CHARITIES FOR THE POOR.
Jane Wall by
will dated 1573 left Church mead in Steyning to
her cousin Robert Gravenor, the income to be
given to the poor of the parish in weekly payments
after Sunday morning service. In 1579, however,
Richard Farnfold, the testator's nephew and
occupier of the meadow, settled in trust a rent-charge of £7 6s. 8d. from it. (fn. 45) In the early 19th
century it was customary to use the income to
supplement the poor-rate, but on the instructions
of the Charity Commissioners the parish officers
restricted the payments to the unrelieved poor. (fn. 46)
William Holland by will proved 1614 devised a
rent-charge of £5 out of the White Horse inn in
Steyning for twice-yearly distribution to the poor
in sums of 1s. (fn. 47) In the 1830s the income was being
accumulated for two or three years at a time, to be
distributed in clothing. (fn. 48)
Barnard Parson (d. 1618) devised a cottage in
Steyning for the benefit of the poor for ever, (fn. 49) but
the endowment is not heard of again.
Henry Hilton of Clapham by will proved 1641
left the sum of £24 annually for 99 years out of his
lands in co. Durham, to be distributed among the
twelve poorest inhabitants of the parish. (fn. 50) Little or
none of the income was paid before 1669. (fn. 51) In 1711
the income was said to be paid sometimes yearly,
sometimes less often, and to have been last paid in
1709. (fn. 52) By 1724 it had been reduced to £16 by the
fall of rents, and the cost of collection was c. £1. (fn. 53)
The income was still apparently being received in
1730. (fn. 54)
Charles Marshall by will proved 1845 left £200
stock in trust, the income to be used for distributing
bread to the poor. (fn. 55) In the early 1860s the income
was £6. (fn. 56)
Mrs. Fanny Ingram by will proved 1911 devised
£1,000 in trust, the income to be distributed among
the deserving poor of the parish over 70. (fn. 57) In 1966
the income was £73.
The Wall, Holland, and Marshall charities were
administered together by 1962, and generally known
as Steyning parochial charities. In 1973 those three
together with the Ingram charity were formally
amalgamated as the Steyning Parochial Charity,
whose combined assets, besides the White Horse
and Church mead rent-charges, comprised £1,570
stock. In 1976 part of the Church mead rent-charge
was redeemed for a lump sum. At that date the
income of the combined charity was being distributed
to elderly residents of Steyning in cash or fuel.
Florence Marie Taylor by a deed of 1934 settled
a cottage in Jarvis Lane known as Jarvis Lodge in
trust for low-cost housing for elderly women from
Steyning or near by. The charity survived in 1968. (fn. 58)