Shropshire Routes to Roots - Shropshire places - Wem
by Samuel Garbet
BERNARD was the first curate of Wem that I have met with, (1558.) In the last year of queen Mary, he refused burial to William Glover, gent. whose brother Robert had been tied at the stake at Coventry, September 20th, 1555. His eldest brother John being informed against to the bishop of Coventry, and Lichfield, a warrant was sent to the mayor of Coventry to apprehend him, but the mayor had given him some private notice, he fled with his youngest brother William, which last came to Wem, and there died; being brought to the parish church to be buried, Bernard the curate would not suffer him to be interred, but rode to the then bishop of the diocease, doctor Ralph Barnes, to ask him of the matter, and to receive his orders how he should act in it. In the mean time the corpse lying unburied a whole day, one Richard M---, a taylor, in the night time attempted to bury him, but was hindered by John Thurlin and others, so that the corpse lay above ground two days and a night, till the curate returned with the bishop's letter, directed to the parish of Wem; this Glover, for all the time he had been known in this country, was accounted a rebel against our holy faith and religion, a contumer of the holy sacrament, and ceremonies used in the holy church, and had separated himself from the communion of all good christian men, and never required to be reconciled to our holy mother church, and in his last days did not call for his ghostly father, but died without all rites belonging to a christian man, for these reasons, lie (the said bishop) thought it good not only to command the curate of Wem, that he should not be buried in a christian manner, but also to require and command all the parish of Wem, that no man procure help or speak, to have him buried in the holy ground, but especially the church wardens to assist the curate in hindering him from being buried in the church, or churchyard. He also charged those that brought the body to the church, to carry it away again at their own expense, as they would answer it at their peril. Dated at Eccleshall, September 6th, 1558.
By virtue of this order, those persons who had brought the corpse, should carry it away again at their own charge; but it being changed, and smelt so strong, that no bearers could endure it, they put it in a dung cart, and buried it in a broom field. Bernard continued curate of Wem when Fox wrote this part of his martyrolygy, which must have been in the reign of queen Elizabeth, and so he lived to change his principles, and to profess the same religion that Glover had before him. I suppose he was curate under the rector Dacre.
JOHN JEFFERY seems to have been curate under doctor Page in 1640. For in 1640 there is fairer entry than ordinary in the register of the baptism of Johanna, daughter of John Jeffery Clerk, and Sarah his wife.
HAINS was curate under Mr. Wycherley, With an allowance of £80. per annum, in 1670. He was much beloved, and esteemed for his exemplary life, conversation, and pathetical preaching whereby he often drew tears from a great part of his audience. Mr. Wycherley dismissed him in 1674, when he came to reside here himself; whereupon Mr. Hains got the care of a chapel in Westminster, and died there in 1680.
ROBERT SMITH succeeded him at Wem 1674, Mr. Wycherley removed him hither from Edstaston, chapel, and as soon as he kept house, gave him his board. This civility cost Mr. Smith dear, for enter ing into bonds, and giving securities for the rector, he was forced to quit his county, to save his liberty.
ROBERT MATTHEWS supplied his place in 1684, and officiated here when the profits of the rectory were sequestered, for the payment of the curates. He had the voice of Stentor, so that he could be heard at a great distance from the church. He continued four years under doctor Aldrich, till he was preferred by sir John Bridgman.
MOSES HUGHES succeeded him in 1693, being put in either by doctor Aldrich, or Mr. Thomas Barnes of the Lowe, who had farmed the profits of the rectory. As soon as Mr. Barnes's term was ex pired, the Glebe and tithes were leased to
RICHARD BLAKEWAY, in 1696, who was now curate of Wem. He was the son of Richard Blake-way, of Berrington, in the county of Salop, gent. he married Elizabeth, fifth daughter of John Cotes, of Wood-Cotes, esq. He died of a consumption, January 8th, 1697-8, in the thirty-fourth year of his age, and was buried in Wem church, within the communion rails. His epitaph represents him as a most accomplish person. Vir undequaque deside ratissimus.
