Woodborough’s Heritage

Woodborough, a Sherwood Forest Village, recorded in Domesday

Woods School - Commissioners Report

Further report of he Commissioners for Inquiring Concerning Charities

PARISH OF WOODBOROUGH - Wood’s School

At a Court holden [held] at Oxton for the Manor of the Prebend of Netherhall, in Oxton, on 17th June 1736, the Rev’d Montague Wood, Rector of St Michael Royal, London, and Catherine Wood, spinster, brother and sister of the Rev’s Richard Wood, Clerk, deceased, surrendered a parcel of land called a half oxgang, in a close called the Gleaves Land Close, and a parcel of land in Fish Pool Field, and a close called Jack Field, containing by estimation one acre, and four lands, lying together in a close called Cliff Lands, containing by estimation three roods, all in Blidworth in the County of Nottingham, to the use of Richard Porter, of Arnold, and Samuel Foster, of Newark, and their heirs, in trust, for such uses and purposes as were declared concerning the same by an indenture bearing date 8th June [1736] then instant, made between the said Montague Wood and Catherine Wood, of the one part, and the said Richard Porter and Samuel Foster, of the other part; and the said Richard Porter and Samuel Foster were admitted accordingly.

At a Court holden on the 17th June 1736, for the Manor of the Prebend of Oxton Overhall, the said Montague Wood and Catherine Wood surrendered a close called the Pool Close in Blidworth, and a close called the Oldfield Close or Fish Pool Close, and a close called the Gate Furlong, and a close called Jack Yard Close, all in Blidworth, to the use of the said Richard Porter and Samuel Foster, and their heirs, on the same trusts as were referred to the first-mentioned surrender; and the said Richard Porter and Samuel Foster were admitted accordingly.

The indenture of 8th June 1736, referred to in these surrenders, was not found in among the deeds produced to us, relating to the school.

By Indentures of Lease and Release, bearing the date 4th and 5th December 1789, (these Release being enrolled in Chancery) between the Rev’d Montague Wood, Rector of St Michael Royal, London, of the one part, and the Rev’d Thomas Allen, Minister of Woodborough, the Rev’d Henry Woods, Rector of Lambley, and the Rev’d Christopher Rawleigh Seaton, Minister of Epperstone, of the other part, reciting that the said Montague Wood had some time before, at his own cost, erected a school-house at Woodborough, and had settled lands and tenements of yearly value 12[£], lying at Woodborough and Blidworth in the county of Nottingham, as a salary for the maintenance of a schoolmaster, to be employed to teach the children of the inhabitants of Woodborough, and to instruct them in the principles of the Christian religion according to the usage of the Church of England, as by the said settlements would more fully appear; and reciting, that the said Montague Wood since the making of the said settlements had purchased the lands thereinafter mentioned, being of the yearly value of 30[£] which he was desirous should be settled on the said Thomas Allen, Henry Woods and Christopher Rawleigh Seaton and their heirs in trust to apply the rents and profits thereof for the maintenance of such schoolmaster, and keeping the school-house at Woodborough in good repair, and as an augmentation to the rents and profits of the lands before settled; the said Montague Wood conveyed to the said Thomas Allen, Henry Woods and Christopher Rawleigh Seaton, and their heirs, a cottage or tenement in Stapleford, with the croft thereto adjoining, and three beast-gates in the common pasture of Stapleford, and a parcel of meadow-ground called the Holme containing three acres in Stapleford, on the west side of the River Erewash, near a place called the Moor Bridge, and a parcel of ground by estimation two acres, lying in the Hill Field in Stapleford, called the Willow Flat, and an undivided moiety of a parcel of ground in the Upper or Near Meadow of Stapleford, lying near the Longbridge, containing one acre, and an undivided moiety of a parcel of ground called the Meadow Close, in the upper meadow of Stapleford, near the Long Bridge, containing by estimation three acres, in trust, out of the rents, from time to time perpetually to repair the said school-house, and to rebuild the same when necessary, and to apply the residue of the rents and profits of the same premises as a further salary, and for the further maintenance of the then schoolmaster, or any other schoolmaster, to teach the children of the inhabitants of Woodborough to read, and to instruct them in the principles of the Christian Religion according to the usages of the Church of England, and other useful learning, for ever, over and above the rents and profits before settled for such purposes; and it was provided, that as often as the then schoolmaster, and any other schoolmaster, should die, the said Montague Wood, if then living, or if dead, the said Thomas Allen, Henry Woods, and Christopher Rawleigh Seaton, or the major part of them, or the major part of the trustees then living, should nominate another schoolmaster, and that the said Montague Wood, if living, or in case of his death, the said three trustees, or the major part of them, or the major part of the trustees then living, might on any representation or complaint in writing under the hands of the major part of the inhabitants of Woodborough, of any misbehaviour or neglect of duty on the part of the said schoolmaster, expel  such schoolmaster, and nominate another in his stead; and it was also provided, that as often as any one of the said trustees should die, the others then living should, with 6 months to consist of the ministers of the parishes of Woodborough, Lambley and Epperstone, for the time being.

