ents arrived at, and the decrees issued were given the full force of
law. The Willenhall Trust was clearly constituted under this Act of
Elizabeth.

On reading the introductory portion of the Memorandum, it will be
observed that no date is given to the Commission referred to, which
possibly might be interpreted to mean that such Commission was quite
separate from the one above set out, inasmuch as the latter related only
to freehold land at Bentley, while the Memorandum speaks of "certain
Copyhold lands in the Towne of Willenhall" being "surrendered by certain
Feoffees . . . Uppon trust," &c.

In the documents before considered no allusion is made to there being any
endowment or provision for the maintenance of the Chantry Priest or
Curate other than the income from the Freehold and Copyhold lands which
respectively formed the subject of those documents; and from this it is
reasonable to conclude that such income formed, or was involved in what
may be described as practically the only permanent provision for the
maintenance of the Incumbent for the time being of the Chapel.

A century ago there appears to have been a prevalent belief that the
income of the Incumbent or Curate was about 1,400 pounds per annum. An
investigation of what has happened during the last 70 years does not
reveal any foundation for the belief. After the election, in the year
1838, of the late Rev. G. H. Fisher to the Curacy, it was considered by
him and the Trustees of the Living to be desirable to apply to Parliament
for powers to sell the surface of the lands forming the Endowment, or to
sell or lease any of the mines thereunder. Accordingly, a private Act of
Parliament (7 and 8 Victoria Cap. 19) granting those powers was obtained.
The Preamble of this Act refers to dealings with the Copyhold Lands
subsequent to the date of the Memorandum before commented upon, there
being recitals that, as appears by a surrender dated the 21st November,
1727, certain Copyhold Lands, &c., in the Town of Willenhall were
formally surrendered to the use of certain Feoffees and were held upon
the trusts already described, and that at a Court Baron held on the 24th
September, 1839, the said Copyhold lands were surrendered to the use of
Thomas Hinks, John Riley Hinks, John Read, William Stokes, John Mason,
Joseph Turner, John Biddle, Jeremiah Hartill and John Davies on the same
trusts. The Preamble further shows a small further source of income for
the Living