Page:Notes and Queries - Series 12 - Volume 2.djvu/179

 12 s. ii. A. 26, 1916.] NOTES AND QUERIES.

173

Replug.

REV. JOSEPH RANX. (12 S. i. 510; ii. 113.)

JOSEPH RANN was instituted Vicar of Hoi Trinity, Coventry, in 1773. He issued in 1776 and four following years an edition o Shakespeare's Works in six volumes. H died Sept. 13, 1811, aged 79. He is buried in the chancel of Holy Trinity, and his monument is in the Archdeacon's Chapel.

Foster's ' Alumni ' says that he was the son of John Rann of Birmingham, co. Warwick gent. He matriculated at Trinity College Oxford, Oct. 10, 1751 ; B.A. 1755 ; M.A 1758; vide Gentleman's Magazine, 1811 ii. 394, and 1815, ii. 380.

Members of the family are found in severa parts of England. In 1790 some of them were at Kington, Worcestershire ; in 1783 at Beaulieu, Hants (many Ranns lived at Beaulieu) ; in 1748 at Wednesbury. A Joseph Rann appears in the Registers o: St. Nicholas, Cole Abbey, in 1697. He is described as of " St. Lawrence Jury." On Sept. 2, 1712, Joseph Rann of Birmingham married Frances Widmer ; see Parish Register of Ettington, Warwickshire.

There is much about the Rann family in Man- Willett's ' History of West Bromwich,' 1882 (West Bromwich)", pp. 39-42. As this book is not well known I have transcribed those port ions which deal with the subject: " On the death of Mr. Addenbrook, in 1710, the Rev. John Rann was appointed to the vacant Living [West Bromwich], and also subsequently to the Lectureship. As in the case of Mr. Addeubrook, this latter appointment M - as quite contrary to the directions given by Walter Stanley in his Deed of Endowment as to the election of a Preacher. No doubt the cause of this deviation was this. The Living was very poor only 2u/. per annum being paid to the Incumbent by the Impropriator out of the tithes, and on this sum of money no man without private means could exist therefore, no doubt, the Trustees, to assist the Incumbent, had allowed him, from time to time, to hold the Lectureship also.

" Mr. Hann's name is very much mixed up with the unfortunate dispute which arose between his son-in-law, the Rev. Peter Jones, and the Stanley Trustees. During the time of Mr. Rann's In- cumbency it was that the Church was ceiled ; this took place in 1713, thus, no doubt, spoiling the ancient roof ; again, in 1716, we find the Church was, according to ideas of church decoration pre- valent at that time, ' Clean whitewashed and new butetied.' The latter seems to have consisted in painting the Ten Commandments, the King's Arms, the Lord's Prayer, the Creed, Moses and Aaron, and six sentences in ' oyle work only with- out gold."

" Mr. Rann 'married Damaris, daughter of John Dolphin, of The Moss, in the parish of Shenstone ; at the time, however, of his daughter's marriage Mr. Dolphin was Clerk of the Peace at Stafford. This fact must have escaped the notice of those employed to find Mr. Rann's marriage certificate about the year 1815, when search was made in the registers or the principal churches in the neigh- bourhood, but in vain. To find this certificate was of importance to the parties concerned, as will, be seen in the account of the Stanley Trust. Mr. Rann was married at Stafford. The entry is as follows: 'Aprilis. 1711. Matrim. inter Job. Rann,. Cler. de West Bromwich, et Damaris Dolphin 3.' Saunders, in his ' History of Shenstone,' says: 4 Damaris Dolphin, 3rd daughter of John Dolphin, of The Moss, was the wife of Mr. Rann, of Caldmore, Walsall, late of the Delves, and the Minister of Wednesbury (?) yet Vicar of Rushall. in 1769. Aged 82. She is yet living, but advanced in years. Damaris, their daughter, was wife of Peter Jones, Minister of West Bromwich, and: Prebendary of Wolverhampton.'

"The following entries from the baptismal Register relate to Mr. Rann :

" John, the son of John Rann, minister, baptized- llth March, 1711-12.

"Joseph, the son of John Rann, minister, bap- tized June 26th, 1713.

"Mary, the daughter of John Rann, minister, born June 10th, and baptized June 25th, 1714.

" Sarah, the daughter of John Rann, minister, baptized Aug. 14th. 1715; born Aug. 8th.

" Elizabeth, the daughter of John Rann, minister, born Nov. 8th, 1716, baptized 19th Nov.

" Damaris, the daughter of John Rann, minister, born Nov. 20th, 1720 ; baptized Dec. 8th, 1720.

"Margaret, the daughter of John Rann, minister^ born July 14th, 1722 ; baptized Aug. 3rd,. 1722.

' Richard and Henry, sons of John Rann,minister, baptized Sept. 4th, 1723.

"In 1743 Mr. Rann, then holding both the [ncumbency and Lectureship, resigned both, ajid became Vicar of Rushall, where he died in 1771, aged 84. His wife survived him three years, dying n 1774, aged 83.

" Mr. Rann's son-in-law, the Rev. Peter Jones, was appointed to the vacant Living, and soon after )y the major part of the Trustees, who at this time were reduced to only four in number.
 * o the Lectureship, not however unanimously, but

" Mr. Jones was, as is stated in the quotation rom Saunders's ' History of Shenstone,' a Pre- bendary of Wolverhampton.

The dispute between the Stanley Trustees and . Jones, which has already been referred to, related to some land at Wednesbury, the property ->i the Trustees, but which had through great eglect on the part of these Trustees become mortgaged to Mr. Rann. (See account of dispute at pp. 88-9.)

" This mortgage Mr. Rann handed over to Mr. ""ones on his marriage with his daughter Damaris.

"Neither Mr. Rann nor Mr. Jones appears to

lave come out of the transaction with much credit.

"Perhaps the lengthy and painful lawsuit had

omething to do with the sad termination of Mr.

'ones' Incumbency he, his wife and two children

11 died in one year. Mr. Jones was buried in the Jhurch ; his gravestone is now in the belfry.