The Sun.
London, England, 1841-12-21 00:00:00

GRAND DEMONSTRATION
AGAINST CHURCH - RATES.

IMMENSE MEETING AT LEEDS.
(Abridged from the Leeds Times.)
Yesterday, at twelve o'clock, one of the largest open
air meetings ever held in Leeds, was held in the Co-
loured Cloth Hall.yard, on the subject of Church-
rates. The meeting was called by the Vicar and the
Churchwardens for the purpose of considering the pro-
priety of levying a rate for the purchase of additional pa-
rochial burying ground. The numbers present in the
Cloth Hall-yard on the occasion were not less than
from 10,000 to 12,000 people, amongst whom were se-
veral of the most influential gentlemen in the town,
including, we believe, almost all the Dissenting minis-
ters. There were two or three flags in the yard, bear-
ing the following inscriptions—" Down with Church-
rates. Remember Thorogood and Baines."—" More
pigs and less parsons."—" The Church and the Priest-
hood we willingly barter, in exchange for our rights
and the People's Charter."
The demonstration of yesterday has settled the ques-
tion of Church-rates in Leeds, we hope for ever. We
look upon the proceedings as the grandest demonstra-
tion in favour of religious liberty that has occurred
for years.
The Rev. Dr. How:, the Vicar of the parish, pre-
sided as Chairman.

On opening the business of the meeting,
The CHAIRMAN said, the present meeting had been
convened by the Churchwardens to take the sense of
the parish as to the steps to be taken for the increase
of the parochial burying-ground. It had been the duty
of the Churchwardens and himself to state to the
parish the fact, that the parochial burying-ground
in this parish was at present insufficient. They
made that statement to the parish generally. What
steps they might take to remedy the evil it would re-
main for them that day to decide.—( Hear, bear.) Fot
his own part, he was not at all desirous to raise the
money by a parochial rate.—(Hear, bear.) He should
be extremely glad to find it done by a general subscrip-
tion.(Hcar, bear.) It was possible that some of
them might disagree in opinion, but they might at least
agree to differ, and conduct their proceedings with
perfect good humour towards one another.—(Hear,
hear.) He should now call on Mr. Barr to read the
notice convening the meeting.
ROBERT BARR, Esq., Solicitor to the Churchward-
ens, then read the notice, signed by the Vicar and five
Churchwardens.

