Parochial Accounts (1917)

Post date: Jan 30, 2014 5:6:39 PM

Extract from Parish magazine of June 1917

The issue of the Parish Magazine this month is later than usual owing to a desire to publish the Parochial Accounts. The Churchwardens' Accounts appeared in the May number. The accounts of the Parochial Missionary Association, the Freewill Offering for diocesan purposes, and some other funds are printed separately as convenience dictates. The accounts printed this month include (apart from the Churchwardens') all those which receive contributions from time to time from Church collections.

There were slight errors, both of printing and editing, in the estimate printed last month of the sum for which the Churchwardens would be liable at the end of this month. Here it is revised: Deficit, £30 2s. 3 1/2d.; Organist and Clerk, £10 10s. 0d.; Choristers, Blower and Sexton £2 15s.0d. Insurance, £9 2s. 6d.—total, £52 9s. 9 1/2d. Recent collections amounting to £10 8s. 6 reduced the sum to £42 1s. 3 1/2d.

A special appeal for £42 was made on June 10th. The details of the collections are as follows:—8 a.m., £10 15s. 1d.; Mattins, £29 14s. 3d.; Evensong, 9s. l0d.—total, —£40 19s. 2d. -made up of 142 separate notes and coins as follows:—1 cheque ; 4 five-pound notes; 7 half-pound; 4 half-crowns; 8 florins; 14 shillings; 15 sixpences; 3 threepences; 44 pennies; 30 half-pennies. Of the total sum £38 5s. 0d. was contributed by 13 offerings of 10s. and upwards; the balance (£2 14s. 2d.) in coins of 2s. 6d. and under. The deficit of £1 0s. 10d. has since been made up by a member of the congregation. The Churchwardens are to be congratulated on the their appeal. We venture to add that, if members of the congregation who regularly give of 2s. 6d. and under will double their offerings, and if those whose regular attendance is interrupted by illness or other cause will send their contributions or make up for them by an additional offering when they next attend Church service, there will be no need at the end of the financial year for any special appeal in future.

Mrs. Leney writes to say that "the few workers who kindly helped at the Orpines working party for Church Army Huts during March, April and May may like to know that nearly £6 garments were sent off, and gratefully acknowledged by the Church Army."

Completion of Hopping Accounts.—See statement published in October, 1916.

* To meet re-construction of Station Stall partly carried out.—G. M. LIVETT.

The Rummage Sale, held June 11^th, realised £13 5s. 0 1/2d. Additional Sales (up to date) £1 8s. 0d. Total, £14 13s. 0 1/2d.—a record, for which we are thankful.

The Whitsunday collections, for War-bonus, realised £32., Mr. Richards has been fortunate to find war work, more congenial than road-mending, at the Yalding soap works, when, on his return from a holiday, he will spend three hours daily—in the morning of Tuesday and Friday and the afternoon of other days of the week.

Jane Hutson, an old parishioner and regular Church-goer, who recently passed away after a distressing illness most patiently borne, was buried in Nettlestead churchyard, where many of her relations lie buried. The funeral was taken by the Vicar of Wateringbury, assisted by the Rev G.A.S. Adams, the new rector of Nettlestead.

At the close of Evensong on Trinity Sunday a memorial service was held for Alfred George Harding who went down on a destroyer some months ago, and Arthur Henry Hodge, formerly of Teston, the husband of Mabel Carter.

We also regret that we have to record the death of Ernest Joys, who recently fell in France leaving a widow (Alice, nee Pellatt) and two little children to mourn his loss.

Of Ralph Royds Brocklebank¹ his Brigadier wrote: "He did most splendid and gallant work in the very severe fighting this Brigade has been engaged in, and he was wounded fighting almost hand to hand in the village " (on the Arras front). And The Eton College Chronicle of May 31st says "When he left in July, 1915, he was already the finest oar, not only of that year, but of many years past ... Besides his physical endowments, nature had given him a character that combined in an almost unique degree both the qualities that win affection and those that command respect. Bubbling over with high spirits .... the example he set to all about him was beyond all praise. There could be no nothing mean, nothing underhand, where he was. Beneath his light-hearted gaiety was concealed a seriousness of purpose that rendered him inaccessible to evil."

[there follows accounts of the following, not reproduced: Sick and Poor Fund; Vicar's parochial fund; The Mission; Sunday schools; Bible Reading Union; Penny Bank; Church rooms; Mothers Union; Church collections.]

Notes:

1. Ralph Royds Brocklebank was one of the 5 sons of Thomas Brocklebank of Wateringbury Place. He is in a photo taken at Wateringbury Place in July 1916 with his 4 brothers published in "Tenth Cruiser Squadron Northern Patrol" by H.C.R.Brocklebank. The vicar's note is somewhat strange: as he was in his late 40s the fact that he left Eton College in 1915 is surprising. In 1901 he was a coal merchant on the Wirral, married with 2 children. He was a major in the King's regiment (Liverpool) 5th Btn and died 13th February 1921, aged 50, and is buried in Heswall Churchyard (St. Peter's ). He is recognised as a war casualty by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.