Huish Charities

" Remember that the College is founded on money that came in from Huish holdings at Blackfriars around about the era of Queen Anne ", says Frank Huish (above). We are fortunate in having the offices of the Charity Commission here in Taunton and from them I have obtained a copy of part of the 'Further Report of the Commissioners for Inquiring Concerning Charities'. This is a printed record, county by county, of all known charities at the beginning of the 18th century. The section on the Huish's Charity runs to about ten pages and the following account is based thereon.

Copy of Richard's Will, Title Page (325.4kb)

The Report goes into considerable detail and begins with the Will of Richard Huish, 1615, and the completion and management of the 'hospital', now known as the almshouses:

'...for the succour and relieving of 13 poor, needy, maimed, impotent and aged men...',

'...which said hospital, his will was, should be built, and which he had almost finished, within the said town and borough of Taunton in the Lane, there called Maudlyn Lane, nigh unto the church of Saint Mary Magdalen...'

I have noted in a footnote a reference to an archway being left during the construction of Hammet Street to provide for access to the almshouses and from this I assume that the present almshouses, which old Tauntonians will remember as being next door to the old firestation, is a more modern building.

'This building [...] stands at the back of the north side of Hammet-street [...] and contains 13 rooms for the use of the poor men, a chapel, a small room formerly a record room...'

There is much detail on the conditions which the poor old men were required to observe as a condition of their residence as well as those conditions that applied to their admission in the first place.

'...one of the discreetest, and such an one as could read and write English at the least, should be from time to time thereafter, president [...] to be always appointed by such of his name as should be heir male of the house of Huish, then of Dymford, in the county of Somerset; and that of Sand, in the parish of Sydbury, in the county of Devon...'

The hospital would have 'assured or paid to it for ever' an annuity or annual rent of 103l. 'to be issuing out of all his houses lands and tenements within Blackfriars, London...'. The president should have a bell which he should 'ring for that purpose', so that the men could hear 'in reverent and decent manner [...] all morning and evening prayer, with four chapters out of the Bible [...] to be distinctly read...'. In addition, the vicar, on the first Sunday of every quarter of the year 'should hear them say the Lord's Prayer, the Creed, and the Ten Commandments, and examine them upon the principles of the Christian religion...'.

The report next records the provision for five scholars at Oxford or Cambridge. A further 100l. 'yearly out of the same houses and lands in the Blackfriars aforesaid' is to be paid towards the maintenance of five of his name of Huish, being nearest in blood; [...] there to be students in the arts [...] to enable them to the study of divinity, which was the only purpose for which he gave that allowance'.

There are references elsewhere (document in SRO, Taunton) to the failure of the trust to receive income due to tenants defaulting on their rent but, more dramatically, the properties themselves were destroyed in the Fire of London and until the time of a decree of the commissioners in 1671 the properties had 'lain waste without any advantage being made thereof'. It appears that there were no takers for a short lease (of 21 years) and the terms were revised so that leases of 99 years could be given 'upon such conditions as to them should seem meet, and should be most advantageous to the charity'.

The report concludes with a summary of the London properties from which the income derived. The properties had been divided into four lots, and severally let by auction, as follows:

Lot 1. 'All those eight messuages or tenements situated or being in Huish's court, Water Lane, in the parish of St. Ann, Blackfriars...'.

Lot 2. '...all that brick messuage situate on the south side of Huish's-court [...] and also all those four brick built messuages and premises situate in Printing-house-lane [...] and also all that brick messuage and premises situate in Water-lane...'.

Lot 3. 'The subject of this lot appears to have a messuage situate in Printing-house-lane [...] now a public house, known by the sign of the Lamb and Lark'.

Lot 4. '...all that messuage or tenement and premises, being a public house, called the Glazier's Arms, situate on the east side of Water-lane'.

Details of the leases, the tenants and related covenants and insurances are given for each lot. The record continues:

'There was once belonging to the charity, a house and garden, situated in what was then called Magdalen-lane, Taunton. Those premises were taken into the new street, now called Hammet-street, as appears by an order in the order book, dated 23d August 1788 [...] obliging the trustees to dispose of certain lands [...] viz a house and garden [...] and a stable'.

The new owner was of course Sir Benjamin Hammet after whom the new street, with its view of St. Mary's tower, was named. This house and garden is evidently not the almshouse itself as the record continues with the description cited earlier of the actual residences and so the record of the archway left for access is quite probably correct. The record concludes with a summary of the then current state of the charity's income which by then seemed to have recovered somewhat as:

'Before the new lettings in 1807, there was not a sufficient fund to keep up the number of exhibitioners with any regularity, but there were generally one or two receiving the exhibition'.

but by the year 1815 the five places were all filled. At that time the annual income and expenditure of the trust was in the region of £360.

My thanks are due to Richard Emeny of the Charity Commission, Taunton, for providing the details on which this article is based.

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