1490. Johanes Ozwell, Clerk, appointed Chaplain of Corpus Christi Guild.j 1499. Dñs Thomas Osse, appointed Chaplain to the Chauntry.k 1503. Maystr Robert Dieton, Vicar of Godmanchester.1 1504. Robert Aston, Vicar." 1534. John Alred, Presbiter, left property to the Guild of St. John the Baptist. 1534. Thoms Byllington, est Vicarius." 1534. Thomas Peynton, Chaplain of the Chauntry.o 1542. Cristofer Robie Clarke, Vicar, allowed to hold land conditionally.P 1550. William Samuel, Vicar, admitted to the Freedom of Godmanchester.q 1558. Robert Durant, Vicar of Godmanchester." 1590. Mr. Barnwell, Vicar. 1604. Rev. John Wibarne, Vicar, who officiated to March 1634; after whom the Cure was discharged by the Rev. G. Nelson, to June 1635. 1636. Rev. D. Gardiner, Vicar, who officiated until March 29th, 1644, when it was sequestered from him, and served by occasional Ministers until the year 1651.t j Vide p. 267. k Vide p. 262. m Ibid. P Vide p. 249. 1 Alluded to in the Court Rolls of that year. n Valor Ecclesiasticus, p. 240. • Ibid. q "Ad hanc Cur' venit Willm Samuell, Vicar de Godmanchestr' et admissus est ad lib'tatem ville et solvit p'fin'm ut in capite et jurat est. Fin. 6s. Sd."-Vide Court Rolls. r Vide Pleadings in the Star Chamber relative to the Free School. "Mr. John Wibarne, Batcheloure in Divinity and Vicar of this Parish, was buried the 15th day of June, 1635.”—Godm. Burial Reg. t Vol. 459 of the Lansdown MSS. Brit. Mus, professes to be 1651. The Rev. John Badcock, Vicar, presented thereto by the Sequestrators and Commissioners of the Commonwealth." 1691. The Rev. James Heywood, Vicar, presented by the Dean and Chapter of Westminster." 1729. The Rev. Charles Potter, Vicar. He officiated four years himself, and then by four successive Curates, viz: the Rev. John Dowsing, Rev. Skinner Spencer, Rev. William Warner, and Rev. Charles Southgate. 1759. The Rev. William Williams, Vicar," who officiated for fifteen years, viz. to 1774. The Cure was "A Register of Church Livings, with their actual incomes, and the names of the Patrons and Incumbents. At p. 95, it states that there is no incumbent; the Cure is supplied by hired ministers, it being sequestered from Mr. Garner, the Vicar.' It is supposed to have been made about the year 1644, for the use of the Commissioners appointed in the Act for ejecting scandalous, ignorant, and insufficient Ministers."-Vide Index to Lansdown MSS. Brit. Mus. u In 1651, “Mr. John Badcock was presented thereto by the Sequestrators and Commissioners of those times. Mr. Badcock complying, it seems, with the terms of the Bartholomew Act, sat Vicar here from 1651 to 1691, viz. 40 ann.: and in the same year, about Midsummer, the Dean and Chapter of Westminster presented to the vacancy (upon Mr. Badcock's decease) James Heywood, A.M., then student of Christ Church, Oxon, who is, through God's mercy and good providence, the present Vicar of Godmanchester and Lecturer of Huntingdon."—Vide the above in the MS. of James Heywood, prefixed to a Parish Register, "dated 22 die Nov. An. Dom. 1721."-Upwards of 2000 Ministers were ejected by what is called the Bartholomew Act, which passed August 24th, 1662, for non-conforming. ▾ Institution Rolls, Buckden Palace. w Ibid. subsequently performed under him by the Rev. William Panchen. 1777. The Rev. Thomas Rutterforth, licensed Prelector, August, 1777.x 1782. The Rev. Matthew Salmon, Vicar.y The Cure served by the Rev. Castle Sherard, then Lessee of the Rectorial Tithes, and the Rev. William Panchen. 1797. The Rev. Joseph Wattson, Vicar. 1806. The Rev. James Chartres, Vicar;a who was served in the Cure by the Rev. P. C. Sherard to 1810, Rev. J. R. Wardle to 1813, Rev. Thomas Stanley, LL.D. to 1815, and who then officiated himself until 1823. 1823. The Rev. William Tournay, D.D., Vicar. The Cure was performed by the Rev. Henry Parsons. 1829. The Rev. Charles Gray, present Vicar, whose Cure is performed by the Rev. James Smyth. с * Institution Rolls, Buckden Palace. y Ibid. z Ibid. c Ibid. سال 287 CHAPTER X. THE CHURCH. N our Ecclesiastical History is noticed the early existence of a Church in Godmanchester, and which, probably, in some form, however rude, originated when Christianity became the adopted religion of the country. In the reigns of Edgar, William the Conqueror, and Stephen, the revenues of the Church were appropriated; but the precise date of erection of the present structure, which is entered by a descent of three steps, is now involved in doubt; the remains of its rood loft, and style of architecture, refer it to the middle Catholic ages, when ornamental tracery was generally introduced in our religious edifices. It is built in the light and mixed Gothic or early English style, so much adopted in the reign of Henry 7th, and consists of a naive, aisles, and chancel, the roofs of which are of timber covered with lead. The naive is separated from the aisles on each side by five corresponding high pointed arches rising from light shafts, and from the chancel by a large high pointed arch, now partly panneled up, and bearing in front of it the King's arms, splendidly emblazoned. The interior of the Church was remodelled in the year 1827, when the reading desk and pulpit, formerly situated in the north centre of the naive, were removed to the south junction of the naive and chancel, where the minister may be heard and seen by the congregation to the greatest advantage. Before the corresponding pillar at the north entrance of the chancel, is the Bailiffs' pew, which, together with those of the Assistants, Town Clerk, and Sub-bailiff, fill up the eastern termination of the naive. The Assistants' seats, with their lofty wainscot backs, possess much of their antient splendour, but their original character is concealed by the erection of modern pews before them. They form a continuation of curiously carved comfortable arm chairs, with turn-up seats, fashioned after the manner of cathedral prebendal stalls, and their a In the reign of Henry 3d, a style of architecture was introduced, which, from its singular high pointed arch, and to distinguish it from the semicircular Saxon, universally went by the name of Gothic; but it has been suggested, that the term English would be more appropriate, there being very little doubt that the high pointed arch, struck from two centres, was invented in this country, where it was brought to its highest state of perfection. |