ON one of the first pages of the second volume of the Parish Registers, which covers the period from 1661 to 1736, is a copy of the will of Joseph Fox of Rowlee, lead merchant, in which he bequeaths the sum of five pounds, the Interest to be “imployed for putting of some poor childe within the whole parish apprentice, or towards raiseing a stock to sett some poor on worke, hopeing hereafter some charitable minded person may augment the same”. The date of the will is July 14th 1699. George Fox, the brother, is named sole executor, and Henry Balguy, testator's stepfather, supervisor. The vicar, churchwardens, and overseers of the poor are named as trustees with Henry Balguy for the purposes of the above bequest.

A Board within the Church, under the tower, bears the following inscription: “Within this table are contained ye several legacyes left to charitable uses by ye last Will and Test^m. of Henry Balguy late of Rowlee within this parish, father of Henry Balguy of Derwent Hall in ye parish of Hathersage and County of Derby esq^r. w^ch. said legacyes are paid by him as executor to his said father and in performance of the trust rep...d in him: To the Feofees of the Free School of Hope £10. 0. 0.: To the poor within Woodlands and Little Alsop £10. 0. 0.: To the poor in Hope and the rest of the parish £10. 0. 0.: To the poor within the hamblett of Darwent £10. 0. 0.: To the poor within the rest of the parish of Hathersage £5. 0. 0.: To the poor of Tideswall and that parish

£5. 0. 0.: And for my son-in-law Joseph Fox Gen:^[1] deceased £5. 0. 0.: To the poor of Woodland and Darwent, and to the poor of Hope and that parish £5. 0. 0.: And for my daughter Elizabeth deceased to the poor of Woodland and Darwent £5. 0. 0.: and to the poor of Hope and that parish £5. 0. 0.: To an orthodox and conformable minister at Darwent Chapel £20. 0. 0. All which sums to the poor are to be put forth and employed that the interest thereof may be bestowed for the putting forth poor children as apprentices and servants, or for the raiseing a stock to sett the poor on work, (hopeing in time some charitable christian will augment the same); all which s^d. sums while in my hands I have I will employ to that use which I think fit and most needful”.

On another board within the Church, near the North Door, is the following inscription:

“Thos: Eyre of Rowtor esq^r. gave to the Church a piece of ground now called ye Vic^rs. part, adjoining to Fullwood Style East & Hope Common North. A.D. 1722, The Rev. Mr. Jacob Cresswell Vic^r. left by will to ye poor of Hope, to be paid every Newyear's Day for ever, ye sum of £1. 5. 0. A.D. 1730, Mrs. Creswell wid^w. & relict of ye above s^d. vic^r. left a close called ye Hall Croft Head & a House att Castleton, ye profitts of ye same to be employed in putting out poor children apprentices. She likewise left more to ye Schoolmaster at Hope for teaching two of ye poorest children to read and write (to be paid yearly for ever) the sum of £1. 0. 0d. Mr. Artram left to ye poor of Bradwall (to be plaid every St. Thomas' Day for ever) the sum of 12s. 0. A.D. 1729), Thos: Middleton left to ye poor of Bradwall (to be paid every St. Thomas' Day for ever) the sum of 5s. 0.

A.D. 1730, Thos: Hallom left to ye poor of Bradwall (to be paid every St. Thomas' Day for ever) the sum of 12s. 6. A.D. 1784, Mr. Champion of Edale left by will the sum of seventy pounds to be placed out at interest upon real or personal security for ever, and one half of the interest arising therefrom to be paid yearly for ever to the Schoolmaster of Hope for teaching so many poor children living in Hope to read English, as such interest money will pay for, and the other half of the said interest to be laid out in Wheat Bread, weekly, for ever and given to such poor people as attend divine service on a Sunday morning. The Vicar or Curate and Churchwardens of Hope for the time being are left Trustees.”

The Parish Charities administered at Hope at the present time (1921) are as follows:^[2]

Mr Joseph Champion was a member of the well-known Edale family, and I believe was also a benefactor to Edale. Mr. Champion Bray of Fullwood in the parish of Hope, and executor

of Mr. Champion's will, was Churchwarden of Hope 1810-11, and gave the handsome brass chandelier in the Chancel of Hope Church during his year of office, in commemoration of the Jubilee of King George III. He died in 1825, and by his will left £100, “secured upon the Turnpike road leading from Sheffield to Chapel-en-le-frith”, the interest of which was to be distributed as follows: to Castleton and Hope each the interest on £40, to Edale the interest on £20.

The inhabitants of the parish of Hope had ancient rights of turbary and stone getting upon Crookstone Moor, and the following memorandum, of comparatively recent date (though no date is affixed to it), is amongst the papers in the parish chest:

“In an old copy of a deed dated 18th December 1711, made between John Swindell of the first part and Ann his wife and others, it was recited that by an Indenture of Lease dated 1st July 1699, one John Hall for the consideration therein mentioned granted and conveyed to John Plummer and his heirs certain hereditaments in Hope, one portion of the parcels being described as: ‘one piece or parcel of heath or moorland in Hope aforesaid called the Sheep pasture. containing by estimation 150 acres, be the same more or less, the land of Henry Lydell Esquire,^[3] being southwardly, and the land of Henry Balguy esquire northwardly thereof, whereon the tenants and freeholders of Hope aforesaid have liberty to dig get and carry away peats to burn in their houses in Hope aforesaid’.”

“Evidence can be procured to the effect that the inhabitants of Hope have always claimed the right to dig peat on the Crookstone Moorland, but as ample supplies of coal exist within 15 miles of Hope peat has not been burnt by the inhabitants for many years. On inspecting the moorland in question the site of the old peat pits is very evident and many acres of moorland have been cleared of peat at this particular place. The fact that peat has been superseded by coal and that the rights of the inhabitants have not been generally exercised over the land for many years has necessarily given rise to some doubt as to the facts having reference to the property. A person however is still alive who has assisted to carry away peat from the pits for fuel. The ground is unenclosed and open moorland. So recently as June 1866 stone was got by one of the freeholders at Hope out of this piece of land as a matter of right and not by sufferance”.

“It is added that ‘the situation of this piece of land' (that referred to in the above note as Crooksden) 'can be fixed with almost absolute accuracy by comparing the old plan before referred to with the large scale ordnance survey and with the land itself. The old workings for slate are quite perceptible on the surface’. Quarries have been worked in this piece of ground quite recently and the right of the freeholders and inhabitants of Hope to quarry and carry away stone has not been disputed.”