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VICARS OF DUNHAM
THE VICARAGE, DUNHAM-ON-TRENT
There is no record of the name of a Vicar of Dunham until 1283. At that time his name was Dominus William. "Dominus" was the title given to a priest in pre-Reformation times, as the title "Reverend" is now given to all clergy.
He was succeeded by Richard de Haloughton in 1298, and then John Marescall was Vicar for a long time. In 1346 Robert de Normanton was appointed to the Vicarage, but his nomination was revoked "on certain information that the Vicarage is not void, but has been held for a long time by John Marescal, chaplain." John Marescall was a member of the family of the Earl of Pembroke, and a connection of the King. Being one of the King's chaplains, the life at court was probably more congenial to his taste than the life of a humble parish priest. He died in 1349.
It was during the year 1348 and the first half of 1349 that the terrible plague called the Black death carried off a large percentage of the people of this country. In numberless manors so many of the peasants were swept away that there was no one to till the land, which lay fallow and neglected. The diocesan registers show in what great numbers the beneficed clergy died during that time. "In East Anglia," we are told, "upwards of 800 parishes lost their parsons, 83 of them twice, and 10 of them three times in a few months," it is very probable, therefore, that John Marscall died of the plague. He was succeeded by Will de Ferriby Junr. in 1349. The next vicar was Ric de Lanum, who resigned for the vicarage of Kelham. In 1377 Adam Knesall was appointed. He was followed by John York, who resigned for the vicarage of Nafferton. In 1401 Will Morpeth became Vicar. He was succeeded by Richard de Allerton, who was non-resident and concerning whom the parishioners appear to have made complaint to the Chapter of Southwell. In the White Book of Southwell is a decree, dated 1414, by the commissaries of Southwell, Richard, Andrew, and William Lamb-ley, in a cause between the inhabitants of Dunham and Richard Allerton, Vicar there; wherein it is decreed "that there shall be an able chaplain provided, dwelling within the town of Dunham and Wimpton, and the inhabitants of the same to be restored to their former situation, at the expense of the Vicar aforesaid." During the same year he exchanged livings with Richard de Water (or Atwatyr) Vicar of Grynley. We have not the name of another Vicar until 1499, when William Wartyr was appointed.
So either these two priests were Vicars for a long time, or the names of one or more are missing. The next Vicar whose name we know is Richard Balke, 1535, who was succeeded by John Wilson, who was Vicar in 1543, and John Collier in 1554. From that time the list of Vicars is complete. The next is William Williamson, appointed in 1558. James Harrison, who followed him, was as far as we know the first married Vicar; in his will he leaves all he has to his wife Margaret Harrison. He was succeeded by Leonard Gawthropp in 1588, who was married at Treswell Church 7 December 1590 to Barbara Allanson; he died in 1599. His will is as follows:—"Sick and sore distressed with pain in body, but in good and perfect memory of mind, God's name be praised. I commend my soul into the hands of my gracious God, hoping to be saved by the Merits and Death and Passion of Jesus Christ my only Saviour, and my body to be buried in the quire and chancel of the parish Church of Dunham. I give my wife Barbara the great and better cupboard, having in it a press. To my son John, my cottage house in Dunham aforesaid with the lathe and all other appurtenances thereto belonging within the parish of Dunham to him and his heirs forever. I make my father-inJaw, John Allynson, guardian for my said son John, excepting that his mother Barbara aforesaid shall have, occupy and enjoy the same cottage. . . during the time she remains a widow. I give to the said John, the best of my three Bibles. I give to my daughter Priscilla a cow or a quie with calf. The rest of my goods, if any remain, my debts being paid, I give to the said Barbara and my said daughter Priscilla."
