The Sun.
London, England, 1828-09-26 00:00:00

ST. DUNSTAN'S CHURCH.

On Wednesday a most respectable as;:emblage of
the parishioners of St. Dunstan's, Fleet-street, was
held in the inquest room of the church, pursuant to
a notice requesting the parishioners to take into con-
sideration the reports of the surveyors on the pre-
sent state of the church.
At one o'clock, Mr. SHEPHERD, one of the
churchwardens, took the chair. He requested their
serious attention to the objects for which they were
assembled. On the 19th of July last a cracking
was heard in the north-west angle of the gallery,
proceeding from a stone column which supported it.
Application was immediately made to a surveyor,
who reported the building to he unsound, more par-
ticularly the timbers, and the church was closed.
The gallery was also in a bad state, the turret was
damaged frdm the weather, and the tower was
bulged in more than one place. The church was
built in the 13th century, and is composed of free-
stone, chalk, and stubble, the more modern parts
being stuccoed. The wall of the ancient structure,
although not unsafe, had decayed from age, as well
as the foundation. The roof was found to he com-
posed of oak and fir, converted into use from old
materials about a century ago; and it was covered
with copper instead of lead, for the weight of the
latter metal must inevitably have brought it down.
The meeting, after hearing the report, would de-
termine whether a new church should he erected,
or what repairs should be made to the present edifice.
In his opiniton Government would assist them, as
well as the Corporation of London, for both were
now most anxious to embellish the metropolis, and
, widen the streets.

Mr. CHALONER observed, that in 1821, 4,000/,
was expended on repairs of the church.
Mr. RAMSHAIV, a Common Councilman of the
Ward, said he had examined the church, which he
found to be in a dangerous state; the timbers were
in many parts rotten. In his opinion, it would be
better to rebuild the church, and sell the old mate-
which would no doubt fetch a considerable
sum. There could be no question but the Commis-
sioners for building Churches, as also the Corpora-
tion of London, would contribute to the erection of

a new church,
Mr. CHALONER enquired whether, if the mate-
rials of the church were sold, the proceeds would
not go into the pocket of the Rector ; he well knew
that, in law, it was his property.
The CHAIRMAN said, that the Rev, Mr. Lloyd,
he was certain, would not think of making any claim
upon the materials of the church.
Mr. BUTTERWORTH urged the necessity of erect-
ing a new church, and pulling down the present
structure, thereby bringing Fleet-street in a level,
destroying the unsightly projection of a part of the
church; this could easily be done by pulling down
Hen and Chicken-court, and the chambers at the
east end of Clifford's Inn-passsge.
It was proposed that a Committee of 21 be ap-
pointed to act.
Mr. BROWN said, that the parish had already ex-
pended immense sums in shoring up and repairing
the building ; and now it was clearly shown that a
new church would cost little more than the repairing
of the old one. _

Mr. WARWICK Said he thought the meeting
should come to a determination whether the church
should not be shored up forthwith, without waiting
a monta► for the report of the Committee, as,
in all probability, ad interim, the roof might give
way, and some fellow-creatures f►ll a sacrifice, parti-
cularly as marriages, christenings, &c., were still
performed there.
Mr. BURNELL, the surveyor, said the roof was in
a dangerous state from the decay of the timbers,
and he considered prompt caution necessary to pre-
vent accident.

Mr. RAmstiAw again addressed the meeting, and
stated that the danger of thechurch was greater than
apprehended.
The Committee for St. Dunstan's Parish were
then mimed, leaving to the Rolls' 'Liberty to ap-
point eight other persons to join them.
Mr. BUTTERWoRTII moved that a limited sum
Should be expended for the purpose of shoring
up the dangerous part of the church, so as to enable
marriages, christemnr, &c. to be performed.
Agreed to.
Before and after the meeting revere! of the parish-
ioners visited the gallery and belfry of this ancient
structure, and the appearance of ruin and decay were
most palpable; the ends of the great tie-belmc are
quite rotten, and the tower, containing the bells, is
more than a foot out of the perpendicular.

The celebrated—itAßELAts is said to have
made the following will :—" I owe much—l have no-
thing—l give the rest to the poor."

•
Nesterday the inquest was resumed on the
body of the child which was found near the New
Bethlem, and supposed to have been murdered. The
woman, whose name is HERBERT, and who was supposed
to have some knowledge of the hotly, was again brought
Wore the Jury. She stated, that although the observa-
tion she used on Wednesday would lead to the supposition
that she had known the child when alive, she declared that
she had no knowledge of it ; and what she had then ut-
tered was caused by intoxication, which she was sorry to
grate she then laboured under. Her story was partly cor-
roborated by her husband and other persons, and she was
set at liberty. No further evidence having been produced,
the Jury returned a verdict of " Wilfui Murder against
vane person or persons unknown,"