BOARD OF CHARITABLE BEQUESTS—(IRELAND). (Hansard, 21 March 1844)

The Marquis of Normanby

had, he said, three Petitions to present; and to one of these he was particularly desirous of calling the attention of the noble Duke opposite. He had already referred to the constitution of the Charity Boards in Ireland, and he had now to show a neglect of duty on their parts. Such neglect was stated in the Petition that he then held in his hand. He did not mean to go into all the particulars detailed in that Petition; but the facts were briefly these:—The Petitioner stated that Thomas Willdridge, in the year 1819, bequeathed the profit rents of certain houses in Dublin, to be distributed amongst the poor of Dublin. The money to be so distributed, was 1,000 l. a year. A suit in Chancery had been instituted for the purpose of ascertaining whether certain towns were included in the bequest. A receiver was appointed in the year 1822; his conduct was complained of, and in 1828 there had been a final decree; but from 1828 up to this time there had not been one step taken by the Board of Charitable Bequests to apply the money so bequeathed for the benefit of the poor of Dublin to its proper object. It was reported by the Master, in 1840, that there was not more than 1,000 l. now in hand, though it was declared by the next of kin that the rents received amounted to 24,000 l. Not one step had been taken since 1828, so that up to this time 23,000 l. had been squandered, and there was only 1,000 l. in hand. If the facts contained in this Petition were correct, he could not but contrast the zeal exhibited by the members of this Board, in what they conceived to be the cause of orthodoxy, which zeal interfered with the education of seventy poor children, who were receiving a system of instruction sanctioned by the clergyman of a parish—he could not, he said, but contrast the zeal where so small a sum as 7 l. 10s. was involved, with the neglect exhibited for the receipt of 1,000 l. a year, when that sum was to be allocated for the benefit of the poor of Dublin.