THE CHURCH RATES
The church rate, levied by the wardens and the Eighteen on the parishioners for the up-keep of the church, must for long have stood at a low figure. In Squire Daniel's Account-book for February 16-62/63 the item appears "Paid ye other day an Assess to ye church for my little tenemt in Gressmer 00 00 02."
This was a small farm-hold at the Wray, which he had inherited from his uncle. And forty years later, when the year's expenditure was high, the freeholder, Francis Benson of the Fold, was rated no higher than 5s. 9d. for all his lands. The general charges after 1662, when the equipment for the episcopal services was complete, up to 1810, averaged in those years when there was no extraordinary outlay, barely more than £2, to which, of course, were added those incurred by each township individually. In 1733, when the bells caused a great outlay, it is possible that money was borrowed, for an item stands "For interest to Jane Benson 5s. 0d." Rydal and Loughrigg furnished, in 1661, the sum of £2. 9s. as its share in the maintenance of the church; and in 1682, £1. 5s. 6d.; while in 1733 it mounted to £13. 3s. 7d., of which the special Ambleside churchwarden produced, on behalf of his district, 19s. 1d.
When the churchwardens' books re-open in 1790, the general charges stand at £2. 2s. 71⁄2 d., and those of the three townships united at £7. 13s. 21⁄2 d.; our township paying of this £2. 2s. 1d. The following table shows the progress of expense:—
| Complete Charges | Share paid by | ||
| of Three | Loughrigg and | ||
| Townships. | beneath Moss. | Ambleside. | |
| £ s. d. | £ s. d. | £ s. d. | |
| 1790 | 7 13 21⁄2 | 2 2 1 | —— |
| 1800 | 5 4 111⁄2 | 1 15 61⁄4 | —— |
| 1810 | 50 1 41⁄2 | 16 1 111⁄2 | 5 18 01⁄2 |
| 1820 | 21 5 51⁄2 | 7 1 01⁄2 | 2 2 71⁄2 |
| 1830 | 18 7 5 | 4 11 51⁄2 | 1 8 41⁄2 |
| 1840 | 13 17 8 | 4 6 111⁄2 | 1 14 0 |
| 1850 | 20 16 91⁄2 | 6 6 21⁄2 | 2 4 91⁄2 |
| 1857 | 34 15 81⁄2 | 11 17 111⁄2 | [186]4 2 111⁄2 |
The extraordinary expense of 1810 was caused by the building of the vestry and hanging of the bells. In the year of the great outlay upon the roof (1814), when Rydal produced £35. 19s. 11d. and £14. 7s. 4d. from Ambleside, the wardens laid for the last time but one, the old church rate or "sess." Henceforth, the Overseers of the Poor took it over, and so long as it lasted paid it out of the Poor Rate. This seems to have been a period of laxity, when the old spirit of responsibility and watchful care in the custodians of the building, as representatives of their townships, became weakened. It was now, in 1816, when the wardens and Eighteen would seem to have less to do, that an annual dinner was instituted for them and the "minister." This cost 2s. a head; and though at the Easter Meeting of 1849 "it was resolved that in future the Landlord at the Red Lion Inn shall provide dinners for the 24 at the Rate of 1s. 6d. pr Head, Ale also to be Included in the said Sum," the sum paid remained £2.
A fee of 1s. 4d. paid to the churchwardens on entry or exit from office (which covered his journey to Kendal) had long been customary. Besides this fee, his expenses began in 1826 to be paid separately at the rate of 3s.