MOSES HUGHES succeeded him in the curacy, and in the farm of the rectory, in 1698. He was born at Shrewsbury, of mean parents, his father being a barge owner. Whilst he was at the free school in that Town, he was remarkable for his uncommon strength and courage; which recommended him to the favour of young sir Vincent Corbet, of Acton Reynold, who took him with him to the University, and maintained him there. Mr. Hughes married one of the old lady Corbet's women, by whom he had two sons, Vincent, and Robert. Once a year he took a journey to Oxford, where he paid doctor Aldrich £120. and the three last years only £100. for the whole profits of the rectory; but he then paid the curates, and was responsible for taxes, and dilapidations, which last cost his widow and executrix £80. One field in the township of Wem, still bears his name, which is now in my possession, and which he purchased in 1706, of Mrs. Jane Hotchkis, of Wem. A field in Tilley was given him by Sarah Higginson, of that Town, in consideration af his care of, and some money he had advanced to wards the maintainance of her son John, at one of the Universities. He was a free generous man, and his good nature might have injured his family, had it not been put under great restraints by his wife. Sudden and violent starts of anger were his greatest faults. He turned Mrs. Haw from the communion table, refusing to give her the sacrament. Complaint was made to bishop Hough, and Mr. Hughes was obliged to vindicate his conduct. He did it with so much heat, that his diocesan told him, that passion was the devil, and that he was strongly possessed by it. The dissenters were very odious to him. As he was railing against them in the pulpit, one Sherrat spoke aloud, that he preached false doctrines. In the evening he defended it in church, from some authors, which he had brought with him, one of which, was doctor Hammond. In 1708, being presented by the dean, and Chapter, of Christ church, Oxford, to the vicarage of Froddesham, in the county of Chester, he employed Mr. Gardener to supply the curacy of Wem, but in 1710, Mr. Gardener obtaining the curacy of Newtown, Mr. Hughes returned to Wem, for the sake of his health. In the beginning of next year, doctor Chandler being then rector of Wem, sent Mr. Hughes notice, to quit the curacy, which he took so much to heart, that he did not survive it. For March 29th, 1711, he was buried in Wem church, within the communion rails. Mr. Edwards, the head master of the school, composed his epitaph, in which he observes, that he streneously maintained the doctrine of the church of England, was friendly, just, peaceable, courteous, grateful, bountiful, and pious; as to his person, he was low of stature, but very broad set.
THOMAS COOK, in 1711, was his successor, but being very soon removed to Newtown chapel, I shall meet with him there.
LAWRENCE GARDNER, 1711, a younger son of the Gardeners, of Sansaw, near the Clive, was re moved from Newtown to Wem, because doctor Chandler thought him more capable of transacting the business, and managing the concerns of this large parish, than Mr. Cook. For he received, and disbursed money, set, and gathered tithes, employed workmen, paid taxes, and the curates' salaries, and accounted to the rector for the overplus. On the death of Mr. Markham, about 1715, he made interest, by doctor Chandler, for Wroxeter, which was promised to another. But lord Bradford offered him Donnington, and Uppington, of about £70. per annum value, but he refused them, because he 'would not be confined to a school'. In 1717, the earl of Bradford presented him to the vicarage of High-Ercal, in the county of Salop, where he married one of the daughters of his predecessor, Mr. Blakeway, a virtuous gentlewoman, whose want of fortune was abundantly made up by good humour, and good sense. To reward him for his prudent management at Wem, bishop Chandler conferred on him the rectory of Copenhall, in Cheshire, and afterwards a prebend in the church of Lichfield. Having now a large income, riches flowed in very fast, and he became a moneyed man. After he had been some years at Ercal, be began to be afflicted with the stone and gravel, for which, he could find no cure, though he tried various remedies, and amongst the celebrated Stephenso'. He died, November, 1750.
He was large of stature, inclining to be corpulent, careless of his dress. He did not distinguish him self as a preacher, or a scholar; but his family, amid his preferments made him considerable among the clergy, He had a due sense of religion, scorned to do an unjust thing, was charitable to the poor, and hospitable to his acquaintance; but he was a little troubled with vapours, too apt to resent any slight, and when provoked, to fall into a passion.