He was succeeded the same year by Thomas Greenwood who resigned in 1601, and was followed by John Hammond who had been curate since 1594. Anthony Southouse was appointed in 1607; William Christmore 1614; "Walter Cary 1618, who continued to hold the living through the troublous times of the reign of Charles L, and through the greater period when the country was governed by the Commonwealth. His burial is recorded in the Begister, September 1st, 1657. He was succeeded by William Brompton, Independent Minister, appointed by the Commonwealth, who at the Restoration of Charles II. conformed to the Prayer Book, and so became vicar in 1660, and, we may assume, we hope, then took Holy Orders. He was succeeded in 1676 by John White. On the floor of the Church tower are the tombstones of the next two vicars, namely, Joseph Etherington and Andrew Cave. The former was appointed in 1688, and was the first vicar who signed the Registers. He placed in the Registers an advertisement of a sermon preached in Lincoln Minster November 5th, 1702, on which it is stated that he was "late chaplain to the Earl of Feversham, and now to the Earl of Portland." He died June 12th, 1723, aged 62 years. Andrew Cave, who succeeded him, died April 3rd, 1754. In the Ragnall MM. Register there is an entry signed by him, which has a pathetic reference to the illness of his first wife, namely, "Nov. 13, 1729, John Ingham and Eleanor Jaxon both of this town were married in ye parish church of ffledborough by ye Rev. Mr. Sweetaple, Rector, at my request, my wife being at ye point of death." She died that same day, her tombstone is in the Church tower. He married a second wife, who survived him. She was a daughter of his predecessor. The marriage is entered thus in the Darlton register:—"Nov 6 1733. Andrew Cave, Vicar, and Bridget Etherington, daughter of ye late Rev Mr Joseph Etherington, Late Vicar here, by ye Rev Mr Sweetaple, Rector of ffledborough." We gather from his will that he held property at Prowlesworth, Leicestershire, which he left to his son William. The next vicar was William haw. This remarkable man was vicar for 72 years, and non-resident; probably very few men have held an incumbency so long. He was only 24 years of age when appointed, and therefore could only just have been ordained to the priesthood. He died at Southwell in 1826, aged 96 years. On the minutes of Vestry meetings at Southwell his name appears several times, and it is recorded that a pew in the Minster was assigned to his use.
Mr. R. P. Shilton (History of Southwell) writing of aged persons resident in Southwell in 1818, says, "This reverend veteran of the Church has been 64 years Vicar of Dunham, and 58 years vicar of Kneesal, and is now in the enjoyment of good health and spirit aged 88."
His long absence from the parish was, however, not allowed to pass unnoticed, for in the Parish accounts for 1812 is this entry—''Paid for a letter from Mr. Law concerning his absence lid." It was during his incumbency that the fine old 15th century Church was allowed to fall into decay. Although he shamefully neglected his flock, he did not omit to visit the parish to look after the tithes. An old inhabitant informed the writer that she remembered, when a girl, a carpenter named George Wilson, then an old man, telling her that he had accompanied the Rev. William Law when he went tithing, and had seen him tie a piece of white ribbon on every tenth stook of corn.
Vicars continued.—The three succeeding vicars also were non-resident. Brook Boothby, appointed 1826, and John Sedley Venables Vernon, 1829, were both Prebends of Southwell as well as Vicars of Dunham. They appointed themselves to the living, and received the incomes of both offices. Frederic Norris, appointed 1838, held another benefice in Cambridgeshire, where he resided in preference to Dunham. Prior to Henry I the patronage was in the gift of the King but he gave it to the Archbishop of York to form a Prebend in Southwell, and from that time it was in the gift of the Prebend until quite recent times. There are two exceptions to the appointment by the Prebend, namely, in 1554 Philip and Mary appointed to the vacancy, and in 1657 the Commonwealth. In 1840 the ancient Chapter of Southwell was disolved, but the Prebends were allowed to continue to hold their privileges for life, hence, when there was a vacancy in 1856, Prebendary T. C. Percival, being still living, appointed his nephew Henry Jubb, to whose zeal, devotion, and liberality the parish is greatly indebted. On the decease of the last Prebend the patronage passed into the hands of the Bishop of Manchester.
