RETURN to an Order of the Honourable The House of Commons, RETURN "comprising (1) THE REPORTS made to the Charity Commissioners, in the result of an Inquiry held in every Parish wholly or partly within the Administrative County of London into Endowments, subject to the provisions of the Charitable Trusts Acts, 1853 to 1891, and appropriated in whole or in part for the benefit of that County, or of any part thereof, together with the Reports on those Endowments of the Commissioners for inquiring concerning Charities, 1818 to 1837 "; and "(2) A DIGEST showing in the case of each such Parish whether any, and, if any, what such Endowments are recorded in the books of the Charity Commissioners in the Parish." And to be purchased, either directly or through any Bookseller, from E. PONSONBY, 116, GRAFTON STREET, DUBLIN. 1901. COUNTY of LONDON. Thomas Carpenter's Charity. Thomas Carpenter's Charity. I. The Inquiry into this Charity was held on the 4th February 1901. I. Date of Inquiry. 1823. II. II. The following is the Report on this Charity, dated the 28th June 1823, of the Commissioners appointed in pursuance of the Acts 58 Geo. III, c. 91, and 59 Geo. III, Report of c. 81., to inquire concerning Charities in England and Wales (Vol. 10, p. 175). This Report is hereinafter referred to as the Report of 1823. WARD OF BREAD-STREET. CARPENTER'S CHARITY. Ward of Bread-street. Mr. Thomas Carpenter, by his will, dated the 29th April 1731, and proved in the prerogative Carpenter's court of Canterbury the 25th May 1732, gave to the trustees of the charities of Mr. John Lane, Charity. late citizen and grocer, of London (for an account of which, see the following page)*, and to John Ogilvie, one of the testator's executors, 1,000l. sterling, to be paid within two years after his decease, and to be by them invested in the purchase of bank stock, in the names of the major part of the trustees, upon trust, to receive the dividends and profits thereof, and lend, gratis, every 50l. which should be raised out of such dividends and profits of the said 1,000l. to some poor young man, inhabiting within the ward of Bread-street, London, upon such security, and for such time, as the trustees or survivors of them should think fit, provided no one man should have any sum of 50% of it above seven years, nor above 1007. in the whole, lent to him; and the testator directed, that on the death of any of the trustees, the interest of the person dying should be transferred by the survivors. for the use of themselves, and such other persons as the said survivors should from time to time appoint; and that the trustees, or the major part of them, should be inhabitants of the ward of Bread-street; and he further directed, that this charity should be distinguished by the name of Mr. Thomas Carpenter's charity to the ward of Bread-street; and that his trustees should perform this trust at the same time, and as often, as they should meet to perform the trusts in the will of the said John Lane. No accounts of this charity exist prior to 1772. In that year, it appears that there was a sum of 9007. bank stock, standing in the names of the then treasurer and another of the trustees, rendering an annual dividend of 497. 10s. and there were eight bonds then outstanding for loans of 50%. each. The applications for these loans have not been numerous, owing, probably, in a great measure, to the limitation of the privilege to the inhabitants of this single ward. From this circumstance, and also from the bonuses on bank stock, given at various periods, and from the increased rate of interest paid by the bank, this fund has accumulated to a very large amount. It now consists of 6,437l. 10s. bank stock, and 2,7007. out on loans of 100l. to 27 persons, inhabitants of the ward of Bread-street. The stock stands in the names of William Bedford esquire, treasurer, Isaac Hensley, George Bainbridge, and John Ansley, esquires, three of the trustees. The other trustees, at present, are Samuel Hayward, William Mathie, and Thomas Coleman, esquires. The loans have, of late years, been always to the amount of 1007. each; they are granted, without interest, on the joint and several bonds of the borrower and three sufficient sureties, and are made payable three months after the date, but it is understood, that they are not to be called in in less than seven years, except in case of the death or failure of the principal or his sureties. Most of the trustees reside in the ward of Bread-street, and we are assured that as much publicity as possible is given to the existence of this charity throughout the ward; indeed the number of loans now outstanding sufficiently prove that it is well known. The capacity of the fund, however, considerably exceeds the demand upon it, and as things now stand, must continually become more and more disproportioned to its object. If the trustees had the power of increasing the amount of the loans to more than 1007. each, or to extend them beyond the local limits of the ward, it is probable that they would easily find means of beneficially employing their whole fund, and it seems desirable that a competent authority should be applied to, to furnish them with enlarged powers. [* The Report referred to is reprinted in the present series in the Report, dated the 15th February 1901, on John Lane's Charity.] Thomas III. The following is the description of this Charity contained in the General Digest, Carpenter's 1873-75: Charity. Loans, 643 15 0 360 0 0 886 10 02 R. 12,800 0 0 NOTE.-B. = Bank Stock; C. Consols; R. = Observations. s. d. Founded by will, 29th April 1731. Regulated by Scheme of Court of Chancery, 25th May 1844. Applicable in loans without interest to poor inen carryon business within the ward of Bread-street; in loans for providing apprentice fees for children or orphans, and for the education of six boys, of persons residing, or who had resided, in said ward. By Scheme of Endowed Schools Commissioners a sum of 300l. a year is to be applied to the advancement of education, by providing exhibitions for children of persons who shall have resided or carried on business, or earned a livelihood in the said ward. On 31st December 1874, 7,2001. was out on loan. Reduced; Met. Metropolitan Consolidated Stock. There is a reference to this Charity in the Charity Commissioners' Register of Unreported Unreported Charities, the substance of which is stated hereafter. Register of Charities. IV. Report of Assistant Commissioner. IV. The Inquiry was held at the office of Mr. Leonard J. Maton, solicitor, the secretary to the trustees, No. 21 Cannon Street, E.C. Since the date of the Report of 1823 the amount of the stock belonging to the Charity has varied in accordance with the sums from time to time outstanding on lean, and on the whole there has been a large increase in the endowment through investments. of surplus inconie. The subjoined schedule contains particulars of the present state of the endowment : In the result of an information filed against the trustees by the Attorney-General at the relation of William Williams and others a Scheme for the future regulation of the Charity was established by a Decree of the Court of Chancery dated the 25th May 1844. The costs of the proceedings, which were paid out of the income of the Charity, exceeded 6807. An abstract of the main provisions of the said Scheme is as follows: The sum of 12,000l., part of the Charity funds for the time being, to be applicable to the making of loans as in the 2nd article mentioned, and the loans then outstanding, |