Date: 1898

Description: The Estate Accounts for 1898 include a list of payments entitled 'Gratuities'. Expenditure listed under this heading tells us about money which the Estate provided for pensions and provisions for the poor.

Payments are listed for 'Poors Bread' for Trentham and Blurton, and also for coal, indicating that the Estate provided necessities for food and heating to poorer people in North Staffordshire.

Additional payments are listed for provisions required by local schools. 'Straw Hats for Schools' were purchased along with 'cloth for cloaks', perhaps to provide school clothing for poorer children. Payments were also made for making soup and for medicines which were purchased for people on the Estate.

The Estate Accounts reveal that, in addition to the subscriptions they made to local charities, the Leveson-Gower family supported poorer people on their Estates by providing bread, coal and other necessities.