The principal Benefactors to the School at Wem. standing his public charities, and that in private he had been very liberal to the poor, and the fatherless whilst he lived, yet he left considerable legacies to the poor of several parishes, to hospitals, to ministers, to widows, &c. at his death. He purchased estates in Edstaston, and Northwood, in the parish of Wem, to the value of £285. per annum. Another estate he bought at Sprowston, in Norfolk, which was designed for the seat of the family. His grandson sir Charles resided at Sprowston Hall; but left none of the above mentioned estates to his brother sir Robert Adams, the present baronet. Sir Charles was buried at Ealing, in Middlesex, where it is probable his grandfather had purchased an estate. THE PRINCIPAL BENEFACTORS TO THE SCHOOL AT WEM. Rowland Hill, of Soulton, esq. £. s. d. 20 0 0 Mr. Wm. Adams, of London, merchant, 50 0 0 Mr. Thos. Barnes, of Lowe, sen. and jun. 25 10 0 Mr. Richard Ward, of Cotton, Mr. Richard Jebb, of Wem, steward, Mr. John Groom, of Sleap, yeoman, 500 11 10 0 9 10 0 5 15 0 500 The principal Benefactors to the School at Wem. £. s. d. 5 0 0 0 5 0 0 Mr. Richard Menlove, of the Foxholes, 7 11 6 Rev. Mr. Andrew Parsons, rector of Wem, 13 5 0 0 Mr. S. and Mr. J. Smith, of Wem, mercers, 10 18 4 5 15 0 5 3 0 Mr. John Hayward, of Tilley, sen. & jun. Mr. R. Thorp, of Wem, timber-merchant, 8 1 5 Mr. Thomas Pidgeon, of Booley, Rev. R. Roderick, of Wem, head master, 5 0 0 Rev. doctor H. Alderidge, rector of Wem, 20 0 0 Rev. C. Roderick, of Wem, head master, 20 0 0 Mr. Thomas Payn, of Nonerley, Mr. William Walford, of Lee Brockhust, 7 10 The Rev. S. Garbet, of Wem, 2nd master, 5 0 Q An Account of Wem School. The success, and integrity of the first feoffees, are evident from the purchases they made for the school. For January 1st, 1655, they laid out L350. in buying two messuages, with the lands belonging to them in Northwood, in the parish of Wem, being part of the estate of John Broomhal, of Northwood Hall, gentleman; and in 1659 they paid L120. for a mill, messuage, and lands in Cotton, in the said parish of Wem, which they purchased of Mr. Minshul. Here it will be proper to give an account of the intended benefaction of Edward Carswell, late of Blacklands, in the parish of Bobbington, in the county of Stafford, gentleman, who by his will dated February 3rd, 1689, devised all his messuages, lands, tenements, and hereditaments, in the counties of Salop and Stafford, then valued at between four and L500. a year, to certain trustees, for the term of five hundred years, upon several trusts therein mentioned, and since determined, and after the determination thereof, he devised the residue of the said term, and inhance of the said estates for ever, for the maintainance of eighteen scholars in the college of Christ church, in the university of Oxford; by allowing each of them for four years whilst they are under-graduates L18. 11s. and after they have taken their bachelor's degree, the sum of L21. 11s. yearly for three years, and after they have commenced masters of arts, the sum of L27. 11s. yearly, An Account of Wem School. for three years, and no longer. He proposed, that four scholars should be elected out of Shrewsbury school, three from Bridgenorth, four from Newport, three from Shiffnal, two from Wem, and two from Donnington school. If the rents and profits of the estates should be improved, and increased, then a greater number of scholars were to be proportionably chosen out of the said schools; but in case the rents should fall short of what they were then, the election of one or two, or more of the number of scholars before mentioned, designed to be elected out of the two last mentioned free schools, was to be ömitted and cease, until the premises should again come to be of sufficient, yearly value, to maintain the said eighteen scholars, which are to be elected out of the most ingenious and deserving youths, and of least ability to maintain themselves. The electors are the dean of Christ church, or his deputy, and the justices of the peace inhabiting, or acting within the hundreds of Bradford, Stolisden and Brimstree for the time being, or any three of them, whereof the dean of Christ church, or his delegate is to be one. After the death of Andrew Charlton, esq. who was the last that had his life in Carswel's estate; the heir at law sued for it, but by decree of chancery, the charity was established; and July 6th, 1741, an order was made that the masters of the said free A a An Account of Wem School. schools should propose a scheme for carrying into execution the charity created by the said will. November 28th, in the same year, a writing was drawn up, setting forth, that the rents and profits of the premises have been some years past, and now are no more than £312. 14s. 6d. (among the lands settled by Mr. Carswel for these uses, there was a tenement of above £60. a year, which he had purchased of a person who had not legal power to sell; and which the heir of that person recovered, after Mr. Carswel's death, by verdict in his favour at Shrewsbury assizes, confirmed by a second hearing at Westminster, by a decree of chancery) which after the deduction of the incidental, and other charges attending the said estates, it is apprehended will not maintain above ten scholars at one time in such manner, and proportion; and proposing, that the said ten scholars be thus elected, three out of Shrewsbury school, two out of Bridgenorth, three out of Newport, and two out of Shiffnal school. This writing was signed by Samuel Lea, schoolmaster of Newport, Hugh Stackhouse, schoolmaster of Bridgenorth, Edward Fosbrooke, schoolmaster of Idssal, otherwise Shiffnal, and Seth Shepherd, curate of Bobbington, and the scheme therein proposed, I believe, was confirmed by the court of chancery. And yet it is plain, that the estate at the low value here set upon it would maintain twelve scholars; (the income of the bequeathed estate one year with |