The Booton Common Charity
The Booton Common Charity looks after Booton Common, a piece of land set aside for the wildlife and wild flowers that depend on it. Its roots go back to the Booton Inclosure Award of 24 September 1812, which placed the land in trust for the poorer people of the parish. In those days that meant they could cut turf, peat and fuel there; if any part could not be used that way, the trustees could let it and spend the rent on fuel for them, and if neither of those worked, the land was to stay as common and pasture for their geese, stock and cattle. Today the charity’s day-to-day work is simply looking after that same ground so the plants and animals that live on it can thrive, still for the benefit of the parish of Booton.
Our Governing document
The land to be held for use in specie for the poor inhabitants of the parish so that they could cut, take and use turf, peat and fuel, and where the land or any part of it could not be so used the trustees were empowered to let the land and to use any rents and profits arising primarily to be laid out in the purchase of fuel and such fuel shall be distributed among such poor inhabitants of the parish. The trusts further provide that if the land could not be used to cut fuel or let, it shall be used and enjoyed solely and exclusively by such poor inhabitants of the said parish of booton as a common and pasture for all geese, stock and cattle.