>From Jackson's Oxford Journal, Saturday, October 17, 1874; Issue 6342.   WALLINGFORD. ARCHBISHOP'S LAUD'S CHARITY. At a meeting of the Charity Trustees, held on Wednesday the 7th inst., for the purpose of electing three poor maids to receive gifts of £14 each towards their marriage portions, the following were successful candidates:- Mary Margaret BARBER ( fifth application ) ; Emma TURNER ( fourth application ); and Harriet GRAINGER ( fourth application. )

Fascinating! None of these three fits my research but I am wondering whether anyone knows more detail about marriage portions. My question is - did these poor lasses wait to marry (if it was an annual award then one had waited five years....) until they had gained the grant? Did they have to be engaged to be married before applying? Is the charity still active? - I guess there are many "poor maids" out there who would welcome todays equivalent of 1874s £14.00 to help them set up home. David David Gynes gynes@one-name.org On 19 Apr 2012, at 21:01, MICHAELCOOMBER@aol.com wrote: > From Jackson's Oxford Journal, Saturday, October 17, 1874; Issue 6342. > > WALLINGFORD. > ARCHBISHOP'S LAUD'S CHARITY. > At a meeting of the Charity Trustees, held on Wednesday the 7th inst., > for the purpose of electing three poor maids to receive gifts of £14 > each towards their marriage portions, the following were successful > candidates:- Mary Margaret BARBER ( fifth application ) ; Emma TURNER ( > fourth application ); and Harriet GRAINGER ( fourth application. ) > > > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > Interactive Oxfordshire parish map: http://searches.oxfordshirefhs.org.uk/pardata.html > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to OXFORDSHIRE-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message

1874;   WALLINGFORD. ARCHBISHOP'S LAUD'S CHARITY. At a meeting of the Charity Trustees, held on Wednesday the 7th inst., for the purpose of electing three poor maids to receive gifts of £14 each towards their marriage portions, the following were successful candidates:- Mary Margaret BARBER ( fifth application ) ; Emma TURNER ( fourth application ); and Harriet GRAINGER ( fourth application. ) The mind boggles. Were the applications for a grant on marriage to the same man? Were they funding the fourth or fifth choice? Had they abandoned any idea of marriage, or marriage to that person, because they lacked the cash to buy kitchen stuff? Did these modern young women not have a bottom drawer to fall back on? I think we should be told. EVE Author of The McLaughlin Guides for Family Historians Secretary, Bucks Genealogical Society