When Henry Jubb came to the parish there was no suitable vicarage, a cottage near the Church is still called the old vicarage, and probably 102 years before that time had been used as such, so he enclosed a plot of glebe land on the hill, containing 8 acres, and built a Vicarage. At his own cost he rebuilt the nave of Dunham Church, except the south wall, the chancel being built by the Ecclesiastical Commissioners. He made himself responsible for the cost of the restoration of Darlton church, and the cost of the restoration of Ragnall was defrayed by his sister, Miss Jubb.
Henry Jubb resigned the living in 1883 for that of Clayworth, and in 1901 he removed to the Rectory of Heythorp, Oxen, which he resigned in 1906, and retired to Bournmouth, where he died. While Vicar here he for some years held the office of Rural Dean of Retford, No. 2.
In 1883 the Bishop of Manchester appointed James Francis, M. A., formerly Vicar of St. Anne's, Lancaster, who resigned in 1906 for the Rectory of Hawerby, Lincolnshire, where he died in 1907. He was succeeded by Howard Chad-wick, M. A., formerly Vicar of Christ Church, Glodwick, Oldham, who was also appointed Rural Dean of Tuxford in 1911. He resigned in 1913 for the living of Rampton, and was succeeded by Samuel Bennett Bleau, M. A., curate in charge of St. Matthias' Mission Church in the parish of All Saints, Chorlton-on-Medlock, Manchester. He resigned in 1921 for the living of Laxton, and the same year H. H. E. Dangerfield, B. A., then Vicar of Somersal, was appointed by the Bishop of Southwell, the Bishop of Manchester allowing the appointment to lapse.
Value of the Living
In 1291 and again in 1535 the value was returned at £ 4 13/4. In order to provide funds for Edward's expedition to the Holy Land Pope Nicholas IV. granted him first fruits and tenths of all ecclesiastical benefices for six years from 1288, which for a long time had been paid to the Popes. In order that they might be collected to their full value the King caused a valuation roll to be drawn up called the Taxio Ecclesiastica, which was completed in 1291. The return is as follows:—
| "Ebor | Prebend of Dunham | £36—:13—4 | |
| Vicar | 4—:13—4 | ||
| Vicaria Prebende | 4—:13—4" |
The taxation of 1291 held good, and all the taxes from the benefices, as well to our King as to the Popes, were regulated by it until 1535, when a new survey was completed. Henceforth the first-fruits and tenths ceased to be forwarded to Rome, and were transferred to the Crown.
On January 30th, 1535, commissions were issued by Henry VIII. for a general valuation of benefices, that they might be taxed for first-fruits and tenths. The return made for Dunham is as follows:—
"Dunham, Richard Blake Vicar there. Having a mansion with glebe land and meadow of the yearly value s: x: Easter book s:xxiii. d:iiii; offering days s:viii; tithe wool and lamb S:xxiii hemp lyne and fruit s :iii; pigs goose and chicken s :viii: tithes of cotten inclosure s:iii: of Darlton Wympton Ragenhill and Feldkirk s :xv. In toto £iiii sxiii—d :iiii Xma mile s:xx—iiii."
In the returns at Lambeth Library, date 22 Oct 1705, no mention is made of Dunham and Darlton. Perhaps the whole parish is included under Ragnall as follows:—"South Clay Hundred. Ragnall is a chappell in the Parish of Dunham in the co of Notts. It has no certain income, but only uncertain tithes belonging to it, which are of a very small value, and do not exceed above ten pounds per annum. Witness my hand, Joseph Etherington, Curate."
In 1786, W. Jackson, prebend of Southwell, stated that the reputed value of the living of St. Oswald, Dunham, exclusive of fees and contributions, was £49 — 10/—. (Rastall's History of Southwell.)
