Now! Then! Bradford rejects its new vicar William Scoresby’s proposal for a church rate by a huge majority, inspiring a curious letter

22 November 1839: Bradford rejects its new vicar William Scoresby’s proposal for a church rate by a huge majority, inspiring a curious letter

Robert Edmund Scoresby-Jackson. 1861. The Life of William Scoresby. London: T. Nelson and Sons. Get it:

Excerpt

to doctor scorsby vicar of Bradford on his attempting to lay A Church Rate at a time when the people have been so far Enlitened as to know that they have no right to pay it. no sir if you are determined to have this rate you may get it if you can or if you dare. remember sir you are only a man you may be in your Grave before the rate be collected. the nights are dark guns are plentiful powder is cheap men ARE DETERMINED not to be robed by the parson any longer if you dare either to come yourself or to send collectors you may perhaps where you expect to Receive A Shilling, Receive A Bullet; And your head be the Receiver instead of your pocket. think of the curses in the Book of isaiah Pronounced Against those who oppress the poor. But may be you do not believe that part of Skripter be that As it may you may believe this that the only way For you to save your life is to be quiet About the Rate.

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To facilitate reading, the spelling and punctuation of elderly excerpts have generally been modernised, and distracting excision scars concealed. My selections, translations, and editions are copyright.

Abbreviations

Comment

The Bradford Observer:

BRADFORD CHURCH-RATE.
FINAL CLOSE OF THE POLL.
For the Rate 988
Against it 3192
Majority against the Rate 2204

In the dullest and the darkest times, what glorious events occasionally burst upon us to cheer and re-animate by their splendour! Who could have surmised, a few short days ago, that we were on the eve of circumstances that would constitute an aera in the history of our town and parish. We thank the Vicar, we thank the Churchwardens, through whose unwitting instrumentality so brilliant an achievement has been brought about; we thank the Rev. Mr. WINTERBOTHAM, who has opposed the rate in so manly and yet so Christian a spirit; we thank the Ratepayers for the noble majority of 2204; and, above all, we thank Mr. JOSHUA POLLARD, at whose demand the poll has taken place. Many noble deeds illustrate the history of Bradford, from the severe siege sustained in the sacred cause of liberty and law, to the lead taken in the efforts to impart these blessings to the negro. But none sheds a more imperishable lustre on the name than this, which will be referred to for many a year throughout the land, as THE Bradford Church-rate poll. A history of this town and neighbourhood will shortly issue from the press; what crowning sentence could have closed the record with such force as this? – In November, 1839, the parishioners of Bradford polled against a Church-rate a majority of upwards of TWO THOUSAND.

But though we rejoice, we have no wish to triumph. We are proud of the result, but we regret that the Church and its head in this parish should be placed in so undignified a position. The fact is obvious, that the Vicar must have been deluded. He came to his post a stranger to the feeling of the neighbourhood, and his friends have blindfolded him whilst they led him to the ditch. We say he has been badly used. Such a course should never have been advised or ventured on, unless there had been a warrantable feeling in its favour, and a reasonable prospect of success. The bold step has been risked, and what is the result? Why, that though the Vicar has almost staked his popularity on the event, comparatively few Churchmen have been found to support him in this measure of injustice. The proceeding they advised has summarily settled the question for ever in the parish of Bradford, and will give fresh life to all throughout the kingdom, who would do unto others as they would that others should do unto them.

The Vicar evidently does not yet know his friends. For one individual to he able to tender for himself and partners between 70 and 80 votes is something large; and the Vicar may possibly expect to derive much comfort from the support of a gentleman who manifests so much zeal for the Church, and is in the habit of displaying so many of the Christian virtues. But we trust in future Dr. SCORESBY will think and act more for himself. The rev. Dr. has already suffered himself to occupy two false positions – first, in sanctioning the monomaniac Greg; and second, in endeavouring to lay a Church-rate in the parish of Bradford. But he has come amongst us with the good-will of his parishioners, and the prepossession in his favour is still so strong that these mistakes will, if not repeated, even now be overlooked. We believe him to be a man of learning, of piety, of zeal, and gentlemanly manners – a man very different to the Popish Vicar of a neighbouring parish [Walter Hook, Leeds]. And we most sincerely trust that nothing may occur in future to mar his usefulness, or prevent his being esteemed by all sects as an ornament of the district of which he is by law the spiritual head.