It does not appear that there has been any surrender or conveyance of any part of the Trust-property, subsequent to those above mentioned; the ministers for the time being of Woodborough, Lambley and Epperstone, are considered to be the trustees thereof. The present schoolmaster (the Rev’d James Hewes) was nominated in 1812 by the then perpetual curate of Woodborough, and the rectors of Lambley and Epperstone.

The property belonging to this school consists of:

1. A farm at Blidworth containing 58 acres. 2 roods and one perch., of which 15a. 0r.18p. are old inclosures, and the residue was allotted on the Blidworth inclosure (which took place under an Act passed in 1805), now in the occupation of William Wright, as yearly tenant, at a fair rent 64[£] per annum, having been let to him and his father at that rent from Lady-Day 1825. The previous was 80[£], but allowances had been made to the tenant for some years prior to 1825, which reduced the rent to its present amount.

2. A cottage and orchard at Stapleford containing 2r.27p., with 5a.2r.2p. of land lying near the cottage, being an allotment made on the inclosure of lands in Stapleford; and a meadow containing 2a.0r.2p., all in the occupation of --- Smedley, as yearly tenant, at a fair rent of 35[£] per annum.

3. A house, in which the schoolmaster resides, with a large school-room adjoining to it and a garden, the whole containing together about a rood, situate in the village of Woodborough; the garden lies open to other land belonging to an individual, rented by the schoolmaster, but the boundary of it is marked by stones. The buildings are in good repair, and are kept so by the schoolmaster who has the general management of the property of the school, and receives the above-mentioned rents for his own use.

All the children of inhabitants of Woodborough, whether boys or girls, are admitted into the school as free-scholars. The master informed us their numbers vary considerably in the course of the year; that there have been as many as 69; that in January 1828 there were 51, but only 33 at the time of the our Inquiry in March following.

The children are admissible as soon as they have learned the alphabet, and are instructed by the master in the reading, writing and arithmetic.

Edge’s Charity

William Edge, by his Will, bearing date 29th July 1796, and proved at York in the same year, gave all his personal estate to his wife, Mary Edge, subject to the payment of 40[£]., which he gave to the churchwardens and overseers of the poor of the parish of Woodborough, in trust, to put the same out at interest in the public funds, and to pay the interest thereof yearly, as follows, viz., one moiety to the singers for the time being at the parish church of Woodborough on St Thomas’s Day, and the other moiety amongst the poor widows if Woodborough, on the same day.

This legacy has not been invested in the public funds according to the donor’s direction. Shortly after his death his widow gave up a part of the personal property which had belonged to him, to William Taylor, Esquire, who has since paid 20s [shillings] to the minister, and 20s to the churchwardens as the interest of the above mentioned 40[£]. The former sum is paid by the minister to a master for teaching ten poor boys and girls of the parish to sing psalms, and the latter is distributed on the day after Christmas-Day, equally, amongst the poor widows of the parish. Transcript of the Charity Commission document.

Poor’s Lands

There is a field, situate in the parish of Calverton called the Nether Close, containing 1a.1r.13p., which was (as we are informed) awarded on the inclosure of the open fields of that parish to the poor of the parish of Woodborough, but we have not seen any document relating to it.

This field has been let for many years at the rent of 30s per annum, to a family of the name of Baguley. It is now occupied by Samuel Baguley, and the rent has been of late years applied to the general purposes of the poor-rate.

We are informed that Mrs [Miss] Bainbridge, who has an estate in this parish received the rent until the time of her death, about 30 years ago, and was accustomed to apply it towards the putting out of apprentices.

It seems proper that the field which is stated to be worth 50s per annum, should be let for its fair value, and (as far as can be judged from its former application), that the rent should be applied for the apprenticing of poor children of the parish.

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