Chapter 6

Little Acorns

Chapter 6

THE SCHOOLS

National Society. November 16th, 1893. Mr. Beardmore.
Old School site was given by Guardians of Chorley Union and a majorlty of ratepayers and owners of property in Mawdesley with the consent of the Poor Law Commissioners. You could obtain a certified copy of the deed from the Public Records Office, Fetter Lane, E.C.
Whitehall, 15th February, 1894. Rev. Beardmore. Home Offlce.
Lords unable to advise Home Secretary to give his consent to the sale of tbe Trust Deeds of the New School contained such a clause. Trusts of a Denomational Character.
House of Commons, 1894.
The fact by the Charity Commissioners everything ls presumed against the Church if the Church cannot prove its rights up to the hilt.
November 16th, 1893. National Society. Mr. Beardmore.
The Trust deed of this school is dated 18th June, 1844, and re-enrolled 22nd June, 1894.
The site was given by the Chorley Union Guardians and a majority of the rate payers and owners of property in Mawdesley with the consent of the Poor Law Commissioners.
December 1st, 1393. The trusts of the new school must be identical with those of the present school deed.
February 15th, 1894. Education Department, Whitehall.
The Lords would be unable to advise the Home Secretary to give his consent to the sale of the School if the Trust Deed of the new school to which the proceeds of the sale are to be applied contain such a clause as you describe.
June 15th, 1894. Charity Commission. The Commissioners cannot allow the sale proceeds of the school site and buildings subject to the Deed of 1844 to be attached as endowment to a school affected with Trusts of a denominational character.
July 20th, 1894. House of Commons.
With the Charity Commissioners everything is now presumed against the Church i£ the Church cannot prove its rights up to the hilt are confiscated without mercy.
Land at Mawdesley containing 356 yards and feet or thereabouts with the buildings formerly used as a school.
May 23rd, 1903. Sames and Green, Architects, New Classroom.
Messrs. Smith's, Croston, for £135.
The Trustees were under no orders to build, but the circumstances justify them in taking the step they did.
There are about 200 children o£ school age in the parish, of which 150 are children of nominal church people.
There was legal accommodation for 188 children in our school, but is was being said by our rivals that we had too many together to be properly looked after.
The possibility of the Wesleyan School being closed through lack of the required 30 scholars had to be considered. Under which circumstances orders would certainly have been given for classroom accommodation.
John Stoplord and David Stop£ord Charity. 6th April, 1900.
Application by Mr. Thomason, Thos. Culshaw, Hugh Dobson, acting as Trustees.
Will o£ John Stopford, 13th February, 1657, and David Stopford Will, 7th October, 1669, for the benefit of the poorest people about Blackmoor.
1934. Notes of Rev. E. Thomason regarding School (Classrooms).
Trustees under no orders to build, but the circumstances of the case seemed to justify them in taking the steps they did. About 200 children in our parish of school age of which 150 are the children of nominal Church people. There was 00legal accommodation for 168 children in our School, but it was being said by our rivals that we had too many together to be properly looked after.
The possibility of the Wesleyan School being closed through lack of the required 30 scholars had to be considered. Under which circumstances, orders would certainly have been given for Classroom accommodation. The old managers also had to engage a more expansive teachng Staff in May, 13, which cost them £15 extra. £161.

Various charities to various places among which is this benefaction of £2 to the Protestant Teacher of Mawdesley School all charged on the testators property called Shawe. The net income is now applied as was devised by the will of Thomas Crook. For this specific bequest of £2 to the Protestant Schoolmaster no Trustees were ever apparently appointed, but the charity was received by the Observers of the Poor for the use and benefit of the Teacher. Simply that Schoolmaster has always been in the receipt of the £2 from this charity, as this is the School described In the Will as the Little School in Mawdestey. The teachers of which have always been Protestant and as such have been in receipt of the £3 from the date of the will.

Charity Commissioners School. Crook's Charity.
In the matter of the Charity called Thomas Crook's in the Township of Mawdesley in the old Parish of Croston in the County o£ Lancaster. The Charity was founded by Thomas Crook in his will dated 1688 as appears from the printed Parliamentary Reports dated 1824 and 1826 for the following objects, namely among other benefactions, £2 to the Schoolmaster of the Little School at Mawdesley at or upon every Shrove Tuesday provided he be a Protestant, and not otherwise.
The charity is a charge on a messuage and lands situate in Alston and Whittingham in the County of Lancaster. In the Report dated 1824 the Property is called the Shawe containing 35 acres customary measure that the house had been rebuilt. The estate was stated to be worth at that time between £40 and £50 a year.

The following persons are recommended for appointment as Trustees and administrators, viz: The Rev. Martin Twiss, D.D., Rector of Mawdesley; Mr William Clarke and Mr. Edward Glover, Churchwardens, and their successors in office for the time belng.
The applicants request that the appointment of Trustees and Administrators as above marked out.may be made by the board for this particular portion of Thomas Crook's Charity. 7th day of June, 1883.
These Trustees were invested by Deed by the Chariityi Commission Board in a Deed dated 30th day of July, 1880.

The Old School Now Belonging to the Brltish Legion May
17th, 1880. Rev. M. Twiss to the Charity Commissioners.
The Charity Commissioners put forward a scheme to withdraw the payment of £2 to the Protestant Teacher. Mr. Twiss emphasises the fact that a new school has been built which is giving good results as recorded by the School Inspectors. The £2 had been from the year 1688-1880, but £2 in the same will to the poor in the parish was not altered by the Commissioners. The scholars paid 2d., and if these payments were not kept up the school would be in difficulties. June 3rd. No intention of withdrawing the £2 from Schoolmaster if this is needed £or his benefit.

