History of the Mile Huntley Charity

This charity originates from the will of Miles Huntley dated 12 September 1790. A copy of the will has proved difficult to trace but it appears Miles Huntley died on the day he made this will. He was buried at Harescombe 3 days later.

Harescombe church contains three plaques relating to the Huntley family.  The only one that remains legible is inside on the North side of the church. There is a large black plaque high on the wall (see picture below), which gives some details of the origins of the charity. This outlines that Miles left £50 to trustees to apply to the ‘apprenticing poor orphans‘ of the Parish of Harescombe. The plaque also details that in 1865 the trust was transferred to the care of the Charity Commissioners and the annual income was the £1 and 12 shillings, with the money being released into the care of the church wardens for making awards to deserving apprentices.

There are also two memorial plaques on the outside of the church to the left of the porch (see picture below). These are now almost unreadable but the wording has previously been recorded.

The right hand plaque states:

‘In memory of Miles Huntley of this parish, Gent Who departed this left 12thday of September Anno. Dom 1790 aged 70 years 

Martha the wife of Miles Huntley, of this Parish, Gent. She departed this life July 10 1789 aged 54 years.’

The left plaque is a memorial to Miles Huntley’s parents, Miles’ father was also called Miles and his mother was called Abigail (nee Chadwell).. The plaque reads as follows:

‘To the memory of Miles Huntley of this parish, Gent

Who after a long and painful illness, which he bore with great firmness and resignation, departed this life Oct 25 Anno Dom. 1765 in the 80thyear of his age.

Also

Of Abigail, his wife, who departed this life Feb AD 1743 aged near 50 years.

Bridget, their daughter, and three sons, James, James and Charles were also interred near this place.’

Aside from the siblings mentioned on the plaque, it seems Miles had an older sister called Abigail. Miles and Martha (nee Davis) were married in Harescombe on 21 August 1786. Whilst Miles came from Harescombe, the marriage records show that Martha came from Brookthorpe, and was a widow. It appears they had no children, marrying later in life. Research shows that Miles may have left his estate in Harescombe to a Miles Mitchell, Gent of Westrip (near Randwick), whose uncle married Miles’ sister.

Miles’ mother, Abigail Chadwell, originated from Stroud, and was his father’s second wife -his first wife Elizabeth (nee Hinnamore) died, and was buried in Harescombe on 23 October 1710.The Miles Huntley name goes back a long way and it appears that both his grand father and great grand father bore the same name, and may have lived in Harescombe at some point, although it also seems his grandfather lived in Stone, Berkeley for a time. It appears that the Huntley family may have owned a large part of Harescombe at one point.