St. John's.
Beginning with 1558, the register of this parish goes on regularly to the present time, with the exception of some omissions in the middle of the seventeenth century. There are no entries in the year 1637: this was the year of the great plague in Worcester, when 1551 persons died here; but as only twenty-six of them were in St. John's it can scarcely be supposed that the vicar would have abandoned his post, or neglected the parochial records, on that account. From 1639 to 1677 all is confusion, entries of various dates being jumbled together as though from recollection, at various times after the Restoration. The greatest part of a century of the early part of the register was evidently copied from an older one. On one of its covers is the following memorandum::
"John Web's Case. "1741.
"Aug. 2. John Web, of this parish, was buried, with my consent first obtained, in his wive's grave, in my freehold, my church. Some time after, his sister, Mrs. Wood, was resolved to lay a large stone upon his grave without my leave or consent; for this purpose she sent a stone into my churchyard and demanded of my clerk the key of my church. My clerk informing me of her intention, I went into the churchyard and commanded Taylor, the stone cutter, to take the stone away; and for the insolence of pretending to break up the soil of my freehold without my consent the stone should not be put over Mr. Web's grave unless Mrs. Wood payd me 40s. After some time, Mrs. Wood being not able to obtain her end by the help of a proctor, she sent the proctor, Mr. Greenbank, to offer me a guinea. I refused the guinea, but told the proctor for peace sake I would take 25s. and not under. This day, Oct. 28, 1741, Mr. John Young, surveyor of the highways, came to me from Mrs. Wood and paid me 25s. I then bid him tell Mrs. Wood that I was satisfied, and gave her leave to lay the stone upon her brother's grave.
"Abdias Taylor, Vicar.
"Mem. The stone was laid upon Web's grave, Nov. 2, 1741."
St. John's poor's book begins with the year 1692, and ends with 1713. The only entry in it worth recording is that of a parish meeting held Aug. 23, 1711, when it was "agreed, that a penalty of 40s. shall be laid upon the overseers that pay any of their said poor that receive weekly pay, except they have the badg fastened visible on the arm, which they are to wear daily at home and abroad; and in case true information be made of any or either of the said poor yt neglect the wearing of the said badg as aforesaid, they are to have no pay for the week wherein they were found defective."
The oldest account book is one bearing the date 1678, and is entitled "a booke ordeined to enter ye churchwardens' accompts of the parryshe of St. John's in Bedwardine, in the county of Worcester, beginninge in the year aforesaid." This book (which extends over about fifty years) divulges the fact that the former inhabitants of this ancient suburb or township were as famous for their feasting and drinking propensities as are their descendants of the present day. The churchwardens and their friends spent large sums of money on every possible occasion—at perambulations, at the choosing of new wardens on Easter Tuesday, at visitations, binding apprentices, and so forth. It is curious to remark, as a proof of the extent to which selfish appetites will mislead men who have no restraint put upon them, that the charge for processioning, or "beating the bounds" of this parish, increased from 3s. in 1678, to £10 in 1818. At first, only one day was spent in the ceremony, and common ale at a penny per quart, indulged in, the minister participating; then the task became too heavy for a single day, and two were accordingly devoted to the purpose; brandy, tobacco, and pipes, make their appearance; and before the close of the seventeenth century three days were occupied in the procession; dinners at "Powick's bridge" and at Broadmore Green, Broadheath, sums given to the servants and children treated with "heavy wet" on the route, formed the principal features of these drunken scenes. A small charge was made for "boatinge over the newe Teame" on these occasions. After inquiry I cannot ascertain the meaning of this term. Three-pence was also usually charged "for putting up the Gospel bushes." These were bushes or boughs carried in the procession and set upright in the ground at every point where a halt was made to read the Gospel. Both the Bishop and Dean were treated with wine whenever they preached here, as was usually the case when any minister preached who did not belong to the parish; and when the Bishop vouchsafed his presence, cushions were borrowed from the Cathedral to accommodate his lordship. The sum of 5s. was spent upon the Chancellor "when he came up to see the reparacon of ye church." Muskadell wine was generally chosen for sacramental purposes, the charge for it during the whole year varying from £1. 3s. to double that amount. Bell ringing entailed a heavy yearly expenditure upon St. John's parish. It seems that they rang all day here when the king was at Worcester in 1687, as a charge of 15s. 11d. was made for the luxury, and also 3s. for ringing "when the Queen was with child." This child was afterwards the "elder Pretender," but at the time of the ringing the nation was looking for the advent of William of Orange.
In 1707 it was agreed that the five bells should be cast into six, but there was a stout contest before this was decided on, there being twenty-five votes for six bells, and eighteen votes for casting one. The churchwardens were empowered to treat with a bell-founder, and 5s. was spent at the Angel during the deliberation. Subsequently 5s. 6d. was charged for horse-hire in going to Bromsgrove to look after the bells; Mr. Richard Sanders, of that town, being the founder selected. Every stage of progress in the transaction was commemorated by drinking bouts. In 1709 a levy of sixpence in the pound was made to defray the charge for casting; and in the following year appears an item of £1. 4s. 11d. for "meat and drink for the gentlemen who gave judgment on the bells." These gentlemen were probably of the Cathedral choir, or some other musical men of the city, called in to give an opinion as to whether the new bells were in tune—as a similar instance, it will be seen, occurred in another parish. Lastly, the sum of £52. 3s. was paid to Mr. Sanders, apparently his whole bill for the casting. The entire expenses of the parish for the year 1680 amounted to £12. 12s. 4d., besides £5 distributed to the poor. A barn at Wick was frequently mentioned as a place where paupers died. Was this used as a workhouse by the parish? The amount paid under the head of "Whitsun farthings" is described as "Pentecostals to the dean and chapter, 2s. 3d." Every year a regular charge of 1s. was made, as paid to the dean and chapter's bailiff for what was termed "saddle silver." This was probably an annual payment for permission to the inhabitants to pass on horseback over certain lands of the dean and chapter. In many places a right of passing on horseback is called "a bridle-way."
A bridge on the north side of the churchyard is mentioned in 1683, and sums paid for bricks and masons' work to mend the same, and for railing and posting it. What bridge was this? Another curious circumstance recorded in this book is, that in 1717 "Mrs. Margery Carwardine, late of this parish, gave £20, the interest of which yearly to be laid out in Bibles for ever, to be delivered to the poorer sort of young people every Easter who have best rehearsed the church catechism in the Lent before; and if there be any overplus it shall be layd out in catechisms to be given to poor children yt go to the reading school." In the year 1702 it was agreed in vestry meeting "that only one churchwarden should be elected year by year, and to continue in his office two years, viz., the first year as under churchwarden and the second year as head churchwarden." The accounts of these officers were regularly entered in the book by a professional scribe, who was paid accordingly.
The present vicar of St. John's is the Rev. Canon Wood; churchwardens, Mr. Philpott and Mr. Lea. Population in 1851, 1845.
