Churchwardens (16th - 21st Century)
The office of Churchwarden dates from the 13th Century.They tended to
come from the more substantial men of the parish. Churchwardens were first and
foremost lay officers of the Church, responsible to the bishop of the diocese
or his representative, the archdeacon. Their main ecclesisastical functions
were:
(a) maintenance of the church structure including the bells but
excluding the chancel which was the responsibility of the Rector or lay farmer;
(b) the provision of all things necessary for the services of the church,
from buying the communion wine, to making sure the church had the requisite
service books;
(c) attending the twice yearly visitations of the archdeacon
where they had to make returns on every failure under church law in the parish
from misbehaviour in church to sexual offences. In addition to these
essentially medieval duties, the state added a number of secular functions and
some new ecclesiastical functions:
(d) making collections for the poor, for
maimed soldiers, and for prisoners and the storing of that money in a chest or
box;
(e) maintaining a parish chest for the storing of the Parish Register
and other church documents;
(f) making an annual financial return to the
parish;
(g) enforcing a miscellaneous group of statutes from the
extermination of vermin to the wearing of cloth caps;
(h) reporting
incumbents who failed to follow state-enforced religious changes;
(i)
reporting non-attenders, particularly local recusants and dissenters.
In Angmering, like most other parishes, two churchwardens were elected at the Vestry meeting each Easter and appointed for one year. A list of Angmering churchwardens from the Parish Registers is shown below. There are gaps in the Registers and the names are written exactly as recorded. The names between 1747 and 1775 were obtained by Mr RW Standing from Bishops Transcripts. The names from 1950 onwards come from St Margaret's church magazines or website.
From 1562 - 1687 Registers:
|
1593 Edward Young, William Strong |
1631 Thomas Longe, William Withier |
From 1688 - 1812 Registers:
|
1705 William Olliver, William Wells |
1760 Hugh Penfold, [John] Holmwood |
Other 19th Century Churchwardens
| 1838 1850 1858 1862 1865 1868 1872-77 1888-96 1897-99 |
George Cortis, James Cortis J W Heasman William GK Gratwicke, William Miles William GK Gratwicke, William Miles William Miles, J Heasman William Miles, J Heasman Sir Henry Fletcher, Arthur Baker Sir Henry Fletcher, Edwin Miles Sir Henry Fletcher, Samuel Sellers Pyle |
20th Century Churchwardens
1900-10 1911-21 1922- 1929-30 1938-39 1941 1944-46 1948-50 1951-52 1953-55 1955-66 1966-74 1974-77 1977-81 1981-84 1984-88 1988-90 1990-91 1991-93 1993-94 1994-96 1996-97 1997-99 1999-00 2000-02 2002-04 2004-05 2005-07 2007-08 2009-10 2011-12 2013-14 2014-15 |
Sir Henry Fletcher, Samuel S Pyle John Tompkins, Samuel S Pyle Dr Clement W Chaplin, JH Loveys H Andrews, Oscar E Pyle Oscar E Pyle, A Luck Arthur Luck; Dr FH Alexander D Donald; Dr FH Alexander CM Butcher; JH Cordle John B Knaggs; Leslie W Cunnington Col. Sidney C Tomlin, Leslie W Cunnington Col. Sidney C Tomlin, LJA Pearmain Col. Sidney C Tomlin, Cdr GC Harris Neil W Hare, Donald G Mellor Donald G Mellor, Colin AL Tod Colin AL Tod, AEM (Betty) Poskitt AEM (Betty) Poskitt, Neil W Hare AEM (Betty) Poskitt, Michael Williams Michael Williams, Hazel Bradley Hazel Bradley, Richard Hobden Richard Hobden, June Hawke June Hawke, Ronald Hale Ronald Hale, Andrea Wood Andrea Wood, Graeme Hobson Graeme Hobson, Wendy Hart Wendy Hart, John Whiting John Whiting, Ina Cahill Ina Cahill, Bob Hutchings Bob Hutchings, June Hawke June Hawke, Richard Hance Richard Hance, Shelagh Downing Shelagh Downing, Andrew Forbes, Thelma Robinson Thelma Robinson, Neil Giles |
N A Rogers-Davis
( Page last updated: 26 January 2015)