The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1890-12-05
Alisle1lamentrs.
HISTORY OF ST. GEORGES PARISH.
BY DIR. G. W. ARCHER.
NO. ".

NO. ".
In 1742 the number of taxsbles in the par
ish as returned by Sheriff James Rigbie was
99l, indicating population of about 1000.
AS appears from the following, little TIME
was lost in securing q successor to Rev Mr.
Wilkinson: In April, 1744, "a pew is as
signed to Rev. Mr.. Hugh Carlile's family
during bis incumbency. Mr.. Wilkinson had
died during the previous month. Mr.. Car
lille on I'd October ensuing produced an In
duction, and after taking the oath, &c, wal
received" At this time the sheriff was JohI
Risteau, Huguenot refugee. whose daughter
became the wife of Rev. Thomas Cradock
for many years the worthy rector of st
Thomas parish.
In Nov. of the following year the vestry
"petitioned for per poll for parish expen
ses."
1t appears from the records that Mr.. Car
lille was absent from the vestry-meetings
almost as often as his immediate predecessor
and that he was, at least on one occasion
fined for non-attendance. From this 1t may
be inferred that he WIS neither very efficient
nor very popular during the five years OF hi
rectorship.
Oct, 1749, "Rev Andrew Lendrum produc
ed an Induction, assented to the Thirty-nint
accepted" Mr.. Lendrum had, only sever
months before, been indicted as rector of st
Aune's parish, at that time one OF the mos
desirable in the province, the parish church
being situated at the capital. Why he should
have left it so soon does not appear. Let III
therefore assume the change to have beer
complimentary to St. Georges rather thai
derogatory to Mr.. Lendrum, whose advent
as will presently appear, was marked by the
infusion of new life and zeal into the parish
though whether or not he was the leading
spirit in this advancement can now only bt
conjectured.
On the third ofthe following April the yes
try ordered "the building of Church and
Chapel to be the same dimensions in each
stoue-work from the foundation to the water
table, and two bricks and half thick from
that 10 twelve feet, and two bricks the othel
four feet, window in the chancel end, ano
a door in the opposite end, roof OF cypress
shingles, the inside of the roof to be archeG
and lathed and plastered and the wall plas
tered inside Mr. Alexander Hill and MIR
Edward Morgan to look out and cheaper
three acres in some convenient place TO Dull(
the Chapel, and give an account at the mex
vestry. Three pounds of tobacco per poll Il
be petitioned for, and proposals to be asked
10 OQllQ CnurCn ana Cnhpel.
On the I'd June of the same year the AS
sembly passed an act ito assess and levy OF
the inhabitants of St. Georges Fl 200 at fou
equal assessments, to purchase three acres
land to build a new Church thereon, and thu
like quantity of land for building Chapel o
Ease thereon" In September the vestry, at
ter choosing Inspectors Tor Swan Creek ant
Rock Run Warehouses, "agreed to build
new Church on the land given by james
Phillips, to be 81 by 35 feet, ofbrick, sixteeI
feet high from the water-table, the Chance
end outwards to be arched, five windows OF
one side 5 by z feet, and four on the other, tn
door in the middle gallery on one side ant
one end, and hiproof, The Chapel at Dee
Greek, afterwards known as the Trapp'
Chapel to be the same dimensions in eacl
particular"
1t would seem that the vestry at first in
tended to build their new parish church else
where than on the two acres which had beeI
given them for this purpose more than thirt!
years before by James Phillips, and on which
the church now stood but that for some rea
son they changed their intention and resolv
ed to build upon the original lot.
ION the 9th August, 1850, the rector, Rev
Mr.. Lendrum, was married at New Castle u
Jane Burney."
Oct. 80, Messrs. Hill and Morgan, who hat
been appointed TO purchase lot for the pro
posed Chapel of Ease, reported that the.
have agreed for two acres of William Jen
kins and James Lee, convenient for the Par
ieh and for wood and water, and good bury
ing-ground. Mr.. Jenkins will sell two acre
for "a. Mr.. Lee has not yet said what h
will take" This entry is not very clearly ex
pressed, but is explained by later one to b.
presently given.
This site was within mile OF Priests
Ford, on Deer Greek. where the Jesuits hat
only three years before established the Mis-
sion of st. Joseph, since commonly called tn
Old Catholic Chapel; and it is not at all un
likely that the site for this new Protestan
Chapel was selected under the vestrys in
structions with the view of counteracting, a
far as might be, the work of that indefatiga
BILE society. Not only had this section b.
that time become thickly settled by planter
but extensive iron works had been establish
ed in the immediate vicinity, giving employ
ment to many workmen.
At the same meeting "Mr. John Hall, o
Cranberry and Mr.. William Bennett Offered
to build the Chapel and Church. Mr.. Ben
nett to finish the Chapel complete for f750
to lay the floor with good white oak planks
with three rows of pews of like stuff, tn
pulpit to be of black walnut, the glass Eng
lish glass, the size of the building as befor
named. One-third to be paid in hand, one
third when rooted and the rest when finished
M. Hall [ofered to build the Church just tn
same as the Chapel.
The intention would thus seem to hav,
been to furnish the two sections OF the parisl
with church accommodations equal in all re
spects. Neither of these proposals, however
were accepted until the following spring, ant
then only that for building the chapel, tn
erection of the church being postponed unit
the former should be quite or at least nearl,
completed, the simultaneous erection of tw'
such fine buildings being probably, on sec
ond consideration, thought too formidable al
undertaking for the resources on hand.
William Bennett was no doubt the man O
that name who three or four years before ha,
taken up tract of land in the vicinity o
Priests Ford and who was subsequently on
of the ten members of the Deer Greek Pres
byterian Congregation to whom lot wa
conveyed in 1859 at the Lower Cross Roads
(now Churchville,) on which TO erect Pres
byterian Church wh,re the present on
/ stands.
On the 7th May, 1851, 'the vestry agree
pay Mr.. Bennett f700 currency for buildin
the Church in the Forrest. Hill and Mol
gan TO agree with Jenkins and Lee about tn
land" In June tent is ordered ito be cree
ed on the ground near where the Church Ii
the Forrest is TO ben The object of thi
tent was probably the holding of service
near the spot in order to accustom the pee
pie to the place of worship that was so 500
to be. Possibly, however, it may have bee
designed for the accommodation of the worl
men.