P34/8/1

Vestry Minute book Regular business includes election of officers, passing of accounts, rates and rating etc. Occasional business includes: 1841 Alterations to Mr. Daniel Fossey and Mr. Abraham Fossey's pews 1842 Settlement of Henry Green 1844 Rateable values and rate demands for County, Police, Surveyors, and Poor 1847 Church rate - notice of meeting "not quite legal"; further notices of meetings destroyed or taken away; matter put to poll of ratepayers; further difficulties 1849 Reduced rateable values on several specified properties. Agreed to have a hired collector to collect all parochial rates. William Holland undertook to do this for £10, and if this sum be disallowed by the auditors the Vestry agreed to levy money "in any other way that may be considered more desirable". 1850 Rates on tenements rated at less than £6 to be assessed on landlord and not on tenant 1851 Subscription to pay Churchwardens' arrears, as Church rates very difficult to collect 1853 Church to be re-roofed. Faculty to be obtained for substituting tiles or slates for lead. Old materials to be sold (lead and timber). Plans and estimates to be procured from a competent architect. 1855 Church roof. Report of Mr. [Lewis] Roumieu, architect, of Lancaster Place, London, received and adopted. New roof to be built over Nave, and expenses to be paid by voluntary subscription rather than Church rate 1856 Subscriptions for repairs. 14 January. Dean and Chapter of St. Pauls Cathedral ordered their surveyor, Mr. Henry Hunt of Parliament Street, Westminster, to survey the Chancel. Parish to be represented on the occasion of Mr. Hunt's visit by Mr. Roumieu. To advertise for tenders for Chancel restoration 14 March. Bank account opened for restoration. Newscutting giving advertisement for tenders and details recorded of tenders of 10 builders for work on Church and Chancel - that of E.O. Williams of Luton accepted 25 March. Contract entered into with E.O. Williams 25 Sept. Letter from Board of Guardians re formation of a Nuisance removal Committee. Completion of new nave roof. Bank failure of Smith & Whittingstall of Hemel Hempstead, with whom cash balance of restoration fund was lodged 1857 Printed accounts re repairs of Church. Collection of poor rates in Luton Union. Copies of correspondence from Luton Board of Guardians, re election of assistant overseer of the Poor. 1858 James Matthews, landlord of the "Farmers Boy" public house had quit the parish some years since in debt to surveyors - sum of 12s. 3d. to be expunged from accounts. Printed churchwardens accounts, 1857-8 1858 Rating of land occupied by Mr. J.J.F. Dawson 1859 Balance of fund for restoring the roof to be used for setting up a stove in the Chancel Discrepancies in accounts of the Board of Guardians Statement of Kensworth parish in account with Luton Poor Law Union for the year ending Michaelmas 1858

1841-1859

From: 1841 To: 1859

item

Fossey, Daniel,
Fossey, Abraham,
Green, Henry,
Holland, William,
Roumieu, Lewis,
Hunt, Henry,
Williams, E O,
Smith & Whittingstall,
Matthews, James,
Dawson, J.J.F.

London Lancaster Place, Westminster Parliament Street, LUTON, Hemel Hempstead, elections, rates, settlements, accounts, County, police, surveyors, Church Rate, rate collector, money, Landlord, tenancy, churchwardens, roofing, lead, timber, plans, architect, deans, advertisements, builder, PRESS, letters, Poor Rate, business correspondence, Overseers, Kensworth Farmer's Boy, debt, Poor Law Unions, bank accounts