USA > Massachusetts > Essex County > Newbury > Ould Newbury: historical and biographical sketches > Part 28
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Jan. 6, 1731, the West Parish consented to the proposed division. The heavy dotted line extending through Whit Street or Merrill's lane, Downer's lane, the Middle road, and thence through Bailey's lane to the Merrimack River, was evidently the line agreed upon.
Feb. 22, 1731, a committee was appointed to set off the new parish, the fourth in Newbury ; and March 29, 1731, a vote to petition the General Court to confirm the action of the parish was unanimously adopted.
ST. PAUL'S CHURCH.
King's Chapel, erected in Boston in the year 1688, was the first Episcopal church in Massachusetts ; and Queen Anne's Chapel, built at Newbury in 1711, was the second.
For many years the legally constituted authorities of the town and State endeavored to suppress these churches. A brief summary of the contest that finally resulted in the building of Queen Anne's Chapel at the Plains will be found on the preceding pages of this book. In face of this fierce opposition the growth of the church in Newbury was neces- sarily slow. At length, in 1722, Samuel Shute, then gov- ernor of the province, issued a proclamation ordering that all persons who should declare themselves members of the Established Church should be allowed to worship according to the Episcopal form of service, and should not be taxed for the support or maintenance of public worship elsewhere. Under this proclamation the inhabitants of Newbury enjoyed their religious rights and liberties undisturbed, and the communicants at Queen Anne's Chapel rapidly increased in number.
A few years later a larger and more convenient place of worship was desired by those members of the congregation living near the water side, which finally led to the building of St. Paul's Church in 1738, on the corner of High Street and Ordway's lane (now Market Street).
Rev. Matthias Plant, then minister at Queen Anne's Chapel, states in a letter to Rev. Dr. Bearcroft, secretary of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts, that Joseph Atkins, Esq., had proposed to him the building of a new church at the water side. To this plan Mr. Plant gave his consent, and subscribed the sum of £50. Other subscribers were Joseph Atkins, Patrick Tracy, Michael
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ST. PAUL'S CHURCH
Dalton, Benjamin Harris, Joseph Greenleaf, Daniel Marquand, Anthony Gwynn, and others.
As soon as the necessary arrangements could be completed, a suitable lot of land was selected, and work upon the new church begun. The building, however, was not finished and ready for public worship until near the close of 1740.
Feb. 3, 1741, Joseph Atkins, Esq., of Newbury, gave to the wardens and vestrymen of St. Paul's Church a deed of land on "Queen Street, or Ordway's Lane," with a building already erected thereon, "upon condition always that the said edifice or building called St. Paul's Church and the land aforesaid whereon it stands shall henceforth and forever here- after be improved and made use of for the Publick worship of God according to ye Rubrick of ye Common Prayer Book used by the Church of England, &c."* (Essex Deeds, book 84, page 92).
After a prolonged correspondence with the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts, in regard to the duties and salary of the minister of St. Paul's Church, the following statement was agreed upon, signed, and com- municated to Mr. Plant : -
NEWBURY, Feb. 3, 1742.
We the subscribers, members of the New Church in Newbury, called by the name of St. Paul's church, desiring the worship of God accord- ing to the Rubric of the Church of England, do desire and do make choice of the Rev. Mr. Matthias Plant as our Minister to officiate and carry on this said worship in said church of St. Paul's, in Newbury aforesaid,- in witness whereof we have hereunto set our hands this day and year above written.
MICHAEL DALTON, EDMUND COTTLE, Church Wardens.
In a letter to Rev. Dr. Bearcroft, London, England, under date of July 23, 1742, Mr. Plant says : -
* Jan. 12, 1692-3, James Ordway, Sr., conveyed to his son, James Ordway, Jr., a dwelling- house, barn, malt-house, shop, and four acres of land extending from the country road to the road near Merrimack River (see map, page 119), and bounded on the southeast by Ordway's Lane (Essex Deeds, book 10, leaf 12).
