It may be of interest to note that with the new order and the new rector (who kept a book in which he entered particulars of the communicants) the bread and wine for Grasmere alone cost £2 5s. 9d. When, in 1860, it rose to £4 10s., the sum included 8s. paid by the rector to the wardens in place of his Easter provision. This ancient rectorial charge is mentioned for the last time in 1865. It was probably coincident also with the appointment of the Rev. Fletcher Fleming, that the old order of sacraments four times in the year was changed to a monthly celebration.
The following extracts from the accounts, besides others interspersed in the text, show that the townships carried out their separate obligations until the Vestry revolution of 1856-7, a period of almost 200 years. They apparently gave out their share of the work to their own townsmen. John Birkett, who received 1s. for a "yeat stoop," in 1755, for the Loughrigg and Beneath Moss Gate, was a Rydal man. The ale charged 1s. 8d. in the public auction, when that township let the contract for the repair of its benches in 1783, was doubtless drunk at the Fleming's Inn in Rydal, where such scenes were frequent.
1667 to John Hawkrigg for mending gresmyr-yeat 1s 4d
1668 for glassing one window for gresmyr 3s 6d
1669 It. to Milles Mackereth for a Gammer & Crake & loupp to gresmyre Church yeats 1s 9d.
1670 for mending sliper of our Church yeats 1d
1678 For langdall yeat & laughrigg yeat for Irron-worke 6d; also "for mending Churchyard wale for laughrigg third" 1s 6d.
1680 Loughrigg and beneath Moss repaire "our window" 1s 0d
1683 Grasmere repairs windows, 8d., "yeats" 1s. 0d., and Lou. & b. M. the "Church wals" 10.
1730 Lou. and b. M. makes a new gate 16s 6d.
1751 Langdale makes a new gate 10s 7d
1755 Lou. and b. M. makes new gate 8s 0d. and mends wall 4s 4d
1759 Grasmere and Langdale repair their walls
1761 Grasmere mends gates 1s 10d.; while mending of the church porch, 4s 6d is entered in general charges
1768 Grasmere "glasses" windows 9s 6d
1769 All three gates are repaired, and Grasmere mends her windows
1773 Loughrigg and beneath Moss makes new gates and stulps 11s 11d, also repairs wall 10s 0d, Langdale does the latter 7s 6d
1775 Grasmere sells old gates for 4s 0d
1776 Lou. and b. M. works on wall £3 5s 0d
1777 Grasmere collects material for wall 19s 4d. Langdale makes new gate 9s 0d
1780 Grasmere raises wall from the school-house to where it meets "Rydal third" £1 17s 3d. All the townships repair their windows
1782 Lou. and b. M. again repairs wall, evidently with thoroughness, giving 1s 0d in ale to the men who work the foundation in water (of the river). The leading of stones for 5 days with 2 horses cost £1 0s 0d. Total £2 3s 6d
1790 Langdale pays "for new stoops for Langdale gate & hanging" 4s 3d while all three townships mend windows—Grasmere for its "third" 6s 10d, Langdale 101⁄2 d, and Lou. and b. M. is 61⁄2 d
1799 Lou. and b. M. pays "To mending Rydale Gates" 1s 0d
1806 Lou. and b. M. pays £1 5s 6d for a new gate, to Edward Wilson of Grasmere
1811 Lou. and b. M. repairs "Church Garth Wall" £1 11s 9d; and gate 2s 6d, to John Watson, smith, of Grasmere
1819 Lou. and b. M. repairs wall, 15s 0d; and windows 15s 3d
1822 Lou. and b. M. mends and paints church gates 6s 4d
1832 Lou. and b. M. glazes windows 1s 9d
1835 Lou. and b. M. pays for new gate £1 0s 0d
1840 Lou. and b. M. repairs windows 5s 11⁄2 d
1842 Langdale pays 9s 0d to Edward Wilson for new gate
1852 Lou. and b. M. repairs wall 7s 10d; and mends and paints gate 4s 3d
1856 The three townships repair separately for the last time: Grasmere painting gate and windows at 7s 6d; "Rydall and Loughrigg" (now styled) painting her gate at 2s 0d and Langdale hers at 1s 6d
[The churchwardens' accounts are in 3 volumes:
The 2nd volume of these is missing, but there is a copy. This copy begins in 1732, overlapping by three years the first volume, which ends in 1735; but the copy of the 2nd volume only goes as far as 1782, and the 3rd volume begins in 1790, leaving a gap of eight years.]—Ed.
CLEANING AND REPAIRS
The townships joined at many general repairs, as well as at the cleaning of the church, and the expenses of maintaining worship within it. It is interesting to note how extremely small these expenses were. The cleaning, or "dressing," as it was called, of the church, the greasing of the bells, the washing of the linen, the writing of the register, the whipping of dogs out of church, and the "drawing" of the accounts, all appear to have been paid for at the Restoration at the rate of 1s. each per annum. This moderate fee was presently raised to 1s. 6d., 2s. 6d., 3s., or 3s. 6d., but never rose higher for over a hundred years. The "surpcloth and table-cloth" were washed twice in the year 1662 for 1s., but from 1664 onward three times were allowed for 3s., and by 1702 the laundress had secured an additional 6d. for mending. The cleaning of the windows "and sentences" (which were presumably touched up with paint) became a regular charge at 1s., and the burnishing of the church plate was 6d.