Vestry minutes

The minutes contain the general parish business of appointment of officers: churchwardens, overseers, guardians, highways surveyors: collectors of poor rates and highways rates and inspector of nuisance; The making of the church and highways rate; passing the churchwardens and waywardens accounts; and nomination of constables. After the Act of 1894, only the appointment of churchwardens and the examination of church accounts appear as regular business.

Throughout the period covered by the minutes, most of the local charities mentioned in Par/25/12/1 continue to have their disbursements reported.

In addition, the minutes include:-

ff.1, 2: consideration of a proposal by the Ecclesiastical Commissioners to "make a complete restoration of the chancel of Bosham Church, and raise the chancel roof to its proper elevation on condition that the roof of the nave be simultaneously raised to its original height"; forming of a committee to raise the necessary funds, and agreement to carry out the work as funds permitted, 16 February, 2 March 1863;

f.3: objection to a new oak post for the churchyard gate, 4 May 1863; requested by the overseers to occupiers of land to make returns of their acreage, "the charges ... since 1841 rendering the tithe map almost useless ...", 4 June 1863;

f.10: report by waywardens that the turnpike road was now under the management of the parish 8 November 1867;

f.12v: order to implement the Poor Rates Assessment and Collection Act 1869 after a given date, 18 September 1869;

f.21: consideration of the Highway and Locomotive Act 1878 in relation to the former turnpike road, the roads leading from Bosham to it and to the railway Station, and unnecessary highways, 31 October 1878;

f.22, 23: decision concerning the salary of man appointed to be clerk and sexton: ,2 for keeping order in the church, 10s. for copying the Registers ...", 25 March 1879; decision, in view of the clerk being paid to keep order in the church, that he "be accordingly requested to desist from responding in a voice louder than the rest of the Congregation, and that his attention be mainly confined to the duty of keeping order, for which he is paid ..."; decision to ask ratepayers to contribute a rate of 1½d for the annual maintenance of Bosham School, 27 March 1880;

f.32: decision concerning revaluation of the parish, 7 October, 14 October 1887;

f.35v: decision to petition the County Council to adopt the late turnpike road as a main road, the reasons being, that in Hampshire "this South coast road" was already a main road, and that the parish made relatively little use of it but paid heavily for it in comparison with the general public who used it, 3 October 1889;

ff.40, 56v, 57: consideration of the terms of the local charities mentioned in Par/25/12/1, 6 April 1894, 14 April 1907, 22 April 1908;

ff.42, 43, 44: decisions concerning repairs to the spire as a permanent memorial to Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee, 19, 26 May, 4 June 1897; [N.B. these meetings were held "in the Board Schools"];

ff.51, 52: adoption, after discussion and reference back to the 73, 74 Ecclesiastical Commissioners, of new Tables of Fees, 24 November, 10 December 1903, 24 October, 16 November 1921;

f.56v: discussion on insuring paid church officers following the Employers Liability Act, 14 April 1907;

f.57: decisions concerning the churchyard path and upkeep of the churchyard, 22 April 1908, 13 April 1909;

f.58v: election of new parish clerk, 26 January 1911;

f.60, 61v, 63: matters relating to the fire insurance of the church, 27 March 1913, 16 April 1914;

f.61v, 62, 63: matters concerning the re-seating in the church with pews: formation of committee to consider the design of pew-ends, etc., delay of work because of the scarcity of labour at the time (First World War), 30 October 1914, 9 April 1915; discussion on heating the church, 30 October 1914;

f.67: decision in increase funds for the upkeep of the churchyard and for a gate at the end of the long avenue, 25 April 1919;

f.72: [in the course of a tribute to a churchwarden who died in May 1920 after 18 years service, there is reference to the fact that during this time]" the restoration of the church was carried to a successful termination", 31 March 1921;

f.73: following the report of a committee appointed to consider a war memorial, decision to apply for a faculty for a stone mural monument, 24 October 1921