James Ordway, Jr., in his will, dated Oct. 21, 1721, and proved May 7, 1722, gave the upper half of this lot of land to his son Moses, and the lower half, with the buildings thereon, to his son John.
May 13, 1738, Moses Ordway sold to Joseph Atkins a portion of this land bounded by the country road and Ordway's lane (Essex Deeds, book 76, leaf 192).
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We have erected a fine new church about three miles from where I live. I preach in it every other Sunday.
This arrangement, however, was interrupted by the attempt on the part of some members of the congregation to retain control of the pulpit, and to invite, as opportunity occurred, other ministers to officiate in the church. Mr. Plant seriously objected to this interference with his rights and privileges, and finally decided to withdraw from the contest, and devote his whole time and attention to Queen Anne's Chapel.
In consequence of this struggle between the clergy and the laity, St. Paul's Church was left without a settled minis- ter for nearly nine years, though vigorous efforts were made to provide one. During that time services were occasionally held in the unfinished edifice.
Michael Dalton was evidently the first treasurer. In his account he credits the church with contributions received Feb. 14 and Nov. 22, 1741, and for similar receipts in May, June, July, August, and October, 1742. He also charges July 26, 1742, £7 cash paid Mr. Plant for seven Sundays' service, and £1 in August and £5 in October for similar service.
There is no record of the election of wardens and vestrymen previous to 1743. During the next ten years only a few votes of importance were recorded, though it is evident that meetings were frequently held for the choice of officers and the transaction of other business. From 1743 to 1753, the following-named persons were elected : -
Wardens for 1743.
Joseph Atkins, Esq., Benjamin Harris.
Vestrymen for 1743.
Capt. John Crocker, Capt. James Simmons,
Capt. Thomas Tannatt, Mr. Witter Cummings,
Mr. Thos. Woodbridge, Mr. William Atkins,
Mr. Edmund Cottle, Mr. William Jenkins,
Capt. Michael Dalton, Capt. Patrick Tracy,
Mr. Joseph Cottle.
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ST. PAUL'S CHURCH
There is no record for the year 1744.
Wardens for 1745. Capt. Daniel Marquand, Capt. Anthony Gwin. Vestrymen for 1745.
Joseph Atkins, Esq., Mr. Edmund Cottle,
Capt. John Crocker, Mr. Jos. Cottle,
Capt. Thomas Tannatt,
Capt. Michael Dalton,
Mr. Thomas Woodbridge, Capt. Patrick Tracy.
Wardens for 1746.
Capt. Anthony Gwynn, Capt. Thomas Tannatt.
Vestrymen for 1746.
Daniel Marquand, Joseph Cottle,
Joseph Atkins, Esq., Benjamin Harris,
Capt. John Crocker,
Capt. Michael Dalton,
Thomas Woodbridge,
Capt. Patrick Tracy,
Edmund Cottle,
Ambrose Davis.
Wardens for 1747.
Capt. Thos. Tannatt, Capt. John Crocker.
T'estrymen for 1747.
Anthony Gwynn, Witter Cummings,
Joseph Atkins, Esq.,
William Atkins, Esq.,
Thomas Woodbridge, Ambrose Davis,
Capt. Michael Dalton, Joseph Cottle,
Benjamin Harris, William Jenkins,
Capt. Patrick Tracy.
Il'ardens for 1748.
John Crocker, William Atkins, Esq.
l'estrymen for 1748.
Joseph Atkins, Esq., Anthony Gwynn,
Thomas Tannatt,
Witter Cummings,
Michael Dalton, Robert Roberts,
Benjamin Harris, Ambrose Davis,
Daniel Marquand, Thomas Woodbridge.
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Wardens for 1749.
William Atkins,
Thomas Woodbridge.
Vestrymen for 1749.
Joseph Atkins, Esq.,
Anthony Gwynn,
Thomas Tannatt,
Witter Cummings,
Michael Dalton,
Robert Roberts,
Benj. Harris,
Ambrose Davis,
Daniel Marquand,
William Jenkins.
Wardens for 1750.
William Jaques, Ambrose Davis.
