8. John Falconer[643] ... Being Interrogate concerning Sir James Stewart Depones that a person unknown to him, said to be a Prisoner of Mergie’s and passed under the name of Brown lodged in his House, that after the first three or four days he was left at Liberty to go where he pleased either upon foot or Horseback upon Parole as the Deponent heard to Mergie, and the Deponent thinks he could have easily made his escape if he had a mind the Deponent has seen him frequently privately in company with Mergie.
APPENDIX IV
THE GUILDHALL RELIEF FUND
This fund, in the distribution of which Walter Grossett was concerned, and of which his brother’s widow and children were the largest beneficiaries, was probably the earliest example of systematic organisation for the supply of comforts to soldiers in the field, to the sick and wounded, and for provision for widows and orphans.
The fund was instituted at the Guildhall, London, on November 27th, 1745, by Sir Richard Hoare, then Lord Mayor. The minute of the first meeting aptly declares the intention of the founders:—
‘We whose names are underwritten, in Consideration of the particular Hardships and Inconveniencies which may be suffer’d by such Soldiers as now are, or shall hereafter be employ’d in his Majesty’s Service during the Winter Season, towards the Suppression of the present unnatural Rebellion, do hereby voluntarily Subscribe and pay the several Sums set by us against our respective Names to be applied towards their Relief, Support, and Encouragement, in such manner, and in such Proportion, as shall be deem’d to be most necessary and expedient by a Committee which shall hereafter be appointed for that Purpose by Us, or the Major Part who shall be present at any General Meeting, pursuant to an Advertisement in the London Gazette.’
The result of the efforts of the Lord Mayor and his associates is recorded in an admirable report printed in 1747.
The report gives a subscription list. There were exactly five hundred subscriptions, and the total amount subscribed was £18,910, 0s. 9d. The largest subscription was that of ‘the Rt. Hon. Lord Chief Justice, Master of the Rolls, Lord Chief Justice Willes, Lord Chief Baron Parker, and the Honourable Judges, whose gift was £1200; the smallest that of the parish of St. Thomas, Southwark, which gave 10s. 9d. In the List are found subscriptions from the Prince of Wales, £500; the Mayor, Commonalty, and Citizens of the City of London, £1000; Governor and Company of the Bank of England, £1000; John Rich from the Theatre Royal in Covent Garden, £602, 7s.; the Gentlemen Volunteers of the City of London, £523, 19s. The City Companies subscribe sums varying from £100 to £300, and it is interesting to find in the list the name of Isaac Watts, D.D., for a subscription of £5, 5s. The Report, which is an excellent business document, finishes with the following paragraph:—
‘In this Manner your Committee propose that the Conclusion of this Subscription should be agreeable to the Design of its original Institution; since every Calamity you can remove, or every Comfort you can bestow on Behalf of the private Soldier, will be giving them so much new Strength and Vigour to act in Defence of our Liberties, and Support of our Constitution; wherein both Interest and Duty, both publick Safety and publick Charity, may be jointly urged as Motives to your Benevolence. And as to what has already been expended, if Relief under Sickness, if Support under Fatigue, if Encouragement under Dangers, are to be esteemed Acts of Humanity or Beneficence, by how much stronger Ties were we called upon to return such Assistance to those who under the greatest Hazards and Difficulties were protecting us in the Enjoyment of every Thing that was dear and valuable: And your Committee flatter themselves that the Zeal which was exerted on this Occasion, by the Magistrates, Merchants, and other Inhabitants of this Metropolis, contributed no less to dispirit the Enemy, than it did to animate our own Forces, until they obtained that compleat Victory over the Rebels, which so happily preserved the Religion, Laws and Liberties of this Kingdom, the inseparable Blessings of his Majesty’s Government.’
Details of the disbursements of the Fund are given in appendices which are printed below, and are interesting in the present time of war for the sake of comparison with similar modern activities. They are printed from an original copy of the Report in the editor’s possession.
[Appendix No. I. is the List of Subscriptions.]