Heritage – Tilehurst People's Local Charity

A brief history of the Poor’s Lands charity of Tilehurst – helping the Poor for over 200 years.

Origins

The provisions of the Tilehurst Inclosure Act of 1811 included an allocation of land to be used to generate income. The income was to be used to provide fuel for the benefit of the poor in the parish of Tilehurst. The Act created the charitable trusts which still exist today in the form of Tilehurst People’s Local Charity.

Trustees established by the Inclosure Act were authorised to let the land, and the profits from the lettings were, from time to time, spent on fuel which was distributed amongst the poor inhabitants of the parish of Tilehurst.

In 1811, the Parish of Tilehurst was very large – as large (if not larger) than the three Parishes that comprised Reading – St Laurence, St Mary and St Giles. The area covered by the ancient Manor and Parish of Tilehurst included the present Civil Parishes of Tilehurst, Holybrook and Theale, plus those parts of the Borough of Reading known as Tilehurst (which includes the Church of England parishes of St. Michael’s, St. Mary Magdalen’s and St. George’s).

Land

The Inclosure legislation allocated three parcels of land – at Kentwood Common and Workhouse Common, amounting to some 28 acres [c.11 hectares]. The land was to be used to generate income in order to provide fuel for the poor of the Parish. This is the basis of the Poor’s Lands charity. Some income is produced by leasing or licensing out land. Other income is produced by selling some of the land, with the sale proceeds being invested.

Originally the land was let for agricultural purposes, but more recently for allotment gardens. In 1905 the annual charge for a plot of 20 square perches [approx. 500 m²] was 5 shillings [25p] – equivalent to the cost of approximately 60 pints of beer. In the 1970s the annual charge for a plot of 10 square perches [approx. 250 m²] was still only £1 – a little less than the cost of just 4 pints of beer. By 2023/24 the annual charge for a 250 m² plot had risen to £140 – the cost of around 30 pints of beer. The surplus balance in the allotment account is used for the purpose of the charity – providing help for the poor.

The charity also owns the land on which the Victoria Recreation Ground stands. The land was first leased as a recreation ground on 29th September 1897, and is currently leased from the charity by Reading Borough Council.

Helping those in need

The income generated from the Poor’s Lands was originally used to buy fuel, distributed as ‘coal tickets’. In 1837, around 220 families received fuel this way. In the early 1900s, between 24 and 65 tons of coal were being distributed each year to between 300 and 350 families. Even in the 1940s, over 100 tickets to buy 1 cwt. [approximately 50 kg.] of coal were printed and given to poor families in Tilehurst, with a slightly lower number going to families in Theale. From the 1940s/1950s onwards, the demand for coal declined, as other forms of energy such as gas and electricity were increasingly used for heating and cooking.

Since the 1960s, the charity has provided grants for a much wider range of goods and services for eligible people – those in need, hardship or distress who are resident within the boundaries of the ‘ancient Parish’.

Organisation

The original Inclosure Act appointed Trustees to hold and administer the land for the benefit of the poor, and to arrange for the distribution of fuel to the beneficiaries. These Trustees were the Overseers of the Poor, the Lord or Lady of the Manor, and the Rector and Churchwardens of the Parish.

Charity Overseers were the elected officials who organised support for the poor on behalf of the Parish which had responsibility for their welfare. The role of Overseer first arose around 1600, and was not abolished until 1927. There was no Old Age Pension until 1909, and National Insurance to support the sick and unemployed started in 1911.

The present Trustee Board is the successor to those original Trustees, although modifications have been made over the years to reflect the changing structure of local government. The Rector of Tilehurst is still a Trustee (ex-officio), and local councils have a duty to nominate three other Trustees – one each by Tilehurst Parish Council, Theale Parish Council and Reading Borough Council. There are also between three and five co-opted Trustees who are appointed by the Trustee Board. Every Trustee brings their own particular skills, experience and insights to the Trustee Board.

Since well before 1900, the charity has had a role of “Clerk to the Trustees” who looked after the numerous day-to-day business matters on behalf of the Trustees. This is a key role that enables the charity to fulfil its purpose. The charity has been fortunate to have had the dedicated service of so many capable Clerks over many decades.

Business matters

Following legislative changes, control over the investments of the charity was transferred from the Official Custodian of Charities to the Trustees in 1992. This gave the Trustees complete control to manage their investments, subject to the maintenance of their Capital Funds (Permanent Endowment) and to taking suitable professional advice. The charity has an agreed Investment Policy and there is an Investment Committee which takes advice from time to time and makes recommendations to the Trustee Board.