Vestrymen for 1750.
Joseph Atkins, Esq.,
Benj. Harris,
Capt. Crocker,
Thos. Woodbridge,
Capt. Gwynn,
Robert Roberts,
Capt. Tannatt,
William Atkins,
Capt. Dalton,
Joseph Cottle.
Wardens for 1751.
William Jaques,
Ambrose Davis.
The vestrymen for 1751 were the same as for the year I750.
There is no record of the election of wardens and vestry- men for the year 1752; but December 30 W. Jaques and Ambrose Davis, wardens, notify the proprietors of St. Paul's Church to meet on the first day of January next "to agree for building a gallery in said Church and a Porch at the front Door."
William Atkins and William Jaques were chosen wardens, and the following named persons were elected
Vestrymen for 1753.
Joseph Atkins, Esq., Edmund Cottle,
Michael Dalton,
Thoms Woodbridge,
Benjm Harris, Joseph Cottle,
John Crocker, Dudley Atkins,
Anthony Gwynn, William Jenkins.
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ST. PAUL'S CHURCH
In the month of April, 1743, Commissary Price * preached in the church, and a collection of £7 6s. 6d. was taken up in aid of the funds previously subscribed for the purpose of building twenty-eight pews in the body of the church. At a meeting of the wardens and vestrymen held May 1, 1744, a contract was made with Eben and Nathan Little to build the wall pews and pulpit for £100, and an agreement was made with Ephraim Blaisdell to plaster the walls and ceiling for £80.
Rev. Mr. Plant, in a letter to Rev. Dr. Bearcroft, of London, under date of July 10, 1745, says : -
I called a meeting at the new church, delivered them the Bible and Common Prayer Book sent out by the Society for that church, and a record was made of it in their book, signed Anthony Gwynn. Capt. Marquand was absent.
The following extract from the church records confirms the statement made in the above letter to Dr. Bearcroft : --
NEWBURY, July 10, 1745.
This day received from the Society a folio Bible and Common prayer book by the Hands of the Rev. Mr. Matthias Plant.
ANTHONY GWYNN.
In 1749, another attempt was made to reconcile the con- flicting views of Rev. Mr. Plant and the members of St. Paul's Church. The following letter, copied in full from the records of the church, briefly outlines the plan of settlement finally adopted : -
NEWBURY, JanuTy 31st 1749. Reva Sir,
We rec'd your letter dated ye 26th Jany Inst, with a copy of letter In- closed from ye Revª Dr. Philip Bearcroft, in which you may take notice that the said letter is in reference to a Petition from the Church Wardens of St. Paul's Church in this town to the Revd and Venble Society, and in said Petition the Church Wardens of said Church agreed to put an End to the Difference that has for a long time been between us, which is in this way: - viz: that we would Induct you into said Church and
* Rev. Roger Price was appointed commissary or superintendent of Episcopal churches in New England by the Lord Bishop of London in the year 1730. He was also appointed minister at King's Chapel, Boston, and served in that capacity until Nov. 21, 1746, when he resigned that office, and sailed for England in June, 1747. He returned to Boston in 1748, and afterward resided for some years at Hopkinton, Mass.
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pay unto the gentleman that should be sent to England to take Holy orders for said Church, Twenty pounds sterls per annum & pay his House rent.
Revd Sir, this is to acquaint you that we are ready to comply with the said proposals, and hope that you will also comply with the Revd & Venble Society's request so strongly recommended to you, in provid- ing the s'd Church with a proper gentleman as your assistant, as soon as possible, that there may be no Time lost & that the unhappy dispute between us may have an end & Live in Unity & Godly Love. pray sir to give us an Answer & set the Time when we shall attend your Induc- tion. We are, Revd Sir,
Your Most obedient & Humble Servts
WM ATKINS Church Wardens
of St. Paul's
THOMAS WOODBRIDGE S in Newbury.
Rev. Mr. Plant adds in his own handwriting the following memorandum : -
I receive this Letter on Feb. 3, 1749, by Wm Atkins, Esq., boy Dum- mer, & he sd he must have a receipt from me to carry back to show them that I had received it.
