TOWN-HALL. - The Town-Hall, or Tolzey, was erected in the year 1788, at an expense of upwards of £.1200, and given by Sir William Codrington, bart. to the corporation of the borough. On the ground floor is a large paved area, separated from a court by four circular pillars, which chiefly support the front of the structure; behind this is the hall, in which the quarter sessions are held; and adjoining it is the town-clerk's office. A spacious stone staircase leads to a handsome banquetting or ball-room, which is neatly fitted up, and ornamented with an admirable portrait of the founder, painted by Sir William Beechey. On the same floor is a large drawing-room, used as a council-chamber by the corporation, and as a place of meeting by the commissioners of the streets and other public bodies. The grand jury also assemble in this room; the use of which is freely granted by the bailiffs to the inhabitants of the borough on every necessary occasion.

The accompanying wood engraving represents the structure in its original state; a small cupola was placed on the top of it, a few years since, for the purpose of introducing a bell.

The court, between the street and the building, was intended for holding the corn-market; and the open space, on the ground floor, for pitching the corn which might be brought for sale; the farmers and dealers, however, prefer assembling in the public streets, on market days, and there the corn trade is principally transacted.

The old Tolzey stood in the centre of the town, at the junction of the three principal streets, and greatly obstructed

[Image: unlabelled, but appears to be the Town Hall]

the carriage-way from the High-street to the other parts of the borough. The removal of this building, which had nothing in its history or appearance to atone for the inconveniences which it created, and the consequent destruction of some decayed dwelling-houses which were attached to it, improved the town in a greater degree than can be easily imagined.

THE GAOL. - The new Borough Gaol, which is situate at the upper end of the High-street, was built in 1816, at an expense of £.3419. 11s. 7½d. The whole of this sum, with the exception of £.175, which was paid by the national school committee for the materials of the old gaol and the ground on which the school is built, was collected by parish rates, between the years 1814 and 1818. Shortly after the prison was occupied, two boys, who were detained in it on a charge of burglary, made their escape; and as it was found that the building was neither adequate to the safe custody of the prisoners, nor commodious enough to admit of their proper classification, a great expense was subsequently incurred in its improvement and enlargement. The annual cost of maintaining this establishment, including salaries, &c. is on an average little more than £.100, which is raised by a rate upon the inhabitants.

HOUSE OF INDUSTRY. - This building stands on an elevated spot, near the entrance into the town from Gloucester and Cheltenham, and is better adapted for the purposes for which it was intended than similar structures generally are. Time however has proved, that buildings which were designed for "houses of industry", are too frequently receptacles for the idle and the profligate: such places indeed are only fit for orphan or deserted children, and for the aged and infirm. It is much better to relieve the industrious poor at their own houses, when sickness or poverty assails them, than to compel them to take up their abode in parish work-houses.^[323]

An act of parliament was obtained, in 1792, "For the better Relief and Employment of the Poor of and belonging to the Parish of Tewkesbury". The principal inhabitants are by this act incorporated, under the style of "the guardians of the poor"; from this body nine individuals are chosen, who are called "directors"; and to them is the entire management of the poor confided. The directors retain their office three years: three of them retire annually, in July, when others are appointed in their room; thus there are always six experienced persons in office. The directors meet every Tuesday, at the house of industry, where they receive and decide upon the various applications of the poor. The duties of the office are so troublesome and unpleasant, that many persons pay a fine of twenty pounds, rather than serve it.

In the year 1723, the whole amount collected for the poor within the parish was less than £.200.^[324] Since the passing

of the house of industry act, the following sums have been collected by poor's-rates:^[325] -

The building of the house of industry was commenced almost immediately after the act, which authorised its erection, was obtained; it was completed in 1796, and cost altogether upwards of £.7000.^[326] The sum of £.5500 was borrowed upon mortgage of the parish property and of the money to be raised by poor's-rates; and the interest of this sum, together with £.100 of the principal money, was directed by the act to be paid off annually. So great however had been the negligence of the directors, that, in 1799, no part of the principal had been discharged, and the parish was indebted to the treasurer upwards of £.1000, besides nearly £.300 to other individuals. These sums, with the principal and interest which was due to

the mortgagees, formed a debt of nearly £.7000. The directors, who were elected in 1799, began a reform, but found themselves compelled first to borrow £.500 more upon mortgage; at Christmas they paid off £.100, and the same amount, with the interest upon the remainder, has since been regularly discharged, so that the mortgage debt is now reduced from £.6000 to £.3100.

MARKET-HOUSE. - The markets were held under the old town-hall, until that edifice was pulled down, in the year 1789, when the corporation granted to twenty individuals, in consideration of their erecting the present commodious Market-House, a lease of the tolls for stallage for a term of ninety-nine years. At the end of that period, not only will the tolls revert to the lessors, but the entire building will become the property of the body corporate. The land on which the market-house stands, together with the expenses of building and of fitting it up, cost about £.1400, or £.70 per share. Considerable sums of money have since been expended in alterations and reparations; but the shareholders have had no cause to regret their speculation.

THE THEATRE. - This building extends from the fives-court, at the back of the Wheat-Sheaf inn, to the Oldbury. There is nothing worthy of notice in its exterior; it is a large brick structure, apparently built without any specific design, and remained unoccupied for many years after it was erected. In 1823, a number of individuals obtained it upon a lease, and fitted it up in its present style. The interior displays much taste and judgment in its arrangement; appropriate devices, from the plays of Shakspeare, ornament the pannels above the front of the boxes; and the scenery was painted by the celebrated John Grieve.

