Fentham's Charity.—In 1712 George Fentham left about one hundred acres of land in Handsworth and Erdington Parishes, in trust, to teach poor children to read, and to clothe poor widows. The property, when devised, was worth £20 per year. At the end of the century it was valued at £100 per year; and it now brings in nearly £460. The twenty children receiving the benefits of this charity are admitted to the Blue Coat School, and are distinguished by their dress of dark green. Some fifty widows yearly share in the clothing gifts.
Food and Clothing.—John Crowley, in 1709, bequeathed an annuity o 20s. chargeable on property in the Lower Priory, to be expended in "sixpenny bread" for the poor at Christmas.—Some land at Sutton Coldfield was left, in 1681, by John Hopkins, to provide clothing and food for the poor of St. Martin's.—Palmer's Charity, 1867, finds about £40 per annum, which is distributed among eighty recipients selected by the Town Council, the majority being poor old women, who go for their doles Dec. 12th.—In addition to the above there have been a number of minor charities left to the churchwardens for providing food and clothing which have either been lost sight of, or mixed up with others, some dating as far back as 1629-30.
George Hill's Charity is now of the value of nearly £5,000, bringing in about £120 yearly. Of this 52s. goes to the churchwardens of the parish church to provide bread for the most necessitous and aged poor; 20s. to the incumbent of Deritend, and the residue in pensions of not more than £20 to decayed schoolmasters and schoolmistresses.
Hollier's Charity was devised in 1789, the land now known as Highgate Park (originally 10 acres) being left to clothe, annually, twenty poor persons, twelve from Birmingham and eight from Aston. The purchase money paid by the Corporation has been invested, and, under the direction of the Charity Commissioners, the income of this charity is appropriated thus:—£50 for clothing for twelve poor men or women of Birmingham, and eight ditto of Aston; £25 for relieving deserving and necessitous persons discharged from Borough Lunatic Asylum; £150 to the Dispensaries of Birmingham and Aston; £25 each to the Children's Hospital and the Sanatorium; and the remainder to the General Hospital.
James's Trust, of 1869, which realises about £1,000 per year, was left to provide homes and pensions for deserving widows and others; five annuities for poor and decayed gentlewomen; and a scholarship at the Grammar School. The Secretary is the Vicar of St. Clement's, Nechells.
Kylcuppe's Charity.—Sept. 19, 1611. Richard Kylcuppe devised certain land at Sparkbrook for charitable purposes, the income of which is now handed to the General Hospital and General Dispensary, as nearly as possible following the testator's wishes.
Lench's Trust, which dates from 1539, is one of the most important charities of the town, and has an income of over £3,000 a year at present. The original objects of the trust were repairing the streets of the town and relief to poor. From time to time other charities have been incorporated, and the funds administered with those of Lench's Trust. Among these are the "Bell Rope" fund for purchasing ropes for St. Martin's Belfry, the donor of which is not known; Colmore's Charity, dating from 1585, for relieving the poor and repairing streets; Redhill's and Shilton's (about 1520), for like purposes; Kylcuppe's 1610, for the poor, and a small sum towards repairing the church; Vesey's 1583, known as the "Loveday Croft" gift; Ward's 1573, and Wrexam's, 1568, both for gifts to the poor on Good Friday; Ann Scott's, 1808, providing small amounts to be given to the inmates of the Almshouses, &c. The Trust now maintains four sets of almshouses (Conybere Street, Hospital Street, Ravenhurst Street, and Ladywood), accommodating 184 inmates, all women, who receive 5s. a week each, with firing, medical advice and medicines when necessary, and sundry other small comforts beloved by old grannies. The solicitors to the Trust are Messrs. Horton and Lee, Newhall Street. The income of Lench's Trust for the year 1883 amounted to £3,321 10s., of which £1,825 14s. went to the almswomen, £749 1s. 8d. for matrons, doctors, and expenses at the almshouses, £437 9s. 4d. for repairs, insurance, rates, and taxes, and £309 5s. for clerks, collectors, auditors, law and surveyor's charges, printing, &c.
Milward's Charity.—John Milward in 1654 left property then worth £26 per annum and the Red Lion public-house (worth another £26, but which could never be traced out), to be devided between the governors of the Free Grammar Schools of Birmingham and Haverfordwest and Brazennose College, for the support at the said college of one student from the above schools in rotation. The Red Lion having been swallowed up at a gulp; the other property would appear to have been kept as a nibbling-cake, for till the Charity Commissioners visited here in 1827 no scholar had ever been sent to college by its means. The railways and canals have taken most of the property of this trust, the invested capital arising from the sales bringing in now about £650 per year, which is divided between the two schools and the college above named, the Birmingham portion being sufficient to pay for two scholarships yearly.
The Nichol Charity provides for the distribution of bread and coals to about 100 people on New Year's Day, by the vicar and churchwardens of St. David's.
Old Maids and Widows.—About £40 per year are divided by the Rector and Churchwardens of St. Philip's amongst ten old maids "or single women of virtuous character," and twelve poor widows attending divine service there, the invested money arising from Shelton's Charity, 1826, and Wilkinson's Charity, 1830.—Thomas Pargeter (of Foxcote) in 1867, left money in trust, to provide annuities of £20 each, to unmarried ladies of fifty-five or more, professing Unitarianism, and about 100 are now reaping the fruit of his charity. Messrs. Harding and Son, Waterloo Street, are the solicitors.