This April we welcomed Martin Deacon on board as the Project Archivist for our newest project: Hidden Buckinghamshire, a project that aims to catalogue over 11,000 items collected by Buckinghamshire Archaeological Society (BAS). Martin tells us about one of his first finds in the collection—a document setting up charity almshouses in Shenley.
Of the many items in the D-BAS collection, a large proportion are deeds. A deed is any written legal instrument that passes, affirms or confirms an interest, right or property. A deed has to be signed by the named parties, and witnessed. The deed we are going to focus on, D-BAS/22/361/23, is a fascinating document setting up the charity almshouses in Shenley, which survive today as Grade II Listed buildings.
The deed was made by Thomas Stafford of Tottenho [Tattenhoe], esquire; George Blanceflower of Inner Temple, London, gentleman; Anthony Norman of Tattenhoe, gentleman; Humphrey Norman and William Percivall of Shenley, yeoman on 12 February 1627 and recited the will of Thomas Stafford of Tattenhoe (father of Thomas Stafford above) of 24 March 1607. This will appointed that an almshouse or hospital for four poor men and two poor women should be erected at some town in Buckinghamshire with a room with a chimney for each inhabitant and that each man should have 3d per day and each woman 2d per day and all should have a gown yearly on All Saints Day. The will also made provision for the purchase of land of £30 annual value to maintain the almshouses.
The deed further recited that a building to serve as the hospital or almshouses had been erected as laid out in Stafford’s will. Each occupant also had a garden plot. The first six occupants were William Walducke, John Gillowe, William Williamson, Robert Dickson, Margaret Skynner and Agnes Kinge.
Our ref: D-BAS/22/361/23
The deed then declared that the almshouses were for the use of four poor men and two poor women who would be one body corporate known as “the poor people of Stafford’s Hospital in Shenley” and that they were to have capacity to purchase land and were to have a common seal which would be the arms of Thomas Stafford and be in the custody of the current Thomas Stafford and his heirs. The parties to the deed then granted the hospital or almshouse and garden plots as well as two houses and land in Great Linford to the poor people of Stafford’s Hospital in Shenley for ever.
The deed even ordained that the gown given annually to the poor people should be given on All Saints Day, should be of 13 shillings, 4d value and that on the left sleeve of each gown should be a red cross.
The occupants of the almshouses were to be nominated by Thomas Stafford and his heirs and were to be unmarried persons “of good age and of honest conversacon and such as shall Diligently resorte to Common prayers & Service in the parishe Church of Shendley when Common prayer shallbe there had” those who married, were caught in adultery or fornication “or other great offence” or were “wilfully negligent” in going to church were to be removed by Thomas Stafford and replaced.
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