The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1883-10-09 00:00:00

"THE PARISH AND ITS VICAR."

In the monthly paper on ohurch matters the Vicar
putilishal • istkr with tile above bealig. Vr ue
benefit ut our readers generally, we puolish it in
full.

"MI dear Brethr-en and Pariabloiers,-1 think 1. wi I be
not unfitting, now that meat lorei imactme its hare acc.,
p tatted the change in the [Moiety • f the parish, which for
seven years the governing ben, have desire, to ell,. 300 a
ca m ant effecuonate etatement, by winch you nosy be ably tol
.ICI,O f r yours Av. bow tar both you sod your =nicer ere
afiect d by the change ; and I am to • more anxious to put the
facia clearly before you, because I 51 that lirtneh iiiseniors
hensiou with regard to this mat or Mil. proCsile, atol wine
this ta .0, my sad in the pea., and patinae action iii tits
lucre,. way be amenterpretel. lam canasta to do My duty,
even at the rick of unpopularity, but I sin not cooteut that
any tei my parishioners ennui have reastniabl• gronittl Sr
thinking that 1 would weal to Cie 113 Or •iero•li any on jar
•..th wity, r &Midge one Jot • y of their Melo pri•ilegos.
You knew that by the charter of Charles 1, three ;trout. wore
to In appo toed an t paid by the church govern a.e to sort.
. the Homier Churn 1 and felt. It mud. tel Tense:an re, that
them clergy wale not chaplains to the goiernurs or Oehler to
be aismie•ed by time at their pleasure, but Isere pavan
priest . invested with Di • cure 01 coos, arid a mid not he
removed %%thus& the content ot the liettop • I Brat, . the
vie tor of the Jou nlati ; and titer_ is not (as indeed thei•
cue d in. be) a .11410 itiatance of anyone of the cergy at a.;
tme being 5 diontesed. Than in 1037 came the et for he
&Wittiest nip evaders, by which the governors coutialed all the r
cedes utteaL fart dicta en and authority (eve o .ly in Mat re
teitsosentsry aid Wen as of marriage, Sc). which were I, -too-
forth vested on y and sheolutrey In the tallboy of -alistourt,
not as visitor, but as ordinary of the duniese He now hen he
ScOOP C OY•1 the elegy and ierviOes of .ho Minister*. aa
he had always hal over the ci. gy an i mewl el to any other
paten in his .loorue. Neat In Inei came the no teme in the
High Court of chia.oery, for the .monstrah ot of toe chant.,
by vrhico all payments were fixed, and wh oh c manned the
pc,,etetun of the c•dtrter as to the nOusrellasiv .1 uI the prireitS
at bout the sanction of th• visitor. the Bishop of Urtstol. and
last of all in quack *ace:seine mine the time Meat etiacunents
which now absolutely g Vera all matters ounnected with toe
foundatiou the whew of the Chart y ColousiwtOnere
ap,eroved by Her Majesty to Council on July lids, 1677—the
enter lis COLLIN:SI Ot the recionmehdation of the cctieetastical
Commimloners, pubashe in the London Gazette ol Jon 311. h,
1662—th. echeoe of the Chsx.ty Coumwei ...vie wuul h became
tee on Juan tilth, 15,3. By the Snit of them the f 'mutat on
was ivided into two branch., the sch in nes...A awl the
church branch, did • all lauds and laerel•taments bat ogling t
the fottuoauon and • term. estates too ititertlett ther, an •
were Tema, ihe ofll.aol trustee of charity lauds ILI UM ion
"mattered h*collwa"mvonect.d with the litrautmfor tha• e lSch'oo“."l"ev.reonen'ttredd 13'1;
the eenults, the ILOCISSidta oCsl Coinnibeionere mule Holt a
eiparate vicarage. by toe third, Wiraborite ens made a sole
charge, and at was in the mortise enacted the. hence erth
Mere Mail only be two VIM s lAtialor the fouudet oii; one to
be designated the • Holt Vicar,' and to on isnake the foe
spiritual charge of the ec,ismastical pareh of kWh, the other
designated aa • Toe • itaborn• Monate and to under.
take time sole spi kw.' charge at the ecclesiastical parish belooge
lug to the Ismater thwart% at Wimoortm Moister. lit this
token.the • Vie ere' son. ars Staten I pally •icentiel from the
rule governing the tenure in their otUce y all the oth, r citurch
ofEC.lllaplotntail Wader the scheme, and you will observe that
the term used In the eche.. is • Vicar • le incq I. a eq.' term,
end has • clearly disarmed mean Sooning. :on often this lee scheme
beeaute law, I, as in duty bound, took the oniony, of the
highs t legal authority of the di/Cies with regard to two
matters' the chairmanship of vestry, aid toc power of
notaluaDag one ebUrchwardeo; and 1 read at the vest meet-
her held us Septernh r 1311. the opiate it Ur Deane, QC.
Vicar General of the Premium of Canterbury, as w.li as
CtianCiellOr Of the Diocese of Salisbury, on these two ottives
He wroto—' in shower to Um question. put by the now eole
Vicar of Wisaborne Mir•ster, I an of opinion, fl it, that tie
minister, that me, the vicar, has by Statute be. theo. 3. C. 638
2, and on decided cues Wilson v. the right t • preside
atV. airy meetings. Second, the mu Ora n oh ...mg c•inr.t•
wardens tate. place of the cation; where tit., fry. in *reale
to be the c sPe ui Wine..., ci st,r the lasi h in to, ri ha,
by . ustom chosen ooth churchwattlen 4. the t loaf ha. ni tho

'Weer of nuMiontang one of the cliTh7l;besr- lav relal
he section of the statute tisferrea to And for tht more
orderly conduct of vestrass, bell twill rr meted, that to case
the rector, or vicar, or perpetual curet ehall not be present,
to. penens simombied forthwith nom ate and appoint
one of the mhabita .ta of ouch parish to be the charm& I
of anal preside In every such veetry,' se , At. An now to
0.0341 to the personal put of tho question: nothing C. he
further from my instinct. and habit. (forgive me thus opesk.
tug of myself) than to hare sun counter to any section of my
ps•ishlonere ; but I have a duty to fu 111 both to my . mot ..'d
to my succassors in to.. Whim, and only (sod I hope r,ql
b Ileac me) from • oaristr•lning sense of duty coool I veuture
to put n.y•eif forward in any such way. I believe that only
by the due maintenance of his p Ation by Inc clergyman of a
parish can dm e tie lastacal matters . f • pariah be roped,'
regulated ; and if by select or svotdance of his Joy the
el rgytnan fads, Illatlet• must named lably run into *infusion
and disoNer, It was In the hpet.f meat .g team, aol rot
tr any paltry 11.4 of pAhoe(• hICII Madly clii CU for N.lll
aligni.y up .n the minister) that I c Muni and took my p meat
, legal chairman of reetry : and I assure> oat it .s only ni he nepa
o.beilfsblto make peace Rod eneue tha label, at the
risk (Lb .ugh I hope only fore time) of °Feud ug some vou,
persevere what will be to me an ma. Ito . e duty, f oticied
by the conv.ction that I Mall rece.vo the mum. Fr.
tocrbiful, remonable, aud peace-lorlng parishao .0.101 Witn.
borne Minder,—Liellere me to he your fai hful Mtnister
Friend,
gept. Wth, 1863.

F. J. ill TIIIL.