Christmas Charity in Whiteparish

In the south-east Wiltshire parish of Whiteparish, several charities had been established by early 20th century to provide for the poor. Some of the charitable income was intended to provide education to boys and girls in the parish, but other income was intended for the poor, and this was often distributed on or around St Thomas’s Day (21 December), a traditional date for charitable doles.

Sir John Evelyn (d. 1685, not to be confused with his cousin John Evelyn the diarist), by a codicil to his will gave to the poor of Whiteparish £4 annually, charged on his manor in the neighbouring parish of West Dean, and to be distributed in money, food or clothing at the discretion of the owner of the manor on St Thomas’s Day each year. By 1832 it was distributed by the churchwardens and overseers of Whiteparish, usually in money, and sometimes in fuel.

In 1722 Elizabeth Hitchcock had left the interest of £50 to be distributed amongst poor householders of Whiteparish on St Thomas’s Day. This charity, and an educational charity also established by Hitchcock’s will, still had not received their endowments by 1746. Instead, the sums were commuted to a tithe rent charge on Hitchcock’s estate, £2 of which was to be distributed among poor housekeepers, not already in receipt of alms, on 21 December each year. By 1832 it was reported that no distribution had taken place since 1820, but that year the accumulated funds were spent on 109 blankets. The newly-formed parish council had taken over management of the charity by 1895.

The parish council proved an efficient administrator, and charitable distributions were made every December, if not exactly on the 21st of that month. By 1906 the parish council had amalgamated the charities of Evelyn and Hitchcock with that the Hurst charity. The Hurst charity had been founded in 1697, funded by an annual rent charge of 10s. on the Red Lion inn (later the King’s Head) to provide for four poor widows of the parish.

Under the charity formed from the amalgamation of the Evelyn, Hitchcock and Hurst charities, pairs of sheets were given out, rather than cash or blankets. Twenty-six pairs were being given away each year by 1906, but there were complaints that some of the recipients were not the elderly poor, but in fact working people on good wages. In any case, as the value of the rent charge declined, fewer sheets could be distributed. In December 1941 the sheets were replaced with a cash gift of 10s. each to 13 persons.

In 1894 George Wing of West Harnham established two trusts in memory of Robert and Mary Gambling, one-time residents of Whiteparish, and grandparents of his late sister Mary Wing. Part of the work of these trusts was to provide a cash gift in December; one trust (unofficially ‘Gambling’s Gift’) gave this to five poor men and five poor women, and the other trust (unofficially ‘Wing’s Gift’) to five poor women. Both benefactions were to be made without distinction as to religion or political party. Distributions were still being made in 1954, when five men and five women received 22s each under Gambling’s Gift, and five women received 10s. under Wing’s Gift.

Charity distributions in Whiteparish probably took place in the parish church, at least until the parish council took over their administration. By 1955 the distribution was made between the hours of 2 pm and 4 pm at the house of Miss Spare, who was to receive 5s. for her trouble. The distribution had moved to the village hall by 1957. This may have been part of a more joyous occasion than a formal distribution of funds, as in 1960 the parish council minuted that the charity payments were to be made at the village hall immediately before the ‘Old Folks Christmas Party’; the first time the minutes mention the distributions in connection with any festivities.

~ Rosalind Johnson, Contributing Editor