Rector said the notice had quite surprised him; for, when Mr. Grainger was down, he merely spoke of closing the old part. Mr. Harvey considered that All Saints had abundance of burial space, the new part not being half full, and half an acre quite untouched. He therefore moved that a memorial be sent to Lord Palmerston, praying that All Saints be exempted from the operations of the Act of Vic. 16 & 17. Anthony Harvey was re-elected and George Jackson re-apointed(sic) churchwarden. T. Houghton and Walter Adams were re-elected overseers. George Meadows was re-elected Vestry Clerk at five guineas a year. Mr. Lettine was elected parish clerk at a salary of £20, and a gratuity of £2. Mr. Giles was re-appointed organist, and Benj. Tutt, organ-blower. Mrs. Chatfield was re-appointed pew-opener, and an annual gratuity of £5 was voted to the choir.
At a Castle parish meeting the outgoing overseers were Robinson Funnell and Alexander Paine. The former declined serving again, and the latter, though proposed, was rejected by a large majority, his activity to get the Hastings post-office removed and the St. Leonards post-office abolished being resented. The elected overseers were Chas. Amoore and C. W. Chandler.
At the St. Michael’s parish meeting John Smith and Charles Boulter were elected overseers.
An All Saints Vestry was held on the 17th of April, when a borough rate at 3d. was announced, and a poor rate at 1/2. Forty rate defaulters were ordered to be summonsed; and summonsed they were, but such a process, howsoever necessary, appeared to make matters worse, for it drove several persons to the Workhouse. One woman, as stated by the Mayor, owed 1/5 and was charged 3/6 for the summons. Under such conditions it could have been no surprise that the next poor-rate was even 5d more than the preceding one – namely 1/7 in the £. How the poor ratepayers were to meet it was a problem difficult to solve, the distress in the parish being quite embarrassing.
The Distressed Parish continued in its alarming condition, even when the year had advanced to the month of September. The rate-collector could not get the money in, and the small shopkeepers had given their needy customers credit to such an extent as to be on the verge of bankruptcy.
Herrings. For a few nights in November, herrings were plentifully caught, and sold at from £5 to £6 per last. Whitings were also caught in abundance, and were sold at from 9d to 1/3 per bushel. This afforded some temporary relief to the class of people who chiefly inhabited the All Saints parish.
A Famine of Coal - The Fishery - Maritime Casualties
A Coal Famine. As adding to the discomforts of the trying weather in the early part of the year a famine of coals was also experienced. For an -
