The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1876-03-21 00:00:00

WAREHAM CORPORATION.

Some irrelevant nonsense was talked by Sir Charles
W. Dilke, in the course ,d his speech in the House
on unreformed corporations, about Wareham. All
members of Parliament who constitute themselves
the champions for redressing general grievances are
liable to be imposed upon by ignorant or designing
persons, who don't appreciate the force of the good Dr.
Watts's lines
"To fear a lie, and speak the truth,
That all may trust to what we say."
The simple fact as regards Wareham is, that 41 years
ago when the Royal Couunitaioners made their report
referred to by Sir C. Dilke, in which they speak of "an
Income of £4O a year," the corporation receiveti certain
quay dues and other small payments, all of which
have long fallen into oblivion, and there is no person
living who can tell how they were, or were not spent.
At the present time the only source of income which
the corporation have is derived from letting the
standings at their New Corn Exchange, and letting
the Town-hall above it, to various parties, for religious
' and good useful purposes, including lawful and
instructive recreations, which it would do Sir Charles
Dilke himself no harm to join in. This income is
received by the Mayor for the time being, and lawfully
and properly applied, and annually accounted for.
Formerly, when the borough was • clime parliamentary
borough, which only included the inner portion of the
present parliamentary borough, the proprietor of the
two parliamentary seats which belonged to it, used to
bear groat part of all prandial entertainments—as to
which some very amusing anecdotes might be related.
Times, sirce passing the Reform Bill of 1832, have
completely changed all this, and up to the year 1866
inclusive. The mayors for many years previously gave
an annual dinner to the chief members of the corpora-
tion and other friends (thus honoured), at their own
expense. The last of this series of dinners was a
special one, given in 1866, after the Sessions business, at
the Town-hall in the morning, by the then Mayor
Mr. Freeland Filliter, to the Recorder, Mr. Ferrer,
the aldermen, and several other gentlemen and clergy-
men, in the evening. This dinner, the last thus given,
was especially marked by the attendance thereat as a
guest, ,d the present karl of Eldon, then a minor.
Since then the Mayors have found a more useful
means of spending their money. The jury used to
have a dinner of their own, which took place at three
the same (lay, and was in fact a private dinner (d
tradesmen of the town. This was kept up after the
Mayor's dinner ceased, and took place, as Sir Charles
Dilke says, on the 15th October, 1875, as usual, after
the conclusion of the Sessions business. Independent
of, and distiuct from this, there is a Court Lest held
under the Lord of the Manor, with which the Corpora-
tion have nothing to do, and a little harmless—if
useless —eating and drinking happens on these occasions
for all men are not like Sir C. Dilke, a he no doubt
has found out by this time.
The Almshouses excellent charity is under a body of
feoffees, of whom the survivors are —Mr. Stepheu
Bennett, Chairman of the Wareham Local Board of
Health; Mr. 011iver Ferrer, the respected recorder
(also a county magistrate, and who succeeded Mr.
Thomas Bond, of Tynehaui House, as Recorder); Mr.
Freeland Filliter, the present Town Clerk (Mayor in
1866): and slr. Henry 'fatherly, non-resident,
formerly a capital burgess, These hold the charity
property in trust for various good and useful purposes,
which are fully carried out an-I open to observation ,•
the principal feature being, that the magistrates of
Wareham have the nomination, under the deed of
feoffment, of suitable inmates of the comfortable
Almshouses in East-street Other charities in Ware-
ham are vested in like bodies, and do credit to the
town. _

The Charter is possession of Mr. Filliter, the
Town Clerk, and was an object of interest to the
meeting of the Archie°logical Society, held here a few
years ago under Sir William Medlycott, at which
1 amongst other honoured and honourable individuals,
Mr. Floyer, M.P. for the county, was present. The
Town-hall and Corn Exchange are in themselves most
creditable and valuable, and-we don't know what the
various persons and bodies—inside and outside the
town—who use them, would do without them. On
the whole, though Wareham is not so perfect as Sir C.
Dilke and his friends would wish, it would be able to
hold up its head with some of the best in this or any
other county; and should the present member—Erie
Drax —leave us, there would be no lack of eligible
candidetes to woo her, for the sake of a seat in Parlia-
ment.