The Revd. t.i.tus Neve, Minister, Curate, or Stipendiary Priest of Willenhall Chapelry, Prebendary of Hilton and Sacrist of the Collegiate Church of Wolverhampton, and Rector of Darlaston, in the County of Stafford, departed this life December 23rd, 1788, and was interred in the Chancel.
His successor, the Rev. William Moreton, went as Curate to Darlaston in 1786, and was sequestered to the vacant chapelry of Willenhall, December 24th, 1788, the day following Mr. Neve"s decease.
At the termination of Mr. Moreton"s tenure, the Rev. George William White, who had been a curate at Darlaston from 1823, made a very determined bid for the Inc.u.mbency of Willenhall; and although, as we shall see, he was not successful, he was able to console himself, some nine years later, with the rectory of Darlaston (1843).
It appeared that when the Rev. W. Moreton became very old he neglected his duties sadly, often keeping funerals and congregations waiting an unconscionable time, greatly to the scandal of the whole parish. In consequence of this the Churchwardens induced the Inc.u.mbent, two or three years before his death, to appoint and pay an energetic young Curate to a.s.sist him in his parochial ministrations.
The Curate appointed under these circ.u.mstances, as already mentioned, was the Rev. G. H. Fisher, who speedily became a favourite, and by most Willenhall people came to be looked upon as the only possible successor to Mr. Moreton.
Long before the advent of Mr. Fisher, however, the Darlaston folk had settled in their own minds that their Rector, the Rev. Mr. White, was to annex the Willenhall living whenever it become vacant. Whether they looked upon it as being appurtenant to the more important office of their own shepherding cannot be determined at this distance of time; but certain it is that an intense feeling of rivalry existed between the men of Darlaston and the men of Willenhall. The intensity of the feeling may best be judged by a remarkable incident which occurred some five years before Mr. Fisher appeared on the scene.
During the earlier months of the year 1827 it would appear that there had been, from time to time, incursions and alarms between the two towns, and even rioting that involved hand to hand fighting in the streets. Never were such exciting times in these places. At last the rivalry culminated in an act of aggression as daring in execution as it was original in conception-the Willenhall men woke up one fine Sunday morning to find that the Darlastonians had entered their town in the dead of night and stolen the c.o.c.k from the church steeple!
Now the desperate achievement of this triumph over their enemies had a deeper significance than at first meets the eye. It must be borne in the mind that those were the old c.o.c.kfighting days, when town matched against town their gamest birds, and sought the glories of a victory in the c.o.c.k-pit. As between these two neighbouring parishes in particular, there had been much vaunting of birds and challenging to the arbitrament of the spur; the Darlaston men would take a game c.o.c.k into Willenhall, hold him up to show him the weatherc.o.c.k on the steeple, and then give vent to a roar of defiant laughter when the bird crowed his challenge.
By way of reprisal the men of Willenhall would raid Darlaston, and pretend to call the c.o.c.k from the steeple there by scattering corn in the churchyard, in mocking allusion to an old tale of Darlastonian simplicity. No wonder, therefore, that the ridiculed were at last exasperated beyond endurance, and that the coup de main of stealing the Willenhall c.o.c.k was not only projected, but carried to its marvellously successful issue.
Consternation reigned supreme in Willenhall; it was felt that the pa.s.s to which matters had been brought by the enormity of this latest aggravation by their enemies could only be met by an appeal to the law, which, hitherto, both factions had so recklessly set at naught. So the following public notice was promptly issued:-
10 GUINEAS REWARD.
Whereas, early on Sunday morning last, some evil disposed Persons did steal and carry away the
WEATHERc.o.c.k from off the STEEPLE.
Any Person giving Information so that the Offenders may be apprehended, shall upon Conviction receive TEN GUINEAS REWARD over and above what is allowed by the a.s.sociation for the prosecution of Felons. And as more than one were concerned, if either will impeach his Accomplice or Accomplices, they shall receive the above Reward, and every endeavour used to obtain a free Pardon.
Willenhall, July 24, 1827.
THOMAS HINCKS, JAMES WHITEHOUSE,
Chapel Wardens.
Ba.s.sford, Printer, Bilston.
The Notice proved totally unproductive of results, for no Darlaston man was found mean enough to betray the heroes of this daring escapade.
Therefore, as the trophy of Darlastonian valour could not be recovered, and St. Giles"s tower could not be left in all its nakedness without being an ever-present reproach to the Willenhallers, a new vane had forthwith to be provided for the church.
It was some time after the Willenhall pride had been thus lowered that the old weatherc.o.c.k was accidentally found by some miners who were re-opening an old coal pit which lay between the rival townships. Almost needless to say, the new vane was instantly fetched down, and the old one once more set up to flaunt itself as bravely as of yore in the eyes of distant Darlaston.
The good folk of Willenhall, feeling humiliated, did all in their power to cover up their shame by burying the episode in oblivion; and to this day Willenhall men will deny that the Darlastonians ever came and took away their church weatherc.o.c.k. By way of throwing doubt upon the historical accuracy of the incident, they point to the fact that the church at that time had no spire; it is known, however, that a vane surmounted the church tower, and there is evidence of the Reward Notice, the loose wording of which is responsible for the use of the term "steeple" to signify a tower.
The authenticity of the said Notice is always open to investigation, for a framed copy of it still hangs in the Neptune Inn, preserved as a curiosity. (This copy, probably the only one in existence, bears intrinsic evidence of being a genuine doc.u.ment, and is a treasured possession of the Baker family, to whom the "Neptune" property belonged, the paper having been discovered some fifty years ago in a piece of old furniture, by Mr. Phillips, a connection of his family.)
