The
Unofficial WebsiteThe Feoffees
The Feoffees of the Common Lands of Rotherham were an ancient organisation granted their charter by Elizabeth I in 1589. There were generally twelve feoffees, men of good standing in the town who often held their position from election until the end of their lives. By the 18th Century the Feoffees held a deal of endowed property and the income from this was used for the benefit of the townspeople. These are some of the items listed in the Feoffees accounts:-
- In 1706 they paid the costs of digging and walling a cold bath opposite St Anns Well on what is now Eastwood Lane then called Bird Cage Lane.
- In 1707 they paid for coal for the bonfires celebrating the Union of England and Scotland. They also reimbursed the headmaster of the Grammar School the grand sum of over £75 for repairs to his house.
- In 1717 they paid for coals to be provided for the poor of the parish after a storm.
- In 1721 they paid to have the racecourse enlarged.
- In 1732 they paid to have the almshouse (Chapel on the Bridge) re-roofed.
- In 1739 they spent over £500 having a new town hall built.
- In 1760 on the Accession of King George III, the Feoffees again paid for coal for the bonfires. Ah who paid for the accompanying knees-up you ask!
- About 1780 a new covered market was built and the marketplace altered.
In other years large amounts of charity in the form of coals and bread were provided for the poor, supplementing the provision made by the Overseers of the Poor.
By the end of the 18th Century notables like the Earl of Effingham and Earl Fitzwilliam were serving as Feoffees. I have read the comment that it became increasingly difficult to find twelve men who were prepared to serve as Feoffees: I wonder if there is any connection! Also the rules of the trust required that when the number of feoffees fell below six there was to be a new election: this had been regularly ignored. In 1798 the rules of the trust were changed. A new member was to be elected whenever a vacancy occurred. The terms of the franchise were changed thus disenfranchising many small tenants and freeholders in the town. To stand for office you needed property worth £20pa, to vote you needed to own property of £2pa or more or hold property worth £10pa or more; women need not apply.