Mr. WILLIAM WHITEHEAI), one of the Church-
wardens, then came forward, and said he appeared be-
fore that meeting for the purpose of moving the first
resolution. Before, however, be spoke to the resolu-
tion, he would say a few words as to the conduct of the
Churchwardens in calling the meeting. It was the
duty of the Churchwardens to call that meeting. On
taking office they made a solemn declaration that they
would perform the duties of their office to the best
of their judgment and ability, and they could not
do that without calling that meeting.—(Hear, heir.)
It was their firm conviction, that more burying-ground
was requisite. They had called the parishioners
together to know whether they were willing to tax
themselves for such burying-ground. They (the
Churchwardens) left the matter entirely in their hands.
It was for them to say yes or no.—(A loud and simul-
taneous shout of " No.") He would proceed to,state
the condition of the burying-ground. Previous to 1830
the only parochial but vin;-grounds in Leeds were the
one opposite to the Old Church, and the church-yard
surrounding, the church. In 1830, the Quarry
Hill burying-ground wag purchased, and the first
interment took place on the 15th of March
in that year. From that period up to the pre-
sent time there had been no lees than seventeen
thousand four hundred and seventy interments, in-
cluding about three thousand still-born chililion. lie
believed the ground was not properly managed, but
such was the state of the burying-ground at present,
that they did not know where to dig for graves, and on
tome occasions in digging for graves, they found coffins
only a few inches below the surface.—( Hear, hear.)
They found that not more than a hundred new graves
could be made, in which the dead might be buried de-
cently. Other graves might be made, but not in the
manner in which they ought to be.—(A voice, " They
never have been.") The annual number of interments
in the whole of the parochial burying-grounds was
1,420. Of that number about 1,100 were interred in
Quarry-hill burying-ground. Supposing that four
corpses could be interred in each grave, there would
then, in the 100 grates that might still be made, be
room only for 400 interments, which would only provide
decent interment for about four months, at the rate of
100 per month. As for what was commonly called
the New Burial Ground in Kirkgate, that was quite
full. He thought, in justice to the Vicar, in conse-
quence of opinions that had gone abroad as to the
amount of the rece,pts for the burial of the dead, he
ought to state what the fees were. Tne number of
graves-stores annually put down did not exceed :10,
and the amount received annually from this source
was 151.—(interruption, and shouts of " Who gets
it ?") He had not inquired, but he believed the
Vicar received those fees.—(Cries of " Hear, hear.")
The number of interments annually being 1,420,
the annual amount raceived by the vicar from this
source was 47/. Gi. 8,1. The clerk in orders received
annually 23/. 13s. 4d. ; the sexton annually 36/.
These were the fees paid on the whole for interments
that took place in the parochial burying grounds.—
(Cries of" How much has the vicar besides?" " How
much salary has be besides ?") He (Mr. Whitehead)
had nothing to do with that. As he had st ited at the
commencement of his speech, it was the duty of
the Churchwardens to bring this matter before the pa-
rishioners. It was well known to :navy of them that
seven out of the eight Churchwardens were Dissenters,
and they had been charged with inconsistency, but lie
would tell them that they were not liable to that
charge.—(Cries of " Yeu could'ut help it ?") They had
made a declaration that they would perform the duties
of the office, when they accepted it, and if they neg-
lected to do se, they were liable to be cited before the
Eseeeesiastieal Court, one of the most unconstitutional 1
authorities that ev ar existed.—( L out! shout s of " Hear.")
Twelve months ago, they had been commanded by the
Ecclesiastical Committee to take this step, and now
they merely asked them to say Yes or No.—(Cheers.)
They must not carry the matter a step further.--
(Cheers.) 'Feu should have done their duty during
their term of office, and their successors might do as
they best could. Two resolutions hal been drawn up,
and the first one which had been entrusted to him he
would read to them— " ThAt in the opinion of this
meeting the existing parochial burial-ground for the
parish of Leeds is wholly insufficient and inadequate,
and that it is necessary, for the decent interment of the
dead therein, forthwith to provide, according to law,
suitable and convenient additional burial-ground in and
for the said parish." The next resolution was to the
effect that certain plots of hod specified in the notice
convening the meeting should be purchased, and that a
rate of eleven pence in the pound should be levied,—
(Great hooting.) His own opinion was that it would be
a far simpler pl in for only one resolution to be
move I, and Ile had one prepared which he thought
comprised all th .t was necessary. The following was
the resolution he had prepared :—" That a rate of
elevenpence in the pound be now laid upon all the
ratable property in the parish, for the purpose of pur-
chasing additional ground for conveying the same to
the parish, and for inclosing and making it proper for
a burial-ground." (Several persons here asked, 110,
much will a rate of elevenpence produce ?") 1-le would
tell them they must recollect at the same time that
the Churchwardens bad not the power to lay the rate
on the township alone, but were compelled by law to
lay it on the whole perish,including, the out-townships.—
(Hear, hear, hear.) The total nominal amount et the
rate would be 17,393!. l ls. Bd.—(Shouts of" Hear
hear," and laughter.) The nominal amount for the
township of Leeds would be 11,140/. 19s. Bd. and for
the out-townships 6,2541. 12s. That was not all.
They must take the leakages in the collection of the
rate into account. Ile had taken the trouble to ex-
amine the accounts of the last Church rate that was
levied in Leeds, and he found that the leakages in the
collection of that rate in the out-townships ain'our:ted to
71 per cent.—(Hear.) Alter deducting these leak-
ages, the rate would yield 5,570/. 9s. 10,1. from
the township oflol.
from the out-townshi re Le en' al anting at o t2a,1500g,071-26;..
He was quite sure of tlOs, that so long as there were
Dissenting Churchwardens in office, they would never
use their power hi the Ecclesiaitical Court against any
Dissenter who refused to pay the rete.—( Listed
cheers.) On the other hand, it was impossible for ally
Dissenter, holding the office of ChurchwaredsunsT.uonlceaslsl
be were either a fool or a madman.— f
the people together when duty required them so to do..
--(Bear.) 'racy wished to do theirh( duty, and nothing
concluded by
more nor less.—( Ilear.) Mr. White ea
moving the last-mentioned resolution.
Mr. THOMAS. Wirier, another of the Churchwardens,
seconded the resolution.
att. tt solicitor, then presented himself,
and w. asictiARDSON,
as received with cheers. Ile said—
Rev.
Chair-
man and Gentlemen—It having been said that a nee of
elevenpence in the pound should be Its Ica on the
p
ishaw i
as of Leeds, t becomes the duty of those
whoar intend to oppose that rate, to move an amend-
-1 ment upon the original resolution.—(bear, hear.)
doingln so, I do it with a feeling of the greatest'
respect for the vicar as a clergyman and a gentleman.
I now turn to my fellow-townsmen, and address them as
i the parishioners of the parish of Leeds.—(Hear, hear.)