rish is indebted for the above named sums. A great part of the money has been invested in land and other securities, so that the charities of Bampton, as they are at present, would be almost unintelligible even to the donors themselves. The list of Bampton charities in their present state, is as follows: 1. The free grammar-school, founded by R. Veysey. 3. Wilmot's gift. 4. Appleton estate, given by Julian Walter. 5. Shilton estate. 6. Hoard's gift. 7. The Church-lands. 8. Money lent to the Stokenchurch turnpike-trust. 9. Legacies bequeathed by Mrs Susanna Frederick, Mrs Elizabeth Snell, Mrs Mary Frederick, and Mrs Mary Crofts. 10. Carter's legacy. 11. Upper Moor close and Brookfast Furlong close. 12. Lower Moor close and Lake-Reddy close. 13. National School. 14. Miss Carr's bequest. 15. Monk's legacies to the church and poor of Aston. 17. Miscellaneous-lost legacies, &c. 1. The free Grammar-School. The Free Grammar-School was founded, in the year 1670, by Robert Vaisey, or Vesey, esq. of Chimney, who left £300 for the instruction of all boys living in the parish and dependencies of Bampton, and in the small adjoining parish of Yelford. This bequest was augmented to £400 by John Palmer, who, by will dated Oct. 23, 1650, gave an additional sum of £100 for the use of the grammarschool. See the copy of the board in the church and the Report of the Charity-Commissioners, page 341. The inquisi tions and other papers printed in the Appendix to this volume will inform the reader of many particulars concerning this foundation, which it is here unnecessary to repeat. The Trustees, still alive, according to the last feoffment, dated June 21, 1831, are F. Whitaker esq., Rev. C. L. Kerby, vicar of Bampton, Rev. W. J. Walker of Southrop, Mr. Tho. Green, Mr. James Ward, Mr. W. Andrews, Mr. William Pryor of Aston, Mr. Richard Townsend of Coate, and Mr. J. Bateman. Their duty is to take charge of and maintain the freehold property which belongs to the foundation, consisting of the School-house, a picturesque building situated near the church, a small cottage adjoining, and three fields situated near Fisher's bridge. The income derived from the rents, aomunts to about £28 per annum, not including the School-house. Other monies will probably be attached to the School, when certain arrangements in the court of Chancery shall be brought to completion. The master is appointed by the three vicars of Bampton, and the heir of the founder, and in case of an equality of votes between the four, then the decision shall remain on that side to which the heir of the founder shall have given his vote. The present master is the Rev. H. S. Templar but there are no pupils, and it is a subject of regret to the inhabitants that this foundation is without any benefit whatever to the town. It appears, however, that this evil is not so irremediable as in the case of many other grammar-Schools, for the foundation is unfettered by any conditions which might perpetuate a course of study not adapted to the wants of the people. The original statutes seem now to be lost, but they were apparently extant at the time when the Rawlinson MS. was written: for I find therein the following extract: "School-master Leonard Fell, a poor child, of Queen's College in Oxford, who according to the statutes ought not to be a beneficed person." 2. Thomson's gift-Mr. George Thompson, whose tomb is still seen on the east side of the South transept-a recumbent figure under a pediment supported by two fluted columns. — by his last will, dated June 6, 1st James I, A. D. 1603, left a rent-charge of £6 a year issuing out of certain lands situated in the parish of Brizenorton, (now given, in sixpences,) to the poor of Bampton and Weald. The extract from his will, preserved in the great chest, is as follows: ITEM I will and bequeath to the poor people of Bampton, Lew, and Weld, Marian Startupp and her heirs, Agnes Startupp the daughter of Humphry Startupp and her heirs, Agnes Startupp the daughter of Wm. Startupp and her heirs, Joane Tomson my wife during her natural life and Jane Gurlie my sister's daughter and her heir, ALL that my lease of two yard-land, with all the appurtenances thereunto belonging with divers other particulars, contained in the same lease, set, lying and being in the parish of Brisenorton in the county of Oxon, granted unto me and my assigns by Mr. Edward Yate, late of Buckland, for a term of 2000 years to the behoof of them, and every of them, as in particular, and more at large in this my present will, is expressed and set down. And for the better performance and more assurance whereof my will is that the feoffees of Bampton, Haddon, Aston, Lew, and Weald, for the time being, shall have the custody or keeping of the said lease in trust, to and for the use of all the parties prenominate, that the said lease in no case should be sold, alienated or altered from the true meaning of this my will... then gives several parts of the premises in the said lease to Marian Startupp, Agnes Startupp, and Agnes paying several yearly sums to his executors; and to Joane his wife during her natural life, and Jeane Gurlie and her heirs during the term, all other the contents, as houses, lands and enclosures, commons, rents, profits, and appurtenances whatsoever, not before given and bequeathed in the main lease comprised