THE CHARITY COMMISSIONERS.
[TO TIFE EDITOR OF THE " SPECTATOR."]
'Srn,—My attention has just been called to a letter in your journal from Mr. Homersham Cox, in which he charges the -Charity Commissioners with a gross breach of faith for deciding in favour of Tunbridge Wells as the site of the proposed Middle- class School.
It is no business of mine, and would be something like im- pertinence on my part, to defend the honour of such men as Sir Seymour Fitzgerald, Lord Colchester, Mr. Longley, and other members of that body. It is equally unnecessary to defend the honour of that large minority in the Court of the Skinners' Company, who from the first entirely approved of and supported the decision of the Charity Commissioners in the matter. But I may be permitted to state some facts with re- sjoect to which Mr. Cox's letter is of a most misleading character, and which will show that his charges have no foundation.
What he wishes your readers to believe is that the Charity Commissioners obtained a control over the large sum of £20,000 by stating their intention to sanction its expenditure on a school "in or near the town of Tanbtidge ;" and that when they had secured that control they determined to spend the money on a site five miles away. That in substance is the allegation.
What are the facts ? About ten years ago, when the Com- missioners were dealing with the old Grammar School founded by Sir Andrew Judd, and the estates belonging to that founda- tion, it was known that in course of time the income would greatly increase, and probably become far in excess of the wants of that School ; and it was suggested that the unapplied surplus should be invested and accumulated, and when it became suffi- cient for the purpose, that the Skinner Company should apply to the Charity Commissioners for a scheme for its application in the establishment of a Middle School "in or near the town of Tunbridge."
For myself, I should be very glad to see this carried out for the benefit of our neighbours at Tunbridge, when the accumulations are sufficient for the purpose. But the fund we are now dealing with arises from a different source. As to £3,119, part thereof, it comes from what is called "Hunt's Charity," and as to £6,890 further part from what is called " Attwell's Charity," both these being trust moneys previously devoted to totally different pur- poses, quite unconnected with education. And as to £1 0,000, the remainder of the £20,000, it consisted of a sum of money forming part of the Company's corporate fund which they desired to devote to educational purposes.
With respect to these sums, it was from the very first decided, in accordance with Sir A. Judd's will and the charter of Edward VI. (which gave equal rights to Tunbridge Wells and -Tunbridge), that the Middle School to be created thereby should be somewhere "in or near the parish of Tunbridge," of which Tunbridge Wells forms the most important part; and the scheme now in force gave effect to that decision.
A division of opinion then arose in the Court of the Company as to what part of that large parish should be selected. A very influential section of the Court of the Company and the Charity Commissioners, atter hearing all that could be said on both sides of the question, thought that a site at Tunbridge Wells, and within easy reach of Southborough, was the place where the school would be most useful.
No doubt this decision was a disappointment to our Tun- bridge neighbours ; but the reasons for it are plain upon the surface, and I am sorry that their feeling in the matter should have led any of them to write angry letters, and make unjustifiable charges against public men of the highest character and honour.—I am, Sir, &c., Tunbridge Wells, August 19th. W. F. BROWELL.
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