History of Church-1: who can sit in chancel?

Post date: Mar 02, 2012 6:9:33 PM

In May 1909 the vicar, Greville Livett, published in the Parish Magazine an article entitled

MATERIALS FOR THE HISTORY OF WATERINGBURY—PAPER I.

It is more a history of the Church than a history of Wateringbury hence the retitling above. It is separated into two separate snippets because of its length. Much supporting material for the mid/late 19th burning issues about who can sit where can be found in P385/6/1 (Churchwardens ) in Kent Archives.

1.—In the episcopate of AElfstane, Bishop of Rochester (964-995), Byrhtric of Meopham, and AElswythe his wife by their will granted Wotringebyri to one Wulfsey, and "every year at their year's mind two days farm (i.e. rent-corn and victual) of Wotringeberia" to the Church of St. Andrew of Rochester. (Textus Roffensis, Ed. Thorpe.)

2.—In the reign of Henry II. Hamo, son of Richard of Otringeberi, granted and by his charter confirmed to the Church of St. Mary and St. Nicholas of Leeds the Church of Otringebery witi all its pertinences, and Walter, Bishop of Rochester,admitted and canonically instituted the Prior of the Church of Leeds, in the name of the Canons of Leeds, to the parsonage of the Church of Otringebery-(Episcopal Registers and Thorpe's Registrum Roffense). Previous to this grant the benefice appears & have been a Rectory, including all the tithes, both great and small. The last Rector was one " Walter," who resigned the benefice for the purposes of the grant. (Ibid.) Thenceforward the Prior of Leeds became the Rector, holding the great tithes for the Canons; and a Vicarage would be created, to which the Prior and Canons presented a Vicar, who doubtless resided in the parish and had the small tithes assigned to him, carrying on the ministerial duties.

3.—In the Reign of Henry III., when Simon was Prior of Rochester (1252-1262), the Prior and Convent of Rochester confirmed to the Prior and Convent of Leeds the appropriation of the Church of Wateringbery with its appurtinencies, namely, the tithe of corn in the said church year by year. (Ibid)

At the Dissolution of the Monasteries in the 16th century the Manor of Canons Court (so called from its having been the possession of the Canons of Leeds) and the Church of Wateringbury appendant to that Manor were settled by Henry VIII. upon the Dean and Chapter of Rochester. (Dotatie Ecclesiae Roffensis in Rawlinson's Hist. and Antiq. of the Cath. Ch. of Roch., 1717.)

4.—In the year 1649 the possessions of the Dean and Chapter of Rochester in this parish consisted of the Manor of Canon Court, together with the Rectory or parsonage of Wateringbury appendant to that manor, and certain woodlands there. They were valued at a total sum of £60 per annum, and were then let on lease to Robert Scholes at a yearly rent of £13. 6. 8. and six capons valued at 12s. The rent was apportioned, £5. 6. 8 to the Manor, and £8. 12. to the parsonage. The lessee was bound to repair the chancel of the church. The Dean and Chapter retained the advowson, or right of presentation to the Vicarage, in their own hands. The Vicarage was valued at £30 per annum. (Parliamentary Surveys, Lambeth Library, vol. xiv., quoted in Hasted, v., 117.). Here it is to be noted that in the above description the word rectory means, not a house, but the great or rectorial tithe, the tithe of corn, in the parish. The word vicarage means the lesser or vicarial tithe, the tithe of hay (in this case), grass, peas and beans, potatoes, hops, etc.

5.—The Leases granted by the Dean and Chapter are extant from 1606, onwards (numbering 23 from that date to 1822). The lease of 1606 to John Hooker, on the surrender of a lease granted to Thomas Fellowes, is endorsed: "Watringburie, 1606." That of 1620, to Thomas Crispe of Wrothan is endorsed : "The Parsonage of Watringburie." That of 1662, to Sir Thomas Style (the first of the Style family to hold the premises): " A Lease of Canons Lands and Parsonage of Watringbury from the Deane and Chaptr of Rochester." From 1716 onwards the endorsement describes the property simply as "The Parsonage of Watringbury." The spelling Wateringbury appears for the first time in 1765. The Lease of 1772 is to Sir Charles Style (who died in 1774); those of 1779 and 1786, to the Rev. Robert Style (vicar of Wateringbury and rector of Mereworth, brother of Sir Charles); and those of 1793 and 1801, to Sir Charles Style (son of Sir Charles and last of the family to hold the lease). That of 1808 is to Mr. Richard Hosmer, of Wateringbury; that of 1815, to Messrs. George Ramsey and Thomas Walter Parker; that of 1822, to Thomas Ash (a farmer of Brenchley) and Thomas and William Kipping (farmers of Hadlow). The woodlands mentioned in the Parliamentary survey were demised to the same parties by a separate series of leases.