and contained, they paying yearly during the whole term to the poor people of Bampton, Lew, and Weald, six pounds to be given and distributed to them by the discretion of my overseers and the two Churchwardens of Bampton, Haddon, Weald, and Lew, for the time being, at two several times of the year, viz. Whit-sunday, and the feast of St. Thomas the Apostle, by equal portions, and makes Joan his wife and Jane Gurlie his executrixes. Witnesses Rob. Joy, clerk, Edward Jones, and William Hanks. Proved at Oxford, 4th Feb., 1603. * 3. Wilmot's gift-See Mr. Hudson's account of this bequest, printed in the appendix. The abuse, there mentioned, has been remedied since his time: the £2 a year are now expended in keeping up a stock of blankets, which are lent to the poor during the winter. * Mr. Thompson resided where Kerwood's yard (once called D'oyle's yard) now stands. 4. Appleton estate, given by Julian Walter.-The Appleton estate consists of a house, called the Thames-House, and certain lands in the parish of Appleton, containining about 30 acres, more or less, bequeathed originally by Julian Walter, who, having no children, executed his will on May 1, 1656, by which he gave the aforesaid estate to Trustees for "the good and benefit of the poor of the town of Bampton in the co. of Oxon, and to the impotent people of the parish of Bampton aforesaid, equally to be divided between them, which premises so devised for and to the use of the poor of the said parish shall every Sunday in the year for ever after the Sermons be ended in the said parishchurch, in the forenoon, be distributed in wheaten bread by the churchwardens or overseers of the poor of the parish aforesaid to the poor and impotent people inhabiting in the parish, in such sort and manner as the bread is given at Appleton Provided nevertheless that, if the said several churchwardens for the time being of the said parish, or any of them shall fail at any time hereafter in the due execution of this my will, according to the true intent and meaning hereof, that then the use of the poor of the parish to cease,......but it shall or may be lawful for the Justices of Peace of the Sessions to be holden for the county of Oxon and Berks, to take the profits, to them so devised for the use of the said poor, and employ the same to the enlargement of the causeway at New-Bridge in length, and for the maintainance of it for ever, &c." In the Report of the Commissioners Julian Walter is described as a woman, and no papers, that have yet fallen in my way, afford the least help towards clearing up this very ridiculous doubt. Within a recent period this property has been vested in trustees by a decree of the commissioners of the Public Charities. The last enfeoffment, dated Sep. 25, 1826, vested the trusteeship in the hands of Jonathan Arnatt, William Joseph Walker, Frederick Whitaker, Robert Bullen, George Bryan Shingleton, Bernard Green, William Roberts and John Bateman, with the proviso that when four trustees should be dead a fresh feoffment should be executed. Three of them are already deceased. The rents amount to £36 a year, received by the churchwardens, who retain 8s. for a dinner, on Holy Thursday, 8s. bread money (as it is termed) for the parishes of Ensham, Witney and Standlake, and £2. 8s. land-tax : the rest is given in bread to the poor. After Michaelmas, 1848, the rent will be £42. 5. Shilton estate. [For an account of this charity see Mr. Hudson's pamphlet, in the appendix.] The last feoffment is dated June 13, 1831, and conveys the trust to the Rev. J. R. Winstanley, D. D., Rev. C. L. Kerby, James Ward, Frederick Whitaker, Rev. W. J. Walker, of Southrop in the co. of Gloucester, Jonathan Arnat, Tho. Green, Wm. Andrews, Wm. Pryor, Wm. Sparrowhawk, and Richard Townsend, on trust to let the lands at the best annual rent, the rent thereof to "be forthwith disposed of and applied to and for the placing out and binding of such and so many poor children yearly to some good trades in London or the suburbs thereof and not elsewhere, as the said Tho. Burrow, J. R. Winstanley, and C. L. Kerby, and their successors, vicars of Bam. aforesd. for the time being, or the major part of them shall from time to time think fit and appoint." The rents now produce £30 per annum, but, when the present lease is expired, they will be raised to £40. The Report of the Charity-commissioners states that this land was purchased with the bequests of Dorothy Loder, who, by will dated March 24, 1701, gave £300, Dr. Cotten, who gave £50, and Richard Coxeter, who by will dated Nov. 8, 1681, bequeathed £40; all these sums to be vested in land, and the proceeds to be employed in apprenticing children of Bampton to various trades; but of late years a large portion of the rents has been used to pay the salaries of the Master and Mistress to the National School. [See appendix, No. XIX. 6. Hoard's gift. This charity will be best understood by the perusal of the following printed paper, formerly in circulation. "AN ABSTRACT OF THE GIFTS OF THOMAS HORDE ESQ. for the benefit of his Neighbours in Aston and Coate, in the County of Oxford. N. B. The Trustees are to deduct all their charges out of the rents of the Lands charged. Mr. Horde, by deed dated the sixth day of August in the year 1709, did give certain Lands in Aston and Coate to Trustees, in trust |