An account of public charities in England and Wales, abridged from the reports of His Majesty's commissioners on charitable foundations, with notes and comments / by the editor of "The cabinet lawyer" [i.e. John Wade].

  • Great Britain. Commissioners for Inquiring Concerning Charities
Date:
1828
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: An account of public charities in England and Wales, abridged from the reports of His Majesty's commissioners on charitable foundations, with notes and comments / by the editor of "The cabinet lawyer" [i.e. John Wade]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    trations have been introduced have been separated from the context, under the head of “ Observations ” At the conclusion we shall give an alphabetical and classified index of the different charities; specifying, also, the volume and page of the report from which the account is abstracted. This will be useful for two purposes; it will afford the means of verifying our state¬ ments, by a reference to the original documents, as well as for turning to the Reports, by those who may desire more ample infor¬ mation than our limits would permit. Nearly all charitable donations may be divided into two classes ; those in land and those in money. The former are the most im¬ portant; the value of land, in many cases, having risen ten asd one hundred fold, and, consequently, our account of them is more copious ; the latter, being fixed payments, are the same now as when first bequeathed, unless where arrears have accumulated, and the interest of them has been added to the original bequest. This division we have observed, when it was possible, in giving an account of the charities of a corporation, company, or parish. The subject must shortly be one of intense public interest and legislative enactment ; as a preparation for which, the present pub¬ lication will form a seasonable and useful introduction. Rut, independently of any public measures that may be adopted, the inquiry itself presents many points of interest and attraction. The Commissioners have had access to all the ancient documents, titles, charters, and grants, by which public charities were founded; they exhibit an interesting picture of ancient manners, feelings, and superstitions, and forming, as it does, the first and only authentic ac¬ count of the foundation of ancient grammar-schools, colleges, alms¬ houses, and hospitals, it is an invaluable and novel appendage to our domestic history. As a mere historical record, therefore, the work possesses high claims to attention, independent of the exposition it affords of an immense mass of property, in a singular state of abuse and perversion. Since the Reformation, nothing has appeared of analogous interest, and, in a period distinguished for research and intellectual activity, it is a matter of no small surprise that it has been so long neglected. It is true, till the present inquiry was instituted, there was no law empowering any one to investigate the management of charitable foundations, and the parties implicated therein had too obvious an interest in concealment to come forward with voluntary disclosures. At first, the Commissioners were fourteen ; by a subsequent act,
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