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<ETS>
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<CHANGE>
<DATE>2014-04-07</DATE>
<RESPSTMT>
<NAME>TCP Staff (Michigan)</NAME>
<RESP>MURP</RESP>
</RESPSTMT>
<ITEM>Proofed and reviewed as part of batch B140219.pdcc.</ITEM>
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<IDG S="marc" R="UM" ID="B18675">
<STC T="W">C1089D</STC>
<STC T="G">816.m.16[9]</STC>
<STC T="C">T63576</STC>
<BIBNO T="umi">99894962</BIBNO>
<VID>188512</VID>
</IDG><!-- alt.stc G816.m.16[9] --><!-- alt.stc CT63576 -->
<TEXT LANG="eng">
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="text">
<PB REF="1" MS="y">
<HEAD>The <HI>CASE</HI> of the Inhabitants of <HI>GREENWICH,</HI> in the County of <HI>Kent,</HI> and <HI>Rea&s;ons</HI> why they ask Relief for Rebuilding their Pari&s;h-Church.</HEAD>
<OPENER>Shewing.</OPENER>
<P>THAT on <HI>Tue&s;day</HI> the 28th Day of <HI>November</HI> la&s;t, about Midnight the Roof of the &s;aid Pari&s;h-Church fell in, whereby the Walls of the &s;aid Church are &s;o &s;haken, that by the Judgment of skillful Workmen that made a View thereof, the &s;aid Church cannot be Repaired but mu&s;t be Rebuilt: The Charge whereof, by a moderate Computation, will amount to the Sum of 6000 <HI>l.</HI> and upwards, which the Inhabitants of the Pari&s;h are not able to rai&s;e; but humbly hope the Honourable HOUSE of COMMONS will compa&s;&s;ionate their deplorable Condition, and give them &s;uch Relief therein, as they in their Wi&s;dom &s;hall think fit, and for the Rea&s;ons following:</P>
<P N="1">I. The Decay of the &s;aid Church was not perceiv'd by the Inhabitants, and con&s;equently could not be prevented; and that the fall of the Roof was &s;udden and unexpected, occa&s;ion'd by a hidden Defect in the innermo&s;t Part of the large&s;t and principal Pillar, that fell and brought the Roof with it, and not by Negligence of the Pari&s;honers, who from Time to Time con&s;tantly and diligently Repaired all Defects of the &s;aid Church as &s;oon as di&s;cover'd, and within a few Years la&s;t pa&s;t had laid out &s;everal Hundred Pounds in the Support and Decoration thereof, and did not apprehend the &s;ame in any Danger; but believed it might have &s;tood Hundreds of Years.</P>
<P N="2">II. That the Town is within this Twenty Years mightily Depopulated and De&s;erted by the Richer Sort, who formerly liv'd there, and gave it the Reputation of a Wealthy Pari&s;h, as is evident by the large&s;t and be&s;t Hou&s;es now being Empty, and having been &s;o for &s;ome Years.</P>
<P N="3">III. That the greate&s;t Part of the few Gentlemen that now live there, are only Tenants at Will, and therefore it cannot be expected they will be at &s;o great an Expence as the Building of a Church in a Pari&s;h where they have no E&s;tate, and from whence they may remove at Plea&s;ure; &s;o that the Burden of Building the &s;aid Church mu&s;t be upon the greate&s;t Number, which are the Poore&s;t of the Inhabitants.</P>
<P N="4">IV. That Nine Parts of Ten of the Inhabitants of the &s;aid Pari&s;h con&s;i&s;ts of Seamen, Wa|termen, Fi&s;hermen, and others, who for the mo&s;t part are Imploy'd in Her Maje&s;ty's and the Merchants Service at Sea, and have numerous Families: And the Trading Part of the Town (con&s;i&s;ting only in the Nece&s;&s;aries of Life) are in a low Condition by the long Credit they are forc'd to give to Sea-fairing-Men and their Families, which are frequently in long Arrears of Pay.</P>
<P N="5">V. So many Ma&s;ter of Families, Inhabitants of the Pari&s;h, have been lo&s;t in the great Storm, Sir <HI>Cloud&s;ley Shovel</HI>'s Misfortune; and other Accidents of War, their Widows and Children, to the Number of 3000 and upwards, have become a Charge to the Pari&s;h, and have been Main|tained and Provided for (and many of them are &s;till &s;o) at the Charge of the re&s;t of the Pa|ri&s;honers.</P>
<P N="6">VI. That the &s;aid Pari&s;honers having for Forty Years pa&s;t, contributed to the Rebuilding of St. <HI>Paul</HI>'s and other Churches by the Taxes on Coals, the greate&s;t Number of the Inhabitants (and upon whom the in&s;upportable Burden of Building the Pari&s;h Church mu&s;t lie) being Per&s;ons that Daily venture their Lives in Her Maje&s;ty's Service, and for the Defence of their Country, It is Humbly Pre&s;umed they may be entitled to the Compa&s;&s;ion of the Honurable HOUSE of COMMONS for &s;ome Relief in this their Deplorable Calamity; and that as the Town hath hitherto been without Di&s;&s;enting Meeting-Hou&s;e, &s;o the Hopes of &s;uch who (taking Advantage of the want of a fit Place for the Service of God) endeavour to &s;educe the Inhabitants from their for|mer Zeal for the Church of <HI>England</HI> to Schi&s;m and Enthu&s;ia&s;m, may be fru&s;trated.</P>
<P>And as St. <HI>Paul</HI>'s is now fini&s;h'd, or near it, and the Duties granted on Coals for that Purpo&s;e have &s;everal Years yet to come, and may probable produce much more than will pay all Debts and Charges of the &s;aid Building, and al&s;o all Monies borrowed on that Account.</P>
<P><HI>Therefore they Humbly Pray, that the &s;aid Sum of</HI> 6000 l. <HI>or what other Sum your Honours &s;hall think fit for Rebuilding the &s;aid Pari&s;h-Church of</HI> Greenwich, <HI>may be a&s;&s;igned out of the Overplus of the &s;aid Duties which &s;hall remain over and above defraying all Debts and Charges depending thereon, or &s;uch other Relief as to your Honours &s;hall &s;eem meet.</HI></P>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
<BACK>
<DIV1 TYPE="half title">
<PB REF="2">
<P>THE CASE <HI>Of the Inhabitants of</HI> Green|wich <HI>in the County of</HI> Kent, <HI>and</HI> Rea&s;ons <HI>why they ask Relief for Rebuilding their Pari&s;h-Church.</HI></P>
</DIV1>
</BACK>
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