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    relief of the poor , for in those days the poor had no regular provision from any other source ? " * The parish of All-Hallows the Great " Resolved unanimously , That this "Vestry are equally astonished at the conduct of the clergy , in assigning" as a reason for such application , that they were entitled , and have now a dormant right , under a decree in pursuance of an Act of

    Parliament in the reign of King Henry VIII ., to payments at the rate of 2 s . 9 d . in the pound , when it is evident that such payments were originally in lieu of oblations offered under threat of excommunication , and applicable to the three several purposes , of maintaining the poor , repairing the Churches * and supporting the Clergy "

    The parish of St . Gregory hy Su Paul : u Resolved unanimously , That , however unnecessary it may be to revert to the origin and principle of tithes , this Vestry cannot forget that the rate of Zs . 9 d . in the pound was originally levied in London in

    lieu of the offerings and oblations anciently made to the Romish Church , and that the money so raised was declared to be for the maintenance of the poor , the repairs of the Churches- and the support of the

    clergy ^ these purposes being now provided for by later laws , the very end and intention of the grant of 2 s . 9 d . in the pound have ceased to exist , and such grant ought , in consequence , to be repealed . ''

    One of the series of Resolutions , adverts to the foundation of Church property , and lays down a doctrine which must shock such of the clergy ( if any such there be ) as yet cling to divine right * The doctrine is asserted by the United Parishes of St . Mildred and St . Margaret Moses :

    6 L Resolved , That the system of tithes having no foundation in this country but legislative enactment , the clergy can have no rights except what they actually possess in virtue of such enactments : arid that to

    advance claims to the rights of the clergy , as tbey existed in the days of Popery , and which , in this instance , were abolished by law , is repugnant to common sense , and an insult to a Protestant country . '

    The same parishes give the clergy an unceremonious hint : " Resolved , That the dissatisfaction expressed by the London clergy ihig-ht have been justly urged as a reason for not accepting their respective benefices , and may , even now , be admitted as a defence of their resignatioji ; but < ran by no means be considered as justifying their intended

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    invasion of the property of their parishioners . " There are several resolutions relating to the amounts of the benefices of the Fire-Act Clergy ; and their parishioners tell them that they have sufficient stipends , and more than sufficient . For example , the parish ot St . Antholin and St + John the Baptist :

    " Resolved , That of the nTty-one parishes which are within tlie equitable pro - visions of the act of the 4 £ th Geo . lll . c . 89 , there are but few in which the Rector ' s maintenance ( including glebe , parsonage-house , gifts and Churched lies ) falls short of £ 300 per annum , and in many of those parishes it nets from £ 100 . to £ 600 . per aim inn . "

    The parishes of St . Michael , Queer .-hithe , and Holy Trinity : " Resolved unanimously , That it is fhe opinion of this Vestry , that the clergy m general have at present sufficient , and in many cases more than they are entitled tc % for the duty they perform , and in many instances have other Church preferments , and property attached to their livings 5 and when taken into consideration the

    difficulty in collecting- the present rates , from the depressed state of trade , and the heavy demands made oti the inhabitants for the support of the state , as well as the alarming- increase of the poor rates , are determined to oppose the present application by every means in their power . "

    Many of the parishes state the value of their livings , and some of them naturally enough compare the wages with the work ; e . g . St . Benet Fink , Threadneedle Street : " Resolved unanimously , That with respect to this small parish , the late augmentation to £ 200 . per annum , is , in the

    opinion of the parishioners , a most liberal and handsome allowance for the duty performed , viz . Prayers , and a Sermari on Sunday mornings onlyy Christmas-day and Good-Friday , and the Sacrament administered once a month ; the inhabitants maintaining at their own cost , the reading * of Prayers , and a Sermon on the Sunday evening's , under the denomination of * l

    Lecturer , ( which , if their tithes are augmented , they fear they shall be under the necessity of discontinuing ;) as also paying the clerk's salary , and that of all other attendants ; tog-ether with the maintenance and repairs of their Church , which is a very heavy charge upon them" Resolved unanimously , that the incumbents of the saiji parish are styled perpetual curates , and hold this benefice with

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    168 " Mre-Act London Clergy"

• Citation
  • Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), March 2, 1819, page 168, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct1770/page/32/