Nottinghamshire history > Notes on the History of the parish of Ordsall

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Churchwarden's account Book.

It was resolved that the sum of £10 be allowed out of the Church Rate.

In 1832, a special Church Eate of 6d. in the pound was declared for repairs to the Church. This realised £64, and the Wardens also sold gravel for 9/- to the Overseer of Highways. The accounts for 1832 include the following items:—

		£	s.	d.
Nov. 5	Given to the Ringers		5	0
Dec. 17	Timothy Outram, 6 days		10	0
	John Ollivant, 6 days		12	0

[Many other such wage items occur, showing the wage rate was either 2/- or 1/8 a day according to skill]

Dec. 31

Ringers at Xmas & New Tear

April 6

(There were only 3 bells then) T. Bunting, ringing the bell (This was a year's salary)
2 locks for the Stocks

May 24

The Singers' Supper
Parish allowance, Visitations

2
3

19
3

0
0

[The Churchwardens and Clergy had to attend two Visitations a year, in the spring and autumn. This was a generous allowance for expenses, as the meeting was held in Retford]

5 bottles wine for Sacrament	17	6
Bread		8

[Another Church Rate of 1/ in the pound was declared in October]

Nov. 15	Visitation Fees	1	3	8
Feb. 16	Stephen Hemsworth, for the Singers' Supper	1	18	6
May 3	Stephen Hemsworth, salary	7	0	0

[He was Parish Clerk, 1826-1865, and also landlord of the Gate Inn]

May 16	Book for Publication of Banns	4	6
Sept. 19	Letter from Tickhill		6
	(Letters were sent by coach or messenger)

At the Vestry Meeting on April 9th, 1833, William Jackson and Thomas Swinburn were elected Wardens.

Thos. Holmes was appointed "bedell" (beadle) at a salary of one guinea a year.

The Beadle's duty was to summon Vestry Meetings and open the doors of the pews for people.

The Vestry Book spelling is sometimes extraordinary.

School House, April 3rd, 1834.

A meeting was held to take into consideration the improvement of the singing in the Church.

May 15	Rev. C. Bigsby, for attending
	Visitation	2	0

[The Wardens always paid for the Parson's dinner as well as their own out of Church funds at the Visitations of the Bishop and Archdeacon]

June 17	For bodes (boards) for the Church roof	2	0
	A letter from Hull		8
1835
July 4	John Olivant, for a new post for the Churchyard gate	4	0
1836
Mar. 5	A pew let to G. Fulgamn (Foljambe Esq. for 1 year, Number 9, at £1 a year

[Churchwardens were ready to sell pews to anybody in those days, to increase their funds. "We had the same unworthy traffic at E. Retford about that time]

Nov. 14	1 pound of wax candles		2	6
Jan. 1	1 almack (almanack)			6
April 6	James Blagg, for playing in
	the Church Thomas Holmes, for pew	5	0	0
	"Hoping". Stephen Hemsworth, Clerk's	1	1	0
	Wage	7	0	0
May 18	Mr. Bigsby, for him books	2	0	0
1838
June 7	Church porch repairing		7	0
28	Ringing on the "Crouneation " (Coronation of Queen Victoria)		6	0
Feb. 4	Paid for 2 bell ropes		10	0
June 28	3 meetings in the school for the Overseers of the Poor		3	0
May 18 Paid for a Prayer Book			16	7
	(For the Clergy Desk)
Easter 1839 to Easter 1840—
April 16	Mr. Pennyton, for 400 of quick		5	0
1840	T. Holmes, 3 days ground preparing for quick (hedge)		5	0
Sept. 9	To a man in distress		3	6
	A pound of candles			7
Nov. 25	Court Fees (The Archdeacon's Court at the Visitation)		16	2
1842
Dec. 1	Cartage for slate for Church Porch		2	0
Jan. 19	1 strike of coakes			6
1843
June 1	Paid for new Surplice	2	15	6
(Surplices were very long like cassocks then)
1845		£	s.	d.
June 4 1846	Pd. Samuel Cookson, Refreshment at Confirmation		8	7
Nov. 17	Triennial Visitation, Lord Bishop of Lincoln		16	2
	Michaelmas Visitation		16	8
1847
Jan. 14	Robert Stead for 1 year's salary for being beadle	1	0	0
July 14	A. Cuckson Refreshment at Confirmation		14	8
Oct 16	Mr. Hodson, Bill Forty Forms of Prayer		2	6
Nov. 12	William Black, Bill to Repairing the Bells		6	0
	Spring Visitation Court Fees		19	3
	Michaelmas Visitation, Visitation Allowance to		17	8
	Churchwardens	2	2	0

