Stepney Folk |
Impoverished Ministers, In 1580 the church's late minister, Thomas Parris, was aged and blind. He had been previously appointed to the Rectory of Chipping Ongar on 19 October 1557. 10 shillings would be paid for three years for his upkeep provided he lived that long. It was decided at this time to build a gallery on the south side of the middle aisle to allow for additional seating. As far as the upkeep of the church was concerned it was the reluctant parishioners who were expected to pay for the work and when the charges for pews was insufficient the price was raised. The outstanding money and how to collect it was a subject discussed time and again over the years. In 1601 the vestry ordered that Francis Whitacres, the sexton should be dismissed because he 'did bidd ffrancis Snow shake his eares emonng dogges when he was churchwarden.' To the clerk he had suggested that they should take whatever benefit they could from their positions or else they would die beggars. Edward Edgeworth was curate from 1613 and was not very popular. One lady parishioner gave her opinion of him. 'That Mr Edgeworthe, curate of Stepney parish, was a damned dogg, and that she would rather goe to hear a cartwheel creak, and a dogg bark, than to hear him preach.' Machyn was a 16th century historian and he wrote that at St Katheryne beyond the Toure the ale wyfe at the Syne of the Rose, a taverne was set up for ettyng of rowe (raw) flesh and rostyd bowth, and four women were sett in the stokes all night till the hosbandes dyd feyche them home'. This tavern continued to be notorious into the next century. The vestry on August 1647 was concerned with the sexton's behaviour ... 'William Culham the now Sexton of the Parish Church had demeaned himselfe in a very uncivil and disorderly manner towards the Parishioners & hath beene a contemner & scoffer of them that are godly & also hath beene very negligent in the performance of his place, And notwithstanding his knowledge of the intentions of the Parish to suppress a victualling house knowne by the signe of the Rose which house is his by Lease and att his disposeing whereof hee had tymely notice did in affront against the Parish furnish the house with Beare & place his sonne therein of whom there is divers complaints concerning disorders there Comitted.' William was suspended from his position because he had been previously warned. However the position of Sexton must have been important to him for he promised to reform and take down 'the signe of the Rose & itt should cease to be a victualling house before the 25 March next.'
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