_To the Editor of the_ DUDLEY GUARDIAN.
SIR,--In my former letters to you I have given an account of
what took place and about the old Parish Church, in this I
shall give some information respecting the present church,
which is so great an ornament to the town. The foundation stone
was laid in the year 1816, and finished building in the year
1819, at a cost of £24,000, raised partly by rates and partly
by voluntary contributions. The following is a list of the
donors:--
£ s. d.
The Right Hon. Viscount Dudley and Ward 2000 0 0
The Rev. Luke Booker, (Vicar) 120 0 0
Edward Dixon 500 0 0
James Bourne 100 0 0
Thomas Wainwright 150 0 0
Elizabeth Wainwright 30 0 0
Whitehouse, Moore, and Guest 100 0 0
Richard Moore 100 0 0
Edward Guest 100 0 0
Cornelius Cartwright 60 0 0
Mary Cartwright 40 0 0
Thomas Hill 100 0 0
Thomas and Isaac Badger 80 0 0
W. O. Chinner 50 0 0
Edward Terry 30 0 0
John Badley, Blowers Green 100 0 0
John Badley, Surgeon 100 0 0
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Total £3760 0 0
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So that it will be seen that upwards of twenty thousand pounds
were raised from the Parishioners by a rate levied upon them
under an Act of Parliament. It would not have fallen so heavily
upon the Ratepayers as it did but for the fact that the person
who bought the materials of the old church never paid for them.
The agreement with the purchaser was to pay for them when he
fetched the last load away, but this part of the contract was
never completed, for he either forgot it or wilfully neglected
it. However this may be, a nice row of houses were built with
the materials he did fetch away on the road that cuts off at
right angles leading to Rowley from Dixons Green. The bottom
part of the ovens which were in the brewhouses belonging to
these buildings were laid with some of the gravestones taken
from the old churchyard, and not unfrequently was to be seen
upon the newly-baked loaves "Sacred to the Memory," "Departed
this life," or "Here lie the remains," &c. The individual
referred to was one of the leading men of the town in that day,
and the least we can say is that he had a jolly bargain at
the expense of the parishioners. The first Vicar of the newly
built Church was the Rev. Luke Booker, the next the Rev. W. H.
Cartwright, M.A., who gave up the living, and was succeeded by
the Rev. J. C. Browne, D.C.L. The present Vicar is the Rev.
W. R. Cosens, M.A. The magnificent organ in the church was the
gift of the Right Hon. Viscount Dudley and Ward, and at his
request, Mr. Richard Bourne, a very respectable inhabitant of
the town, was appointed organist. Mr. Bourne was much respected
by his Lordship, having been for many years his organist at the
church close to his baronial mansion at Himley. His Lordship
was a great patron of music, and every year at Christmas he
was in the habit of having some of the best singers down
from London, to spend a few weeks with him at Himley Hall.
The party who generally visited him were the Messrs. Abram,
Knyvett, Vaughan, Braham, and Bellamy, and during their visits
a selection of sacred music was performed, and often a number
of the leading families of the surrounding neighbourhood were
invited to the hall to hear these celebrated vocalists. His
Lordship generally selected a portion of the Messiah to be
performed, and would often join in the choruses, especially
"And the Glory of the Lord," and "The Hallelujah Chorus." A
remarkable instance of his Lordship's benevolence occurred one
occasion when these celebrities were visiting him. He observed
Braham to be somewhat downcast, and asked Mr. Knyvett if he
knew what was the matter with him. Mr. Knyvett did not probably
tell his Lordship all he knew, but from what he did tell him
he inferred that some money would be useful to Braham, and at
length determined to have a private interview with him, and
ask him the cause of his despondency, without Braham saying
much on this rather delicate subject. His Lordship inquired if
some money would be of any use to him; he replied that just at
that time it would, and he immediately wrote him out a cheque
for £500. His Lordship was remarkably charitable and often
caused three or four oxen to be killed weekly to be distributed
amongst the poor of Dudley, Sedgley, Gornal, and Himley, and
the couplet written by the late Dr. Booker, as a tribute of
respect to his memory, will not easily be forgotten--
"To doomsday may the name descend
Dudley, and the poor man's friend."
The present Earl of Dudley has shewn much kindness towards the
people of this town and district, and his noble gift of the
Hospital will confer an immense benefit upon the poor of the
town and neighbourhood, and may he long live to see some of the
good results of this great act of benevolence.
I remain, yours truly,
VERITAS.
_October 7, 1871._
Mr. Ephraim Ball's reply to "Veritas," based as his letter is upon
absolute documents in the hands of Mr. Ball, at one time the property
of the then Churchwardens and Building Committee, removes all doubts
and conjectures about the cost of erection of our noble Parish Church,
which has been beautified and adorned twice since that period.