Educational Endowments (Ireland) Commissioners: annual report, 1888-89, minutes of evidence and appendices

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116 EDUCATIONAL ENDOWMENTS (IRELAND) COMMISSION. 
Oct. 
24, 1888. 
BALLYMACONNELL NATIONAL SCHOOL ; BALLYMULLEN (ORAWFORDSBTJRN) NATIONAL SCHOOL; BALLYSALLAGH NATIONAL SCHOOL. 

3092. 
Lord Justice FitzGibbon.—This 
is John M'Gowan's Endowment, the trustees of which are 

Lord Dufferin, Mr. 
Mortimer Thomson, and the Yerv The Very Rev. 
Edward Maguire, Dean of Down, sworn and examined. 
Very Eev. 
Edward Maguire, Dean of Down. 

3093. 
You are one of the trustees of John M'Gowan's Endowment ?—I 
am. 
When I came to this parish I received a letter from Mr. 
Mortimer Thomson, then agent for Lord Dufferin. 
It is dated March 15, 1876, and is as follows :— " Dear Sib,— 

" M'Gowan's Tbusts. 
" Major Crawford has, I understand, explained to you that there are two charities existing for the benefit of certain schools in Bangor parish, and for the poor of the parish respectively, known as M' Go wan's Trusts. 
There were three trustees of these charities, in whose names tbe funds are invested, namely, the present Earl of Dufferin, the late Rev. 
Dr. 
Binney, and the late Mr. 
Thomas S. 
M'Cullough. 
" Lord Dufferin, the only surviving trustee, being absent in Canada, it is advisable that two gentlemen should be at once appointed in the place of the two deceased. 
" Under the deeds of settlements of the Trusts, the ap-pcintment of the Trustees for the ' Schools of Bangor Charity' rests with the Resident Church Clergyman of Bangor Parish and tbe land agent for the time being of the Earl of Dufferin. 
"The appointment of the trustees for the second charity, namely, for the poor of Bangor Parish, rests with Lord Dufferin alone. 
At the last appointment, however, the same gentlemen were nominated in each. 
"It has been proposed by Major Crawford that it would be suitable that yourself, as Vicar of the Parish, and myself, as Lord Dufferin's agent, should be appointed in the place of Dr. 
Binney and Mr. 
M'Cullough, and if this suggestion meets with your approval, I propose to submit it to Lord Duff'erm for his concurrence. 
" In the meantime it will be necessary for Lord DufTerin to authorize someone to receive the dividends of the Trusts which have hitherto been paid to Dr. 
Binney. 
if you have no objection to receive tbe money in the same way, I pro¬ pose to request Lord DufFerin to give the necessary authority to pay the dividends to you, "Before, however, this can be effected a certificate of the burial of Dr. 
Binney must be produced, and as this, I believe, can be forwarded by yourstdf, perhaps I may ask you to send it me at your convenience. 
"I beg to enclose, for your perusal, a copy of the will of the late Mr. 
M'Gowan, founding these charities, and a letter from Messrs. 
Crawford and Lockhart, solicitors, who executed the last deeds of appointment of the trustees. 
I shall feel obliged, however, by your kindly returning me these two documents. 

" Believe me, dear sir, 

u Yours faithfully, 

"Mortimdr Thomsos." 
Witness (continuing)—M'Gowan left money for the three schools— Ballymullen, Ballysallagh, and Bally-maconnell—and the amount is £780 16s. 
4c?. 
3094. 
In whose name is the stock standing now ?— 
I think Lord Dufferin's. 
3095. 
Professor Dougherty.—Are 
those schools mentioned in M'Gowan's will as the objects of his bequests?—Yes 
; for the payment of free pupils who were not able to pay. 
There is, as I have stated, £780 16s. 
4d. 
at New Three per Cent., 
and, less com¬ mission, that sum yields .£23 
6s. 
per annum. 
Bally¬ mullen school gets £11 13s. 
; Ballysallagh school gets £5 16s. 
Gd. 
; and Ballymaconnell school gets £5 16s. 
6c?. 
The schools are all in this parish. 
3098. 
Lord Justice FitzGibbon.—Do 
you know how the schoolhouses are held?—No, 
I am not officially connected with the schools; they are chiefly Presbyterian. 
3097. 
Professor Dougherty.— 
You are not manager of any of them ?—No 
; I am only a trustee under the will. 

