St. Michael & All Angels Day

Was, I felt, a happy and interesting day. At Mattins we had most appropriately the baptism of Michael Johnson, with all the Sunday School remaining for all the service, and taking part in the reception of this new member. We were shocked, though, to hear the following day that Michael had sustained a fractured skull through a fall within an hour of his christening. In the evening we had the double pleasure of the presence of the Archdeacon of Maidstone and of a vocal Quartet, led by Richard Carleton, who helped sing Evensong and gave us two anthems by Gibbons and Batten. Do please remember Michael and his parents in your prayers.

J.H.G.-W.G.

Harvest Supper

As the time is rapidly approaching when our Vicar will be leaving Hartlip, the Parochial Church Council has decided to make the presentation to Mr. and Mrs. Green on October 12th, the evening of the Harvest Supper. As some people not present at the Supper may wish to attend the presentation, it will take place about 8.45 p.m. We would be grateful if people coming to the presentation only would try not to arrive before 8.30, p.m., by which time the Harvest Supper should be finished. The entertainment will follow the presentation.

W.C.M.

HARTLIP PARISH RECORDS - No. 2

The other contents of the parish chest are much less well known but are invaluable for the history of the parish and its people. Hartlip's churchwardens accounts begin in the reign of Charles II. Special assessments on land, houses and woodland raised money for the church. By modern standards these were ridiculously low. In 1668 John Osborne, the most notable landowner in the parish, headed the list of 36 Hartlip ratepayers paying £l, while the majority were paying 6d. or 9d. into the church fund of £20 16s. 0d.

Fortunately wages and prices were also low by our standards, as can be seen by the payments the churchwardens made for major repairs in 1682. £1 10s. 0d. was spent on 1,000 and a half tiles for the church and steeple and the wagoners who brought them got six pennyworth of beer. Some price rises did occur. Goody Bounce washed the "surplis" and the Communion cloth during 1667 for a grand total of 5/6d. In 1760 the church had to pay 10/- for the same service and in 1925 all the surplices were washed for £2 0s. 2d.

The churchwardens also dispensed some cash to poor or distressed travellers who had official passes and four seamen "that lost there ship again to Nucasel" received 1/-d. to help them on their way. If you could tell a sad tale you might manage to charm a little money out of the church funds - "gave to a man that was burnt 2d." is typical. Regular payments for visitation dinners at Sittingbourne or at Mrs. Shrubsall's alehouse £2 16s. 0d. and 5/-d. spent on drinking the King's health in 1743 all showed that the officials could enjoy themselves. Normal payments occur for vermin, such as badgers, foxes, stoats and polecats, against which most Kent churchwardens waged a constant war. Hartlip was kind to hedgehogs, but from 1770 a great war was waged against sparrows. In August Mary Dennis received 4½d. for one and a half dozen. Three years later the boys of the village were collecting quite a lot of pocket money, e.g., "Raynses boay for 24 sparrows, 6d.", "Kitchenham's boay for 36 sparrows, 9d." In 1825-26 the churchwardens record the highest total of all - 1692 sparrows @¼d and 893 @½d. One wonders that any survived under this onslaught.

R.P.