Reference
P68/5/2
Title
Churchwardens’ account book (receipts and detailed disbursements)
Date free text
1770-1851
Production date
From: 1770 To: 1851
Scope and Content
Regular business includes receipts from rents of Church Land, Church House etc., sales of timber, faggotts and reeds and rushes etc. and fishing rights; appointment of churchwardens; expenditure on Visitation expenses, confirmation dinners, ringing and purchase of bell ropes, communion bread and wine, cleaning the clock, minor repairs, cleaning, cutting and churchyard, repairs to the Church House, whipping the dogs etc.
Occasional expenditure includes the following:
-new gate for church lot [1770];
-hedging, fencing and other expenses on account of Inclosure [1770-1772];
-sale of timber grown on church land; repairs to treble bell wheel [1771];
-building up of churchyard walls; ditching and “bushing the rails” at church lot [1772];
-new pews made by Robert White of Bedford, with ironwork supplied by Mr.Leach; purchase of deal [1773];
-“pd for a set of bell Ropes Saley work’d in” [see P 68/5/1]; new Bible for church cost 31/16/-; carriage and purchase of “Ribon for the Book”; “pd the Clark for writing an inventory of the Utensils and Estates Belonging to the Church” [see P 68/2/1/2] [1775];
-masonry work at Church House; new pulpit, sounding board and desk, £12, and new pew etc. £4 [1776];
-repairs to church clock by Mr.Cavit [1778];
-new bell stock for third bell; repairs to roof and new lead [1779];
-glazier’s bill, £2/4/5½ [1786];
-“pd Mr.Cavit for making the New Church Clock” 320; thatching Church House [1790];
-purchase of new pair of sconces for desk [1794];
-taking down treble bell, recasting at St.Neots [Huntingdonshire], carriage and rehanging etc. paid to Robert Taylor (bellfounder) £8/17/8 [1796];
-“pd for a Lanthern for the use of the Church” 2s.9d.[1798];
- purchase of new pitch pipe and new psalm books; new pews and porch gates made by Francis Hewlett [1801];
-repairs to churchyard wall, sorting old stone, carriage of new stone and coping etc. [1805];
-gravel for the churchyard [1811];
-“pd for the Iron Chest” £2, glaziers bill of £13/13/- [1814];
-“painting the King’s Arms, writing the Commandments, Sentences etc.” – £18 paid to Mr.Richardson for the work [1818];
-extensive repairs involving scaffolding, by Mr.Berrill, £47 [1825];
-teaching the singers to sing; “paid for the weather cock of the church” 31/16/-; Sunday School first mentioned [1826];
-new church chest £6/6/-; new stove for church bought from Messrs Saunders and Williams for £6/3/-; church clock cleaned and altered by Mr.Clare [details given] [1832];
-repairs to church (£264) and loan from Mr.T.A.Green towards the cost [1841];
-whitewashing the church and colouring the roof [1845];
-repainting the church and painting the border around the sentences etc.; vestry minute regarding erection of Vestry on north side of the tower under the superintendence of Mr.Wing, architect [1847];
-building the vestry and other work on the church [1848];
-mending the organ stool [first mention of the organ] [1849]
Also includes Vestry minutes 1847-1850
[At back] note of debt by the Surveyors of the Highways to the churchwardens for £9/1/11¾ paid by the churchwardens to John Rogers [Inclosure Commissioner] for charges and hedging [c.1770].
Notes of leases of church land 1772, 1781, 1796, 1803 and 1826
Level of description
item