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THE PARISH CHURCH (part 2).

In the year 1392, this church contained two Altars, situate in a chapel* at the back of the chancel, one dedicated to St. Trinity the other to St. Mary, at which two Cantarists were appointed (by the bailiffs of East Retford) to minister daily: for the conducting and support of which the following copy of an ancient document will present a detail.

COMMUNITIES CHANTRY, 16 AUG: AD. 1392.

"The Bailiffs and Comunity of the Town of Retford. having obtained the King’s license to amortize, &c. &c. by the consent of Tho: Abp. of York, and his Chapter, gave, and by their Charter, confirmed to God, St. Mary, and All Saints, and to the Altars of St. Trinity and St. Mary, built in the parish Church of East Retford, and to Sir John, son of Robert Browne, of Tyreswell, and Stephen Maudelene, Chaplens, and their successors, the annual rent of £16. 8^s sterling, issuing out of 9 Messuages and 6 Tofts, in the Town of East Retford, payable quarterly, every year to the said Chaplens, and their successors, for celebrating masses, and other divine services, at the said Altars for ever, under the forms following, &c. And also that there be annually on the 4th of December one special obiit celebrated for them and their Cormunity by the Vicar of the Church, for the time being, and the said two Chaplens with Placeto and Dirige, &c. And that the Vicar after the end thereof shall have 6d. and the two Chaplens 3d. a piece, paid by them and their successors, the Bayliffs of the town, &c. and that in every vacation of these Chauntries, that the presentation thereunto do (plenojure) belong to them, the said Bayliffs, and their Community for ever."

A Catalogue of the First Cantarists for St. Trinity’s Altar.

Early in the 16^th century it was found that this chapel, from age and decay, must soon become a heap of ruins, and several other parts of the church had become considerably delapidated from the same cause, it was resolved that the chapel should be entirely demolished, and the church repaired with the old materials. This took place in 1528, when a stone, of which following is an inscription, was placed over the door formerly the entrance to the chapel, as a record of the event.

ANO MVNDI: 5526
ANO CHRISTI: 1582:

In comparing the dates of the above it will appear evident; that a two-fold error has been committed. First, a chronological,—Secondly, a clerical, one. As. it respects the first it will not excite much surprise if we consider the defective state of chronological computations at that period, because, until the immortal Newton finally completed his theory, the data on which calculations of this nature had been made, were extremely erroneous, and an error of six years might easily be accounted for; but when we find 1582 substituted for 1528, we may suppose the mistake to have originated with the engraver, who has either not discovered it,—or discovering, has thought the alteration unnecessary. Be this, however, as it may, it is certain that the stone was placed there in 1528, to commemorate the event previously alluded to.

After the body of the church had undergone a thorough repair, I find little worthy of particular notice respecting it: (with the exception of a regular and uninterrupted succession of vicars,) until the year 1651, when the tower, the chancel, and a considerable portion of the rest of the building was blown down. The following minute, dated November 4th, 1652; from the books of the Corporation, is almost the only document now remaining relative to the event; it states,

"That the greatest part of the church of East Retford, by the fall of the steeple, and other parts, had become very ruinous and made a heap of stones, and the remainder was much shaken and injured.; that the inhabitants had been at a great charge and cost to repair the part of the church which was standing, but were unable to re-build what had fallen down, (the town being full of poor people, unable to contribute towards the charge, and being themselves chargeable to the rest of the inhabitants;) that the bailiffs, aldermen, and council of the town, (whose names were subscribed,) had endeavoured, with the consent of the common burgesses, or the greater part of them, to procure the assistance of the neighbouring towns towards so pious a work, but finding that course fail, they did, therefore, with one consent, order and decree, that all the messuages, cottages, lands, and hereditaments, belonging to the Corporation, or wherein they had any estate of freehold, either as trustees for the use of the Free Grammar School, or otherwise, in villages, hamlets, or parishes of Kirton, Willoughby and Walesby, in the county of Nottingham, should sold in fee-farm, only reserving the ancient and accustomed yearly rent then paid, or payable to the bailiffs and burgesses for the use of the said school, and the monies which should be raised, by such sale, show be employed towards re-building and repairing the church and steeple." The charge of re-building whole, amounted to about £1600 of which the great portion was paid by the Corporation.

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