Page:History and characteristics of Bishop Auckland.djvu/140

 HISTORY OF BISHOP AUCKLAND. 113 The Faculty for the laat restoration of St. Ann's bears date November 9th, 1867. Partly on account of the quaintness of the document, and partly because of the information it contains with regard to the pews, we give it in extenso : — CHABLES, by Diyine Providence, Lord Bishop of Durham — ^To our well beloved in Christ, The Reverend George Howard Wilkinson, Clerk, Master of Arts, Incumbent of the parish of Saint Andrew Auckland, in the County and Diocese of Durham, and Richard Bowser, John Proud, and Thomas Marley, Churchwardens of the said parish : Whbekas it hath been represented unto us, by and on the behalf of the said Incumbent, Churchwardens, Qentlemen of the Twenty-four, and others, Parishioners and Inhabitants of the said parish, in and by a petition by them subscribed, and to us delivered : That the Pews in the chapel of Saint Ann's, in the Parish of Saint Andrew Auckland, are unsightly and inconvenient : That, by re-pewing the chapel in a more modem style, the internal appearance thereof would be much improved, the Worshippers seated much more comfortably, and the edifice rendered more available for the general body of Parishioners : That the internal parts of the chapel are also in great need of repair : That at a meeting of the Churchwardens, Qentlemeu of the twenty-four, and others. Parishioners of the said parish, holden in the Vestry Room of the said church, on the Twentieth day of August, One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, duly convened for the purpose (among other things) of considering plans and specifications prepared by Mr. William Yickers Thompson for re-seating and repairing the said chapel, the following resolutions were passed : First, that this meeting approves of and consents to the re-seating of the said chapel according to such plans and specifications ; Second, that the minister and churchwardens take the customary steps for obtaining, the Faculty necessary for the above purpose ; That there are at present Seven himdred and twenty-one sittings in the said chapel, Four hundred and forty-four of which are free ; but, according to the plans for re-pewing the said chapel, there will not be less than Seven hundred and thirty-six sittings, Four hundred and fifty-nine of which will be free ; and a License or Faculty was prayed to, committed, and granted to the said Oeorge Howard Wilkinson, Incumbent, Richard Bowser, John Proud, and Thomas Marley, Churchwiurdens (and to the Incumbent and churchwardens of the said parish for the time being), in the manner, and to and for all and singular the intents and parposes herein mentioned and set forth, and according to the plans and specifications now remaining and being in the Registiy of our Consistory Court of Durham : AifD whebeas The Reverend John Cundill, Bachelor in Divinity, Surrogate lawfully appointed of the Right Honorable Thomas Emerson Headlam, Master of Arts, and one of her Majesty's Counsel learned in the law, Vicar-General and Official Principal lawfully constituted, rightly and duly proceeding at the Petition of the Proctor of the said George Howard Wilkinson, Richard Bowser, John Proud, and Thomas Marley, Dn> dbcbee all and singular the Parishioners and Inhabitants of the said parish in special, and all others in general, having, or pretending to have, any right, title, or interest in the premises, to be cited to appear before our said Vicar-General and Official Principal, his Surrogate, or some other competent Judge in that behalf, in our Consistory Court, within the Cathedral Church of Durham, on a competent day and time appointed, and now past, to shew good and sufficient cause concludent in law if they, or any of them, had, or knew any, why a License or Faculty should not be committed and granted to the said George Howard Wilkinson, Richard Bowser, John Proud, and Thomas Marley (and to the Incumbent and churchwardens of the said parish for the time being), in the manner and to the effect, and for all and singular the intents and purposes hereinafter mentioned, with intimation that if none of them should appear at such time and place, or appearing, should not shew good and sufficient cause concludent in law to the contrary, our Vicar-General and Official Principal aforesaid, his Surrogate, or some other competent Judge in that behalf, did intend and would proceed to the committing and granting of such License or Faculty : And WHBBBA8 The Reverend John Bacchus Dykes, Clerk, Master of Arts, Surrogate, lawfully appointed as aforesaid, rightly and duly proceeding upon the due execution and return of the said citation, with intimation, and after calling all persons, as well in special as in general, thereby dted and intimated as aforesaid, and none of them appearing. Did pronounce them to be in contempt, and in pain of such their contumacy. Did degbee a License or Faculty to the said George Howard Wilkinson, Richard Bowser, John Proud, and Thomas Marley (and to the Incumbent and churchwardeus of the said parish for the time being), in the manner and form and to the effect and purport, and for all and singular the purposes hereinafter mentioned, as in and by the proceedings thereupon had and now remaining in the Registry of our said Court, reference being thereunto had, will fully appear : Ws, thxbsfore, the Bishop aforesaid, well weighing and considering the premises, by virtue of our authority ordinary and Episcopal, by these presents ratify and confirm all and whatsoever the said Surrogates of our said Vicar-General and Official Principal have done, or caused to be done, in and about the premises, and so far as by the Ecclesiastical Laws of this Realm and the Temporal Laws of the same we can or may, we do, in pursuance of the said decree. Give and grant unto you, the said Geoige Howard Wilkinson, Incumbent, Richard Bowser, John Proud, and Thomas Marley, Churchwardens (and to the Incumbent and churchwardens of the said parish for the time being), our License or Faculty, to authorize and empower, and by the same We do give fall power and authority to you, or the major part of you, for the time being, to direct and superintend the said proposed restoration and re-seating of the said chapel — that is to say, to re-lay and repair portions of the chapel drains, to flag the area between the chapel and the rails, and form a stone channel to take off the day water, to take off such parts of the plaster in the chapel where necessary, and wash with sand and water and re-paint such portions of the internal parts of the building as necessary, to repair the roof after inserting ventilating Dormers, to remove all the pews and erect new Digitized by Google —