The Deanery, Pontesbury, Salop. Richard T. Seddon to Swire. He will try to answer...

The Deanery, Pontesbury, Salop.

Richard T. Seddon to Swire.

He will try to answer Swire's letter, but he has always considered letters under the circumstances to be rather hopeless, "looking as we do from different points of view."

1. Furley's Payment of £100.

It must always be borne in mind that the third portionist having taken Longden Church of his own free will must expect to have two churches to provide for, and as Longden expects two services he will have to keep a curate.

2. Area question.

"Since I have worked this Parish I find that the division of areas as proposed is not in any way suitable to the needs of the Parishioners" The Prople of Plealey and Arscott do not appreciate being attached to Longden because they do not go to Church there - almost all the Plealey people go to Lea Cross or to Pontesbury, the Arscott people to Lea Cross or Annscroft."

3. He said that the services at Asterley could possibly by taken for a £1 1s. a sunday but this does not include visitation, and they should have at least one celebration a month in the early morning and they are now having Advent and Lenten services which they much appreciate.

It is not "my idea" but the Prayer Book's order that a clergyman must visit the sick when sent for my idea is that he ought to do much more than this.

If the visitation of Longden for half a year is reckoned at £25 (equal to the third portion services in the Parish Church) then the visitation of Asterley for the whole year is equal to £50.

Asterley and Cruckton are as far apart as Longden and Asterley, and the serving of the two would be equally difficult in both cases.

The offer of £30 per annum was always proposterous, and was made with an equally preposterous one that the second portionist should pay £120 to the first portionist to make up the taking over of Asterley by the first portionist for £150, when the second portionist had no church but Cruckton.

4. The third portionist has always had two churches. The Parish Church with its large population equal to all the rest put together has with services, meetings, etc. more than double the work of any one of the other churches "if your proposal was carried out, I should have five times as much work as the Rector of Longden".

5. The arrangement at present was really to suit Furley. Asterley has meant 3½ miles journey, the same as Cruckton, but as there is no well-to-do person in the parish there, all the expenses of the upkeep fall on him "* Personally in any final settlement I should much much prefer to keep Cruckton than have Asterley. To unite Cruckton and Asterley is only to shift the difficulty from Longden to Cruckton. He thinks that Cruckton and Longden should be two separate parishes having rectors houses built for them, or worked together with a curate in charge for one of them and a curate's house. It would give a net income with a house of £250 which would mean very good livings for the work required. Under these circumstances, should the parish church duties and Longden parochial visitation be readjusted as already arranged, he would be willing to take over all the rest of the third portion, as well as the remainder of the second, which would mean that Plealey and Arscott would return to him, as practically they do at present "This arrangement would satisfy Jenkins which your arrangement does not".

Two sheets.

* underlining in pencil.