South Yorkshire Times, November 18, 1967

Spade-Work Saves Barnburgh’s £1,500

David Parker 21-years-old student son of the Rector of Barnburgh, has safeguarded for his parish a £1,500 endowment . … just by digging the Rectory garden

The 200-years-old School Close Charity, of uncertain origin, provided the parish with a sum of money—now worth £1,500—for the education of five poor boys. Some years ago, when the Ministry of Education were reviewing educational charities, it seemed likely that they would claim the money.

Trustees

The School Close trustees rallied by claiming that the trust was ecclesiastical and, as such, no concern of the Ministry.

The Ministry and the Department of Education and Science, have left the money alone pending proof of the parish4oners’ claim that the old village school, around which the contention revolved, was a Church school, and not a State one.

David Parker, on holiday from Bristol University, was digging the garden of his father, the Rev. W J. Parker, Barnburgh’s Rector, when he unearthed the name plaque of the old school, demolished at the turn of this century to make way for the Parochial Hall.

Money Safe

It states quite clearly “National School 1810”, and so the money is safe from the Department’s coffers, because National schools were the Church’s forerunners of state education.

Churchwarden Mr. William Higson of School House, Barn-burgh, a schoolteacher in the village, looked after the appropriate papers in the inter regnum before Barnburgh had Mr. Parker as Rector. He said, “With this find we can be sure the money is ours.

“It is invested, and we use the £40 per year interest to provide books and prizes for the Sunday school. “I am delighted about the find”.