Report of the Commissioners appointed in pursuance of an act of parliament made and passed in the 5th and 6th years of King William the 4th, c. 71 : instituted, "An act for appointing commissioners to continue the inquiries concerning charities in England and Wales, until the first day of March one thousand eight hundred and thirty-seven." (Dated 30th June 1837.) Presented to both Houses of Parliament by command of Her Majesty.
- Great Britain. Commissioners for Inquiring Concerning Charities
- Date:
- 1840
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: Report of the Commissioners appointed in pursuance of an act of parliament made and passed in the 5th and 6th years of King William the 4th, c. 71 : instituted, "An act for appointing commissioners to continue the inquiries concerning charities in England and Wales, until the first day of March one thousand eight hundred and thirty-seven." (Dated 30th June 1837.) Presented to both Houses of Parliament by command of Her Majesty. Source: Wellcome Collection.
Provider: This material has been provided by King’s College London. The original may be consulted at King’s College London.
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![London. Christ's Hospiial, continued. or successors, or of the justices, escheators, sheriffs, ministers, servants, or other of the subjects whomsoever of us, our heirs or successors ; any statute, act, law or ordinance heretofore made or hereafter to be made, to the contrary notwithstanding, so that the same ordinances, laws and statutes be not contrary or repugnant to the laws and statutes of our kingdom of England, or to our royal prerogative. And further we give and grant for us, our heirs and successors, to the aforesaid mayor and commonalty and citizens of our city of London aforesaid, and their successors for ever, that it may, and shall be lawful, as well to the aforesaid mayor and commonalty and citizens for the time being, as to the same and such officers, ministers, or governors, as the aforesaid mayor and commonalty and citizens aforesaid shall from time to time appoint or ordain to be officers, ministers, or governors under them of the same manor or house called Bridewell Place, or the other houses or hospitals assigned for the aforesaid poor as aforesaid, and of two or three of them, at all time hereafter, from time to time, as well within the city of London aforesaid, and the suburbs of the same, as within our said county of Middlesex, diligently to inquire and examine by all ways, and methods, by which they may better know,^ according to their prudence and discretion, of all and all manner of suspicious houses, inns, taverns, gaming-houses, play-houses, dancing-houses, and other places whatso- ever, and liberty or liberties, and places exempt whatsoever, within the said city and the suburbs thereof, and in our said county of Middlesex, by what names or titles soever the same or either of them are, or shall be called or known, and also to examine, investigate, and inquire of all and singular houses or places whatsoever in anywise suspected, for idle, lazy ruffians, haunters of stews, vagabonds, and sturdy beggars, or other suspected persons whom- soever, and men and women whomsoever, of ill name and fame : and the same ruffians, haunters of stews, vagabonds, and beggars, not only to apprehend within the same suspected houses or places, liberty or liberties, and places exempt, being within the said county of Mid- dlesex, but also the tenants, masters, owners, or keepers of such houses or places where any such shall be found, to the house of labour of Bridewell to commit, or in any other manner all and singular the same persons to punish, as to them it shall then seem good and lawful, unless the tenants, masters, owners or keepers of such houses and places can honestly and justly excuse and discharge themselves before the aforesaid mayor and the aldermen of the same city for the time being, or before the officers, ministers, or governors under them of the aforesaid houses, why they have so cherished and entertained such idle ruffians and suspected pei'sons and vagabonds, or permitted them to lye, converse, and frequent in their houses ; and also unless such men so suspected, and vagabonds, being so taken, may sufficiently and fully declare for their honest and good conversation, and render a just reason by what manner they may get their living, and why they do so wander about, and daily frequent such sort of suspicious, and secret, and prohibited houses or places, and shall also find sufficient surety that they, and every of them, shall afterwards behave themselves and himself honestly. And moreover, we w ill, that it shall be lawful to the mayor and aldermen of the city aforesaid for the time being, or for other the officers or governors of the poor under them in the hospitals aforesaid for the time being, to use such correction and order in the premises as to them shall seem most con- venient or profitable, without the impeachment of us, our heirs or successors, or of the justices, escheators, sheriffs, or other the ministers, servants or subjects whomsoever of us, our heirs or successors, any statute, act, ordinance, restriction, law, or custom to the contrary thereof in anywise notwithstanding. Also we will, and by these presents grant to the aforesaid mayor and commonalty and citizens of our city of London, that they may have, and shall have, these our letters patent under our great seal of England, in due manner made and sealed, without fine or fee, great or small, to us in our hanaper or elsewhere to our use for the same, in anywise howsoever to be rendered paid or made, although express mention of the true yearly value, or of the certainty of the premises or either of them, or of other gifts, or grants by us, or by any of our progenitors heretofore made to the same mayor and commonalty and citizens of our city of London, is not made in these presents, or any other statute, act, ordinance, provision, or restriction to the contrary thereof, made, passed, ordained, or provided, or any other thing, cause, or matter whatsoever in anywise notwithstanding. Li testimony whereof, we have caused these our letters to be made patent. Witness ourself at Westminster, the 26th day of June, in the seventh year of our reign [1553]. Cotton. (Great Seal.) By Writ of Privy Seal, and of the date aforesaid by authority of Parliament. Inrolled before John Hornyoke, Auditor. Involled before John Purevey, Auditor. LiroUed in the office of Bryan Taillor, Auditor. Further History. The Corporation appear to have exerted themselves to bring into full operation the charitable establishments thus placed under their management, by appointing out of their own body, officers for the government, and by levying, for the maintenance and support of the houses, assessments, first upon the citizens and inhabitants, and afterwards upon the companies and fellow'ships in the same manner as we have already seen to have been done in the case of St. Bartholomew in the years 1547—8. A superintending authority over the governors seems to have been exercised by the Court of Aldermen, but whether or not by deputation from the Court of Common Council does not appear. Thus in 1556 (November 12th), the Court of Aldermen appointed certain members of](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b2129866x_0090.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