Shaw Farm, April 7th, 1881. Enclosed is a P.O. for £2 less expenses £1 19s. 6d from Mrs. Agnes McKie. It had been suggested, 8th April, 1880, by the Com. missioners, that the £2 should be given as a reward to a scholar from any school in the Village for merit and proficiency.
Until properly authorised, you as Vicar of the Parish and the Manager of the School to which you refer cannot cIaim to act in the administration of the Charity. It is necessary that Trustees should be appointed by the Order of this Board for the purpose of receiving and applying this small amount in some manner for the Educational advantage of the children of the poor.
The application for the Order of the Board may be made by yourself and another inhabitant of Mawdesley, and the Rector and Churchwardens may be recemmended for appointment as Trustees. A form is enclosed for the purpose. The small income might by scheme (to which the application extends) be directed to be applied not in aid of the salary of the master but as a free scholarship by way of a prize or reward for any child of Mawdesley attending any school there conducted as a Public Elementary School. Such child to be selected for meritorious conduct and proficiency at the annual examination.

Charity Comndssion—Whiteball, 1900.
Old School Charity founded by Deed Poll, 18th June, 1844.
The Commissioners upon an application, 30th March, 1900, by Rector and Churchwardens. Trustees.
The Trustees may let the School for the best rent obtainable and apply the income to any Public Elementary School in Mawdesley selected by the Trustees.
February 14th, 1900. The Commissioners on the 16th July, 1894, suggest the premises be sold and the income from the invested proceeds be used for any Public Elementary School selected by the Trustees.
Mawdesley Rectory. February 23rd, 1900. Mr. Thomason, Rector.
The Old School. Mr. Beardmore and Trustees, 1894, did not sell the School because it would not benefit the New School.
The plan was put forward for the Old School to be let as a Reading ant Recreation Room, the rent to be paid to the National School Account.
Rev. E. Thomason made enquiries and found that the money to build the O1d School had been raised by members of the Church of England and augmented by a grant from the National Society.

Thomas Crook's Charity was founded in his will of 1858 as appears from the Parliamentary Reports of 1824 and 1926, among other Benefactions £2 to the Schoolmaster of the Little School at Mawdesley on Shrove Tuesday provided he be a Protestant and not otherwise.
The Charity being a charge on a messuage and lands called Shawe in Alston and Whittingham containing 35 acres. The house has been rebuilt and the estate said to be worth £40 to £50 per year.
In 1881, the Shaw was tenanted by Mrs. Agnes McKie, who forwarded the £2, less expenses of 1s. 6d.

Thoma Crook's Charity 1658. Thomas Crook's Charity in 1658 left £2, to be paid to the Schoolmaster at Little School in Mawdesley, providing he be a Protestant, and not otherwise.
The Little School is the little cottage by the Old School, now the British Legion.
The Little School Cottage, which was tenanted by Mrs. Salthouse, is a real antique, being in existence before the will was made in 1658. Upstairs there is a division across the bedrooms, less than four feet high which does not reach the roof. The cottage is condemned as a dwelling now that Mrs. Salthouse is dead.
Can the cottage be preserved as a local museum?

Charity of John Stopford.
Rent charge on Great Kellons and Little Kellons in Eccleston(John Norris) £1 0s. 0d.
Rent charge on Long Meadow in Lathom (James Tasker) 8s. Od.
Rent charge, Little Hey? The Acre, Little Croft in Bispham (Lord Derby) 6s. 6d.
Rent Charge, Rough Hey in Eccleston (John Norris) bs. 6d"
Charity of David Stopford.
Rough Hey in Eecleston (John Norris) 10s. 0d.
The two Trustees shall be two persons appointed by the Parish Council for four years.
1894. Conveyance of Land £or extension of Church Yard.

Mr. Beardmore
Sir Thomas is giving the land to Mawdesley Church and will convey it free of cost but the costs of the Church Commissioners must be paid by the Parish.
The deed was deposited in the Registry of the Diocese of Manchester. It was sealed by the Ecclesiastical Commissioners, 1895. The area as stated in the deed was Twenty-three Perches or thereabouts.

Electric Lighting, 1934.
8th August, 15. Q.A.B. have approved the benefaction of two plots of 1and 1 acre 1 rood 21 perches, value £225. These to be part of Rectory Garden.
The Church, dedicatted to St. Peter was built to supply the means of Grace to such inhabitants of the ancient Parish of Croston who reside in the township of Mawdesley and Bispham.
,The Church was consecrated on June 25th, 1840, by the Right Rev. John Bird Sumner, D.D., Lord Bishop of Chester.
In 1877, the Chancel was built by the parishioners as a Memorial of the devoted work of the first Rector, the Rev. Martin Twiss, D.D.
ln 1892, the Church was restored and reseated, costing £787.
1901. The Church was re-roofed and many of the windows renewed, costing £168 2s. 8d.
1907. The Vestry and Organ Chamber was built, £273 8s. 8d.
1909. The Organ was added, costing £335. 0s. 0d.
Sundry repairs and Improvements to the Church and Church Yard which have cost £100 0s. 0d.
Making a total of ... £1,663 11s. 4d.
Charity Commission—Whitehall. 8th April, 1880.

MAWDESLEY—THOMAS CROOK'S CHARITY.
Adverting to your letter of the 31st ult, you will observe from the information afforded by my preceding communication that the Overseers are the ex officio Trustees appointed by the Will of Thomas Crook of the £2 to be distributed amongst the poor of Mawdesley but that no Trustees were apparently appointed of the further bequest of £2 to be paid to the Schoolmaster of the School mentioned as the Little School at Mawdesley. It is assumed that the School specifically referred to is no longer in existence.