3098. 
Lord Justice FitzGibbon As rector of the parish you were appointed trustee under the will?—Yes 
3099. 
Professor Dougherty.—Who 
is Lord Duf¬ ferin's present agent ?—Mr. 
Howe, who is manager of two of the schools, and Mr. 
Clarke is manager&of the Ballymaconnell school. 
3100. 
Lord Justice FitzGibbon (to Rev. 
Mr, Clarke).—How 
is that schoolhouse held ?—I 
think bo is a free grant. 
That part of Lord Dufferin's property passed into Mr. 
Houston's hands. 
3101. 
Ballymullen and Ballysallagh are still oa Lord Dufferin's property 1—Yes. 
Witness.—Every 
time the teachers come to me for payment I ask them "Have you any free pupils, and if they paid you would it amount to that sum,*' and they say "It would amount to a great deal more." 
Rev. 
William Clarke.—I 
am manager of Ballynm-connell school. 
I could not say how many are on the roll, but I think the attendance is about forty or forty-two. 
3102. 
How many of them are free?—I 
could not say; I take nothing to do with the administration of the funds. 
That duty belongs to the Dean of Down. 
3103. 
Dr. 
Traill.—Would 
it not be better for you, Mr. 
Clarke, to discharge that duty—that the one who pays the money should be connected with the school ? 

Witness.—I 
have no objection to that.* 
3104. 
Professor Dougherty.—The 
great majority of those children are Presbyterian?—They 
are; I have nothing to do with the schools except to get the money and give it away. 
The teachers come a long way to my house to get the money. 
3105. 
Lord Justice FitzGibbon.—Is 
there any connexion between the three schools ? 
Rev. 
Mr. 
Clarke.—None 
whatever; they are in different localities entirely; they are in a triangle of about three miles by two miles. 

Witness.—Mr. 
Howe, Lord Dufferin's agent, who is manager of two of the schools, does not reside in this locality. 

3106. 
Where does he reside ?—At 
Hillsborough. 
3107. 
Professor Dougherty.—Is 
it the rule of the Dufferin estate that the management of the schools should be kept in the agent's hands ? 

Rev. 
Mr. 
Clarke.—Lord 
Dufferin keeps the man¬ agement in his own hands. 
Any repairs made on the school of which I have the management were made at the expense of Mr. 
Houston and myself. 
I refer to the Ballymaconnell school. 

3108. 
Lord Justice FitzGibbon.—Now, 
as to the other two ? 

Rev. 
Mr. 
Quartz (Ballygilbert).—They 
are in connexion with the National Board, and Lord Dufferin makes the repairs ; his lordship has hitherto clone so. 
Lord Dufferin is really the manager of the schools, but Mr. 
Howe acts in his place. 

3109. 
Lord Justice FitzGibbon (to the Dean of Down)—With regard to these endowments, might not an arrangement be made whereby the payments, might be made by some of the people connected with the schools, instead of by a minister of another deno¬ mination who has nothing to do with them ? 
They are, however, in your parish, these schools %—Yed. 
3110. 
As to the Episcopalian children at these schools, you should see that they have ell the rights recognised under the National Board, and that tuey are looked after. 
t Money, far poor, as well as for the three schools above named, is sent to me quarterlyin one mm by?MjJ"* 
. 
brokers, 37, Dame-street, Dublin. 
If the Kev. 
Mr. 
Clarke becomes the paymaster to B^^oU?f'„L^ 

* The M'Gowan Trust: Bruce and Symes, stock biuccie, u», j-.»uuc-omccL, 
jjuuuu. 
xx uie j*cv. 
m«. 
vimm u^uuioo un^ ^j. 
— 

-

. 
. 
htt&b£&" instructions should be sent to the stock brokers to pay Mr. 
Clarke Ms share directly fi om their office, but it seems a more simpie arrive meat to let all pass through me as heretofore.—Edwajbd 
Magtjtre, d.d., 
Dean of Down.