The Express.
London, England, 1851-01-14 00:00:00

PUSEYIBM IN THE NORTH.

TO THS ZDITOR OP THE DAILY XSTIS.

SlR,—Amongst the numerous meeting. of the
laity which have been bald in different parts of the country
respecting the way is which the service, of our church are
c•nducted by the tractarian clergy, one recently held in the
parish of Hewortb, in the diocese of Durham, is perhaps the
most extraordinary. I co iy observe that Heworth is a large
parish, about three miles tom Gateshead, and contains •
population of upwards of 8,000. The incumbent, the Rev,
Matthew Plummer, lute not resided amongst his people for
several years in consequence of ill health, and the charge of
this important pariah is committed to two youug clergymen
the curates, the stipend of one of them being, I believe, paid
by the Curates' Aid Society. The Rev. Mr. De Gen, one of the
curates of St. Barnateas, Pimlico, war for several years the
senior curate of Heworth. When Mr. De Gex was appointed
one of the curates of the Rev. Mr. Bennett he was succeeded
at Heworth by the Rev. Mr. Tonkin, the present teenier
curate.

A few years ago • change was made in the mode of con-
ducting Divine wreath in the church new forms were intro-
duced, candlesticks were placed on the communion.
table, the doctrine pr. ached were often not in
ace. rdance with the arcades and homilies of our
church, and a very hostile spirit and offensive bearing
was shown by the clergy to that portion of the parishioners
who were distentors. Many of the parishioners strongly
objected to these things, and al of them remonstrated
with the clergy, but without success. In the course of • few
mouths many of the inhabitants ceased to attend their parish
choral, some of them, at mach inconvenience to themselves,
attending the churches of adjoining pariah's, and others
were driven into the ranks of dbaentsre, who were already
very numerous in the parish. The congregation bemuse
miserably sm,ll for so populous • parish, the attendance at
the National Schools fell oft, end there has long been a general
feeling of dissatiafaclon amongst the parishioner,. It wag
recently determined that • meetirg should be held on the
subject, and the foilowing extract from a letter which I have
just received from n genth man au whose statement I can
pace entire confidence will show the strong and determined
protestant reeling d:splayed in • country pariah; "Oa Sun-
day lout 1 attended service at Hew.vtli church, and
observed on the church dour a notice allied by the church-
wardens (blerses. R. C. Former end W. Clarke) calling •
meeting of the parishioners, to be held on Tuesday, the loth
inst., at halt-past 5 o'olock, in the vestry, to take into
consideration the mode in which Divine service was con-
ducted in the church. The 1f..,. Mr. Tonkin preachy;
and selected ter his text the words e Ile ye no longer stiff-
necked,' from which he preached for about 15 minutes, and
in hie sermon referred in str. rig and at waive langusge to
those who were ' act mpting to disturb the peace of the
chtreb, and, bring: into contanpt her ministers, arid plainly
told the laity that it they did not quietly submit to the
teaching of their holy mother, the church, they would be put
down by the strong arm of the law. I went to the meeting
on Tuesday last, the night was very dark, and when I
arrived at Haworth I found the 'allege in a state of great
excitement in consequence of Mr. Tonkin having locked
the church doors and refused to give up the kegs is the
churchwardens. People were standir g abut in groups of
twenties and fifties, and I think there were about the
church not less than six hundred men; there were no females.
Aiter I had been in the village about 10 minutes, the rain
came down in torrents, and a loud cry was raised " to bruin
open the church co3r." As it was almost impossible to
remain out of doors on amount of the teeming rain, I went
into the village inn, and found it crowded with farmers and
the principal inhabi ants of the dist-icr. There wi ro also
mei rid reporters. The scene in the little inn was truly •
tine one. In the room I Rea in there were about twenty
peewits, nearly all of whom were sturdy farmers, o ith great
mats and mutates to protect them from the ble,t; these
men had loft their comfortable firesides and exposed them-
selves to the inelemetcy of a winter night to assert the prin-
ciples of the Reformed Church. Toe conversation which
took place was of • high character, though 'sometimes
meanly expressed. They gave utnerance to noble sentiments,
and emir., sad a determination to drive l'useyism out of the
parish ; their motto wee, " Reform the service, or we leave
the church." The committee were deliberating is' another
room, and the crowd its the street was loudly demenning ad-
mission into the church. W. L. Hale, E q of Crow
Hell, a sMicitor of extensive practice, was firm against forc-
ibly obtaining admission into the church, and the chunk:-
wardens and a deputruou again went to the senior route,
and demanded the keys of the church to hold • legal meet-
ing of the parishioners called by the churchwardens ; this,
however, was of no avail the curses set them at defiance.
lie we, in the parsonage Louse, guarded by ten polineenet,
who at 4 o'clock in the afternoon had been sent to Hewortft
on the applcation of Mr. Tonkin to the magistrates. Wben
the churchwardens saw that there was nu chance of getting
Lob the church, they determined to hold the ntheung in
the national school, and two of the trustees of the scnool
went to the schoolmaster to obibin the ettys, but to titter
astonishment were told that Mr. Tonkin Cad been there
and got them. When this was known to the people out-
side ( who, for an hour and • half, had waited in expectation
of a m eting), aloud cry of "shame" was raised—the commit-
tee were entirely nonplussed. A meeting they were deter-
mined to have, but where to hold It was the difficult problem
they had to solve. At last, dark and wet as the night was,
it was fixed to hold the meeting in the open air. It.
Forster, Esq , owe of the churchwardens, was elected Chili,-
man ; a candle was held up to enable the speak, rs to read
the resolutions; there was something peculiarly within and
impressive in this aweuoy, something which forcibly re-
mit& d me of days gone by when our mu/fathen so nobly
struggled tor and wen that liberty which such man mblesere.
Plummer and Tonkin ewe now attempting to strangle.
This meeting will probably be en importers, era to the
parish history : had it be< n held in th. c 'web it would per-
haps have passe d over without exciting much attention,
every
ryye apraarhiostiv have
hp aeiod, their
uero
but ;he parishioners were refused admission into their
they had nothing to do with the way in which the service of
'lo or
the church wan conducted, that they had no grievances to
oteinht church
Tuesday
u smo
yne nd. wgd
hhttobtefuoi
Irrdctbbhyn re
anl st
insolent
young
clergyman
that
discuss, and that they should neither meet in the vestry,
church, or acheolthons ; but they did meet. No long
speeches were made, but a solemn protest was entered
against the condom of their ministers. The protestant spirit
was certainly evoked, emit doubtless in that assembly of
plain hut resolute and determined men there were some
" Village Hampdens." This, sir, is one proof amongst
many of the feeling of the laity in our rural pariah's respect-
ing popery within the church.—l em, sir,
Your obedieat servant,
Lincoln's Inn, Jan. 11. LAICUS.

