Churches - Bevendean History Project
St Mark's Church, Kemp Town
Some notes on the history of St Mark's Church written in 1877 by John Babington secretary of St Mary's Hall.
About the year 1838 the first Marquis of Bristol, with the view of providing a Church for the gratuitous attendance of the Inmates of St. Mary's Hall, and for the accommodation of the neighbourhood, constructed in carcass the building of St. Mark's, but without any internal fittings. That Church, in that condition, he conveyed to the Trustees of St. Mary's Hall.
Then the Rev. H. V. Elliott took the work in hand, and with the primary view of securing for St. Mary's Hall the free sittings contemplated by Lord Bristol, he completely finished the Church, partly at his own expense, and partly by raising supplies amongst his friends, until the whole cost of the building and its fittings exceeded £6,000.
In addition, Mr. Elliott secured a small Endowment of £1,091 3s. Consols, and a Repair Fund of £327 8s. 5d. three per cent. Reduced. Thus, by all these exertions a Church was presented free of cost to St. Mary's Hall, and to the inhabitants of Kemp Town and the neighbouring houses in the Parish of Rottingdean.
The whole business was completed under the authority of the Church Building Commissioners, in accordance with a scheme previously laid before them, which received their deliberate sanction.
It was therein stipulated, that of the 960 sittings in the Church, 326 should be wholly free and unappropriated; that 150 more should be free, but appropriated to St. Mary's Hall; and that the residue, about half of the whole number, should be reserved for letting.
The Endowment Fund, £1091 3s., is invested with the Bounty Board. The Repair Fund, £327 8s. od. three per cent. Reduced, is invested in the names of certain Trustees of St. Mary's Hall, and to them also is committed the management of the pew rents, it being provided that the sittings shall be let by "the Churchwardens, under the direction of the Trustees aforesaid," by whom the proceeds are to be applied in aid of the maintenance of the Minister of the Church.
In them also (in conjunction with the Bishop of the Diocese) is vested the Patronage of the Church.
Upon this scheme the Trustees have acted without deviation from the date of the consecration of the Church in September, 1819, until this present time. And in so doing, they are carrying out the original design of Lord Bristol and the other Founders of the Church, as expressed in the Deed of Patronage, dated September 13th, 1849, the opening words of which run as follows: -
"To all to whom these presents shall come, Her Majesty's Commissioners for building new churches, and the Eight Reverend Ashurst Turner, by Divine permission Lord Bishop of Chichester, send greeting.
"Whereas, the population of the Parish of Brighthelmstone, in the County of Sussex, and in the Diocese of Chichester, according to the returns made in pursuance of the last Act of Parliament for that purpose exceeds 46,060 persons, and the Parish Church of Brighthelmstone, and the several existing churches and chapels of the Established Church in the said Parish, not being sufficiently capacious to afford accommodation for more than 12,715 of the inhabitants of the said Parish for attendance upon Divine Worship according to the rites of the United Church of England and Ireland.—In order, therefore, to accommodate the said Inhabitants, and to provide GRATUITOUS accommodation for the Inmates of St. Mary's Hall, an Institution now existing, and proposed to be enlarged, for the daughters of the poor Clergy, and also for certain inhabitants of the adjoining Parish of Rottingdean, and to promote the worship of Almighty God, a church hath been lately built or acquired at Kemp Town," &c, &c.
This paper has been drawn up by the desire of the Trustees, with a view to explain, and put on record, the arrangements which, however well known at the time, have in the lapse of years become liable to be misunderstood or forgotten.
About the year 1838 the first Marquis of Bristol, with the view of providing a Church for the gratuitous attendance of the Inmates of St. Mary's Hall, and for the accommodation of the neighbourhood, constructed in carcass the building of St. Mark's, but without any internal fittings. That Church, in that condition, he conveyed to the Trustees of St. Mary's Hall.
Then the Rev. H. V. Elliott took the work in hand, and with the primary view of securing for St. Mary's Hall the free sittings contemplated by Lord Bristol, he completely finished the Church, partly at his own expense, and partly by raising supplies amongst his friends, until the whole cost of the building and its fittings exceeded £6,000.
In addition, Mr. Elliott secured a small Endowment of £1,091 3s. Consols, and a Repair Fund of £327 8s. 5d. three per cent. Reduced. Thus, by all these exertions a Church was presented free of cost to St. Mary's Hall, and to the inhabitants of Kemp Town and the neighbouring houses in the Parish of Rottingdean.
The whole business was completed under the authority of the Church Building Commissioners, in accordance with a scheme previously laid before them, which received their deliberate sanction.
It was therein stipulated, that of the 960 sittings in the Church, 326 should be wholly free and unappropriated; that 150 more should be free, but appropriated to St. Mary's Hall; and that the residue, about half of the whole number, should be reserved for letting.
The Endowment Fund, £1091 3s., is invested with the Bounty Board. The Repair Fund, £327 8s. od. three per cent. Reduced, is invested in the names of certain Trustees of St. Mary's Hall, and to them also is committed the management of the pew rents, it being provided that the sittings shall be let by "the Churchwardens, under the direction of the Trustees aforesaid," by whom the proceeds are to be applied in aid of the maintenance of the Minister of the Church.
In them also (in conjunction with the Bishop of the Diocese) is vested the Patronage of the Church.
Upon this scheme the Trustees have acted without deviation from the date of the consecration of the Church in September, 1819, until this present time. And in so doing, they are carrying out the original design of Lord Bristol and the other Founders of the Church, as expressed in the Deed of Patronage, dated September 13th, 1849, the opening words of which run as follows: -
"To all to whom these presents shall come, Her Majesty's Commissioners for building new churches, and the Eight Reverend Ashurst Turner, by Divine permission Lord Bishop of Chichester, send greeting.
"Whereas, the population of the Parish of Brighthelmstone, in the County of Sussex, and in the Diocese of Chichester, according to the returns made in pursuance of the last Act of Parliament for that purpose exceeds 46,060 persons, and the Parish Church of Brighthelmstone, and the several existing churches and chapels of the Established Church in the said Parish, not being sufficiently capacious to afford accommodation for more than 12,715 of the inhabitants of the said Parish for attendance upon Divine Worship according to the rites of the United Church of England and Ireland.—In order, therefore, to accommodate the said Inhabitants, and to provide GRATUITOUS accommodation for the Inmates of St. Mary's Hall, an Institution now existing, and proposed to be enlarged, for the daughters of the poor Clergy, and also for certain inhabitants of the adjoining Parish of Rottingdean, and to promote the worship of Almighty God, a church hath been lately built or acquired at Kemp Town," &c, &c.
This paper has been drawn up by the desire of the Trustees, with a view to explain, and put on record, the arrangements which, however well known at the time, have in the lapse of years become liable to be misunderstood or forgotten.
(Signed): JOHN BABINGTON,
Secretary of St. Mary's Hall.
September, 1877.