164 CHESTERFIELD CHURCH CUSTOMS. 



The vicar at this date was Thomas Hincksman, who entered 



upon the incumbency in 17 15. The other vicars during the 



period covered by this book were, William Wheeler, 1739 ; John 



Wood, 1765 ; and George Bossley, 1781. The various sums 



paid to the vicars, and occasionally to a curate, throughout this 



book, are obviously for special gifts they desired to make to 



the poor, the churchwardens keeping rigid and personal care 



over the distribution of almost the whole of the sacramental 



alms. 



With regard to the " three officers," the officers who receive 



payment throughout the book must have been church, and not 



parish officials. They are evidently almost invariably two in 



number, and were, we suppose, the parish clerk and the sexton. 



Perhaps in this case of three, one whose appointment had lapsed 



was included. Under some years, when there was a payment 



of two shillings to the officers many times during the year, it 



appears as though they had always received an extra gift after a 



celebration of the Holy Communion. This was an old established 



custom in some parishes. 



In the years 1733-4, there were sixteen Sacrament days; but 

 in the following year, and almost invariably throughout the book, 

 there were eighteen during the year, namely, one on the first 

 Sunday of each month, with these additional times — Christmas 

 Day, Good Friday, Easter Day, Low Sunday, Whitsun Day, and 

 Trinity Sunday. It is rather remarkable to note how change of 

 vicars did not seem to effect the church customs, and how the 

 number of celebrations remained the same throughout four 

 incumbencies. Chesterfield was decidedly superior in this respect 

 to not a few parishes of the end of last century and the beginning 

 of this, where the shocking irreverence and carelessness with 

 regard to Holy Communion had relegated its celebration to 

 quarterly days ; but there were at the same time many churches, 

 at all events in London and in towns, where weekly celebrations 

 never fell into abeyance. 



The Good Friday celebration is somewhat remarkable. In the 

 early days of the Church there was no Mass on the anniversary of 



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