morningE 3. ? IfiVr
ea.
iFIEF,vi
ifg W. 00..LZ1 T
priolp(iTrtaye,lidbraorti
out in the premises beLoging to Mrs. Burch, known as
the R ebock Tavern, situate at 43 Church•street:,Wuolsieh.
Tne discovery was made by • police sergeant o! the R divi-
sion, who, in passing the premises, perceived smoke issuing
from the window-shutters. At that time the whole of the
residents were in Ul(il bed., bat the offlo.e managed to make
them sens•ble of their danger, and they escaped, although
nearly stifled with smoke. The fl travelled with
surprising rapidity, awl very speedily enveloped the
whole of the spacious betiding. The engines from her
Majesty's dockyard, and two belonging to the Royal Artil-
lery, were soon on the spot, but the fire by that time had
assumed Bush a threatening aspect that it was deemed
advisable to send to Lonron for further assistance. whence
Mr. Henderson, the chief otho, r of the D section ot Brined.,
and Mr. Coonorton, the superintendent el the West of
England 'neuritic. Office start. d, each with an engine and
powerful bodies of men. Plenty of water having been
procured, the firemen, military, and police set to work in a
most praiseworthy manner, anu eventaany unneeded in
extinguishing the waist/raise, but nut until the tavern and
its contents were reduced to ashes, aid the premises on
I either *Me considerably injured by water.