Archbishop Drummond's Visitation Return for 1764The Curate at this time was John Blake MA. He was Licenced as curate on 3 March 1746/47; Thomas [of] York made him a Deacon on 9 June 1745, and a Priest on 14 June 1747. John was also instituted as Rector at Scrayingham on 7 November 1761 and in 1764 was also rector of Catton, a master of the free grammer school founded by King Philip and Queen Mary in York and lived in the Parish of St Saviours in York.
The queries were sent out to the Parish clergy on 2 February 1764 and were to be returned on or before the Archbishop's visitation which took place between 30 April and 29 June of that year. The questions asked and John's replies for the chapel at Stockton are as follows:- 1Q. What number of families have you in
the parish? Of these, how many are dissenters? And what sort or
denominations are they? 1A. There
are in this parish generally about 36 families. Of these 7 amounting to 21
persons are reputed Methodists, as are some single people in other
families. There are no dissenters of any other denominations, though not
long ago most of the inhabitants were Presbyterians. 2Q. Is
there any licenced or other meeting-house in your parish? How many? Of
what sort? How often do they assemble? In what number? Who teaches
them? 2A. On an
attempt by the late Dr Foord to stop the progress of Methodism among his
tenants Thomas Wilkinson (a freeholder) licenced his house as a meeting
house for them. They assemble there to the number of 30 or more of this
parish and about 20 from parishes at uncertain time but generally once a
fortnight on Sundays, once a month on Thursdays. Several unknown teachers
appear among them. John Woodcock of Stockton is supposed to be a licenced
teacher. 3Q Is
there any publick or charity-school, endowed or otherwise maintained, in
your parish? When and by whom was the school founded? Who is the master or
mistress? What numbers of children, boys or girls, are taught in it? In
what language? Are they cloathed, maintained or lodged? What are they
taught? Are they employed in working, and afterwards put out to
husbandary, trades or services? More particularly, is there care taken to
instruct the children in the principles of the Christian religion,
according to the Church of England, and to bring them to church as the
Canon requires? 3A. There
is no school endowed but a schoolmaster is occasionally hired and
supported. 4Q In
your parish is there any alms-house, hospital, or other charitable
endowment? Have any lands or tenements been left for the repair of your
church, or to any pious use? Who has the direction of such benefactions?
How are they managed? Do you know, or have you heard, of any abuses or
frauds committed in the management of them? Has there been any
augmentation to your church by benefaction or lot from Queen Ann’s bounty,
and when? Has there been any purchase of lands etc. in consequence of that
augmentation? And what does that purchase consist in, and amount to
yearly? 4A. There
is a close called Petticoat Close in the occupation of Joseph Waterwith,
the rent of which (10s. per annum) is disposed of by Mrs Foord (late Agar)
to some poor person yearly for clothes and supposed to be the charity of
some of the Agar family. 5s. per annum are paid out of a close called
Stoneriggs, the freehold of William Scruton of Stockton and disposed of
with the other by Mrs Foord. The governors of the Bounty of Queen Anne
augmented this chapelry by lot in the year 1738 with the sum of £200. This
sum was vested in 1762 in the purchase of an estate at Aughton in the East
Riding of this county, consisting of 15 acres of arable land now in the
tenure of Mary Buttle, widow, at the yearly rent of £6 5s.
5Q Do you
reside personally upon your cure, and in your vicarage house? If not,
where do you reside? And what is the reason of your
non-residence? 5A. There is no house for the minister. I
reside at York. Stockton is (Scrayingham
return 5A. I reside at York being master of the free grammar school
founded by King Philip and Queen Mary, but having no ecclesiastical duty
there, attend my livings at Scrayingham and Catton and chapel of Stockton
on Sundays as long as the season permits and on other
occasions.) 6Q Have
you a residing curate? What is his name? How long has he been curate? Is
he duly qualified according to the Canons in that behalf? Doth he live in
your parsonage-house? If not, where doth he live? What allowance do you
make him? 6A. The
name of the gentleman who assists me here is Laurence Eglin. He has been
my curate at Catton 2 years, and was licenced by your Grace. He lives at
Catton.. The allowance is specified in the article
preceding. 7Q Do you
perform divine service in any church besides your own? On what days and at
what times is divine service performed in your church? If not twice every
Lord’s Day, with a sermon in the morning, for what
reason? 7A. I perform divine service in my own churches only, except occasionally to assist a friend. Divine service with a sermon is performed in this chapel every other Sunday in the afternoon. Fasts and thanksgivings have been here observed. (Catton
return 7A. I perform divine service in no church but my own except to
assist the minister of the parish of York where I live or a friend. Divine
service is performed at my church at Catton with a sermon every Sunday
morning except that sometimes (when I cannot assist) it is performed in
the afternoon on those Sundays when the sacrament is administred at
Stockton. At my entrance on the parish I found evening prayers on Sundays
had usually been read only in summer, and ( having the chapel of Stockton
served every other Sunday) proposed they should be read every Sunday in
the year when there was no duty at Stockton which method is pursued. They
are besides often read by myself when at Catton, by my curate when I am at
Stockton. Fasts and thanksgivings have been here
observed.) 8Q
Do you know any, who come to church in your parish, that are not baptized?
Or that being baptized, and of a competent age, are not confirmed? Have
you baptized any adults since my coming to be your bishop? If you have, I
desire you to exhibit a schedule of their names and
ages. 8A.
I know of none that come to church that are not baptized. No adults have
been baptized. All that were of competent age were confirmed by your Grace
at York in 1762. 9Q
How often, and at what times, do you catechise in your church? Do your
parishioners duly send their children and servants to be instructed and
catechised? Do they learn any, and what, exposition for the better
understanding of the church catechism? 9A.
The children etc. have been catechised here in Lent and at different
times. The parishioners send them duly on notice. When I attended in
particular before your Grace’s confirmation, I endeavoured to expound the
catechism according to the abilities it has pleased God to give me. I do
the same at other times and generally recommend the exposition of
Archbishop Wake and the short ones of Dr Stebbing and Mr Lewis. Being
desirous to perform part of this duty in person, I shall do it this year
on the summer Sundays. 10Q
How often is the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper administred in your
church? Do you give open and timely notice that it is to be administred?
What numbers of communicants are there in your parish? How many of them
usually receive? Particularly how many did communicate at Easter last?
Have you refused the sacrament to any one? For what reason? And how has
this person so refused behaved himself since that
time? 10A.
The sacrament of the Lord’s Supper is administred in this chapel on 4
Sundays near Christmas, Easter, Whitsontide and Michaelmas. Open and
timely notice is given. There are about 112 communicants in the parish, 40
or 50 usually receive sometimes more. At Christmas last 52, on Palm Sunday
28 only received. I thank God I had no reason to repel
any. 11Q
Have you any chapels within your parish? What are the names of them? How
far are they distant from the parish-church? How are they endowed? By
whom, and at what times, are they served? Is the curate duly qualified? By
whom, and when, was he nominated? Have you any chapel in ruins in which no
divine service is performed? 11A.
There are none. 12Q
Have any publick penances been performed in your church since I became
your bishop? Do you know of any commutations of penance made by any of
your parish within the same time? By whom was it done? For what money? And
to what use was that money applied? 12A.
No penance has been performed. I know of no
commutations.
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