[From Manx Soc vol 28, 1878]

Order to pull down the Dwelling-House, etc., at St. Mark's.

Having duly considered the prayer of the before-going petition, the report of our vicar-general, the order for a jury to view and report on the said buildings, with the said jurors' verdict, all which proceedings have been carried on with the knowledge, approbation, and consent, not only of the peti tioner, but also of Daniel Kinnish and John Bridson, Esqs., trustees of said chapel, we do also approve of the same, and do hereby give our consent, sanction, and authority for pulling down the present mansion or dwelling-house, with the barn, cowhouse or shed, in this petition mentioned, and for rebuilding the same, with a stable, etc. etc., in a more convenient situation. And we do also hereby authorise and empower the petitioner to alter the road leading to the dwelling-house of said ebapeiry, and to which, as appears by a duly attested deed hereunto annexed, the petitioner has obtained the consent of John Callister and Esther Callister, the other parties interested therein. And we do also desire our registrar, "in perpetuam rei memoriam," to record this petition and orders thereon in the Episcopal Registry, with the other papers relating to the chapelry of St. Mark's Chapel.

Given at Bishop's Court this 20th of December 1828.

W., SODOR & MANN.

Copied from the Epis. Regr., J. T. C.

Petition to the Lord Bishop for leave to solicit Subscriptions to erect a New Glebe-house at St. Mark's.

To the Right Reverend Father in God, William, by Divine permission Lord Bishop of Sodor & Mann,

The humble Petition of the Chaplain and Trustees of St. Mark's Chapel, in the Parish of Malew, Isle of Mann,

Sheweth-That your petitioners did, on the 11th of December, present their memorial to your Lordship, stating the deplorable state of dilapidation into which the glebe house of St. Mark's had fallen.

That your Lordship was graciously disposed to take the same into consideration, to order your vicars-general to give their opinion on the subject in your Consistorial Court.

That by their advice a jury of two house carpenters and two masons were impannelled to examine said premises, and that said jury condemned said houses on St. Mark's glebe as incapable to be put into a proper state of repair. Consequently that your Lordship gave yonr petitioners full power to pull down said buildings, and to erect a new parsonage-house on a more convenient site on said glebe of St. Mark's, together with all other buildings and improvements as your petitioners may think absolutely requisite for the comfort of all succeeding chaplains, and the proper cultivation of St. Mark's glebe.

That the whole of the annual revenue of said chapelry, not exceeding thirty pounds British, if totally laid aside for the purpose of effecting the above improvements, would not enable the chaplain for many years to accomplish the object in view.

That consequently the inhabitants generally in the neighbourhood of St. Mark's being much attached to their chaplain, and feeling a deep sympathy for himself and his family under their distressed circumstances, have engaged to perform a considerable proportion of manual and horse labour necessary for the intended new buildings.

That many other benevolent Christians have kindly con tribnted towards the desired improvements at St. Mark's, but yonr petitioners conceive it absolutely necessary, in order to accomplish their object fully, to

Pray that your Lordship may be pleased to sanction their proceedings by a contribution, and by permission to appeal to the population of your Lordship's diocese generally, in the same manner as the first trustees of St. Mark's did, to erect the chapel, and to purchase the glebe. And for the most trifling proof of your Lordship's good will and approbation, your peti tioners will ever pray for your temporal and eternal good.

JOHN THOMAS CLARKE, Chaplain.
JOHN BRIDSON, Trustees.
DANL. KINNISH,

This 20th December 1828, approved of, and recommended to all Christian friends in this diocese and elsewhere, the 20th Dec. 1828.

W., Sodor & MANN.

Subscriptions for a New Parsonage-house at St. Mark's, 1829-30.

The Right Rev, the Lord Bishop Ward . . £5 0 0
The insular clergy . . . . . . 23 8 6
Rev. Mr. Duggan for dilapidations of old mansion-house . . . . . . 20 0 0
Commissioners of Woods and Forests . . 10 10 0
The Hon. Lieut.-Governor Smelt . . 2 0 0
Sundry insular subscriptions . . . . 86 7 6
Stones, etc., of old mansion, estimated at . . 10 13 8
£157 19 8

Suberiptions for sundry offices at St. Mark's, viz., stable, cowhouse, barn, cart-house, shed, etc.

The Right Rev, the Lord Bishop

Ward. . . . . £5 0 0
Grant from the Woods and Forests 30 0 0
Sundry subscriptions . . 1 10 0
Materials of old house, estimated at 29 10 0

£ 66 0 0

£223 19 8
Balance due the chaplain . 45 2 10
Nov. 1830. £269 2 6

Disbursements.

