Thomas Statham

Thomas Statham left 10 shillings to be paid to the minister of the north end for preaching a sermon on the Sunday before Epiphany (6 January). And 20 shillings for 40 sixpenny loaves to be distributed to the poor on the Sunday before Epiphany.  This is recorded on two of the three charity boards in St Peter’s Church.If there was no minister then sixpenny loaves were to be provided for the poor on the first Sunday in October.

 

 

 

 

 

 

In his will, dated 25 Jan 1680,Thomas Statham left £25 to be invested in land to provide the money for the minister and the poor.The £25 from Thomas Statham’s will, together with £5 10s from the sale of wood on land in Mountsorrel, was used to purchase two acres of land in Barrow Holme Meadow. It was purchased by the feoffees (Edward Smith and 6 others) from John Cox and his wife Ann on the 18^th March 1686.

As well as other bequests he left to each of his executors and to his beloved friends Edward Smith and Francis Glover 10 shillings to buy gloves.

By 1753 the land consisted of two farms, one let to a Mr Bradshaw and the other let to John Clark.

The rent of £10 from Mr Bradshaw’s farm for the year 1753/4 was disposed of as follows: Land tax 8s 9d, the curate  £4-15s-1½d, highways £2-5s, trustees 1s, bakers £1-10s, poor  £1-0s-1½d

The rent of £1-10s from John Clark’s farm for the year 1753/4 was disposed of as follows:The curate  10s, bakers for bread for the poor £1

From 1787 to 1794 there was no rent from the farm (Warren Hedge Close) rented by John Clark. This was because of  Robert Biddles and John Foreman “who fraudulently endeavoured to deprive the charity of its rent and land”.The trustees employed an attorney, at a cost of £12 12s 7½d, and the outstanding rent of £10 10s was repaid.

The tenant John Clark was replaced by William Fox and the rent increased to £2 10s pa

Sometime between 1794 and 1822 a successful claim was made by Clark and the charity lost one acre one rood of land. In 1838 the remaining three roods were being let to William Lee at a rent of £3 pa.

In 1874 the charity was amalgamated with three other charities to form the Mountsorrel United Charity. The other three charities were the Richard Nidd Charity, the Consolidated Charities and the Joseph Danvers Charity.

At that time (1874) the Thomas Statham and Consolidated Charities combined consisted of:

Several parcels of land, altogether 42a 0r 15p at Barrow on Soar let to Joseph Johnson, rent £104 17s 6d

An allotment of 2 acres in Charnwood Forest let to Joseph Hopkins, rent £5 pa

A sum of £633 17s 1d cash representing rent and accumulations of income up to 5^th December 1873, including £360 from limestone quarried on charity land.

Thomas Statham died on January 28th 1680. Below is a transcription of the probate inventory of all his goods and chattels. It lists and values everything in every room in his house.  In it  there are 21 beds recorded and an Ostlers Chamber (an ostler was a man employed to look after the horses of people staying at an inn). We can deduce therefore that Thomas was an innkeeper, and my guess is that the inn was The Crown.

Feb ye 2^nd 1680

A true inventory of all ye goods and chattels of Mr Thomas Statham late of Mount Sorrell in ye county of Leicester deceased Jan 28^th

Imp	Purse and apparell	£6-00
In ye Hall	A lock, ?, land iron, ?iron, spitt, ?dish, pair of tongs, bellows, chopping knife, cleever, hanging Iron, 2 hookes, a little table,4 chairs, a screen and settle, a table stoole, a curtain and rod, a looking glass	£2-12
In ye ? parlour	A long table, 2 formes, a little table, 6 ? work cushions, bedstead, 2 coverlids, 2 blankets, feather bed, one boulster, 3 chairs, 2 stooles, 2 curtain rods	£3-10
In ye pantry	Shelfes & dressers, 2 brass potts	15s
Little parlour	10pairs of sheets, 2 dozen and half of napkins, 6 towells, one pillow beer, 3 tablecloathes, a table, bedstead, curtains, chest, feather bed, 2 boulsters, ?, 2 trunkes, a chaire	£7-00
In ye closet	Books, periugues	£1
In ye cellour	8 puter dishes and other small peices	£2
In ye brew house	A copper, 6 brass panns 2 hogsheads, 2 barrels, tubs and other brewing effects	£4 £1-5s
Maids chamber	A bedstead	4s
Rose chamber	2 bedsteds, 2 pair of curtains, ? and rods, 4 boulsters, 2 coverlids, 5 blankets, a fire iron, table and forme, 2 straw beds	£5
Hall chamber	A bedsted, a drawer bedsted, 2 feather beds, 2 boulsters, I pillow, coverlid, 2 blankets, a table, 3 wood chairs, a livery cubberd, ?, fire iron	£2-10
? chamber	2 bedsteds,2 pair’s of curtaines and rods,2 feather beds, 2 boulsters, coverlid, rugge,  blankets, a straw bed, table, 3 formes, chair	£6-2s
Ostlers chamber	A bedsted, a flock bed, boulster, 2 coverlids	6s 8d
Leicester chamber	3 bedsteds, 3 pairs of curtaines and ?, 2 feather beds, 5 boulsters, 3 coverlids, 4 blankets, table, forme, chaire	£4-10
Corne chamber	15 quarters of pease, 20 quarters of oates, 3 tods of wool, 1 flitch and half of bacon, 3 cheeses	£20 £4
In barnes and outbuildings	Hay, Coals and wood 5 horses and mares 2 carts, a plough and geers Manure	£10 £2 £10 £1