Marwood, Deanery of Sherwill

Chanter 225B, 742-743

  1. Population and dissenters: We have in our Parish about an hundred & twenty Families; of these only one is a Dissenter, of the Presbyterian Persu<a>sion. Licenced or other Meeting House of Dissenters we have none.

  2. Public or charity schools: There is in our Parish no publick or Charity School:

  3. Alms-house, hospital or charitable endowment: We have in our Parish what may be called an Alms-House, but what we Commonly call the Church=House, as it lies adjoining to the Church: In which we entertain & relieve (as in a Work-House) such Poor & aged Persons as we think proper & fit objects of Such Charity. Church-Lands we have none: But we have certain Fields Called ye Poor’s-Land under ye Direction of Feoffees, given for ye Benefit of Such poor Inhabitants as receive no constant Relief. Concerning which I do not know neither have I heard of any Abuses or Frauds committed in ye management of the same.

  4. Residence upon cure: I do reside personally & Constantly upon my Cure, & in my Parsonage-House.

  5. Curate: I have no Curate.

  6. Divine service at other churches: No.

  7. Frequency of divine service: Twice on every Lords-Day, with a Sermon in the Morning; & on every other Festival & Fasting-Day.

  8. Frequency of communion: About Seven or eight Times.

  9. Number of communicants: There are in our Parish more than two hundred & fifty Communicants; of these about fifty or sixty usually receive: In particular, at Easter last past an hundred & twenty Communicated, or thereabout.

  10. Catechising of children: The Children are Catechized in our Church, on every Lords-Day in ye After-noon; excepting on Sacrament-Days, & about Six weeks in the dead Part of ye Winter. ~ The Parishioners do send their Children & Servants so, so; tho’ not So well as it might be wished, or expected.

  11. Chapels or chapels in ruins: We have within our Parish two chapels, each of which is a little more than a Mile distant from the Parish-Church; but both of them have been in Ruins perhaps for more than two hundred years: So that no Divine Service was ever remembred to have been performed in either of them.

    Marwood R.--- Ricardus Harding, A.B. inst. Jun. 3. 1714.
    Presb. Dec. 20. 1713.
    W: Oxon. [Explanation]

    Richd Harding
    Rector of Marwood.