We have said we consider the question of a Church-rate for Bradford finally settled; and we suppose the parties who have voted for a rate are prepared to share the sum wanted, in proportion to their votes – about 10s. a vote will be the extent to which they will be required to enjoy the rate for which they have evinced so much anxiety. But there are two modes in which further proceedings may be taken. Should either be adopted, it will no doubt be met in a manner which is not expected, and with a vigour of which the poll is but a type. The only result, therefore, would be, to squander money to no purpose, in a course which would be far more expensive to the movers than to the opposers of a rate. If, therefore, our friends in the Church are guided by prudence, they will apply their funds to a more worthy object than useless litigation. If they consult their own dignity they will henceforward defray the expenses of their own worship, in the same spirit of Christian charity and independence manifested by the supporters of every other church and chapel in the parish. Political discussion we value – strife in these matters we deprecate. In the name of our common religion let not our divisions give a handle to the enemies of our faith. Rather let us forbear unhallowed provocation, and by our union exemplify the influence of the truth. But if this cannot be – if voices that we could name are to rule the council for war instead of peace – then he must be a bold man, who, in a bad cause, would defy three-fourths of the rate-payers of the parish.

But though good sense and Christian feeling should cause proceedings connected with the rate to stay at this point, which is far enough in all good conscience, yet other proceedings must also he brought to a termination. Rate-payers of the Parish of Bradford – three-fourths of you have voted against a Church-rate – by a majority of 2204 you have freed yourselves. But remember those that are in bond, and help an oppressed fellow-labourer in this cause. JOHN THOROGOOD STILL LIES IMPRISONED in Chelmsford gaol for non-payment of a five-and-sixpenny Church-rate. Ten long and dreary months he has been immured, and the Church, which alone knows no bounds to her revenge, dooms John Thorogood to rot in a dungeon for life, because he does not give her five-and-sixpence. Let this noble martyr for the sake of conscience have your sympathy, your assistance, and your prayers. Let not the iron enter his soul till his fortitude waver or his faith grow dim. You have freed yourselves – the next best thing that duty bids you do, is to help in freeing others (Bradford Observer 1839/11/28).

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Original

That little sympathy with the Church existed in Bradford at that time may be inferred from the fact that a proposition for a rate made in the month of November, for the parish church, was negatived by a majority of 2168! And that no great tenderness was manifested for the vicar is seen in the following extract from an anonymous letter received at a subsequent period by Dr. Scoresby, the greater part of which is quite unfit for publication:-

to doctor scorsby vicar of Bradford on his attempting to lay A Church Rate at a time when the people have been so far Enlitened as to know that they have no right to pay it. no sir if you are determined to have this rate you may get it if you can or if you dare. remember sir you are only a man you may be in your Grave before the rate be collected. the nights are dark guns are plentiful powder is cheap men ARE DETERMINED not to be robed by the parson any longer if you dare either to come yourself or to send collectors you may perhaps where you expect to Receive A Shilling, Receive A Bullet; And your head be the Receiver instead of your pocket. think of the curses in the Book of isaiah Pronounced Against those who oppress the poor. But may be you do not believe that part of Skripter be that As it may you may believe this that the only way For you to save your life is to be quiet About the Rate.

The revenues of the Vicarage of Bradford (comprising a charge of considerably over 100,000 souls) were, in the first year of Dr. Scoresby’s office, in the aggregate, £582, 8s. 2d., of which sum £139, 15s. 8d. alone was derived from a certain source, the remainder arising out of fees and Easter dues. Of this income, Dr. Scoresby paid annually (including the vicarage) £300 to his curates, leaving only about £280 for his own income. To a meeting of parishioners he one day said, “I may state that the total endowment of the Church has been paid by myself to my curates. I have received nothing for the revenues of the parish but what has resulted from the fees and dues; and during the two years I have been in the parish, the very sums I have received from the parish church have required to have added to them three times the amount out of my own private property.”

425 words.