Total expenditure on the new parsonage-house £184 10 0 on the stable, cowhouse, barn, etc. 84 12 6

Nov. 1830. £269 2 6

Bishop Ward's Certificate as to the New Parsonage.

Bishop's Court, 16th Sept. 1830.

I hereby certify to the inhabitants of the island, that I have recently visited the Chapel of St. Mark's in the parish of Malew, and also the new house erected on the glebe of said chapel, which I consider a more comfortable and betterbuilt house than any rectory and vicarage - house in mydiocese. W., SODOR & MANN.

I must also certify that there are no cattle offices on said glebe, which are absolutely necessary for the profitable cultivation of the glebe, forty acres of that poor land being the principal maintenance of the chaplain.

W., SODOR & MANN.

The offices have been erected since the Lord Bishop's visitation. The chaplain embraces this opportunity for him self and his neighbours of returning his sincere thanks to all who have favoured him, the Commissioners of His Majesty's Woods and Forests, the Houble. Lieut.-Governor, and also his worthy and pious Diocesan, who has not only contributed handsomely to his new buildings, but has also given him a grant of £125 to purchase free sittings in his chapel, and to repair the same.

J. T. C.

Novr. 1830.

Exchange of Pews and Free Seats.

In April 1830, several exchanges of pews were made between some of the parishioners in order to bring all the free seats together, which received the approval of the Lord Bishop attached to the deed.

I hereby sanction and approve the deed of exchange as an excellent regulation of the above-mentioned pews in St. Mark's Chapel, whereby the proprietors' pews are adjoining each other in succession westward from the pulpit, and the chaplain's seven pews also adjoining each other at the west end, for which last-mentioned seven pews I do hereby promise to pay unto the said chaplain and the trustees of St. Mark's £100, to be invested in landed security for the benefit of the chaplain for the time being, and the said seven pews in lieu thereof, to be appropriated to the free use of the neighbourhood for ever, from the day of the date hereof, namely, the 5th June 1830.

WILLIAM, SODOR & MANN.

Recorded March 1831.

In order to augment the annual income of St. Mark's, and to accommodate the poor of the neighbourhood with free sittings, Bishop Ward gave £100 for the pews which had not been sold, to be put to interest for the chaplain, and ordered the said pews to be exchanged and collected to the west gable, for the repairs of which and the chapel generally he contributed £30, and accordingly three paws were thus exchanged, which is more particularly shown as recorded in the deed of exchange previously mentioned.

Petition to Record Accounts of New Buildings at St. Mark's.

To the Right Reverend William, by Divine permission Lord Bishop of Sodor and Mann,

The humble Petition of John Thomas Clarke, Chaplain of St. Mark's, in the parish of Malew, Isle of Mann,

Sheweth-That, in consequence of the deplorably dilapidated state of the old parsonage-house on the glebe of said chapel, your Lordship was pleased to grant an order to throw it down, with every house and shed belonging to it.

That in the years 1829 and 1830, your petitioner having been so fortunate as to obtain subscriptions nearly equal to erecting a new parsonage-house, a stable, cowhouse, cart-house, potato-house, and granary, with a back-yard and conveniences belonging to the new parsonage-house, pulled down the said old houses, and used the materials of them fit for use in the new buildings.

Your petitioner moreover sunk a well thirteen yards deep, with a good and sufficient pump to it. All which improvements, with the subscriptions for effecting them, and the disbursements of said subscriptions,

Your petitioner is anxious to have recorded in the Episcopal Register; but previous to rendering said accounts, it is expedient to impannel a jury on said premises, to ascertain the workmanship and dnration of said houses.

Therefore your petitioner humbly solicits your Lordship to order said jury on said premises to investigate the state of said buildings; and your petitioner will ever pray, etc. etc.

JOHN THOMAS CLARKE, Chaplain.

Ordered that the sumner of Malew will impannel a jury of two masons and two house carpenters belonging to the said parish of Malew on said premises of St. Mark's, to inspect the state of the above-mentioned new buildings, and that the said sumner will swear them on said premises to discharge their duty faithfully, and that the said jurors will return their verdict to Vicar-General Philpot.

Given this 14th day of March 1831, at Bishop's Court.

W., SODOR & MANN.

The jurors returned as their verdict, that the buildings were quite sufficient, and the funds had been well expended.

17th March 1831.

Petition and Order to record the Expenses of New Kitchen erected in addition to the New Gleb&house of St. Mark's, 1835.