GEORGE TYLER was the next curate of Wem, in 1727, though ten years intervened between the resignation of Mr. Gardner, and his admission. He was born in or about London, where his mother lived, whilst his father was engaged in the sea service. Being left an orphan, without any provision for his subsistance, he was sent to his aunt Groom, at Wem. afterwards Mrs. Walford, who having no child of her own, entertained him as such. She maintained him at the free school, and afterwards at Trinity college, in Cambridge, where he took the degree of batchelor of arts. He was ordained at Ely, or Norwich, amid having for some time assisted doctor Whitfield, at Hadenham, in the isle of Ely, he returned to Wem, and in 1720, succeeded Mr. Blakeway in his cha peiry of Newtown. Not long after he married Ann, one of the daughters of Mr. Collier, of Petton, and vicar of Great Nesse. In 1727, Mr. Eyton removed him to Wem, and in 1736 procured him the rectory of Petton. A little before Midsummer, in 1738, he was seized with a nervous disorder, which affected his head, and rendered him incapable of executing the duty of his curacy ; whereupon, in November in the same year, he resigned it, and in 1741 returned to his first curacy, that of Newtown chapel. His aunt Walford made him her heir, and left him a freehold estate of about £30. per annum. His uncle Tyler, of Darleston, left him £200. in money. And he had at least £45. a year from his rectory and curacy of Wem. And yet, though he had no child, no losses, no visible ways of expending more than ordinary, his building excepted, he consumed his income, and his estate, and left his widow only a house and gar den. The house he built lies in Noble-Street, and now belongs to the Presbyterian meeting-house; which could he have foreseen, he would never have built it. He gave to Wem church, or rather executed the will of his aunt Walford, in giving a branch candlestick of brass, which cost him about £15. He died at Wem, January 14th, 1747, aged 52, and was buried in the church, with an inscription on the stone that covers him.
SAMUEL GARBET, my only son, succeeded, though not immediately, in the curacy of Wem, the place of his nativity and education, 1740. In 1734, he was admitted into Christ church college, Oxford, where he took the degrees of bachelor, and master of arts. He was ordained deacon, by doctor Peploe, bishop of Chester, and priest, by doctor Smallbroke, bishop of Lichfield, and Coventry, who pitched upon him to preach the ordination sermon. After he had continued above six years in this curacy, he found the duty incident to it, too great for a weak constitution; and for this reason, chose to resign it at the end of 1746, and the next year accepted of the perpetual curacy of Newtown.
ARTHUR SPENDER succeeded him at Wem, March 25th, 1747. He was born in the parish of Cheswardine, in the county of Salop, educated at Newport, in the same county, from whence he was removed to Magdalen Hall, Oxford, where he took the degree of bachelor of arts. Whilst he was curate at St. Ives, in the county of Huntingdan, he married a gentlewoman of good fortune, who after she had borne him two sons, had the misfortune to grow melancholy, or distracted. Whilst he officiated under Mr. Pigot, at Tibberton, and Edgmond, in Shropshire, he prevailed on his father to sell a small estate at Cotton, in the parish of Wem; and with the money arising from it, he purchased the ad vow-son of the vicarage of Hadlow, in Kent. In 1749, the old incumbent died, and Mr. Saxby, and lord Vane entered their caveats against Mr. Spender, who brought his quare impedit, and for a sum of money, got them to withdraw their caveats. June 24th, 1750, he resigned his curacy at Wem, and set out for his living, to which he had been instituted, and inducted, in the beginning of the year. He was tall, and corpulent, insomuch, that he was reported the biggest man in the parish. He was very diligent in visiting the sick, which gained him the esteem of many people. His reading of divine service was not at all agreeable; but he was much admired for his preaching; and no wonder that he was so, since he preached the best sermons that he could procure, either in print, or M. S. being incapable of coin-posing himself. He died in 1753.
GRIFFRITH JONES, M. A. of Jesus' college, Oxford, succeeded to this curacy, September 29th, 1750. He still retained his scholarship on that foundation; had about two years served one of the cures at Malpas, and doctor Moore was very desirous that he should continue longer. But he had prematurely engaged himself to doctor Eyton, who would not release him. He is an ingenious young man, and has the character of a good preacher. But having a weak constitution, too great application to his studies, threw him into a consumption; and that disorder increasing, his voice failed, his spirits sunk, and though he had great assistance, he was not able to do the business of the curacy, which he resigned on the 18th of July, 1731.
Page created 7 September 2003 and last updated 22 June 2007
