Charities for Freemen in the City of Oxford
Sir Thomas White Loan
In his will of 1566 Sir Thomas White gave property to the city of Bristol, from which 24 corporations (including Oxford) were to receive £104 every 24 years. Oxford was to provide four interest-free loans of £25 to young freemen (preferably clothiers), the remaining £4 to cover the administrative costs. By 1822 Oxford had received ten payments of £104. By 1884 the charity comprised £850 stock, and the last payment was made in 1953.
Dame Margaret Northern’s chest
Dame Margaret Northern, widow of the Mayor William Northern, bequeathed £40 to found a loan-chest for freemen, who could borrow up to £3. This loan system was in operation by 1420, and in 1581 Margaret, her husband William, and father Simon were placed on the benefactors' role by the city. It appears that by the mid-seventeenth century, however, that the coffer was empty. (See also William Northern)