Resuming the history of the benefice, it may be observed that a doubt has been raised whether Mr. Moreton had to go through a contested election in 1788, but there can be no doubt as to an electoral struggle in 1834. Mr.
Fisher soon found himself drawn into the vortex of factional strife, for he was speedily pounced upon by the home party, and very much against his will adopted as their figure-head, if not their champion.
When, on the death of Mr. Moreton, the period of Election came within measurable distance, the excitement became more intense; the patriotic supporters of Mr. White invading the Willenhall territory day after day.
Such challenging and fighting, such threatenings and retaliations, surely never were known; one faction had no sooner hurled its defiance at the other than both incontinently plunged headlong into the melee, and rioting once more raged fiercely through the public streets.
Cracked sconces, broken noses, split ears and black eyes resulted by the score; to which list of casualties must be added the number of the half-drowned who had to be rescued from the ca.n.a.l. Onslaughts made on public-houses and other party headquarters led to a considerable destruction of property, which, however, was borne with much complacency when it was remembered that the whole Hundred would be called upon to pay the bill.
Among the candidates for the Inc.u.mbency were the Rev. R. Robinson, lecturer at the Collegiate Church, Wolverhampton, in recommendation of whom Mr. G. B. Thorneycroft wrote a letter, dating it from Chapel House in that town, 16 July, 1834; the Rev. John Howells, the Rev. Mr. Rogers, the Rev. Mr. Gwyther, and the Rev. Mr. Wenman; but the Rev. George Hutchinson Fisher, who had been Curate two and a-half years in the town, was recognised as the most formidable compet.i.tor. He was the son of a headmaster of Wolverhampton Grammar School, and an M.A. (1834) of Christ College, Cambridge. He received his nomination from Mr. Jeremiah Hartill, and there was little doubt of his ability to obtain the necessary approval of the lords of the manor and the confirmatory licence of the Dean of Wolverhampton.
At that time the Duke of Cleveland was impropriator, but the t.i.thes had been leased by his Grace to Messrs. James Whitehouse and Charles Quinton.
As the day of battle approached public feeling ran so high that on the eve of the poll, which took place on August 5th and 6th, 1834, the Returning Officer deemed it prudent to issue the following Appeal to the Inhabitants:-
It is represented to me, from numerous quarters, that the excitement of the approaching Nomination of a Minister to your Chapel renders it imprudent to take the Poll at the time and place appointed.
Gentlemen,-I cannot but hope and believe that such fears are unnecessary; and, relying upon your good sense, I have determined not to make any alteration in the present arrangements.
I have no interest in your choice; it is my duty only to act with impartiality between all parties.
For that purpose I shall be at your Church at Ten O"clock To-morrow Morning, but unless every person ent.i.tled to vote has free and Unmolested Access to the Poll, I shall, of course, be under the NECESSITY of adjourning it.
I address myself to the friends of Each Candidate Alike, and entreating you to allow the proceedings of the day to take place with that moderation which their object and the sacred place in which we shall meet so particularly require.
I am, Gentlemen, Your faithful, humble Servant,
FRANCIS HOLYOAKE.
Tettenhall, August 4, 1834.
Needless to say, all this rowdyism and disgraceful violence were sternly reprobated by Mr. Fisher, whose rabid opponents must have come to realise that their cause was a lost one when they waylaid the polling clerk and tore his poll-book to shreds.
As to the Magistrates and the Constables, the custodians of the peace discreetly pursued a policy of the most masterly inactivity. Perhaps they felt that the resources of their command were totally inadequate to cope with an uprising of the dimensions and intensity which presented themselves to their consideration; or, maybe, they philosophically recognised that these stirring tumults were the inevitable concomitants of a parochial struggle of so momentous a character. Anyway, their att.i.tude appears to have been justified when everything settled down quietly after the election, the Fisheries tranquilised by victory, and the White Boys dejected by defeat.
For the voting resulted easily in favour of Mr. Fisher, though the validity of his return was challenged in the Court of Chancery for some three years afterwards, during which time, however, he had no hesitation in officiating. He was a fine reader and an able speaker, his delivery of the Church ritual being a model of correct elocution.
Like his predecessor, he held the living a long time, the tenure of the two covering a century. Mr. Fisher resided for a number of years at Bentley Hall.
In 1887, soon after Mr. Fisher"s "Jubilee" in Willenhall, a public movement was inst.i.tuted, in which many Dissenters took part, to acknowledge his fifty years of devoted service among all cla.s.ses of the community. A presentation was made to him of a silver service and his portrait in oils-the latter the work of Thomas Hill, a native of Wednesfield, and which now hangs on the walls of the Free Public Library.
[Picture: Decorative flower]
XX.-The Election of 1894, and Since.
Although St. Giles"s Church is known as the Parish Church, and a church has probably been on the same site some six centuries, the church of Willenhall is really a Proprietary Chapel of Ease, and its Inc.u.mbent legally nothing more than a Perpetual Curate, or Curate in Charge, though Inc.u.mbent of Willenhall, and receiving in respect of that office a very substantial "living." The official return set forth in Crockford"s Clergy Directory for 1893 was: t.i.the rent charge, 640, net Income, 1,300.
Strictly, there is no St. Giles"s parish, nor any parish attached to St.
Giles"s Church, and in law the Inc.u.mbent might, if he wished, ignore the so-called parish so long as he performed satisfactorily certain duties in the church. The unappropriated district, commonly known as St. Giles"s parish, includes that part of Willenhall which has not been allocated to the properly const.i.tuted parishes (or ecclesiastical districts) of St.