The Wilmingtonian., 1886-03-20
ADVERTISING RATES:
SATURDAY MARCH 20, 1856.
The Disestablishment of the Church
of England.

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Siamese-twin-wise with that of Irish Home
Rule. The fact indicates the close affinity
between English Radicalism and Irish ma
tionlist aspirations.
We're the English Church dissociated from
the State, it would be accomplished neces-
sarily by act Of parliament What would
follow would be the loss by the bishops of
the church of England of their seats iu the
House Of Lords, the sale or disposal by
commission appointed for that purpose of.
all church lands and estates by public ven
due. As in the case of the recent disestab
lishment of the the Irish Episcopal church,
the present incumbents Of church liyings
wonld, by special enactment, retain life in
terest, both in the exercise of their Office and
receipt of the income attached to the estate.
The money deprived from the sale of the
vast estates of the Church of England would
revert to the public Treasury to be disposed
of as parliament may think fit. No idea of
the exact sum realizable under such an
enormous sale of lands, rights and privileges,
for the ancient church of England has other
"realizable" property besides landed estate
can be formed. But the amount wonld run
up to many millions sterling.
generally speaking, since the suppression of
the monasteres by Henry VIII. That ayar
icious monarch in declaring the English
church Independent of the see Of Rome. sim
ultaneously con6scated all the estates globes
church and monastic lands, in the title to
whose ownership the church of Rome claim
ed any right. These lands the King dis
posed Of at his own whim. Some were syen
to the new independent English church. Of
which Archbishop Cranmer was the then
metropolitan. The titles to most of the
church lands were, however lavishly bestow.
ed by Henry upon his court favorites, quite
number of whose descendants occupy the
estates to-day. Most readers will remember
the fra1,'o,oV J., -.l;-t- l;l---I-.. .-..1 n,-
tion Of the recurrence in the names of aid
family mansions in the English counties. Or
priory or abbey, as for instance Newinotor
Abbey, Milton Prioly, and scores Of sin,iIor
compound names, these, as a rule, are tbe
historical monuments that exist TODAY fol
ling the story of lIenry's suppression of the
monastelies and abbeys But the greater
part oil the landed possessions of the church
of England are not due to any munificen,e
OF the English King referred to. Elizabetb
made extensive donations to the church as
also did her successors James, Charles I and
Charles II. A great deal of property was
acquired by the church through private he.
quest, and this process OF acquisition of
property by the church of England, distinct
from anything gained by royal grants has
been perpetuated through two centuries.
since the fifteenth, until during the present
century the Established Church pr,nertv
has accumulated to the immense promotions
II now shows. This land is sublet as farm
ing land, as whariages, for mining, and var
ious other purposes. The disposition of the
ancient estates, these neld since the Six
teenth century will be managed without diff
Guilty by parliament, but the question of the
alienation from the church of property ae-
qured through private bequest will present
some difficulties for legislation.
Other peculiar points will arise such as
the disposition Of property held as West.
minister Abbey. Its tenure is peculiar, and
exactly speaking belongs Immediately to the
people. That old ediiioc is even indereud.
cnt .! ecclesiastical jurisdiction, in 50 far
as the authority Of the Bishop Of London j..
concerned within whore diocese the ancient
ediiice is located All building, devoted ,the
service Of God will remain. Of course in thc
hands Of h Cbu CHI Of England. a. Tie prop
erty Of that cnrpnrati ~, in a similar wav
that the Irish episcopal chnch, rnr instance.
holds possession Of The ancient and hraurf-
ful cathedral of st, Pdtrrcl, in Dnbln. Ia
fact it Mould he difficult to see how ptrlia-
mentary legislation conf operate otherwise
IN such case as the nnc Just referred Ia. II
may be rememb, red that within the last ten
years prominent liShman, Sir Benjamin
Lee Guinness Cof Guinness double ~
fdme) expended nearly i quarter Of mil
lion in the renovation Of the old structure.
Il would be mau fest injustice to aienare
tine property from The church for whose sake
that muniiiceuce wdsrXtended, aud ol " wlrcl,
church he himself is at present a member
Hundreds Of cases similar To tbs exist in
England to-day, in some Of them whe,e
equally large sums have been expended, Is.
rccially in regartl To the gIcat cathrcdla,s
1t is presumed that an these great structures
and also the antique parish churches. many
of them as grand, gorgeous and beautiful as
any cathedral, will remain untouched as the
DrOuprty pC thr nhr,ob ,,r E,,.I.,,l r.