By Sir Charles Hob7wuse, Bart. 



193 



Church. Were Bishop Burgess' school room, now used only as a 

 vestry, thrown into the Church, the gallery might, with every ad- 

 vantage, be removed. 



The expense of the improvements in 1874 was £540, and whilst 

 Mr. Tooke, the Rector, met the expenditure on the chancel, the 

 principal parishioners found the balance required. 



A board containing the twelve commandments, of date 1616, a 

 black letter bible, and many hatchments were in existence within 

 the memory of man, but, so far back as the time of Mr. Powell, 

 were " non inventi." 



The material used throughout the building is the freestone of the 

 locality, and it is clear from the outward and inward appearance of 

 this, from the aspect of the ground outside, from what was uncovered 

 of the vaults in 1874, and from the details of expenditure in 1843, 

 that the site and foundations have ever been the same, and that the 

 material is the stone-work of the original Church. 



There is a very large proportion of free seats ; and there is a rule, 

 under the authority of the vestry, that when the bell ceases to toll 

 all unoccupied seats are free. 1 myself should prefer to see every 

 seat free — save, it might be, out of courtesy to punctual Church- 

 goers, and to the necessities of age and infirmities — and I believe 

 the old adage would still preserve us from inconveniencies : — 



" Cloth of gold, be not too nice, 

 Though thou be match'd with cloth of frieze ; 

 Cloth of frieze, be not too bold, 

 Though thou be matched with cloth of gold." 



But the lower classes have their pride and their proprieties, and 

 there is still amongst us some of the leaven of our forefathers, whose 

 dames had their quarrels of precedence in 1626, as I have before 

 mentioned. 



In times still recorded from hear-say the custom of our Church- 

 going was very much more dignified than it is now. Instead of 

 the slip-slop tumbling into and out of Church at any moment, 

 and without any order or respect, the practice was this : the people 

 assembled for Church service before and inside the porch ; then 

 came the rector in his robes, and his dame in her silk apron, and 



