Piece
See MH 82/12
Catalogue reference: MH 82/49
Date: 1954 Sept 16-1956 Nov 15
See MH 82/12
Item
Folios 327-342. Letter from Robert Weale, Assistant Poor Law Commissioner, to the...
Catalogue reference: MH 12/9232/194
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This record is about the Folios 327-342. Letter from Robert Weale, Assistant Poor Law Commissioner, to the... dating from 15 June 1842 in the series Local Government Board and predecessors: Correspondence with Poor Law Unions and.... It is held at The National Archives, Kew.
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Full description and record details
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Reference (The unique identifier to the record described, used to order and refer to it)
- MH 12/9232/194
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Date (When the record was created)
- 15 June 1842
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Description (What the record is about)
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- Content
- Folios 327-342. Letter from Robert Weale, Assistant Poor Law Commissioner, to the Poor Law Commission, reporting on the enquiry into the conduct of [John Riley, Auditor for the Basford Poor Law Union]. The enquiry concerns the allowance of certain legal expenses, incurred by three guardians in the law suit Nixon, [Thomas Nixon, Magistrate], versus Bailey [Thomas Bailey], and others [Farrand and Wood], which were paid from union funds. Riley maintains that he did not advocate that the legal expenses should be paid from union funds, nor did he play a prominent part in the discussion. He did not express any opinion, as guardian, which could lead any member of the board to suppose that, as auditor, he would pass the accounts. Weale interviewed the following persons: William Ashton, Clerk to the Guardians of the Basford Poor Law Union, and eight guardians - William Chouler, Alfred Faulconbridge, William Faulconbridge, Richard Walker, Thomas Bailey, William Thompson, Henry Frearson and Evelyn Abbott. Ashton produced the minutes of the meeting held on 21 September 1841 to discuss the motion that the legal expenses should be paid from union funds. He stated that Riley had said that it would be unfair if the Chairman [Bailey] should be personally saddled with the legal expenses when he had been acting on behalf of the union. Depositions against Riley were taken from Chouler, A Faulconbridge, W Faulconbridge and Walker all of whom said that Riley had taken an active part in the discussion and that he gave the impression that he was in favour of paying the expenses from union funds. Furthermore, whilst he did not say that he would pass the bill at audit, they all thought that he would do so. Bailey, Thompson, Frearson and Abbott considered that Riley had taken little part in the discussion, but has answered questions put to him. None of them thought Riley had advocated paying the legal expenses from union funds nor did they consider that he had allowed his role of guardian to affect his judgement as auditor. Weale produced a letter from Edward Senior, Assistant Poor Law Commissioner, [with former responsibility for the Basford Poor Law Union]. He had received a letter, which he enclosed, from Riley asking for his assistance. Senior was aware that Riley was going to pass the bill for legal expenses through the accounts and had advised him to do so. He refers to the prosecution brought by the magistrates against the guardians and the 'false witness' borne to support their charges. He asks that, if the proceedings should go against Riley, that Weale should forward his letter and the enclosed one from Riley, to the Commission so that he may explain past transactions and share Riley's responsibility. The enclosed letter from Riley to Senior informs him that five of the guardians have signed a paper charging him with using his position of guardian to influence others to vote for the payment of the legal expenses from the union funds. He feels that their animosity towards him arises from when he stopped wine being consumed in the workhouse which was not accounted for and for making public George Chamberlain's [Assistant Overseer] dishonest accounts. Riley says that he will not give up his post as auditor unless the Poor Law Commission are dissatisfied with him and urges Senior that, should he be at Somerset House and 'able to see the correspondence he could explain past transactions'. Annotated: it would have been more satisfactory if the witnesses against Mr Riley had been asked if the payment of the legal expenses by a private subscription had been discussed. Paper Number: 8160/B/1842. Poor Law Union Number 334. Counties: Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire.
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Held by (Who holds the record)
- The National Archives, Kew
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Legal status (A note as to whether the record being described is a Public Record or not)
- Public Record(s)
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Language (The language of the record)
- English
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Closure status (Whether the record is ‘open’ (available to the public) or ‘closed’ (not available due to a legal exemption))
- Open Document, Open Description
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Record URL
- https://beta.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/id/C10601964/
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Series information
MH 12
Local Government Board and predecessors: Correspondence with Poor Law Unions and...
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Catalogue hierarchy
Over 27 million records
This record is held at The National Archives, Kew
379,532 records
Within the department: MH
Records created or inherited by the Ministry of Health and successors, Local Government...
90,136 records
Within the series: MH 12
Local Government Board and predecessors: Correspondence with Poor Law Unions and...
474 records
Within the piece: MH 12/9232
Basford 334. (Described at item level).
You are currently looking at the item: MH 12/9232/194
Folios 327-342. Letter from Robert Weale, Assistant Poor Law Commissioner, to the...
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