Faculty Letter 1878

 

Date
Letter
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May 6th 1878

Bois Rectory
Chesham
May 6th 1878

Dear Sir

 

I enclose the minutes of a Vestry held on the 3rd May for the purpose of electing churchwardens & considering the question of the restoration & enlargement of our Church. The result was not altogether satisfactory, but a negative approval of the proposed alterations was given by the absence of opposition.

 

The people are attached from association, to the present inconvenient & unsightly structure, & if their real wishes were to be consulted there would be no improvement in the fabric during their lifetime. But then another generation would have learnt to feel as they do & so the decay of the building & its inconveniences would go on till it fell to the ground. So that for the sake of the future generations one must sometimes do violence to cherished prejudices, and do good without being approved for it.

 

It is a satisfaction to me that the archdeacon, the Patron & the Duke's Uncle (Lord Russell) who is entrusted with the £400 for the restoration of the Church and also our Rural Dean all approve of the contemplated work and the plans I send with this. The architect estimates the work at about £1000. Of this £421.10s.0d has been promised to help without saying how much. There is to be a sale of work for it held here in the Autumn.

 

We hope to obtain help from the Incorporated Church Building Society and from the Diocesan Society.

 

There will have to be a good deal of hard work to get up money - but the Principal Trustee of the living in one of his letters says "You need not fears as to funds", Which I take to mean that if we do what we can the patron will supply the deficiency, I having asked him to help us.

 

I hope therefore you will be able to issue a faculty on these grounds and remain dear sir.

 

Yours truly

 

Jos. Matthews