[These were the Fees at the Annual Visitations of the Archdeacon and the Wardens received £1/1/0 each for their expenses for the day.]

The total amount of Church Expenses for each of these years was about £46, which was raised by Church Bates.

1848
June 5	Paid Hudson for Bell Oil		10	0
Nov. 30	Paid for Bible and Prayer Book for the Church	3	10	6
1849
July 6	Paid for the Church Cleaning		10	7
	Triennial Visitation		16	2

[Once in three years the Bishop holds a Visitation instead of the Archdeacon.]

Oct. 29	Paid W. Cole for 7 month's Clerkship	1	15	0
1850
April 2	Paid R. Steads for 3 month's Clerkship		15	0
	Paid W. Clarkson for 2 month's Clerkship		10	0
1851
Apr. 18	Paid James Blagg for Playing Music in Church	2	10	0
May 27	Paid J. Colton as per bill for Wine	1	18	0

(Communion was celebrated as a rule four times a year.)

1853
Oct. 6	Paid R. Steads for a Wand	6

The beadle had a special wand to keep children in order in Church. Some of our old people can remember this being used with great effect during service. In some old Churches the children sat up in a gallery and there was a special dosk, like a schoolmaster's for the beadle. The wand was fairly long in order to reach the head of any distant offender. R. Steads was Parish Clerk for 5 years.

1853
June 9	Henry Cook 1 day Cutting Sods round ye Churchyard
1854	Pales. Do. S. Hemsworth	4	0
Jan. 6	Paid J. Blagg & S. Hemsworth for sweeping snow off the Church Leads and Walls	2	0

[Apparently the Organist considered this his duty in those days-]

As there was a balance in hand of £37, it was decided to buy the Harmonium in the Church from Mr. J. Blagg for £32. The Church rate was declared 1½d. in the pound.

1858
Feb. 3	Paid Brown & Cutts for 1 dozen of Wine	2	2	0
1859
Aug. 12	Pd. for 7 Loads of Ashes		3	6
1864
Jan.	Paid for a Book of Offices of the Church		4	6
Dec. 2	Pd. Cox & Son for a Surplice	2	0	0
1869
Mar. 29	Pd. Ann Hemsworth for Ale per Bill		15	0

[This item is no longer allowed in Churchwardens' Accounts, but frequently it appears in old days, especially for the benefit of Ringers at special times.] In the year 1870 the accounts were signed by Rev. Thos. King for the last time.

1873	A Vestry Meeting was held in the School on Dec. 19th at 12 noon.
1.	Proposed by Mr. Waddington, seconded by Mr. Creighton, "That the Vestry empower the Rector and Churchwardens to apply to the Bishop for a Faculty to alter, amend, enlarge and repair the Parish Church of Ordsall.
2.	Proposed by Mr. Waddington, seconded by Mr. Blagg "That the Chairman be requested to call a meeting within one calender month from this date of persons willing to contribute to the above object." S. K. Stothert, Rector.

1874

1. A list of Constables was sent in by the Vestry to the local Magistrates. Antony Gale, Carpenter; William Lambert, Gardener; Robert Jackson Blacksmith. Antony Gale was elected.

2. Mr. Hibbert and Mr. Jackson were both proposed as Waywarden. Mr. Jackson was finally elected. His duties were presumably to look after the roads and lanes.

