Cannon, similar to the one used
by the charity to warn ships in peril |
The Bamburgh Charities of Dr. Sharp
Under the terms of Lord Crewe's will, the Trustees had wide discretion in disposing of the surplus income of the estates for charitable purposes. As the surplus increased, Dr John Sharp devised a number of charities based at Bamburgh Castle. Startlingly modern in their approach to welfare, many of these survived into the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Corn Charity: From 1766, Sharp set up a granary within the castle so that grain could be sold to the poor at a special low price. Barley, beans, peas oats and rice were later included in this arrangement, and after Sharp's death, a cheap shop started, supplying miscellaneous groceries such as starch, blue pepper, ginger and butter. Meat was also provided for the poor, especially during public celebrations such as Christmas
Shipwrecks and Sailors: Worried by the frequency of shipwrecks along the coast, Sharp prepared accommodation within the castle for shipwrecked sailors and during foggy weather a gun was fired at intervals from the turret of the keep so that ships could be warned away from the rocks. The bodies of drowned sailors were given a decent burial, in coffins made by the castle's joiner, Bartholomew Younghusband. |
