Diary of Rev Edward Stevens

1886, March 27, Saturday   a

Attended Brass Band practice.

Received notice, brought by William Barton, signed by tenants (or rather by some and signed for other by some, without their authority. E.g. W. Hall for Sylvia Sabin. Phoebe Payne for her husband as occupying for the ??? of year, allotment held by her late father David Hone; and Sally Barnes for her son William). The note asked that the trustees should let them have the first 24 allotments hitherto let at 7/6 per piece for 5/- per piece, i.e. £1 per acre, “same as they had used to be”.

This was apparently instigated by Mr F. Mann who at the last Trustees Meeting proposed that these rents should be reduced. But the Trustees decided that as the allotments numbered 1 – 24 were much better and more conveniently situated than the rest – that no complaint had ever been made of the rent, but that on the contrary they were eagerly sought after, in preference to the 5/- pieces – they would not be doing right to reduce them. The notice was started by William Webb, Mr Mann’s carter and other man who went to William Barton and got him to do the writing.

I have seen most of the tenants who tell me they would have thought nothing about the matter but that these men came and asked them to sign. Not one of them would be willing to exchange his 7/6 allotment for a 5/- one. Mr Woolgrove says the 24 allotments in question are all worth the money, and almost any farmer would gladly give £1.10 an acre for all and pay rates which at present the Trustees have to pay.

1886, March 28, Sunday 

Attended Boys School this morning. Choir practice this evening. Very showery all day. Charles Barnes, my clerk, was not at church, owing to his wife’s confinement.

1886, March 29, Monday

Mr Woolgrove, my churchwarden, called this evening about the American Organ Account. He told me that Dr Routh had informed him that he should resign his seat on the Board of Charity Trustees as he did not like the constant grumbling of some persons about the Charity Administration. The names of grumblers were not mentioned, nor the complaints they had to make.

Lewis Poulton has removed his children from our School where they were charged 3d per week all books etc found and 2/6 given every year on passing examination of H.M. Inspector, to Miss Schimmell’s – a “dame’s school”, where they pay at least 6d per week, find teir own books and have no privileges. It was Lewis Poulton who applied to Trustees to reduce fee from 3d to 1d which, as he is a tradesman, a freeholder and a farmer, the Trustees declined to do.

1886, March 30, Tuesday

Sent Frank to School of Art at Sibford Ferris Friends’ School this morning.

Very high wind with rain at night.

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Read about the Rev Edward Stevens here.