Henry Jubb in 1873 returns his living at Dunham a :116. r :1. p :16 £286—1/—.
In 1912 the net value was returned at £198, exclusive of a mortgage of £30, being interest and repayment of a sum of money borrowed to rebuild the glebe farm-house by the Rev. J. Francis in 1904, which is to be a charge on the living for 25 years. In 1914 the Ecclesiastical Commissioners increased the value of the living £30 per annum.
The Registers
Official inquiries were made of all the clergy in 1831, as to the exact date, condition, and number of the parish registers in their custody. The returns are in the British Museum (Add. MS. 9355, etc.) The return for Dunham is:—
'' Dunham. Younghusband, curate.
Fine Register Books.
No. 1 is bound, Baptisms, Burials, and Marriages from 1654 to 1688.
No. 2 is bound, Baptisms, Burials, and Marriages, 1688 to 1760.
No. 3 is bound, Marriages only, 1774 to 1812.
No. 4, bound, Baptisms and Burials, 1760 to 1801.
No. 5, bound, Baptisms and Burials, 1802 to 1812."
There are now in addition to the above:
No. 6, Marriages only, 1814 to 1836.
No. 7, ditto ditto 1838-
No. 8, Burials ditto 1813-
No. 9, Baptisms ditto 1813 to 1909.
No. 10, ditto ditto 1910
Parish Registers.
The earliest Register commences 1654. It contains Baptisms, Marriages, and Burials to 1688. The writing on the first few pages is much obliterated, and several pages have been torn out of the book. During the Commonwealth the sacrament of Baptism appears to have been regularly administered until the death of the vicar, Walter Cary, in 1657. During that period marriages were solemnized before Edward Neville, Esq., of Grove, one of the Justices of the Peace for the County of Nottingham, according to the late Act of Parliament touching marriage." After the death of the vicar marriages were solemnised before William Brompton, minister of the Parish. During the period when there was no resident vicar, clergy from neighbouring parishes occasionally officiated. From 1817 to 1824 the Registers are frequently signed by John Penrose, Rector of Fledborough. He was the father of the wife of Dr. Arnold, one of his sons was the husband of the writer of Mrs. Markham's History of England, and another son was the friend of John Keble. From 1821 to 1823 Charles Kingsley, curate of Clifton-on-Trent, also took occasional duty; he was father of the famous Charles Kingsley, Vicar of Eversley. On the inside of the covers there are several interesting entries:—Register 2 (1688 to 1759) "Memorandum—That Joseph Etherington, Master of Arts, was presented to ye Vicarage of Dunham by Mr. Peter, Canon Prebendary of Dunham, November 7th, and inducted December 1st, 1688 by Mr. Cook, Vicar of North Leverton." "October 5th, 1725. Received then of Mr. Sam Shering by order of Mr. Green the sum of five pounds due at Michaelmas last past for one half year's augmentation money paid out of ye Tythes of ye Rectory of Dunham by his Grace the Duke of Kingston to ye Vicar of Dunham. I say received by me Adr. Cave." This entry requires explanation. At that time the Duke of Kingston held the Rectorial lands and tythes by leasehold from the Prebend of Dunham, which had been in the Pierre-point family for about a 100 years, and they continued to hold them, at least, the Church lands, until 1868.
The register contains other memoranda, as follows.-—
"Mrs. Sweetaple buried April 18th, 1752," (at Fledborough.)
"The Rev Mr William Ella, Vicar of Rampton, was buried May ye 18th, 1731," (at Rampton).
Register 3, (1760 to 1801). "Memorandum, April 12th, 176-. That ye seat under ye pulpit in Dunham Church was granted to John "Wilson, Senr., during life only (and at his decease was to become ye property of ye late owner, and not for ye use of the Family. T. Newbound, Curate." Probably this privilege was allowed Mr. Wilson because of his deafness.
