RECORDS OF CLARKE'S AND MARSHALL'S CHARITIES

<span class="wrapper"><p>The history of these charities may be studied in the Court Leet Records, and in the Manchester Corporation Council Proceedings and Accounts, since the Corporation through its Mayor and officials took over from the Court Leet the supervision of these charities. There are copies in the Library of George Clarke's Feoffment Deed, of a decree in the Court of Chancery for Lancashire to enable the Trustees of Clarke's Charity Lands to grant leases for 21 years, and of Acts enabling the Trustees to make leases on rack rents and for building (in 1795) and to make conveyances in fee (1806).</p> <p>Further original accounts of Clarke's Charity can be found in the Manchester Churchwardens' and Overseers' chest, especially M3/3/2, and amongst the family papers of the Worsleys of Platt Hall, M35/2/7/17 especially Vol. 4. Members of the Worsley family were amongst the feoffees who managed the lands and hereditament bequeathed by George Clarke. Each year from 1638-1670 the amount of rents and profits received by the Worsleys was recorded, and the account is signed by the Constables and one of the Churchwardens of Manchester. Included in the same volume 4 are accounts of Walter and Margaret Nugents' Charity 1664-1802.</p></span>

• <corpname>Clarke's Charity</corpname>
• <corpname>Marshall's Charity</corpname>
• <corpname>Shuttleworth's Charity</corpname>
• <corpname>Hudson's Charity</corpname>
• <corpname>Ellen Hartley's Charity</corpname>

M5/2/1, M5/2/6 M5/3/1-2 received from Samuel Cottam & Sons, who were the accountants for the Trustees.

The official surviving records of Clarke's Charity which collectively with Marshall's, Ellen Shuttleworth's, Thomas Hudson's and Ellen Hartley's Charities came to be known as the Boroughreeve's, later the Mayor's, Charities, were handed over to the Library by the City Treasurer in 1958. They consisted of loose documents and accounts, some of which had been mounted. The accounts have all now been mounted and sorted into chronological order, and the documents filed in date order. To these have been added certain volumes which came in with the business records of S.E. Cottam and Son in 1959 (numbered M5/2/1, M5/2/6, M5/3/1, M5/3/2). This firm acted as accountants for the Trustees in the 19th Century. (See also M13/)

According to the original feoffment of George Clarke of 13th December, 1636 trustees were to collect the rents and profits from Clarke's Charity lands in Manchester, Crumpsall and Tetlow, and deliver them to the boroughreeve and the 2 constables who with the aid of one of the churchwardens were to distribute them to poor, aged, needy and impotent people residing in Manchester. Accounts were to be kept by both the deliverers and receivers of the rents and profits, and the said accounts in books or notes were to be presented to the Court Leet. The occasions when this actually took place, and when new trustees came to be appointed can be studied in the Court Leet Records (352.042 M4).

From 1820 the accounts of Clarke's and Marshall's Charities were kept together. Marshall's Charity had been founded by a deed of George Marshall dated 23 October, 1624. Trustees were appointed to supervise the receipt of the rents of the lands which were situated in central Manchester. In 1781 the land was sold to effect street improvements, in particular Exchange Street, and the produce of the sale was invested in 3% Consols, and eventually was intermingled with part of Clarke's income from 3% Consols. There is much of the story of these charities which is obscure as for long periods their administration was neglected, and proper records were not kept.