Diary of Rev Edward Stevens

Cold and dry.

Mr. George Hall called this morning asking me:

1. To agree to ask the Charity Commissioners to appoint Mr R. Lamb as one of the body. I replied that I could not do anything of the sort in the face of the 7 trustees who opposed the idea at the last meeting, and of the letter received from the Commissioners refusing to interfere with the settlement so recently made.
2. Would I let him see the “Will”. He had heard that someone had seen it. I replied that we had no “Will” and that it was probably destroyed with thousands of others deposited in St. Paul’s Cathedral by the Great Fire of 1666.
3. Might he see “as a Trustee” the other writings etc. I replied that we had no so-called “Deeds”, but some old documents, letters, leases, releases etc. He might see them some other time but they were now up at the School where they were kept. But that he would not be able to make much out of them. I showed him the report of the Charity Commissioners for 1842.
4. Would I let him have the School-room for a meeting of himself and a few friends about the Charity. I replied that I would readily do so if the Trustees wished it, but not otherwise against the very decided opinion which all the Trustees except himself expressed at the last meeting: for that it would only cause strife between those who were not and those who were recipients of the doles in the parish and came under the designation of the “poor of Sibford Gower”.

When Mr. Hall spoke of the “unpopularity” into which the firmness of the clergy and other Trustees in maintaining the Charity on its present footing, I told him the Clergy did not strive after popularity. They merely tried to do their duty in preserving this Charity for its ancient use and beneficiaries. We parted in a friendly manner.

…

Charles Barnes’ wife called this afternoon and brought me a note from Mr Doyne, of the Ophthalmic Hospital, Oxford, to Dr Routh, saying he would gladly receive Charles on Saturday. But they had not been able to ascertain what the cost of maintenance as an in-patient would be. His wife said she would try to go with him tomorrow and hear what Mr Doyne said about him. I gave her £1 out of Town Estate Charity towards necessary expenses.

Intensely cold. Very few in church.