The Express.
London, England, 1863-10-19 00:00:00

AN EXTRAORDINARY CLERGYMAN.

Last week we gave particulars of Mr. Hen-
niker's conduct in refusing to read the burial service
over the body of an aged parishioner' named Adcock,
and actually detaining the body in the church until,
after it bed remained above ground fourteen days, it wee
taken possession of by some of the parishioners, sad in.
terred by the Rev. H. Ward, of Calton. Mr. Henniker,
by his conduct, excited • strong feeling of indignation,
which led on Sunday lent to results we are about to
describe. A great cumber of persona assembled in and
out of the church during the afternoon envies, and
greeted the rev. gentleman on his arrival with shouts and
hisses. The service laded about fifteen minutes, doting
which several persons standing at the door shouted in the
church, and we are informed several stores were thrown in
also. At the conclusion of the service there was a pme
crowd outside the church, waiting to give Mr. Henui a
" reception," but instead of coming out the way he was
expected, he came oat another way, after airbag some very
harsh tannage to his clerk, calling him a fool and • liar.
The crowd then followed Mr. Henniker dews a bye vied
about fifty yards from the church, biasing sad shouting, sag
we are told several clods were thrown at him. Here he toads
• rush at • group of persons, who all ran away, except a
young man, • shoemaker, from Cheadle, whom he struck.
The Rev.
_B. Henniker is not only the incumbent of Caol-
don, but of the adjoining parish of Waterfall, both liviop
being in the gift of his father, A. Henniker, Rent. He is
quite • young man. Far some time be has been io the habit
of conducting the services at both churches in the most ex-
traordinary manner, generally dispensing with the Conies.
Moo the Absolution, the Thanksgiving, the prayer for the
Reis] Family, and many other prayers, and also with lim-
ing and preaching. Sometimes, however, a boenily or a tract
has taken the place of **snoop. But the strangest thing
of all is that he has been in the habit, until some months
ago, of reeding the lessons from the Deasy version of
the Bible, and sines he has given up this practice he bag
read unauthorised tramiatioos from scraps of paper. no
service, curtailed in the way described, has geoerally
been got through in Mines or twenty minutes. Thy
' course of conduct, coupled with his refusiog. early
in the present year to bury a little child named Bast,
who died of typhus 'fever, resulted is as inquiry be tbe
rural dean, the Rev. J. Simpson, of Alatoolleld. The lathe
gentleman buried the child himself, after it had been in
the church several days including Sunday, when the
Mush from the corpse filled the whole church. The rehab
of the inquiry was that Mr. Heneiker signed a deals:Min
drawn up by Mr. Simpson, in which he promised to ma.
dent the church marrier properly for the foram lie, how.
ever, soon relapsed into his old way, with the earl:Moe
that he did not commence 'sedum the Doug Bible,
but read from scraps of paper as stated above. There
can be no doubt that Mr. Henniker is liable to be pro-
ceeded against at ecclesiastical law both for refusing to
berry and for his systematic violation of the order of service
laid and
in the Book of Common Prayer. As yet the
only proceedings that have been taken, 6o far as we can
learn, are that • summons has been taken out against Mr.
Henniker by a young man named Joseph Richardson, for
an assault alleged to have heels emomited is the church-
yard on Sunday week. The case is to be heard at Leek
next Wednesday. The villagers call to mind mime acts
on the part of Mr. Henniker which it would be
speaking of lightly to all eccentric. Some months ago
he refused to proceed with a funeral urtil a peram
whom he chose to consider a diameter, and who
was one of the funeral party, left the church. When any
of kis °ankles parishioners wish to have a christening per-
formed he refers them to Waterfall, and rice versa.
short time ago he served the pariah clerk with a notice, of
which the following is • copy ' Ceuta= churchyard not
to be broke without an order front Rd. H." On the clerk
saying that be should not pay any attention to this order,
as be had a letter from the bishop giving him permission
to break the ground when a grave was wanted, he abused
the clerk in terms which, proceeding from a clergyman,
greatly &Mashhad the by standem It is said, though we
cannot vouch for the fact, that Mr. Henniker has declared
that be will not officiate at the burial of his parishimers
any more. It is understood that the rural dean will visit
°maiden, and hold an investigation into Mr. Hermikees
conduct on the 73rd ineb—Statierdatire Sentirsel.