Register 3. The following entry is on the inside of the cover;—"Extract from the late Mrs. Hainsworth's Will relating to her donation to the Poor of this Parish." "I give and bequeath to the Poor inhabitants of the Parish of Dunham the sum of fifty pounds at five annual payments, to be to them distributed in such manner as the minister, churchwardens, overseers of the poor, shall judge proper on the twenty-second day of February, being my dear son's birthday.
N. B.—The money is in the hands of Charles Mellish, Esq., of Ragnall, and he gives 5 per cent, for the above.
Thos. Newbound, Curate."
Date, 1763.
Charities.
The following statement is taken from "Analytic Digest of the Reports made by the Commissioners of inquiries into Charities, 1843:—
Dunham, donor, Addy, for Poor, 3-a. 27-poles, rent £3 12s.
Misapplied to Poor Rates.
Dunham, donor, Hainsworth for Poor £60, personal, Int. £3.
Dunham, Church land, Churchwardens' accounts, 2-a. 2-r. 7-p. Lease granted for 31 years at peppercorn rent on consideration of £142."
The above shows that in 1843 the sum of £3 was given to the poor. The Churchwardens still hold the land as stated here.
Extract of Will of John Hainsworth, Dunham, 20 Dec., 1726:—'' I give and bequeath unto the Town of Dunham aforesaid, the sum of £10 for the poor, to be paid within 12 months after my decease; and I do hereby make, ordain, and appoint my executor trustee for the said £10, to take care to put the same money out upon interest into the hands of such sufficient person or persons as will give good security for the same, and always to pay the interest in the beginning of the week before Easter, being sooner or later as it may fall, so that the poor may have their dole money paid and given upon Good ffriday, being heretofore the day whereon the like monies is apointed to be dealt to the poor."
Perhaps the £50 left by Mrs. Hainsworth was added to the £10 left by John, making the total amount invested £60.
Extract from the Will of Leonard Hainsworth, Dunham, Jan. 1st, 1728: "I give and bequeath unto the Town of Dunham aforesaid, the sum of £10 for ever: to be paid within 12 months after my decease by my executor for such intents and purposes as is hereafter mentioned for the poor's use (that is to say) for the interest to pay yearly and every year for so many poor people's children as is convenient upon charity, to learn them to read well in the Bible and the Church Catechism, etc."
All these Charities have been lost. What became of them?
It is gratifying to know that the people of Dunham in 1764 were not unmindful of their brethren across the water. On the inside of Register 3 it is stated that there was collected at Dunham, for the purpose of founding (or building) new colleges in Philadelphia and New York the sum of ten shillings and four-pence. The list of contributors is interesting, inasmuch as it gives the names of many of the inhabitants at that time. They were as follows:—Mrs. Cave, 2/6; Mr. Nicholson, 1/-; Mr. Oldham, Mr. Berry, John Sturtivant, John Meekly, John Wilson, Elizabeth Wilson, Mrs. Whitehead, 6d. each; Elizabeth Mason, Elizabeth Poster, John Nicholson, 3d. each; Frank Nicholson, 4d.; Fanny Howard, John Bacon, senr., John Bacon, junr., John Holland, John Booth, Robert Watmore, Thos. Tim, John Sturtivant, junr., 2d. each; Wm. Brumhead, Haggai Cole, John Whitworth, John Taylor, James Bowman, John Whitton, George Freeman, Ann Freeman, John Allinson, John Bellamy, Will Allinson, Id. each. Signed T Newbound, Curate.
Register 4. "Dunham new Church opened on 27th of April 1806 by Mr R. Prockter, curate."
Occupations are not always recorded in the Registers, out in addition to the ordinary occupations of joiner, mason, blacksmith, shoemaker, waterman, there is spinner, webster (weaver), basketmaker.
"Willow rods for basket making used to be grown extensively on the river side. When the roots were stubbed up a few years ago it was a great loss to the villagers, as a sum of upwards of £200 used to be paid annually for rod pealing.