Pensions Perpetual or Hereditary

PENSIONS: PERPETUAL OR HEREDITARY. Per petual or hereditary pensions in Great Britain were freely granted either to court favourites or as a reward for political services from the time of Charles II. onwards. Such pensions were very fre quently attached as "salaries" to places which were sinecures, or posts which were really necessary were grossly overpaid, while the duties were discharged by a deputy at a small salary. On the accession of George III. and his surrender of the hereditary revenues in return for a fixed civil list, this civil list became the source from which the pensions were paid. (See Cm', LIST.) The three pension lists of England, Scotland and Ireland were consoli dated in 183o, and the civil pension list reduced to £75,000, the remainder of the pensions being charged on the consolidated fund.

The Bradlaugh Agitation.

In 1887, Charles Bradlaugh, M.P., protested strongly against the payment of perpetual pen sions, and as a result a committee of the House of Commons enquired into the subject (Report of Select Committee on Per petual Pensions, 248, 1887). An appendix to the report contains a detailed list of all hereditary pensions, payments and allowances in existence in 1881, with an explanation of the origin in each case and the ground of the original grant ; there are also shown the pensions, etc., redeemed from time to time, and the terms upon which the redemption took place. The nature of some of these pensions may be gathered from the following examples: To the duke of Marlborough and his heirs in perpetuity, £4,000 per annum; this annuity was redeemed in August 1884 for a sum of £107,780, by the creation of a ten years' annuity of £12,796 17s. per annum. By an act of 18°6 an annuity of £5,000 per annum was conferred on Lord Nelson and his heirs in perpetuity. In 1793 an annuity of £2,000 was conferred on Lord Rodney and his heirs. All these pensions were for services rendered, and although justifiable from that point of view a preferable policy was pur sued in the 20th century by parliament voting a lump sum, as in the cases of Lord Kitchener in 1902 (L5o,000) and Lord Haig and other distinguished commanders at the end of the World War.

Charles II. granted the office of receiver-general and controller of the seals of the court of king's bench and common pleas to the duke of Grafton. This was purchased in 1825 from the duke for an annuity of £843, which in turn was commuted in 1883 for a sum of £22,714 12S. 8d. To the same duke was given the office of the pipe or remembrances of first-fruits and tenths of the clergy. This office was sold by the duke in 1765, and after passing through various hands was purchased by one R. Harrison in 1798. In 1835 on the loss of certain fees the holder was compensated by a perpetual pension of £62 9s. 8d. The duke of Grafton also possessed an annuity of £6,87o in respect of the commutation of the dues of butlerage and prisage. To the duke of St. Albans was granted in 1684 the office of master of the hawks. The sums granted by the original patent were: master of hawks, salary, £391 Is. 5d.; four falconers at 15o per annum each, £200; pro vision of hawks,1600; provision of pigeons, hens and other meats, £182 Ios.; total £1,373 11s. 5d. This amount was reduced by office fees and other deductions to £965, at which amount it stood until commuted in 1891 for £18,335. To the duke of Richmond and his heirs was granted in 1676 a duty of one shilling per ton on all coals exported from the Tyne for consumption in England.

This was redeemed in 1799 for an annuity of 119,000, which was afterwards redeemed for 1633,333.

The conclusions of the committee were adverse to the continu ance of such pensions, and after its report recommendations were adopted by the Government and outstanding hereditary pensions were gradually commuted.