Poors Land

William Raves (d. 1631) by will left £40 to be loaned ‘on good security’ free of interest to the poor of Duns Tew, no one to receive more than £5 or less than £1. In the late 18th century there was uncertainty over the terms of the bequest which, it was thought, should comprise £40 to be lent with interest and £40 without. The actual money available had shrunk to £19. By 1825 the trustees believed that interest should be charged on loans to landholders but not on loans to tradesmen; at that date £33 was on loan, £10 was in the hands of the vicar, and £17 had been written off as bad debts. Interest received was paid out in money and fuel at Christmas.

Elizabeth Chamberlain (d. 1819) bequeathed £5 5s., the income to be distributed to the poor of Duns Tew as her executors saw fit. They gave away 5s. and invested the remainder, the interest being distributed with the Raves bequest at Christmas. The capital of the two charities had increased to £41 by 1868 and to £58 a century later, when the income was £1 8s.

At enclosure in 1794 c. 5 a. was allotted as poors’ land in exchange for furze-cutting rights. Rent from the land was £12 12s. in 1825, £15 in 1871, and £20 in 1971, the money used to buy coal which was distributed at irregular intervals.

Amalgamation of all the charities was proposed repeatedly from 1969 but postponed in 1974 for the lifetime of the then tenant of the poors’ land.

Charity Number 203638

Contact Information

Carol Rigby
Telephone: 01869 340301
Email: nonesuchcarol@gmail.com