Star.
London, England, 1829-10-08 00:00:00

RESOLU

At a General Meeting-;theiarishi.ners of St. Alat tiu•in-the
Felds, held at the British 00e.-house, Cockspur-street, uu Alm• •
day, the 17th day of August, 1829, Mr. James N•yld it. the Chair.
The following Resolutions, substantiated by the eykit het sal thc •
parish haul's, were unanimously carried :
I. Th r every householder, paying rates, his a iie,h; ta assemble
in vestry.
That ti hnewltoldre4 i• part•!t h.Are, according it. n.. lea
usage, the legal right o: elee,inz itsa.ser sit thysts:Ayes to be a
roipoinible vt..try.
The the flous •holders h .ve been deprived rf their tight •. by a
few as•uutioo t6c f•oe.er t•f vuct anz t,zer-
ci,ir.g the ri,thts ai.d power, ..1 the wlio:e 11:; :e of bouselviltlers,
thereby converting a r'-p.a.•i!tlr into ..n irrupou•ible power. Con-
trzry to every principle of Ito a lu•rice.
That the xncient eustimi of making Church tides in the •
parish of St. Mattic-m•the Fic.d. was, tha the name sl.nuld be
made by the gal islitotiers Claret:. who frequently tle:ibisateslaTnai -
and raerci•rd that right in Ups t: Vestry snorrnliled. a. appear. by
varkus tunics ft the r.riNi, lurks, as:J that .•ntivqu•nt7y all the
Chords lt,tes made, retried. a. d expended, by the Select Vr•tr
without ;lie cui.sent or ea•.minas' of the parishioners. are inept
and void.
- -

1l l. 'that, as th- perish !rooks contain the most pert. ct pro frh t
the parishioners ui n exercise their just and lawful tight to chn...e.
Churchwardei.s, Overseer-, Sea/tellers, Pew.Opeiier•, Ve:try
Clerks, and other parish ,ervar.ts, this nieetin.; tf vretore it.
commend to the inhabitants to demand the full and fret exercise of
those rights. •
IV. That the support of evening lecturers, i,, of itselt, pertly
voluntary Oil the parts of the inhabitants ; and the parish b 0 dor
record unroll+ of probationary sermons being order d, and pi e.,e,.e
elected by the householders at large, it is, they. fore, quite ev•dent,
that the •' ge..tleirien of the veer[)" can have nu pre...eft, tive
right to interfere, as they, by the tollowing resolutidn, hay,
admitted.
Feb. 1-t. 1793. "The vestry take into considetivicni a let,er
from the Rev. Air. Slatthews and the Rev. jr.S Harr:sun, pray -
rug tor a"Ille assistauee trout the vestry ; the vestry ia.ttLvt tk.tr
litubtlity to give any assistance. they having nu power to du We..
This meeting, therefore, feel it right to protest against the
resolution passed uy the " get:tie:nen of the vestry," mi the ritli
day of ikcember, 1813, whereby they agreed, fur the liret time,
unlawfully, to pay the lecturers out of the rites, WithoUi the Con-
sent of the inhabitant., such illegal act having deprived the pa.
ri hirmers both of their right and property.
V. That the right of the parishioners to assemble in vestry every
year, to examine, audit, and approve of the expenditure, and the
levying of rates by the overseers, is clearly set out in the parish
books; it is, therelore, expedient that the householders, pain;
rates, should demand the free exercise of those impurtaat right-,
as, by so doing, unlawful outlays will be prevented, :IA large
suns. saved to the rate payers.

CHURCHWARDEN'S STATEMENT.
The following Resolutions or a 'Aleeting of some of the p.-
rishiouers, of which a copy is here given, having been circulatL3 to
this parish, and the name of the Churchwardens being introduced
therein, they respectfully solicit the attention of the parishioners to
a statement of facts, as placed against each itesolu:ion.
I. On the Ist of May, 1827, in a trial in the Court of King's
Bench, it was found by the Jury, that the &feet Vestry in the pa-
rish of St. blartin4mthe- Fields had existed from time tmatetm,
rial, and is ►tated by Lord Tenterden, to be *. the third verdict
finding a Select Vestry."
11. It appears, from the records of the parish, that the Church
Rates have been always made by the Select Vestry.
111. By the verdict of the jury, on the Ist of May, 1827, as on
two former occasions, it was found that the Churchwardens were,
from time immemorial, chosen by the vestry.

IV. It does not appear that the vestry ever agreed to pay the
lecturers oat of the rates; they have been paid nut of the pew
tents, and it has been expressly so stated to the parishioners, in the
accounts published in 1828. ...some years since, the opinion sit
three eminent counsel was taken on the subject, and they unani-
mously determined in favour of the legality of so paying the
lecturers.

V. We take this opportunity of stating to the parishioners,
that the Board of Churchwardens and Otte; seers appointed ac-
cording to Act ut Parliament fur the management of the poor,
is altogether independent and unconnected with the vestry, and
that the appointment of the overseer is ve.:ed in the ningistrates by
the law of the land. The persons cutidectin the cause against the
vestry in 1828, had undistutbed access for several months, pre-
vious to the trial, to all the books and records in pcsst.s.ion of the
vestry. It may, therefore. fairly be presumed that :hey produced
before the court all the extracts favourable to their cause. The
verdict above referred to, shews that, in the opinion ut the jury,
their claim was not pruv,d by such extracts.
It having been broadly stated in printed papers, that very large
sums have been injudiciously expitidel by the vestry, i: :ppears
upon the average of the last twenty years, the church rates,
yearly, have not amounted to one peany in the pound.
The Churchwardens invite an insptctiuti of the accounts, which
they will feel great pleasure iu laying before any of the pa.
tishioners.
For this purpose, one of the Churchwardens will attend at the
Workhou.e irons to to 12, every Alunday during the moths of
October and Noveni;ler.