After a long and serious delay and frequent consultations with Rev. Dr. Cutler and Rev. Dr. Caner, of Boston, the details of the proposed agreement were satisfactorily adjusted ; and June 24, 1751, Rev. Mr. Plant was formally inducted into the rectorship of St. Paul's Church.
The following letter to Rev. Dr. Bearcroft, secretary of the society in England, gives the terms of this agreement : -
DECEMBER 23, 1751.
Rev. Dr ;- In a letter I received from you bearing date of October 21, 1747, sent by Mr. Gilchrist, and received by me March 25, 1748, I am there recommended, upon my being the Chief Minister of the whole parish of Newbury, to make good my promise of paying annually £20 sterling to some young candidate, when admitted into holy orders, to be my assistant at St. Paul's Church in Newbury. The Proprietors having given me Induction into said church June 24, I, to comply with the Society's directions, have made choice of Mr. Edward Bass, the bearer hereof, to assist me in the said office, when admitted into orders, promis- ing to pay Mr. Bass annually {20 sterling, according to the true purport and meaning of the Society's directions in that affair; humbly praying the Society to recommend Mr. B. to my Ld. Bp. to be admitted into
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ST. PAUL'S CHURCH
orders, that he may as soon as possible return to my assistance, who now labor under a weak disposition. Mr. B. came to me so well recom- mended that I verily believe he will be of service in the church and espe- cially in Newbury, the place designed for his residence.
M. PLANT.
By this arrangement the chapel at the plains and the church at the water side, with separate organizations for the control of temporal affairs, were placed under the same cleri- cal authority. The claims of Rev. Mr. Plant were duly ac- knowledged and recognized, and the territorial limits of the parish were preserved intact. Fifteen years later services at the plains were discontinued ; but the church at the water side, sustained and supported by some of the most prominent citizens of the town, continued its work through the trouble- some times of the Revolution, and still retains its name and place in the diocese of Massachusetts.
Rev. Mr. Plant came to Newbury in 1722 ; and December 27th of that year he married Lydia Bartlett, daughter of Samuel Bartlett. A few years later, he purchased a lot of land on the road leading to Amesbury ferry and built a house thereon, which he owned and occupied for many years. This house was removed forty or fifty years ago ; but the out- lines of the cellar are still visible, and the well that supplied the household with water is still in good order and condition.
From time to time Mr. Plant added to his real estate in that neighborhood, extending his possessions from the ferry road to the Merrimack River, and including Deer Island, which he purchased only two months previous to his death.
Rev. Edward Bass returned from England in the fall of 1752, and was immediately appointed assistant minister at St. Paul's Church. Rev. Mr. Plant, who was then in feeble health, died April 2, 1753.
Right-Rev. Edward Bass, D. D., Bishop of Massachusetts and Rhode Island, was born in Dorchester Nov. 23, 1726. He graduated at Harvard College in 1744, and was admitted to holy orders by Right-Rev. Thomas Sherlock, D. D., Bishop of London, in his chapel at Fulham, May 24, 1752. He entered upon his duties as assistant minister in St. Paul's
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Church in the month of October or November, 1752, and recorded the death and burial of Rev. Mr. Plant in the month of April following.
There was probably no definite action taken by the parish in regard to the additional duties the new minister was un- expectedly called upon to perform. At all events the records are silent on that subject. On the first day of January, 1753, they made choice of Captain Michael Dalton, Captain Daniel Marquand, Mr. Joseph Cottle, Captain Anthony Gwynn, and William Atkins, Esq., to agree with some suitable person or persons to build a porch and front gallery to said church ; and Dec. 20, 1753, a meeting was held to levy a tax on the pews to meet the expenses incurred by the wardens and vestrymen. There is no mention of other important questions that must have been considered at that time or soon after, and for the next five years only a few items of special interest are recorded.
