The early history of Hope’s Bull Meadow Charity is unknown, but at some stage a local landowner made a significant bequest to the Parish of Hope for the provision and care of a Parish Bull. The bequest was invested in “consols”, Government bonds that were first issued in 1751. The dividends from the consols provided the income for the Charity. The purpose of the Charity was to enable farmers in Hope township to have their cows served by a bull that was owned and kept by the Parish. The need for this provision may have emerged following enclosure when land moved away from community ownership into private ownership. Parliamentary enclosure dates from about 1819, but enclosure commenced in the Hope area much earlier than this. The previous open field systems facilitated a co-operative management of cows and bulls in England, and it is likely that, when this system ended, difficulties arose for some cow keepers because of added complications and the costs of renting a bull. The provision a Parish Bull in this charitable arrangement at Hope (and in other parishes across England) may have been designed to
mitigate these difficulties.
The 1847 Tithe map for Hope indicates two fields (one on either side of Green Drive) named Bull Meadow and Lower Bull Meadow, both of which were in the ownership of the Hope Churchwardens and the Guardian of the Poor. The Parish Bull may have been kept in these fields during the past, or the meadows may have been rented out to generate income to pay for the Parish Bull and its upkeep. No evidence has come to light confirming a connection between the Charity and the two meadows, but the name of the Charity does suggest that there was a link at some stage.
Correspondence between the Charity Commission and the Trustees of the Charity dated 4th February 1898 suggests that the Trustees were interested in using the income of the Charity for purposes other than the keeping of a bull at this time. The Commission felt that authorising the use of the funds for other purposes would be difficult, and the Charity continued to deliver its original objectives. On April 7th, 1898, a Memorandum of Agreement was made between Jesse Wain, who was to be the Keeper of the Parish Bull, and the Trustees of the Charity who were the two Overseers of the Parish Of Hope (Thomas Eyre and William Cotterill, both farmers) and the Vicar, Henry Buckston, who was also the Guardian of the Poor for the Parish. The agreement refers to a sum of £596 belonging to the “Hope Bull Meadows Charity” which was in the possession of the Charity Commissioners. This amount was invested, with the interest “expended in providing a Bull for the service of the Cows of the inhabitants of the Township of Hope”. Jesse Wain agreed to “keep a good and serviceable Bull to serve the Cows belonging to the inhabitants resident in the said Township of Hope free from all charge”. If the original bull died, became ill or impotent Jesse Wain would have to provide another. The bull would be kept by Wain “at some convenient place in the said Township of Hope”. The agreement allowed access to the bull “at all reasonable times” for cows belonging to the inhabitants of Hope.
Benjamin Watson took over as Parish Bull Keeper in 1906 on the same terms. By the 1920s however, it seems that he was dissatisfied with the payment regime as he suggested two options for the future: he would agree to continue as Bull Keeper for 2/6 per beast served by the bull including the annual charity money, or he would be amenable to keeping the bull at 1/0 per head “in addition to the charity money” i.e. the dividends paid out via the Charity Commission on the Charity’s investment. The latter terms were agreed. Benjamin Watson resigned from the post of Parish Bull Keeper in 1937, with Gilbert Gillott
of Ebenezer House, Edale Road being appointed to the role. Gillott would receive 2/6 for each cow served by the bull in addition to the amount received from the Charity Commissioners. In April 1947 George Hall of Townhead Farm was appointed as Keeper of the Bull. His fee was 5 shillings for each cow served by the bull in addition to the interest received from Charity Commissioners.
The notion of the Parish Bull and the role of the Parish Bull Keeper came to end in Hope in 1951. Complications had arisen because of legislation requiring all cows in a dairy herd to pass the Tuberculin test so that their milk could be guaranteed as disease free. In addition, the funds held by the Charity at the time were not sufficient to establish an Artificial Insemination (AI) service. At the beginning of the twentieth century all cows in England were mated to bulls, but by the end of the 1950s, 60% of cows were conceived through AI. The Charity’s funds continued to accumulate however, and in 1970 it became active once again when an agreement was made with the Milk Marketing Board. This enabled the artificial insemination of cows belonging to Hope farmers twice a year and at no cost, with “semen chosen by the Board”. The fees for this service were paid to the Board by the Charity, which continued to receive income from its investment. The Charity had to submit a list of eligible cow keepers to the Board each year. A typed list of Cow Keepers of the Township of Hope held in local archives reveals that, in 1971, there were twenty-two eligible cow keepers in Hope Township. During the year April 1973-March 1974 eleven Hope farmers made use of the AI service for their cows on thirteen occasions. It is not known when the Milk Marketing Board agreement came to an end, but the Board ceased to operate in 1994. Cattle keeping declined significantly in Hope in the second half of the twentieth century, but the Charity continues to support the few remaining cow keepers with a small annual charitable donation which may go some way towards covering the costs of artificial insemination for their cows, which today is estimated at around £100 for 1-4 cows.
References
Bull Meadow Charity: correspondence and agreements 1889-2024 held by Mr Stuart Elliott, trustee of the Charity.
Chapman, Edwin (2003) Hope with Aston Parish Council 1895 to 1995. Extracts from Council Minutes. Hope Historical Society.
Tan, Elaine S. (2002) ‘The bull is half the herd’: property rights and enclosures in England, 1750-1850. Explorations in Economic History 39 (4) October pp. 470-489