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July 2022 July 2022
As mentioned in the last church magazine we were hoping to have a talk by
the property came with the right of “……..digging clay & chalk, making & burning someone who could tell us about what you can find when out with a metal
brirks & lyme…..” Other land and property was on the east side at the top of Rye detector - hopefully some ancient coins - but unfortunately they had to cancel
Hill, and on Barrow Hill (originally known as Bugbarrow) including what became due to the dreaded pandemic so we were very lucky to have Amanda Valentine
the boys school and master’s cottage. Further land was at Rush Mead, to the come from Julia's House who gave a very interesting and moving talk on the work
west of Roke. they do with children and parents throughout Dorset and Wiltshire at their
Children's Hospice. What a wonderful charity this is. The last couple of years have
The Eighteenth Century been very challenging for them due to the
pandemic with staff problems and the
We have no information on how the Trust operated in its first century but there are children they support have become
records of further endowments. increasingly complex from a medical point
of view so they have had to respond to
Two of the vicars, Rev. Henry Fisher (vicar 1725-1773) and Rev. Thomas Williams these changing and growing needs. Not
(vicar 1773-1817), a namesake but not related, gave additional funds. From the only do they support the children but also
Will in 1773 of Henry Fisher. help the parents, who face considerable
challenges, to have some respite

occasionally. It is a great charity in the heart
The Nineteenth Century of our community and needs all the help it
In 1823 the number of Trustees was down to two, John Bond and Rev. Thomas can get.
Williams. Instructions were given to prepare a conveyance of the Trust Assets to Our next Meeting on Wednesday, 22nd June is a group walk around Mays Wood
new Trustees, but both men died before this had been done. So in the middle of followed by a Supper at the Sports Club. We are meeting with other WI Groups at
the 19 Century, there was nobody to collect rents and dividends and the charity 6.30pm in Elder Road near the Scout Hut. Everyone welcome.
th
seems to have fallen into neglect. It is not clear when new Trustees were
appointed and matters put back into some sort of order. There are clear
accounts for 1856 and by 1878 there were again Trustees registered with the
Charity Commission.
From the 1856 accounts we can see that the Trust had £260 invested in 3% Thank You
Consols, the dividends supplementing the rental income from the land and A huge ‘thank you’ to the big teams who joined up and
properties. worked over five months to put on such a memorable
Over the years, the Trustees were more or less successful at collecting the rents. Jubilee Weekend.
Not only had rents to be collected, but there were outgoings on insurance and Also a really big cheer for the ‘unseen volunteers’:
upkeep. A Norwich Union Fire Insurance Certificate issued in 1881, indicates that
the properties on Barrow Hill and at Doddings were insured for £800 at a cost of 18 Delivering flyers, filling in formal applications, putting up
shillings per annum payable on Lady Day. and taking down posters, double checking that Souls Moor was safe for the
ponies to return, the Congregational Church litter pickers(there wasn’t much!),
Tithes were a regular source of confusion. Tithes due were complicated by the those who scrubbed BBQs and greasy burger trays, those who washed up and all
fact that certain of the vicars rented Williams Charity land adjacent the Glebe on who lent out stuff to make life easy.
Snow Hill and were due a church tithe on it! And there was often uncertainty on
whether tithes had or had not been collected from tenants. Truly a Bere Regis family occasion.
Sometimes income exceeded expenditure. In 1879 the Trustees were sufficiently Judy Newton
confident to increase the number of boys supported to 8 each year and in 1880
they increased the schoolmaster’s salary from £10 p.a. to £15 p.a. Pretty generous See the Souvenir Colour centre for photographic memories of
this, since it had been at £10 since 1819 when Mr. Curtis was the schoolmaster! all the events

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