CHAP, iv.] CHURCH AND PARISH 23 



churches in rural districts. The interior comes back to 

 my remembrance as dark, dingy, and very decidedly damp, 

 as shown by the green mould on pillars and walls. One 

 of the first improvements was the placing of two good 

 stoves in the church, one presented by my father, and the 

 other (rather, I believe, against local wishes) by the Parish. 

 I well remember the presence of the stoves, as it was 

 considered by the churchwardens, or whoever arranged 

 these matters, that the time which was most decorous for 

 stirring the fires was during the singing as " it drowned the 

 noise." What our local choir consisted of I do not remem- 

 ber, but I rather think it was simply vocal, and started by a 

 " pitchpipe." But at least there was nothing ridiculous 

 about it. We did not, as in a church at no great distance, 

 have the violinist and his instrument carried in on a 

 man's shoulders because the unfortunate musician was 

 without legs ! 



The sittings for the congregation were (I suppose as a 

 matter of course in those days) all in closed pews with 

 doors the pews of a size, form, and respectability of 

 appearance, likewise of comfort and fittings, according to 

 the social position of their holders. It could not, however, 

 be said that the chief parishioners had the best places, for 

 our two large, roomy, square seats were mounted up, side 

 by side, a few steps above the others at the end of the north 

 aisle, with a good wall between us and the chancel, effectu- 

 ally preventing our seeing what was going on in that 

 direction. Within our special pew, which had curtains 

 more or less drawn, we sat round with our feet at proper 

 times on good high hassocks. When we knelt we all 

 turned round and faced the sides of the pew, and my 

 juvenile sorrows were sometimes great towards the end of 

 the Litany. The fatigue from kneeling on the top of my 

 unsteady perch produced faintness, and I well remember 

 my anxieties increasing with the "odd" feeling till I 

 mustered courage to announce to my eldest sister, whom 

 I held in considerable awe, that I did not feel very well ; 

 and measures were taken accordingly. The pew was said 

 to be just over where the soldiers were buried who were 

 killed during the Parliamentarian war at the Battle of 

 Buttington, a locality in the same parish ; but on an 

 occasion of some repairs being made, the flooring was dis- 

 covered to be laid on, or close above the live rock, which 

 rendered this view inaccurate. The surface of the ground 

 was immediately below the floor, and as the family pew 



