The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1890-12-19
miscellanen11s.
HISTORY OF ST. GEORGES PARISH.
BY DIR. G. w ARCHER.

900 bricks, if the new Church takes so many,
for f177.10, the wall to be of the dimensions
before concluded on [57x35 and 16 feet
high leaving convenienccs for gallery, and
to secure the walls from frost and weather
for one year: the walls to be completed be-
fore the frost of the ensuing fall"
In July the vestry agreed with Samuel
Wallace, ito build and complete the Church
for f430." This, of course, did not include
the walls which had already been contracted
for. At this meeting Bennett Neal produces
a certificate that he is not worth f100 Ia year,
and not taxable as Bachelor" This was,
no doubt, the Jesuit priest of the name in
charge ofthe Catholic Chapel at Priests Ford,
near the new Chapel of Ease.
In October "the vestry counted the bricks
in the wall foundation including water-table,
&c, 1916" 1t is difficult to understand how SO
many bricks could have been put into wall
of the dimensions of this (57x35 feet) between
the foundation and the water-table, which
could have been only about three or four
feet above the surface. Moreover the only
plan recorded in the vestry book calls-as
we have seen-for "stOne-work from the
foundation to the water-table." This, though
perhaps carried out in the case of the Chapel,
must have changed in that of the Church.
Three weeks later 1.-THE vestry agreed that
if an act should pass to complete the church,
the Court be petilioned for three pounds per
poll. If the act don't pass, they agree 10
petition for ten pounds per poll" In Bacon's
Laws of Nd" we find that two supplement
tary acts were passed, one in 1857, to levy
$3.50, current money, by two equal install
ments, for finishing the Church in St. Georges
Parish This act, however. did not pass the
seals in time for the first levy; and in 1858
another supplementary act was passed, max
ing the assessment f275, to be levied in May.
"The Inhabitants of st. Georges Parish are
released from seven of the ten pounds OF to-
bacco per poll laid on them in November
last on application of the vestrY-the same
not being now wanting for the purposes
thereby intended" An entry made at this
meeting runs to the effect, that accidents
have prevented the building being carried on
as at first intended" The nature OF
these accident" is left entiraly to coniec-
ture.
1t was agreed, in June of the succeeding
year, that 1.-THE wall be eighteen feet thigh
from the floor" As the original called for
sixteen feet high from the water-table, the
wall, as built, was probably foot or two
lower.
MAY 18th, 1869. The work ofthe Church
[now rooted in] passed the inspection oil
John Smith and VIM. Prigg, and the alleys
of the church are ordered to be tiled" In Sep
TENDER, John Hall is ITO fill in and level the
church floor The pulpit is to be of good
seasoned pine instead of walnut las first
agreed on.) The eight pews in the middle
row are to be divided into sixteen.
The following is from the parish Register
Mrs. Jane, wife of Rev. Andrew Lendrum,
died Goth January, 1900"
At vestry meeting in July, 1850, "Joseph
Clancy was paid 400 tobacco for sweeping
and cleaning the Chapel" Probably for
year.
In October, "the vestry sold 1000 lbs tobac
CO to Robert Adair at 16 shillings."
The church was ready for devotional pur-
poses two or three days before Christmas
l76O-"the contractor, Samuel Wallace, Civ
ing up the key, and the vestry giving up hin
bond"
From the foregoing extracts from the vestry
book it appears that for some reason Mr.
John Halls original contract to build the
church for f750 was not carried out, but
that he made and delivered the bricks
wherewith John Dever built the walls, while
Samuel Wallace completed the edflce-ths
sum total of their accounts being f732.1O
which lacks only few pounds of the origina
amount agreed upon by Mr.. Hall-or, at least
proposed BY him, there is no record of his
offer having been accepted by the vestry.
On the day after Christmas "the vestry
measured the areas of the church and founC
them to be $50 feet square. They agreed te
send to England for Flagg to lay the same
and for two Pulpit cloths and one Cushion
and Mr.. Lendrum to purchase linen for sur
plices and have them made up, and bring II
the BILL" And, two months later, it was re
solved "that Mr.. John Christie send to Eng
land for 800 feet of Flagg and the other ar'i
cles."
"Nov. 2sth, 1851. The sexton is to be notified
that ifhe don't clear the church and church
ward, as by agreement, between this ant
Christmas, and make fires as usual on Sab
bath and vestry days in the vestry house, h
will be discharged" At this date "Dr. Alex
ander Stenhouse bought at sale the oil
church for f5.8, as likewise he is to clear tn
churchyard of it before Feb. 1st." On tn
10th of June "Dr. Stenhouse is to be notit
ed to clear the old church away Immediately
And two months later, "Dr. Stcnhouse to b
acquainted to take the old church immediate
ly out of the way, II AM
accident happens to the new church on &C
count of the old not being taken away he
to indemnify the Parish"
The above entries show that the new churcl
not built upon the site of the old one, thoug
very near-almost touching it. There wer
two very good reasons for not placing it upol
the exact site of the old one. In the mrs
place, inasmuch as several years would be re
uuired In the work of erection, the old build
ing could meanwhile he used and IN tn
next place, the latter being OF wood, Will
the new one was to be of brick, very little Q
the old material was available; and, indee'
even that little, to judge from the paltr.
price for which it sold, must have become
during the forty-three or four yesrs of its ex
istence little better than amass Of ruins. which
as the last cited entry plainly intimates, wa
ready to topple down tot the damage OF the ne1
walls. As this ominous warning from tn
vestry is the last record concerning the ruin
it was no doubt promptly removed, though
what use it could be, except as kindling wooe
is difficult to conceive.
DR.. Stenhouse, in 1851, married ,Cordellt
the widow of sheriff Charles Christie. Sb
was Stokes, and inherited fine estate
several hundred acres in Bush River Mech
on the bay, where it is likely DR.. Stenhous
resided after their marriage. He at one tim
owned tract of ninety acres adjoinin
Bush, or Hartford Town. At the outbrea
of the revolution, however, he was a prat
tcing physician and druggist in Baltimore
and being Tory, he was compelled to leaV
the country. His drugs were seized by II
Committee of Safety and turned over TO III
patriot army. After the war he returned
the State, as did many others OF like procl
vities. can learn nothing OF any descenC
ants he may have left.
Sep, 1862. Mr.. John Treadaway is to la
W.