From the early years of the charity, right through to the 1950s and 1960s, the Trustees usually met only once per year, in or around November, to arrange for fuel deliveries or coal tickets for those in need. However, as grants were offered for a wider range of benefits, including some urgent grants, meetings began to be held quarterly, and now are held six, seven or more times in a year. In addition to grant-making, the Trustee Board’s meeting time is also taken up with various governance, policy and management issues relating to its operations and the use of its land and other resources.

Defining need

The Trustees have always had complete discretion over which people will receive help from the charity, provided only that the beneficiaries were in need, hardship or distress and were resident within the charity’s Area of Benefit. In the early days of the charity, beneficiaries would have to be, not just resident, but lawfully ‘settled’ in the Parish under the laws of Settlement.

People receiving help would have been mainly those with no source of income because of age or inability to work. Some would have been unable to work at all, because of illness, disability or injury. Others would have been in need because of lack of paid work, either temporarily or in the longer term. In times past, many local people suffered some level of hardship due to the casual and seasonal nature of much of the available agricultural employment.

In recent years, the Trustees have defined ‘need’ as being in receipt of state welfare benefits and/or having a low income, with the nature and extent of need being confirmed by a covering letter from a Social Worker, District Nurse or other professional person. Following the repeal of the laws of Settlement, grants were made to any qualifying person living within the boundaries of the ‘Ancient Parish’. Today, few applications for grants are received from pensioners or those unable to work for medical reasons. Many applicants are single parents, both those who are young and unsupported, and those who are older and no longer have the support of a spouse or partner. Another group of applicants are those who are seeking to build or rebuild their lives after periods in hospital, rehabilitation or leaving the family home, or who are refugees from other countries.

Governing Document

In 1959, the Trustees considered a draft ‘Scheme’ drawn up by the Charity Commission which would become, in effect, the constitution and rules for managing the charity. The Charity Commission’s standard conditions were incorporated into another draft which was discussed and agreed in 1975, but this, too, made no further progress. Then in February 1981 a new draft was considered, and the current scheme was finally agreed and sealed in 1982, having been published for public comment. The new Scheme of management for the charity highlighted the aim of making grants to those individuals in need, hardship or distress – rather than to other organisations. It also broke away from the original purpose of using funds to pay (solely) for fuel for the poor.

Registration amendments

In 1985, The Charity Commissioners merged the Poor’s Land Charity with Wheat’s Charity – a much smaller but older charity dating from 1731, which operated in the same area and provided greatcoats to the poor. Around 1998 the charity changed its registered name from “Poor’s Lands” to “Tilehurst Poor’s Land Charity”, to avoid confusion with the many other Poor’s Land charities in England and Wales. In late 2020, the charity registered the working name of “Tilehurst People’s Local Charity”, to emphasise that it is a philanthropic charity, rather than a charity providing land for various uses.

Changing trends

From 1959/60, the charity’s income rose due to investment of the proceeds from the sale of land. By this time, the number of coal tickets issued each year had declined, and the Trustees had more funds available. Consequently, from 1960/61, grants were made to individuals for purposes other than for fuel, including contributions toward the cost of higher education, electrical goods, flooring, a shower, school field trips, holidays (for the disabled and for poor families with children), and funeral expenses.

This range of grant-making continues to the present day, with more emphasis on household requirements, particularly electrical goods. Furniture requests are often passed to Christian Community Action, a local charity which collects unwanted furniture, and passes on good quality items to those in need for a modest charge. Through a special agreement, these charges may be invoiced to Tilehurst People’s Local Charity for eligible applicants. Holidays and school uniform may be paid for when funds allow. Medical services and requirements used to be covered by grants, but requests are now referred to specialist charities so that the charity’s limited funds may be more widely used. Over the years, grants have occasionally been made to help the payment of arrears of rent and utility bills, but only where the contribution possible would make a significant difference. The Trustees are not allowed to make grants for anything for which may be paid for by central or local government funds, nor may they make grants toward fines or taxes.

Part of the income of the charity is derived from leasing and licensing the use of the land still held, including a builders’ yard, the Victoria Recreation Ground and allotment gardens. The rest of the charity’s income arises mainly from dividends and interest from capital investments (the net proceeds received from the sale of land for residential development).