3. Mr. G. Mudford and Mr. T. Birket were appointed Overseers of the Poor.

4. Payment of 15/- to Mr. A. Gale was sanctioned, probably for his duties as Constable.

The Constable's short staff or wooden truncheon is now in the possession of the Rector. It was given to him by the late Mr. C. Gale, of High Street, son of the above Mr. A. Gale. It was painted black, with a crown and the letter O in gilt. It has evidently had much hard use. The village Constable was elected to keep order and was responsible to the local Justices of the Peace.

1875

It was carried in the Vestry that the Chairman write to the M.S. & L. Co. in regard to alterations at the level crossing from Ordsall to G.N. Station. This must refer to the time when the second tunnel under the G.C. Section was made. The old footpath up the slope by the cattle market can still be seen.

1877		£	s.	a.
July 17	Paid Mr. Campbell for assistance rendered to congregation whilst worshipping in Ordsall Board School	£10	0	0

[Thrumpton School was used for nearly a year while the Church was being restored; it was reopened on October 31st, 1877.

Sept. 19	Carriage of Communion Plate from Birmingham after being repaired and cleaned		1	9
Oct. 27	Bourne's A/c, repairing Communion Plate	1	10	0
Nov. 6	Mr. Wilmshurst, engraved Alms Dish	2	10	0
April 15	Mudford's bill for bell-ropes	3	14	6

1877. At a meeting held at Mr. Radcliffe's on Friday, 6th July, the Rector in the chair.

Proposed that the contract for the restoration of the tower he left in the hands of the Churchwardens to make the best bargain they can.

The best thanks of the meeting be given to Messrs. White & Wells for the trouble they had taken, and proposal to order the new organ from Messrs. Brindley & Forster for £300. Power also to negotiate with, the builders for preparation for future stops to the amount of £20.

1879		£	s.	d.
Dec. 25	Ringers	3	3	0
	[There were then only three bells]
1881
Nov. 25	New oak Chancel Screen, as paid by Mr. Newbold	12	10	0
	Removing old Screen		10	0
	New Encaustic Tiles, and fixing	7	12	0

This is interesting, as it shows what happened to the old screen. It was first of all moved to the-tower in 1831, and then moved back to the Chancel at the Restoration. But Mr. Newbold, of Ordsall Hall, had given the new stained glass East Window in memory of a relative who was blind; he thought the screen obscured the new window, and collected the money for the present small oak partition, on condition that the old screen was moved back to the tower.

1881
Dec. 26	To the Ringers for ringing Church bells twice every Sunday during the year	3	3	0
Dec. 14	Armstead & Vasey of Sheffield for oak choir stalls	42	0	0
1893
Aug. 3	Taylor's men at trial of the bells, July 22nd		5	0

1891, December. The Ringers reported the bells were unsafe to ring. There are now three bells: No. 1, un-dated; No. 2, 1661; No. 3, 1743. John Taylor & Co. estimated the framework to be about 400 years old, and reported "the smallest bell is cracked and will have to be re-cast." All fittings must be renewed as they were entirely worn out. No. 1 was re-cast; Nos. 2 and 3 were quarter-turned and tuned, and three new bells were added. The whole peal become as follows:

1,	3 cwt.	4,	5 cwt.
2,	4 cwt.	5,	5¾ cwt.
3,	5 cwt.	6,	7 cwt.

New oak beams were put in to carry the floor; also a new floor for the Ringers to stand on, and another floor midway up the tower to replace an old one. New Louvres in all the tower windows. From the old oak beams were made a chair for the Sanctuary, an alms box for the pillar, and two small platforms for the font and pulpit. The bells were dedicated by the Rt. Rev. E. A. Were, D.D.., Bishop of Derby. One bell was given by Mr. C. T. Scrimshaw at a cost of £40 (the present 3rd) in memory of his wife. The total cost was £200 and £40 for the wood floors.

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