Appendix 31
Statement of the Financial position of the Augustinian Nuns
- The community of the English Canonesses Regular of the Order of Saint Augustine, formerly situated in the town of Louvain in Brabant, driven from thence by the French Revolution, in the year of Our Lord 1794, where they had a large old convent, a good modern church, and a very extensive enclosure, which premises were sold a few years after by the French nation, to a brewer of the said town, called de Cupere, for the sum, as he said, of 12,000 Brabant florins. Two or three years ago his son in law demolished the church to build a house with the material on the same premises.
- This community was also possessed of a capital in the bank of Vienna (placed there in the year 1765) of 6,000 Brabant florins exchange, for which regular interest at 4% was duly paid by the Emperor until the year 1793.
- In the year 1778, the Queen of Hungary took a capital of 2,000 florins exchange, for which regular interest at 4% was paid by the Emperor until the year 1792.
- In the year 1793 or 94 a loan was exacted by the present Emperor of 3,500 Brabant florins current, or 3,000 in exchange.
- The Empress Maria Teresa allowed an annuity to the amount of £14 sterling to the daughters of General Plunkett, one of whom (Isabella) is a religious in this community, which was paid from an Abbaye in Germany until the year 1794.
- In the town of Mons, Louvain and its environs, this community held many capitals, all secured by bond and mortgage to the amount of about 44,650 florins, The bonds for all these mortgages are in our own hands, and were all registered in the Town House of Louvain. All other bonds and securities whatever were either in the hands of our agent, the Hon. James Preston, residing near Liège, or that gentleman has the clearest instructions we could give where they are lodged.
- On an ancient establishment, called Mount Piety, at Bruxelles, there was also a capital of 7,500 florins, the interest of which was paid as far as the year 1795.
- Mr. Weerbrouck, late mayor of Antwerp, held a capital of 6,000 florins, belonging to the late Rev. Charles Catrow, left by will, duly proved, to this community, the interest of which was duly paid up to the year 1800. The whole amount of these losses will form at least the sum of 69,150 florins, made out by a very modest computation, exclusive of the annuity of 300 florins for Miss Plunkett, besides the convent and premises.
- The States of Maritime Flanders held also 7,000 French livres belonging to this community, of which interest was received until the French Revolution, since which time (with very few exceptions) no interests have been received on any of the above capitals.
N.B. The payment from the Mount of Piety had been received very irregularly for some years; the above mentioned last payment was only received by us in the year 1794, which showed that some fragments at least of the late establishment existed.