The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1910-07-29

/ (From Colonial Church in Virginia"
] published by Southern Churchman
! Company, Richmond: price, sl25.)
/ BY Mrs. Elizabeth Lewis Neale.
/ The earliest records of Lancaster
/ County Parish. when Lancaster and
Midlesex were one, go back 10 1850.
( In that year the court appointed Rev.
/ Samuel Cole the minister OF the whole
+ county, on both sides of the Kappa
! hammock river This minister's name
| appears on a vestry book OF Middle
sex county, Va, in 1864. The court
/ also appointed church wardens and
/ sdemen. as in the English church,
| for each side of the river; they were
/ John Taylor, William Chapman, John
/ MerrymaD. Edmund Lurin. George
! kibble and William Leech. Other
names on the record are Thomas and
Cuthbert Powell, Edward Digges, Will
] liam Berkeley. Robert ChoWning,
I Henry Corbin, David Fox and John
Washington, OF Westmorelhnd coun-
! ~.
! In the year 1861 general vestry
was formed. and John Carter Henry
I Corbin, David Fox and William Leech
! were appointed. from both sides of
the river, to take up subscriptions for
! the support of minister. Many of
! our county records and the vestry
! book of st. Aary's and Christ
churches we're destroyed during the
war between the States" and We find
no one who can tell US just tho year
old ST Mary's White Chapel was
! built: but OF this we are sure, that IL
! was sometime in the middle of the
sixteenth century. This is assured by
I dates on the communion plate. still in
, the church, and on tombstones to be
found in a good state of preservation
/ in the Churchyard, Bishop Meade,
| from whom notes are herein taken,
+, states III his book nj "On Churches.
| Ministers and Families OF Virginia"
| that THE first church was torn down
/ and the present one built In l740."
/ One might infer from this that the
whole church was torn down" which
| was not the case at all. 1t was first
| built like her contemporary, Old
Christ church, in the lower part of
the county Cor rather Old Christ was
| built like ST, Mary's, for we ae assured
that st Mary's Is the older) in the
form of a cross. with three galleries.
| one owned by Major james Ball and
7 Mr. Joseph Bali. one by the Down
mans. OF Belle Isle. and one was for
the slaves Of the churchmen,
In 1899 the old church was in great
| need of new roof and other repairs.
and the congregation being at that
time unable or unwilling to raise the
large sum of money required. deter
mined to take down two arms of the
church and restore the rest. This
was done in l740. the contract being
awarded Mr.. James Jones. The struc-
ture was then made into an ohlone
square. GO feet long. so feet broad.
| walls "a feet to roof. which has an
oval ceiling. The pulpit is in one end
of the long aisle. facing the south
door, owe which Is the one remaining
gallery. In the center of the long
aisle is a broader one leading to the
double doors facing the west. towards
the county road. which is the main
entrance. These doors ae fastened
now. as in olden time, by an iron
thumb latch
! George Spence, by-his will, dated
March 90, 1881. gave twenty pounds
| sterling for n piece OF communion
plate for st. Mary's White Chapel and
also a ''Curpice" The only other piece
of silver in possession Of the church is
small silver saiver, which is used
with the goblet. II is much worn by
age and has no inscription or date,
but We suppose that it is that piece
OF plate"
The old Bible was given by Raw
leigh bowman, of Belle Isle. in 1888.
The beautiful circular communion
railing remains as in olden days, but
the brick aisles have been planked
and carpeted, as has the chancel. and
fitted up with modern furniture. The
old communion table is still i'm the
| vestry room. II once stood in the
chancei. and was covered with green
velvet cover with a gilt fringe, and
in the center was the Ball coat-of-
arms in has-relief and done in gilt.
This was sold years ago to one of the
! Downmans, whose maternal ancestor
was a Bail.
In the churchyard are number of
old tomhs of massive marble, bearing
dates In the sixteenth and seventeenth
centuries. Nearly all Of the Oldest are
tfnscrfbed with the name of Ball. The
first Is David Ban. seventh son OF Will
liam Ball, born 1886: some of the
others are Mildred Ball. Juduthum
Ball, Mary Ann BAH. daughter of Rev
John Bertrand, Jesse Ball. Mary Ball
daughter of Edwin Conway. and
James Ball, her husband: Fanny.
daughter of Rawleigh Downman, of
Lettuce. third wife of James Bail and
daughter of Richard Lee, of Ditehley
The ministers were Rev. Samuel
Cole, died 1859: Rers. William White
and BENJAMIN Doggett died 1852;
John Bertrand. died 1901 che was a
Huguenot. is buried at Belle Isle, and
counted among his descendants Judge
Cyrus Griffith, last president of the
Continental Congress); Andrew Jack
son. died ITO; John Bell. died 1913;
David Currie died 1792: David Ball.
died 1891 Then followed Leland.
Page, McNorton, Low. 1882; Ephraim
Adams, 1898; Francis Mcclure. 1889:
Rev. Bryant. 1874: Rev. Richmond.
1850: Rev. Nash. 1858: Rev. Edmund
Withers. These were followed by
Revs George May. n. l., Derby, e. b.
Rurwell. Mr.. Mieou and Rev. l. II.
comb&