legacy, as also the proceeds of the trees sold from Frezzell’s Land, at present lies in Wimborne Savings Bank.
3. Wareham’s Charity is now only known by name.
4. Reeks’ Charity.
Thomas Reeks, in 1775, bequeathed to the Churchwardens and Overseers an annual sum of £1 in trust for “the Poor who do not receive Parish Relief”. The One Pound is charged on the Estate of Mr Fryer.
5.The Church Land.
A portion of Mr Bramble’s Estate produces 27 Shillings p. annum for the use of the Church. This is now paid annually to the credit of the Church Rate.
6. West Moors Endowment Fund. The only revenue of the West Moors “School-Church” is the Interest of £500 invested in Canadian Six per cents. Unless there be a Curate, who must not be the Rector, residing in the district this money cannot be touched. The Trustees are the Archdeacon of Dorset, the Churchwardens and Rector of West Parley. The last payment was made to Rev. P.S. Newell on ; & then Interest began to accumulate.
7. The Sacramental Offerings, – are published on the Church Door, & are directed to be put to “pious and charitable uses” at the discretion of the Churchwardens and Rector. At extra-communions, beyond the number heretofore customary, the Offertory is not collected in West Parley.
Future donations or subscriptions will be entered herein under their proper dates.
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Note that up to end of 1875 the Bank Books of “Frezzell’s Trees” and of “Baldwin’s Charity” have been missing; & therefore no Interest has been drawn.
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Several Annual Balance Sheets have been printed and distributed. A list of Corbin’s Blankets, prices & recipients, from 1874 to 1885, occurs on a paper 3 feet long. Also, a brief account of Corbin’s Income and Outgo from 1878 to 1885 occurs on a paper 2 feet long. Also a statement of Baldwin’s Charity, with Income Outgo and names of recipients, from 1879 when we first got at it, and onwards is given on sheets of foolscap. I am now going to discard the tabular forms of account, and all accounts which pass through my hands (except Church Offerings which have always had their own books) from the end of 1885 and onwards will be entered in this book.
We have had great trouble with disputes, e.g. that about the Church-land gave the Church-warden ten years worry; and for six years I have had no peace about Frezzell’s land until the affair was ended by the sale of the Charity Land, followed soon after by the sale of the bit of glebe adjoining it. All this trouble would have been avoided if the old Canonical custom had been kept up of Beating the Bounds on Rogation Days, as the Homily suggests. R.A.Chudleigh.
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1887
Litigation & expense impending; endless correspondence with the Charity Commissioners & the contending powers therefore no further distribution of Corbin in 1886 & 7.
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1889
Note. As we have not yet been forced to expend much in law costs, arrears have been freely distributed during 1889 (much wanted)
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1890
Note. On 5 Sept.1890 Corbin’s Land, called Frezzells was sold for £205.. and thus ended the detestable dispute which has kept us on the verge of litigation since 1885.
5 Sept remitted to the Charity Commissioners for Corbin’s Land sold £205..
Sept. 29. Paid to purchaser of Corbin’s Land 24 days rent 6s 7d.
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1891
Dividend from Charity Commission on proceeds of Corbin’s Land and Trees ~~~ £5 16s 8d viz £5 interest on the Land, and 16/8 in place of 18/8 on the Trees in consequence of Mr Goschen’s treatment of Consols.
Baldwin’s money will be henceforth= £1 7s 8d being influenced by Mr Goshen’s reductions[*], which now begin to tell on our distributions. As to our investments see Bank Manager’s letter and my notes.
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1899
The Charity Commissioners decide that W. Moors ought to have a share of Baldwin’s. Therefore at the Parish Meeting on 6. March. 1899 I hand over half of 27/8, – i.e. 13/10. to the Parish Council; they are to recommend recipients, & we will adopt their recommendation.
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1901
By payment of £8..19..2. & £6.. ~~ we make Corbin’s = £6 p.a. & Baldwin’s = £1..10.0. p.a. When Mr Goschen’s reduction takes effect in 1903. See N.P.B. Bank Pass-book.
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West Parley Charities
1905. On 9 .May the Parish Council informs me that it has added two of its own nominees to the Trust of Corbyn’s Charity. & on 12 October it informs me that it has displaced the Churchwarden and Overseers (Founder’s Trustees) from Baldwin’s Trust, & has appointed three of its own nominees to take their place.~~~
Close of my Account.
1905. Note. After 31 years of Stewardship I resign these accounts into the hands of the Parish Council, which has shewn itself anxious to take over the work.~~~
Moreover, as my former colleagues have been removed I prefer to leave the whole matter in the hands of their successors.~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ R. A. Chudleigh _ Rector _ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I have been unable to discover where in the parish this land, also known as Frezzell’s Land or Corbin’s Land, was. Hampshire Archives holds deeds and documents (unseen) relating to a parcel of land called Frezells at West Moors, in Ledlynch and West Parley, Dorset purchased of Thomas Browne, 1800 (Ref.: 7M54/181) and Deeds (also unseen) relating to heathland in West Parley and at Moores, Dorset, purchased of Thomas Brown (Ref.: 7M54/180). It seems the name Frezzell’s Land referred to more than just the piece of land belonging to the charity and a misunderstanding over the boundaries of the land purchased from Brown may be the source of the dispute recorded by Rev. Chudleigh in his ledger.
Corbyn’s Charity was registered with the Charity Commission 04 May 1964 (number 234174 ). It was linked with two other local charities:
- Thomas Reeks Charity. Money bequeathed in a will of 1775 for the benefit of the poor who do not receive parish relief in West Parley.
- Mary Baldwin Charity. Mary Baldwin left money, in a will proved on 28th February 1855, for the relief of the aged of West Parley on St. Thomas’s Day (21st December).
Corbyn’s Charity was amended on 24th January 1997 by a resolution passed under the provisions of section 75 of the Charities Act 1993. The Charity was wound up and ceased to exist 23rd July 2002.
* In 1888, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Joachim Goschen, converted the consolidated 3% annuities, along with reduced 3% annuities (issued in 1752) and new 3% annuities (1855), into a new bond, 2 3⁄4 % consolidated stock, under the National Debt (Conversion) Act 1888 (Goschen’s Conversion). Under the Act, the interest rate of the stock was reduced to 2 1⁄2% in 1903, and the stock given a first redemption date of 5 April 1923, after which point the stock could be redeemed at par value by Act of Parliament. Source Wikipedia