6.—In these leases the Dean and Chapter "by these presents granted and to farm letten" to the lessee "all their parsonage of Wateringbury, with all the Messuages, Houses, Barns, Buildings, Lands, Tenements and Hereditaments with all the Tythes and Tythe Corn thereunto belonging, with the Appertenances situate and being within the Parish of Wateringbury .... except and always reserved .... unto the said Dean and Chapter .... the patronage of the Church of Wateringbury with all and singular Royalties, Rents, Services, Reliefs, Herriotts, Fines, Suits and Profits of Courts, with free liberty to keep Courts in the Messuage or Parsonage House there ...'' Then follows the rent to be paid "at the West Door of the said Cathedral Church" at Christmas and Midsummer. And lastly, the lessee shall " at his own proper costs and charges from time to time, and at all times during the said Term and as often as shall be needful repair, sustain, maintain and uphold with all manner of reparation whatsoever . . the Chancel of the Church of Wateringbury." It is clear that the word "parsonage" in the endorsement of the leases was intended to include the Manor of Canons Court, and the Court-house buildings and lands, and the rectorial tithe in the parish, all of which were appendant to that Manor. The word, however, is variously used. In Alderman Lucas' map of the parish, dated 1828, now in my possession, the letters CP are marked in pencil, evidently by the Alderman's hand, on certain parcels of land — doubtless the initials of Canons Parsonage.

7.— Leases of the properties, under similar conditions, were granted in 1829, in 1837, and in 1843 to Alderman Matthias Prime Lucas, and in 1857 to his grandson, Samuel Lucas Lancaster Lucas, in consideration of a fine of £1,277 2s. 3 1/4d. and at the same annual rent as mentioned above.

8.— In 1866 the properties passed by Act of Parliament from the Dean and Chapter to the Ecclesiastical Commissioners, the Dean and Chapter retaining only the advowson¹ of the Vicarage.

9.— In 1870 the properties were sold by the Ecclesiastical Commissioners to Samuel Lucas and his son, W. M. Lancaster. They appear to have then consisted of the Manor and estate and the Tithe Commutation Rent-charge (£97 4s. 0d.) in lieu of the Great or Rectorial Tithes issuing out of lands in the parish. The estate consisted of

(a) woodlands in the occupation of Samuel Lucas-Chattenden Wood, Cannon and Frith Woods, Park Wood and Broomscroft Flat; (b) Great Cannon Farm and lands adjoining, together with Rookery Field and Orchard; and

The deed of conveyance includes a charge of the repair in perpetuity of the chancel² of the Parish Church. The manorial rights are not specified.

10— A few years later (1876-8), for the first time in the history of these properties, the manorial estate of Canon Court and the Rectory or rectorial tithe passed into different hands. If they were to be separated, then by all precedents the liability to repair the chancel should have been attached to the rectorial tithe; but in fact the rectorial tithe passed by purchase to Mr. G. Stockdale (who at the same time purchased also the Manor of Wateringbury and Wateringbury Place with its adjoining estate),while the manor and estate of Canon Court, with the burden of repairing the chancel charged upon certain specified "hereditaments" thereof, became the property of Lord Falmouth.

11.— The nett result of these changes is a division of rights and responsibilities which probably has no parallel : the Dean and Chapter are the patrons of the living; Mr. Stockdale is the Lay Rector; and Lord Falmouth is charged with the burden of keeping the chancel of the Church in repair. But who has the right to sit in the chancel?

TAB notes:

1. Per Wikipedia, Advowson (or "Patronage") is the right in English law of a patron to present to the Diocesan Bishop a nominee for appointment to a vacant ecclesiastical benefice or church living, a process known as presentation. It was an item of real property which could be bought or sold until the 20th century.

2. The Chancel is the bit of the church around the altar, usually at a higher level than the nave. Under canon law the rector was responsible for the upkeep of the chancel whereas the parish was responsible for the nave.

3. Swiss Cottage now the Thatched House (No 1 Mill Lane).