Restoration of St Leonard's Church, 1883-89 Committee Meeting No 9

On the 4th March in the year of our Lord 1884 the Committee met at Bengeo Rectory and there attended the Rev^d W Wigram Chairman, The Rev JCM Mansel-Pleydell & Mess^rs CE Longmore & GGosselin.

1] The minutes of the Committee meeting of January 7^th were read by the Secretary and Confirmed by M^r Wigram.

2] M^r Gosselin proposed that an order be given to Mess^rs Ekins & Son to finish the oak ceiling of the apse of the Church with the exception of the carved work & bosses=

M^r Mansel-Pleydell said that the funds in hand amounted to the small sum of  £31”19”11   he enquired how much money would be required to carry out the work.

Mr Longmore considered it highly desirable that the roof should be finished _

The Secretary said that about £69 was required for the work  he proposed & stated that he would be answerable for the £38 odd required if the Committee’s begging letters did not succeed in raising it.  Then the Committee most cheerfully & unanimously agreed that M^r Ekins should have the order, & the Secretary was asked to write to him.

3] M^r Gosselin reported that since the last meeting he had had the fence & gates of the Church Yard put in order by one Salmon, a Dissenter & carpenter by trade; this man declared that he could repair one of the gates, but being mistaken & finding he must make a new one, he worked into it 6 of the old pales to prove himself right – such is the dissenting mind (these old pales are to be replaced by new ones) -: all loose or weak posts were well strutted with oak spurs which were charred at their lower ends to prevent decay.  The dissenting Salmon also desired that the Committee would put a deep pool in the Church instead of a font _

Also a new lock with 3 keys has been put to the porch door which replaces the lock supplied to a former Committee by M^r T Sheffield.

Also M^r Ekins has successfully stopped out the birds & bats from the Church where at they murmur with much discontent.

Also, the timber & wood of the old roof has been carefully sorted, all beams &c which may be useful have been carefully stacked in the church – and the rotten & broken cut up & distributed to the 6 widows & other poor of Church and who were grateful _

4] M^r Pleydell stated that the Church & Chancel had been ensured in the Church of England office for the sums of the Church £500 and the Chancel £1000, per ania payable at Lady Day _

5th Jan 1885                 Confirmed WWigram _