Page:A History of Horncastle from the Earliest Period to the Present Time.djvu/82

Rh As this is the last chapter in which we shall deal with church matters, we may here say that a Clerical Club, with valuable library and news room, was established in the town in the year 1823. At that time there was a numerous community of country clergymen living in the town; a dozen, or more, villages in the neighbourhood having no official residence in their parishes; thus a Clerical Club became a convenient institution for social intercourse, and valuable papers were often read at their meetings. This ceased to exist at the close of the 19th century, when the books were transferred to the Diocesan Library at Lincoln. In order to enable these country incumbents to maintain a town residence, they, in several cases, held a plurality of benefices, which would hardly be allowed in the present day. Even the Vicar of Horncastle, Dr. Madely, also held the Vicarage of Stickford, distant more than a dozen miles; another clergyman was Rector of Martin, Vicar of Baumber, and Rector of Sotby, several miles apart; while a third held the Perpetual Curacy of Wood Enderby, 4 or 5 miles to the south-east of the town, with the Curacy of Wilksby adjoining, and the Chapelry of Kirkstead, 5 or 6 miles to the west. Further, to eke out the family income, his daughter found employment of a somewhat novel kind in the service of the late Queen Victoria. Being in figure the exact size of the Queen, her Majesty's dresses were all tried on this lady by the royal dressmaker; and, as a portion of her remuneration, the castoff clothing of the Queen became her perquisite. On the occasion of the wedding of one of her friends at Horncastle, the bride and her bridesmaids were all attired in Queen's dresses.

In connection with the church is the "Young Churchmen's Union," of which the Vicar is President. They have fortnightly meetings, in the Boys' National School, at 8.15 p.m. There is also a Church Lads' Brigade, No. 1951, attached to the 1st Battalion, Lincoln Regiment, B 51. This was enrolled Oct. 1st, 1901. The members are youths between the ages of 13 and 19; the present Lieutenant being H. V. Sharpe; Chaplain, the Vicar; Assistant Chaplain and Correspondent, the Senior Curate. Entrance fee 1/6, subscription 1d. per week.

The Church National Schools are good substantial buildings, erected at various periods, the Girls' School in 1812, the Infants' in 1860, and the Boys' (at a cost of £1,000) in 1872; the total accommodation is for 300 children, the average attendance being about 250. The schools were taken over by the Lindsey County Council, on April 1st, 1903.