A Tale of Missing Clergy

 

The Norris family had a strong connection with the village from 1822 through to 1869. The Rev. George Poole Norris was rector here from 1816-1869. There is further reference to the poor having an interest of £100 left by the Rev. Norris. This is not, however, the full picture.

After the Rev. Norris's death on the 24th March 1869 "at the ripe old age of 78", the local press reported that:

"He was instituted to East Anstey on the 19th November 1816, but neither the beauties of the scenery in that neighbourhood, nor the duties of a parochial minister, appear to have had any charms for him, for he dwelt among his flock for eighteen months only, and then left to pursue in the genial climes of Cornwall, the more profitable business of mining, which is said to have yielded him a princely fortune. It so happened that about the period of his departure, the adjoining parish of West Anstey fell vacant, and the Dean and Chapter of Exeter, who were its patrons, were called upon toed a vicar there. What passed within the portals of the Chapter House in 1819 it is impossible to say. It may be that the Reverend George Maximilian Slatter was complaining of the slender income of his office of priest vicar, and was supplicating his more fortunate brethren, the wealthy canons, for an augmentation of his stipend, for his melodious daily services in the Cathedral. That the request was reasonable we cannot doubt; but the marvellous part of this story is, that those grave and venerable men, generally so astute in this world's affairs, should, among their vast resources, have thought of no other fund for augmentation than the income of the vacant living. That the spiritual wants of the parishioners did not form part of their deliberations is certain, for the venerable, we cannot say discreet body, actually met Mr Slatter's request, by appointing him to the vicarage, well knowing that, as it was thirty miles off, it was utterly impossible for him to discharge, or to assist even in the discharge, of his vicarial duties. Mr Slatter was instituted to West Anstey on the 15th February, 1819, and matters were soon arranged between him and Mr Norris , for these two worthies appointed one curate to do their duties in the two parishes, at their joint expense, and the arrangement continued down to 1858, when Dr. Slatter…died. A great deal has been said about the abuses of the Church in Ireland…it is impossible to conceive two cases of greater injustice than those presented to our readers."

The paper later states that after paying for a curate the Rev. Norris "would be about £40,000 in the family coffers, for which no service has been rendered to God or man"

A Petition was presented to "the Commons House of Parliament by Mr Acland, and which will shortly be presented by Earl Fortescue to the House of Lords."

The petition sets forth:

"That the parishes of East and West Anstey adjoin each other and form together an area of 6,353 acres, with a population of 536 souls, in the Northern division of the County of Devon.

That the parish of East Anstey is a rectory , in private patronage, with an income of £168 from Tithe Rent Charge, a rectory house and 109 acres of glebe, with a population of 237 – that the Reverend George Poole Norris, the present rector, was instituted in 1816; and, although he has no other clerical office, he has taken no part in the spiritual ministration of the parish for more than 50 years, but resides in his mansion of Rosecraddock, near Liskeard, in the county of Cornwall.

That the parish of West Anstey is a vicarage, in the patronage of the Dean and Chapter of Exeter, with an income of £112 from Tithe Rent Charge, a vicarage house and 37 acres of glebe, and a population of 299 - that the Rev. George Maximilian Slatter was instituted to the vicarage in 1819, on the presentation of the Dean and Chapter of Exeter, he being at that time one of the Priest Vicars of their Cathedral Church; that he held such vicarage and his Cathedral office until his death, in 1868; and as his Cathedral appointment required his daily service, it was impossible for him to take any part in the parochial ministrations of the parish to which he had been appointed, such parish being thirty miles distant from his Cathedral, and it is a notorious fact, much commented on, that he was never seen in West Anstey but twice, except when he came for the sole purpose of receiving his tithes.

That on Mr Slatter's death, in May last, the inhabitants of West Anstey memorialised the patrons as follows:

"To the Venerable the Dean and Chapter of the Cathedral Church of Exeter, -The memorial of the undersigned inhabitants of the parish of West Anstey,'Sheweth ,- That the said parish, which is a vicarage in a remote part of the Northern Division of the County of Devon, contains an area of 3008 acres and a population of 299 souls –that your Venerable Body are not only patrons of the vicarage, but owners of the rectorial tithes of the said Parish – That in the month of February 1819, the Reverend George Maximilian Slatter, now recently deceased, was appointed vicar of the said vicarage, but having held also an appointment in your Cathedral he was unable to reside on his benefice, and for a period of 50 years the parish has been without a resident minister – that previous to the appointment of the said Reverend George Maximilian Slatter there was a resident minister with a double Sunday service; but for the last 50 years the parishioners have had to be content with an alternate morning and afternoon service by the curate of the adjoining parish of East Anstey, in which parish the present rector, who was appointed in 1816, has also been non resident for 50 years- That your memorialists believe that so flagrant a neglect of the spiritual wants of the parishioners, for so long a period of 50 years, is not only injurious to the community but a scandal to the church. Your memorialists therefore humbly pray that in the appointment of a new vicar the spiritual welfare of the parishioners may be regarded, and that the services of a pious, sober, and discreet clergyman, who will permanently reside on his benefice, may be secured. – West Anstey, 4th May, 1868'

That a copy of such memorial, signed by 114 of the inhabitants, of whom 32 were marksmen, was sent to the Bishop of the Diocese, and the Dean and Chapter of Exeter subsequently appointed to the vacant living, who is now residing in the Vicarage House.

That for half a century the two incumbents of East and West Anstey have from time to time appointed one curate to do their duties in the two parishes at their joint expense; but on the appointment of a new vicar to West Anstey, the curate, having lost one part of his stipend, left, and for months past the parish of East Anstey has been without any curate at all.

That the parishioners of East Anstey, after deploring their spiritual neglect, held a vestry meeting on the 17th December last, pursuant to notice, when it was unanimously resolved:

1.'That the spiritual destitution to which this place has been reduced through the rector's absence from this parish for half a century, whereby the education of the young, the pastoral care of the poor, the visitation of the sick, and other clerical duties, have to a lamentable extent been neglected, demands from the parishioners the most serious attention and action.'

2.'That with a recollection that those evils have been permitted during the whole period of the Bishop's rule and government , it is useless to look for relief in that quarter, and that in the opinion of this meeting the best mode of redress will be recording the ecclesiastical history of East and West Anstey in the form of a Petition to Parliament, and that a Petition for redress be prepared accordingly, to be signed by the inhabitants of both parishes.'

That a copy of the resolution of such vestry meeting has been sent to the Bishop, but the rector continues to reside at Rosecraddock, in the County of Cornwall, and to take no part in the spiritual ministrations in his parish, and there is no curate there to represent him.

Your Petitioners therefore humbly pray your Honourable House to take these facts into consideration, and to pass a law to prevent any incumbent from being so long absent from his benefice as half a century, and to shield and protect Her Majesty's Subjects, from the grievous neglect and injustice to which the parishioners of East and West Anstey have been subjected for the last fifty years.

Here follow the signatures of: 1 county magistrate, 7 landowners, 231 farmers, shopkeepers, and others- total 239 out of a population of 636 inhabitants."