To the Revd. F. B. Hartwell, Vicar-General,

The humble petition of John Thomas Clarke, Chaplain of St. Mark's, Malew,

Sheweth-That in consequence of the deplorably dilapidated state of the old parsonage-house on the glebe belonging to St. Mark's Chapel, in the parish of Malew, our Right Reverend the Lord Bishop was pleased, on the 20th of Decem ber 1828, to grant an order to pull down the old houses on said glebe, and a new glebe-house to be erected on a more convenient site, together with suitable cattle-offices and sheds, and all other conveniences necessary for the comfort of all future occupants. The said improvements have been made.

That on the 19th of Angust 1830, the Lord Bishop, in his visitation of the churches and chapels of his diocese, was pleased to inspect the said new buildings on the glebe of St. Mark's and to express the highest encomium on the accom plishment of the same.

That notwithstanding his Lordship's approbation, he saw a deficiency in the dimensions of the back part of the dwelling- house called the shed, in not being extended more than two- thirds of the length of the building, and requested that additional exertions should be made to finish said shed, with the erection of a new kitchen and back kitchen, in order that the glebe-house might be more commodious as a boarding school, by means of which, owing to the smallness of the income of said chapelry, every succeeding clergyman might the better support himself.

That on or about the month of March 1835, your reverence, in company with the Rev. Dr. Carpenter, was graciously pleased to visit St. Mark's to inspect said new buildings generally, and the proposed new improvement in particular; and you saw it absolutely necessary that the said improve ment should take effect, that the house might be more com plete as a boarding-school.

That on the Rev. Dr. Carpenter's application to his friends in London for pecuniary aid for said purpose, he procured the sum of £20 from Alexander Gordon, Esq., solicitor, which sum, with additional cartage from the neighbouring farmers, encouraged said additional building to be commenced, and although inadequate to the completion of it, yet it was carried on and finished, together with a cottage at the glebe upper gate for a labourer who might take the principal burden of the agricultural labours of the glebe lands off the chaplain's hands, and enable him to devote more time to his school.

That after the completion of said additional buildings on said glebe, the Lord Bishop paid a second visit to St. Mark's on the 3d of September following; that he highly approved of said buildings, and requested the expenses, as usually done, to be prepared for the Episcopal Register Office.

That the Lord Bishop is at present absent from the island, and in order to prevent delay and future litigation, your petitioner is anxious to have the said expenses audited and recorded with the former accounts, but previously to this it is expedient to impannel a jury to ascertain a verdict of the workmanship and durability of said additional improvements.

Therefore your petitioner humbly solicits your Reverence, in the absence of the Lord Bishop from this diocese, to order said jury on said premises to inspect the state of said build ings; and your petitioner will ever pray, etc. etc.

JOHN THOMAS CLARKE, Chaplain of St. Mark's.

A jury was impannelled in the usual form by Vicar- General F. B. Hartwell. Dated 15th December 1836.

The jury returned as their verdict that the workmanship was sufficient and durable, and that the expenses were not overrated. Dated 2d Janurary 1837.

Received this 2d day of January 1837, and ordered to be recorded. F. B. HARTWELL.

Having finished the buildings on St. Mark's glebe, consisting of the dwelling-house, the cottage for a labourer at the high-road, the stable, cowhouse, barn, stable-loft, and shed for potato and cart - house (all slated except the cottage), together with a well sunk in the back-yard thirteen yards deep, the back-yard walling with the privies, pig-sty, and hen-roost, which are thatched, the garden with its planting, and pillars and gate, the pillars and gate at the entrance of glebe road; also all the walling pillars, gates, and new fences on the old glebe, consisting of forty-two acres of land: And having erected a gorse mill and house, and fenced and formed a mill-dam in old Garey for a watering-place for cattle as well as a mill-dam, the draining and cultivation of said old glebe lands was periodically carried on by public subscription till the 22d October 1840, when an opportunity occurred of augmenting the income of said chapelry by purchasing twenty-one acres of land adjoining said old glebe lands, being a part of the Cleigh-ronyr farm and the property of the late John Fitzsimmons, High Constable of Castletown. And accordingly, said lands were purchased at public auction in order to secure £100 legacy bequeathed by the late Bishop Ward for that purpose, payable on condition that said lands should be pur chased for a new glebe, and also the better to secure the £100 granted by said Bishop for seven pews in the chapel for free sittings, and the £62 : 2s., the original balance of the chapel fund secured on Balla-kissage, Kk. St. Anne, but several years in the Joint Stock Bank, Douglas, at 4 per cent, making in all the sum of £262 : 2s., which sum was given in part for the new glebe. J. T. C.