The history of the Wheatley Common Allotment Charity begins in 1666, when Charles II granted 20 acres of land near Shotover "for use of the Cottages and Poor Inhabitants of Wheatley." In 1876, the Charity Commission ordered that this land be exchanged for 27 acres of land in Cuddesdon, called the Howe. A scheme was drawn up in 1878 appointing four trustees and setting out various ways in which the land should be used. These included: renting allotments to the poor people of Wheatley; creating a recreation ground and cricket pitch; and renting the remainder of the land as pasture. Any income gained from the land was to be used for the benefit of the poor, especially children and old people.
In 1912, the procedure for appointing trustees was changed, and six trustees were appointed, four chosen by Wheatley Urban District Council (later Wheatley Parish Council).
The scheme was modified again in 1974, when the number of trustees was increased to seven, and the object of the charity was defined as follows: "to relieve either generally or individually persons resident in the Parish of Wheatley who are in conditions of need, hardship, or distress.
The records of the charity include copies of the original scheme; minute books and accounts from 1878; records of leases of land for grazing or rent; details of the sale of land belonging to the charity; correspondence concerning grant applications; and details of the developments funded by the Trust.
The records were deposited in December 1993 as Accession 3738 by one of the trustees of the charity.
Catalogued by Anna Riggs, August 1996.