In 1756, an organ was purchased of Charles Apthorp, Esq., treasurer of King's Chapel, Boston. The names of the con- tributors to the fund raised to meet this expenditure are given in the record as follows :-
Capt. Daniel Marquand
£21 o 0
Rev. Mr. Bass
20
Joseph Atkins, Esq.
50
Mr. Benjamin Harris
50 O
Capt. Michael Dalton
50 0
Mr. Dudley Atkins 20
William Atkins, Esq.
30
0
Mr. Joseph Cottle
30
o o
Daniel Gibbs, Esq. & one more
32 5 o
Capt. Thomas Beck
4 10
0
Capt. Anthony Gwynn
30
9
4
Mr. Thomas Woodbridge
18 0 0
William Jenkins .
3
8
2
Additional Subscriptions by
Benjamin Harris
30
0
O
Michael Dalton
30
O 0
Jos. Cottle .
16 10 o
Edmund Cottle
8 5 0
Balance paid by Michael Dalton to make up deficit .
55 12 6
£500 0 0
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ST. PAUL'S CHURCH
This organ was imported by Thomas Brattle, of Boston. It was the first one brought to New England, and was re- garded by the devout men of that time with grave suspicion. Thomas Brattle died May 18, 1713. In his will, he makes the following bequest : -
I give, dedicate and Devote my organ to the praise and glory of God in the sª Church (in Brattle Square), if they shall accept thereof and within a year after my decease procure a sober person that can play skillfully thereon with a loud noise. Otherwise to the Church of Eng- land in this towne on ye same terms and conditions; and on their non- acceptance or discontinuance as before I give the Same to my nephew William Brattle.
In the record of the Brattle Square Church, Boston, under date of July 24, 1713, is the following allusion to this gift : -
The Church, with all possible respect to the memory of our deceased Friend and Benefactor, Voted, that they did not think it proper to use the same in the publick worship of God.
At a meeting held in King's Chapel Aug. 3, 1713, the members of that society voted to accept the gift of Mr. Thomas Brattle, and March 2, 1713-14, they " voted that the organ be forthwith put up."
It was in use in King's Chapel on Sundays and holy days until 1756, when it was purchased, as above stated, by the members of St. Paul's Church, Newburyport. In 1836, it was sold to St. John's Church, Portsmouth, N. H., where it is now in use at chapel services and in the Sunday school.
In 1769, the proprietors of St. Paul's Church " voted that Mr Bass has liberty agreeably to his Petition to Build a Vestry Room on the North side of the Church behind the Pulpit, to have a door to go out thro' the Pew now improved by Mrs. Barret, &c."
At the regular Easter meeting, held April 1, 1771, it was voted " to address & solicit the Governor to grant the Plate given by his Majesty for the use of s'd Church."
Thomas Hutchinson was appointed governor of the prov- ince of Massachusetts Bay in the month of March, 1771.
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He received from King George III. a service of plate and pulpit furniture, which he presented to King's Chapel, Boston, taking in exchange the old communion service. A portion of this old service was given to Christ's Church, Cambridge ; and a flagon inscribed with the words, "The gift of K. William & Q. Mary to ye Revª Saml Myles for the use of their Majties Chappel in N. England, 1694," and a chalice bearing this inscription, " Ex dono Johannis Milles 1693," were sent to St. Paul's Church, Newburyport.
At this date the church was in possession of a silver chris- tening basin, fifteen inches in diameter, marked I. C., and the letters R. B. s. engraved on the rim. This basin was the gift of Richard Brown, merchant, to Queen Anne's Chapel, as appears from the following clause in his will, dated Sept. 16, 1730, and proved April 2, 1735 :-
To the Church of Christ in Newbury to which I belong my large silver Bason to be and remain unto ye said Church for ye baptiseing of children forever.
In the probate office at Salem a receipt in the handwrit- ing of Rev. Matthias Plant reads as follows :
NEWBURY, Sept. 9th, 1740.
