Thomas Willis, curate (1820s)

Post date: Jul 05, 2012 10:0:12 AM

Dr Thomas Willis is listed as vicar of Wateringbury from 1800 to 1827. His son, also a Reverend Thomas Willis, seems to have served as curate to his father for a period of time in the 1820s and various notes he made on ecclesiastical matters are to be found in the Kent Archives (KAO P385/1/3)and these have been transcribed and published in in Kentish Sources, Volume 7, Kent and the Oxford Movement . The editor, Nigel Yates, comments that Dr. Thomas Willis seems to have been fairly inactive in the parish after 1825 and his son's concern about the detail of liturgical matters is interesting: "he was clearly a moderate reformer, possibly influenced by Evangelism. The large and infrequent confirmation services he describes were typical of those held in the pre-railway age when the ability of bishops to travel around their dioceses was severely restricted".

He noted that at Christmas 1826 "the singers sang one Hymn for the Day, but not the attached to the New Version of the Psalms. I am determined from this time to refuse the singing of any Hymn or Psalms which are not in the authorized versions, the Old and New Versions. I conceive I might as well read a Psalm not in the Prayer Book, as they sing one not authorized by the Head of our Church." (quoted in Religion and Society in Kent, 1640-1914 by Nigel Yates, Robert Hume and Paul Hastings. page 29)

The documents include his notes

1. on a Confirmation held at West Malling:

   • he had had just 3 weeks notice.

   • there were 97 people confirmed from Wateringbury.

   • the Church was filled twice.

   • "The Bishop laid his hands upon four at a time by joining two heads together, and laying one of his hands upon two heads".

2. on the seating capacity of Wateringbury Church

• • "Allowing 15 inches to a sitting"

  • "since the year 1826 the Church has 320 Free Sittings for ever and 290 Appropriated Sittings. 610 in all".