234 BRITISH RURAL LIFE AND LABOUR. 



penses. It can easily be understood that it needed no little 

 courage and no small amount of energy and determination 

 to overcome the difficulties which Canon Girdlestone found 

 were thus thrown in his path. But the disinclination of the 

 peasants to move was not the greatest part of the difficulty. 

 There was an immense amount of opposition on the part 

 of the farmers and the landowners in the district. Canon 

 Girdlestone was, in fact, engaged for years, during which his 

 work was carried on, in single-handed conflict with nearly 

 the whole district of squires and farmers. Even the clergy 

 declared themselves against him. He was, in fact, com- 

 pletely ostracised and tabooed by local ' society.' But the 

 enmity of the better classes in the district took practical 

 shape. The vestry of Halberton, composed almost entirely 

 of the farmers in the neighbourhood, began their opposition 

 by refusing to vote a church-rate that was needed. At 

 the various vestry meetings they would not hear the vicar 

 speak. No labourer dared to show his face at these meet- 

 ings ; hence the farmers had it all their own way. With 

 great courage and determination the vicar insisted, not only 

 at being present at the vestry meetings, but upon taking the 

 chair, as he was entitled to do. But the farmers would not 

 let him speak, and drowned his voice when he attempted 

 to do so. Patiently, however, and with a bold front, the 

 courageous minister would wait until there was momentary 

 quiet, and then would say, ' Now, gentlemen, when you have 

 done abusing me we will proceed to business.' One farmer, 

 bolder than the rest, at a vestry meeting held on Easter 

 Monday, in 1867, went up to the Canon, who was presiding, 

 and told him, in language that cannot here be literally re- 

 peated, that he was not fit to carry offal to a bear. Two or 

 three days afterwards this extraordinary scene formed the 

 subject of a cartoon in Punch. Following up this system 

 of persecution, and as a means of depriving the vicar of his 

 voice in the affairs of the parish, the farmer-vestry claimed 

 the right to appoint both of the churchwardens. The 

 question, for the annoyance of Canon Girdlestone, was 

 even carried to the Court of Queen's Bench. But judg- 

 ment was given against the vestry, and the heavy costs 

 which were incurred, having to be paid out of individual 

 pockets, appear to have taught the malcontents a salu- 

 tary lesson. Then, once, on the occasion of the dis- 

 tribution of the charity bread, the farmers attempted to 

 create a disturbance in the church. The police had to be 

 called in, and this circumstance was made a cause of com- 

 plaint against the vicar. The complaint was carried to 

 the Quarter Sessions at Exeter, but was dismissed. Still 

 the war of opposition was vigorously carried on by the 

 local farmers, who threatened to desert the church, stop 

 the playing of the organ, the ringing of the bells, and 

 the singing of the choir, and even to empty the church 

 schools. A number of the farmers, indeed, left the church 



