Victoria County History of Essex Trust
Annual Report and Accounts for the year ended 31 December 2021
Victoria County History of Essex Trust
Contents
| page | |
|---|---|
| Trustees and Advisers | 2 |
| Trustees’ Report | 3 |
| Trustees’ Responsibility Statement | 5 |
| Receipts and Payments Account | 6 |
| Statement of Assets and Liabilities | 7 |
| Notes to the Accounts | 8 |
| Independent Examiner’s Report | 9 |
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V ictoria County History of Essex Trust
Trustees and Advisers
| Trustees | Geoffrey Hare, OBE, Chairman to 18 September 2021 |
|---|---|
| Kenneth L Crowe, BEd, MA, AMA, Chairman from 18 September 2021 | |
| Rt Hon Lord Petre, KCVO, JP, MA, Vice Chairman | |
| Louisa Tippett, BSc, ACA, Treasurer | |
| Patricia Herrmann, OBE, Secretary to 18 September 2021 | |
| Sarah E L Manning-Press, BA Secretary from 18 September 2021 | |
| Johanna Dale, MA, PhD, FRHistS | |
| Amanda Flather, PhD | |
| Paul J Gilman, BA, FSA | |
| Sir Graham Hart, KCB, PhD | |
| Christopher Manning-Press, DL (until his death on 13 September 2021) | |
| Arthur Stanley Newens, BA (until his death on 2 March 2021) | |
| J Nicolas Rowlands, BA, DipEd | |
| Professor Anthony Tuck, PhD | |
| Principal address | West Bowers Hall |
| Woodham Walter | |
| Maldon | |
| Essex CM9 6RZ | |
| Registered charity number | 1038801 |
| Editor | Christopher C Thornton, BA, PhD, FSA, FRHistS, Editor |
| Independent Examiner | Canon Henry Marsh |
| 5 Vicarage Lane | |
| Great Baddow | |
| Chelmsford | |
| Essex CM2 8HY | |
| Bankers | HSBC Bank plc |
| 99 High Street | |
| Chelmsford | |
| Essex CM1 1EQ |
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Victoria County History of Essex Trust
Trustees’ Report
With the relaxation of full Covid restrictions, work on all fronts of VCH Essex projects has gathered pace. Our Editor, Dr Chris Thornton, has continued to make excellent progress on the two current Red Books – Vol. XII (part 2) and Vol. XIII. These are described more fully below.
Andrew Senter’s History of Harwich, Dovercourt and Parkeston in the 19th Century has become something of a best-seller, with very few copies in stock, and there are also very few copies now of the Newport ‘short’. The final text and images for Vol. XII (part 2) were submitted to VCH Central in December 2021. This volume covers the Sokens – Kirby-leSoken, Thorpe-le-Soken and Walton-le-Soken (modern day Walton-on-the-Naze) – from their medieval origins as areas with special legal, social and administrative organisation, through later ownership to the modern day.
Work on Vol. XIII (Harwich) is also progressing very well. The medieval period is almost complete, and research on the Tudor period, for which sources are particularly rich, is well underway. Special thanks are due to the Harwich Group and Harwich town council for their help in making sources available and to members of the Essex Historic Buildings Group for their help with building surveys. Generous grants from Essex Heritage Trust (EHT) have enabled us to continue to employ Andrew Senter to work on the chapter on Georgian Harwich and he is also adapting his Harwich ‘short’ for the chapter on the 19th century, again with grant funding from EHT.
The activities of the Clacton volunteer group were impacted by Covid, but they are now developing into a new project on the early history of Tendring Hundred, supported by a small grant from this Trust. Regarding the Southend VCH group, following lengthy discussions (involving the group, the Trustees and VCH Central), it was agreed to revise the scope and word length of the proposed Southend ‘Short.’ The first batch of draft chapters for Southend: Victorian Town and Resort, were submitted to our Editor, and the final batch of chapters, together with feature pages, will be submitted early in 2022. It is therefore hoped to have both another Red Book (XII (2)) and a ‘short’ published in the coming year.
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Victoria County History of Essex Trust
Trustees’ Report
Thanks to the generosity of our regular supporters (including some major regular donations), and grants from EHT, the Trust’s finances are on a fairly even keel, but not such as to give any cause for complacency. There is constant need for fund-raising just to keep our heads above water. Future financial targets will have to take into account the increasing costs of printing and postage to supporters who are unable to receive correspondence by e-mail.
It is very sad to have to report the loss of two of our longest-serving and dedicated Trustees over the past year: Stan Newens (trustee from 2001; see obituary in Essex Past No. 25) and Chris Manning-Press (trustee from 1995; see obituary in Essex Past 26). Also in this past year, two of our longest-serving officers have stepped down from their posts, although both, I am very pleased to report, are continuing as Trustees. Patricia Herrmann became a Trustee in 1996, serving as Secretary from that date until 2021, and also as Treasurer from 2000 to 2008. Geoffrey Hare joined the committee in 1999, serving as vice-Chairman from 2004-5 and as Chairman 2005-13 and again 2018-21. Both were recognised for their outstanding contribution to the Essex VCH Trust and more generally for their support of the Victoria County History project, by being the first recipients of VCH Outstanding Contribution awards.
Southend was one of the four towns included in a research project funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council, ‘Towns and the Cultural Economies of Recovery’, which looks at the culture and heritage plans for those towns. The VCH Essex Trust was delighted to lend its (non-financial) support to this major project, led by researchers from Southampton University and London University’s Institute of Historical Research (VCH’s parent body).