FREE GRAMMAR SCHOOL. - This School was founded in 1576, and is kept in a large apartment, contiguous to the abbey church, with which it was formerly connected. In the charter of King William the third, it is called "the free grammar-school of William Ferrers, citizen and mercer of London", on account of his having been the principal

[Image: unlabelled]

benefactor to it. The bailiffs, justices, chamberlain, and town-clerk, for the time being, are the governors; the Rev. William Prosser is the present master. The endowments of this school are not very considerable: the rent of the Hollams meadow, purchased with money left by Sir Dudley Digges; £.20 yearly, devised by Mr. Ferrers, payable out of the manor of Skillingthorpe, Lincolnshire; and some chief-rents, purchased with money left by Mr. Alye, comprise the income of the master. The election of the children is vested in the governors, who are incorporated by the charter of the borough; though the church-wardens of Ashchurch have the privilege of sending to this school four boys, to be selected by them from the inhabitants of that parish. Mr. Richard Estcourt, an actor and dramatic writer, was educated at this school;^[327] and it is highly probable that Mr. Ferrers, its chief benefactor, was also educated here, a circumstance which might have induced him to benefit the institution so greatly.

BLUE-COAT SCHOOL. - Lady Capel, in 1721, devised a large farm, in Kent, to trustees, for charitable purposes, and directed that one-twelfth part of the rents should be applied towards the support of the Charity School in Tewkesbury. Mr. Thomas

Merrett, in 1724, charged certain lands and premises in Tewkesbury with the payment of fifty shillings yearly, for the benefit of the same institution. A small addition is made to this income, by the annual subscription of a few of the principal inhabitants of the borough. Twenty boys receive the benefit of this charity, who are instructed in reading, writing and arithmetic, besides being in part clothed.^[328] The master of the National School is also the master of the Blue-Coat School; and the children of the two establishments receive their education together.

About the commencement of the last century, there was an academy of great respectability at Tewkesbury, conducted by the Rev. Samuel Jones, a protestant dissenter; who appears, by the character which is given of him by one of his pupils,^[329]

to have been deservedly esteemed for his piety and learning. At this seminary several distinguished individuals studied for the ministry; among whom were Seeker, archbishop of Canterbury, and Butler,^[330] bishop of Durham; as well as Dr. Chandler, Dr. Gifford, the Rev. Mr. Pearsall, the Rev. Caleb Jobe, (one of the most respected tutors at the Bristol Baptist academy), and many other eminent dissenting divines. Mr. Jones's manuscript Lectures and Annotations on Godwin's Moses and Aaron, are very valuable: his work, of which there are several copies extant, is written in neat Latin, and contains many excellent remarks, which discover his great learning and accurate knowledge of the subject.^[331] Mr. Jones resided in a large house, near the upper end of the High-street, now the property of Miss Procter. On the night of the coronation of George the first, his residence was attacked by the rabble, who took that opportunity of proclaiming their enmity to all "schismatics" and "friends of the pretender". Mr. George Moore, the high bailiff, in attempting to quell the disturbance,

was knocked down, and beaten. On the death of Mr. Jones, in 1719, the academy was removed to Carmarthen.^[332]

NATIONAL SCHOOL. - This School was instituted in 1813, and was for some years carried on in the north transept of the church, until the friends of the undertaking were enabled to erect the present building, which adjoins the church-yard, and was completed in 1817. It is a very neat and substantial structure, and cost £.1345. 8s. 3½.^[333] This establishment has always been conducted in strict conformity to the rules of the parent society in London, "for the Education of the Poor in the Principles of the Established Church".

BRITISH SCHOOL. - It having been determined, in 1812, to erect a School for the Instruction of the Children of the Poor on the System introduced by Mr. Joseph Lancaster, a plot of ground, at the upper end of Barton-street, was given for that purpose by N. Hartland, esq. one of the society of Friends; on condition that it should revert to him and his heirs, with the buildings upon it, whenever it should cease to be used as a school on its original plan. Charles Hanbury Tracy, esq. liberally gave £.300 towards its erection. The school was opened in 1813; it cost upwards of £.600, and a considerable sum has since been expended in improvements.

SUNDAY-SCHOOLS. - In 1788, a number of the most respectable of the inhabitants entered into a subscription for the purpose of forming a Sunday-School, on the plan recommended by the late Mr. Raikes, of Gloucester, the original projector of these valuable institutions. The Church Sunday-School has been continued from that period to the present; it is now united with the National School, and on Sundays the children of both establishments receive religious instruction and attend divine service together. There is also a Sunday-School attached to the British School, the children of which attend that particular place of worship which is selected by their parents. The Independents, Baptists and Wesleyan Methodists have also each a Sunday School.

A District Association, in aid of the Society for promoting Christian Knowledge, was instituted at Tewkesbury in 1820.

In 1826, a Church Missionary Branch Association, in aid of the London Church Missionary Society, was formed.

An Auxiliary Bible Society was established in 1812; a Ladies' Bible Association has since been added to it; and in 1821, an Auxiliary Religious Tract Society was formed.

In 1806, a Lying-in-Charity was founded; and while ladies, equally zealous and respectable as those who at present conduct this inestimable charity, continue its supporters, it cannot fail to be a comfort and a blessing to the poor and deserving married women of the town and neighbourhood.

A Dispensary was established in 1815, which has always been liberally supported. For this valuable establishment, the poor are principally indebted to Jonas Maiden, M.D. one of the physicians to the Worcester infirmary, and to George Dangerfield, esq. surgeon, of Bromyard, both of whom formerly resided in Tewkesbury.

A Charity, for supplying the poor with Blankets, was formed in 1817, which is of considerable advantage to persons in the lower ranks of life.