Lesbury Parish, by the late George Tate, F.G.S. 455 



and was buried on August 27th. He must have died poor, for 

 an order was made by the session of Shil bottle parish, for paying 

 his widow twelve pence weekly ; and therefore on October 29th, 

 1717, the minister, churchwardens, and four-and-twenty of Shil- 

 bottle ordered an assessment of nine pence per farm for this 

 object. 



The Eev. Edward Shanks, who was inducted vicar on Nov. 8 th, 

 1712, was also vicar of Shilbottle; he voted in 1722 at the elec- 

 tion of members for the county. The Rev. Lawrence Carr 

 appears in the church register as vicar on April 15th, 1725. The 

 Eev. George Woofe was transferred from Shilbottle to Lesbury 

 vicarage in 1726, and he died in 1749. The Rev. Nathaniel Elli- 

 son, A.M., was inducted on Jan. 12th, 1753, and died on Feb. 27th, 

 1775 ; he held also the vicarage of Whelpington. The Eev. W. 

 Forster, A.M., was inducted on June 6th, 1775, and died, I be- 

 lieve, in 1784. He was a descendant of the Forsters, of Buston. 

 His sons and daughters lived in Alnwick many years ; one son, 

 Joseph, after realising a fortune, as a broker in London, and 

 living thirteen years in Alnwick, an active and liberal supporter 

 of its charities, succeeded to the estates of Dr Gordon Joseph 

 Forster, of Newton-by-the-Sea, and of Buston, who died 18th 

 February, 1856, aged 86 years; which on the death of Joseph 

 Forster, on November 3rd, 1869, at the advanced age of 88 years, 

 were inherited by John Magenis Forster, Esq., a grandson of 

 John Forster, and great grandson of the vicar of Lesbury. The 

 next vicar was a man of some literary distinction. 



The Eev. Percival Stockdale, who was presented with the 

 vicarages of Lesbury and Longhoughton in 1784, was born at 

 Branxton, on October 26th, 1736, the only son of the Eev. Thos. 

 Stockdale, the vicar of that place. He was educated at the Aln- 

 wick and Berwick grammar schools ; and afterwards attended St. 

 Andrew's University about one year ; but after the death of his 

 father, he became second lieutenant in the Eoyal Welsh 

 Fusileers, and served in the expedition against St. Philip in Mi- 

 norca. His regiment being ordered abroad, he resigned his com- 

 mission in November, 1757; and two years afterwards he was 

 ordained a deacon of the Church of England ; and went to Lon- 

 don, where he enjoyed the society of Dr Samuel Johnson, Gold- 

 smith, Garrick, and other literary men of reputation. For several 

 years he had to depend chiefly on his literary labours for his sus- 

 tenance. His life was very troubled, irregular, and unhappy ; he 

 admits he was idle and advanced fast in folly. For a time he 

 was curate of the vicar of Berwick, " waging " he says, " for five 

 years determined war against his own credit and happiness." He 

 was relieved from his difficulties by his preferment to the vicar- 

 ages of Lesbury and Longhoughton. A remarkable display of 

 his vanity remains in the Lesbury register ; for after chronicling 

 his induction he adds, " Un grand nom vaut plus que toutes les 



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