In conclusion, especial thanks are due to our Editor, Chris Thornton and to Herbert Eiden (former Assistant Editor) and Andrew Senter and to all the other contributors to Vols. XII and XIII. We are also grateful to the VCH volunteer groups, and to the many other groups, organisations and individuals who support VCH Essex in so many ways. Particular thanks go to our Independent External Examiner, Canon Henry Marsh.
Ken Crowe Chairman
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Victoria County History of Essex Trust
Trustees’ Responsibility Statement
The Charity’s Trustees are responsible for preparing a receipts and payments account and a statement of assets and liabilities for each financial year that properly present the Charity’s receipts and payments during the year and its assets and liabilities at the end of the year. In preparing those statements, the Trustees are required to:
-
select suitable accounting policies and apply them consistently;
-
make judgements that are reasonable and prudent; and
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prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the Charity will continue in operation.
The Trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records which enable them to ensure that the receipts and payments account and the statement of assets and liabilities comply with the Charities Act 2011. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the Charity and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.
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Victoria County History of Essex Trust
Receipts and Payments Account
for the year ended 31 December 2021
| 2021 £ Receipts Designated funds and donations Unrestricted donations Donations from individuals (see note 3) 9,143 Gift Aid received in year - Donations from Councils and Societies 1,850 Donations from Trusts 4,905 Legacy 5,000 Investment income - interest 9 Other income (see note 4) 190 Total receipts Payments Direct charitable payments Payments in respect of Volume XII, Volume XIII, Harwich and Southend Editors 16,800 Contributors 12,600 Images - Printing - Other expenditure (see note 6) 121 Total payments Surplus/(deficit) of receipts over payments Funds balances brought forward Funds balances Designated funds included in funds (see note 2) |
2021 £ 9,143 - 1,850 4,905 5,000 |
£ 5,000 20,898 9 190 |
2020 £ 9,495 2,444 900 4,750 - |
£ 1,000 17,589 59 411 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | 59 | |||
| 190 | 411 | |||
| 16,800 12,600 - - |
13,048 99 344 4,176 |
|||
| 26,097 | 19,059 | |||
| 29,400 121 |
17,667 449 |
|||
| 121 | 449 | |||
| 29,521 | 18,116 | |||
| (3,424) 92,475 |
943 91,532 |
|||
| 89,051 | 92,475 | |||
| - | - |
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Victoria County History of Essex Trust
Statement of Assets and Liabilities
for the year ended 31 December 2021
| Monetary assets HSBC current account HSBC deposit account |
2021 2020 £ £ 3,894 3,227 85,157 89,248 |
|---|---|
| 89,051 92,475 |
Approved by the Board of Trustees on 1 March 2022 and signed on their behalf by
Ken Crowe Trustee and Chairman of the meeting
Louisa Tippett BSc, ACA Trustee and Hon Treasurer
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Victoria County History of Essex Trust
Notes to the Accounts
for the year ended 31 December 2021
1. Accounting policies
General
These accounts have been prepared under the historical cost convention and in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011.
Basis of preparation
The financial statements are prepared on a cash basis whereby income and expenditure is only recognised as it is received or paid.
2. Designated funds and donations
The Essex Heritage Trust grant of £5,000 has been used to partly fund the work of Dr A Senter for his work on Georgian Harwich for inclusion in Volume XIII.
3. Donations from individuals
Donations from individuals in 2020 amounted to £9,495 and £9,143 in 2021. Where available the related claims for Gift Aid of £2,296 and of £2,210 have been made shortly after the year end.
| 4. | Other income | 2021 | 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|
| £ | £ | ||
| AGM raffle | - | - | |
| Sales of Newport VCH ‘Short’ | 74 | 74 | |
| Editors talks | - | 60 | |
| Sales of Harwich VCH ‘Short’ | 116 | 277 | |
| ------- | ------ | ||
| 190 | 411 | ||
| ------- | ------ |
5. VCH ‘shorts’
Newport – The Trustees funded production costs of £1,748 in 2015. Total sales up to 31 December 2021
amounted to £2,528 (2020: £2,454).
Harwich – The costs of production were agreed at £1,220 in 2020. Total sales up to 31 December 2021
amounted to £1,886 (2020: £1,770).
| 6. | Other expenditure | 2021 | 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|
| £ | £ | ||
| Insurance ( prepaid in 2020 ) | 75 | 150 | |
| Subscriptions and books | 6 | 6 | |
| Stationery and postage | 40 | 205 | |
| Publicity material | - | 88 | |
| -------- | ------- | ||
| 121 | 449 | ||
| ------- | ------ |
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Victoria County History of Essex Trust
Independent Examiner’s Report
To the Trustees of the Victoria County History of Essex Trust
I report to the Trustees on my examination of the accounts of the Trust for the year ended 31 December 2021.
Responsibilities and basis of the Report
As the Trustees of the charity you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (the Act).
I report in respect of my examination of the Trust’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the Act and in carrying out my examination I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission section 145(5)(b) of the Act.
Independent Examiner’s statement
I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect:
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accounting records were not kept in respect of the Trust as required by section 130 of the Act: or
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the accounts do not accord with those records.
I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
5 Vicarage Lane Great Baddow Chelmsford Essex CM2 8HY
Canon Henry Marsh Independent Examiner 29 April 2022
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