Then received from Joseph Gerrish, Esq., & Mrs Mary Marquand, Administrator & Administratrix to Richd: Brown of Newbury, Gent., Decd, a Large Silver Bason weighing thirty seven ounces of silver, A Legacy given to ye Church of England in Newbury by ye aforsd Mr Brown: The which Silver Bason I receive for the use of sd Church, as witness my Hand.
MATTS: PLANT : Minister of ye church. prized at 24/6 per oz. £44.8.
A credence paten, with rich rèpoussè border, represent- ing a stag hunt, also formed a part of the communion plate of St. Paul's Church a few years later, and was intended to remind the communicant of the words of the Psalmist : " As the hart panteth after the water-brooks, so longeth my soul after thee, O God." The maker of this paten T.P. was
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ST. PAUL'S CHURCH
registered at Goldsmith's Hall, London, in 1674. It bore the following inscription : "The gift of Dudley A. Tyng, Esq., to St. Paul's Church, October, 1800."
The articles above described, with others of a more recent make, were stolen from the safe in the rector's study, in the rear of the church, April 2, 1887. For a more particular account of these ancient specimens of the silver worker's art the reader is referred to a book, entitled " Old Plate," by J. H. Buck, published in 1888, pages 190 and 199.
At the beginning of the Revolutionary War the peace and quiet of the church was greatly disturbed by the comments and criticisms of those who denounced in unmeasured terms everything appertaining to royalty. The exigencies of the occasion required prompt action ; and the wardens and vestry- men, at a meeting held July 16, 1776, addressed the following letter to their rector, Rev. Edward Bass : -
Rev'd Sir ;-
The Representatives of the United Colonies in America, having in Congress declared s'd colonies free and Independent States, and dis- avowed all Allegiance to the King of Britain and the service of the Church to which we belong, prescribing certain prayers, &c., to be used for s'd King, his Family & Government, We find ourselves under the necessity of requesting you to omit in your use of the Service all Prayers, Collects, or Suffrages which relate to the King, Royal Family, or Government of Great Britain, both as we would avoid great Incon- sistency and as we value the welfare of the church, being assured that without such omission the Existence thereof would immediately cease.
With great Respect and Esteem we are, Rev'd Sir,
Your most humble Servants,
JOSEPH CUTLER JOHN VINAL WM ATKINS TRISTRAM DALTON WM JENKINS GODFRY SMITH
Wardens
and
Vestrymen of St. Paul's Church.
DANIEL MARQUAND JOHN JENKINS BENJA BALCH WM MORLAND
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Bound by an oath of allegiance to the king and to the church, Mr. Bass was naturally embarrassed by the difficulties of the situation. He yielded, however, to the ties of kindred and country, and complied with the request made by his wardens and vestrymen.
In consequence of this act of insubordination, and the subsequent observance of fast days appointed by the civil authorities, and the contribution of money for the relief of those who had suffered in "the rebellion," his services as missionary of the London society were discontinued and his salary withheld. He insisted on his loyalty to the church, although he had forsworn his allegiance to the king ; but the society remained deaf to his entreaties, and he became en- tirely dependent on his parish for future support.
During the war, St. Paul's Church continued its active parochial work unmolested. Among its earnest and devoted members were Tristram Dalton, afterward senator to con- gress from Massachusetts; Rufus King, afterward senator from the State of New York, and twice minister plenipoten- tiary to the court of St. James ; Captain Thomas Thomas and Captain Nicholas Tracy, brave and intrepid owners and commanders of some of the most successful privateers on the coast ; Patrick Tracy, one of the most eminent merchants of that day; John Tracy, who served in General Sullivan's army in Rhode Island as aide-de-camp to General Glover ; and many others who contributed in various ways to the cause of American independence. Although firm and strong supporters of the Episcopal form of worship, they were never- theless ready and willing to aid and assist in the struggle for freedom.
At the close of the war, the Episcopal church in the United States was left in a deplorable condition. It was thoroughly disorganized, with no visible head to exercise authority or make the necessary alterations in the Book of Common Prayer. Candidates were sent to England for consecration as bishops of the American church, but a modification of ecclesiastical law was required before that object could be attained. After a long delay the difficulty
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