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170
May your Majesty's valuable Life be long spared us and may every
Effort of your Enemies serve only to illustrate more clearly
the gracious Protection which Providence extends over you to
prove on what firm Foundations Your Majesty's Throne is
established and to animate the gratitude and quicken the
affection of your free loyal and devoted People.
The parishioners, called together by the Vestry, also
passed a congratulatory address to the King on the termination
of the war in May, 1802.
The subjoined transcript suggests that the last named
congratulations were somewhat premature:—
Saturday, July, 1803. The Church Wardens convened the
Vestries for the purpose of taking into Consideration the Act
made and passed in this present Session of Parliament Intituled
an Act to enable His Majesty more effectually to raise
and assemble in England an additional Military Force, for the
better Defence and Security of the United Kingdom and for
the more vigorous Prosecution of the War which being read
It was
Resolved That these Yestrys feel deeply impressed with the importance
and necessity of rendering every assistance in their
power to the Government at this momentous crisis and in
giving effect to the means proposed for the defence of the
United Kingdom against the daring attempts of the Enemy
to overturn the happy Constitution of the Country and the
threatened invasion of its shores.
Resolved therefore that a Meeting of the Inhabitants at a Vestry
be convened on Thursday next at 10 o'clock precisely to take
into consideration the propriety of raising the quota to be
furnished by these parishes under the Act lately past for the
better defence and security of the United Kingdom.
The Churchwardens were subsequently requested to put
the Act in force.
The invocation of the aid of the Vestry was not limited
to the military defence, although, with respect to the augmentation
of the navy, the proceedings were divested of
their voluntary and discretionary character:—
The Church Wardens and Overseers laid before this meeting an
order of the Justices in General Sessions assembled served on
them by the High Constable of Westminster for the raising of
Twenty Men for the service of the Navy on or before the 15th
day of this Instant to be returned to the Justices in Petty
Sessions at Guildhall in King Street, Westminster.
The said Order and the Acts of Parliament were read.
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