NEAR CLAPTON, RIVER LEA 



CHAPTER VII 



Accession of Queen Anne — Offer of restoration to 

 bishopric — Declined by him — Tremendous hurricane, 

 1703 — Ken's letter thereon — His narrow escape — Bishop 

 Kidder killed in the same storm — Queen Anne settles 

 pension on him — His letter of thanks — His death. 



/^N the accession of Queen Anne, an offer was 

 made, through the influence of his generous 

 patron, that he should be restored to his diocese, by 

 the removal of Bishop Kidder, who had succeeded 

 him, to another diocese ; but this favour, now 

 declining in years, he refused. In connection with 

 this a remarkable thing happened. Ken was stay- 

 ing at his nephew's, Canonry House, Salisbury, in 

 1703, when that tremendous hurricane occurred 

 which passed over the land, during which a stack 

 of chimneys fell at his bed's head, leaving him 

 uninjured. This storm, which left Ken safe, occa- 

 sioned the sudden and violent death of Bishop 



