§ Mr. Whitbreadpresented a Petition from the Rev. Thomas Humphries, clerk, perpetual curate of the churches of All Saints in Sawley, otherwise Sallow, of St. Lawrence in Long Eaton, and of St. Chad in Wilne, in the parishes of Sawley and Wilne, in the county of Derby, setting forth, "That the advowson and impropriation of Sawley, otherwise Sallow, Long Eaton, and Wilne, is part of the very valuable endowment of the prebend of Sawley, founded in the cathedral church of Litchfield, the benefit of which prebend is extended also into the adjoining parish of Risley, but neither the cure of the chapel of Risley nor of the chapel of Breason, now annexed to Risley, though part of the parish, of Sawley, is any burthen to the prebendary; and stating the great increase in value of the said prebend which has taken place of late years; particularly in consequence of an inclosure of the common fields in the manor of Draycot, in the parish of Wilne, and which amounts to an estate in lands and tithes of the clear annual value of 2,400l. at least; and that the cure of the petitioner is four miles in length, and about sixteen miles in circumference, and the three churches are about two miles distant from each other; the required service of the churches on Sundays is once every Sunday morning at Sawley (where the petitioner resides), once every fourth Sunday in the month at Long Eaton, and once every Sunday evening (except the fourth Sunday in the month) at Wilne, besides the other usual duties; and that the petitioner was in 1785 appointed to the said perpetual curacy, with the stipend of 40l., to which may be added a yearly sum, never exceeding 10l. for Easter offerings and surplice 929 fees, and a yearly sum of 5l. from Breason, as an ancient acknowledgment to the mother church of Sawley, making an income of 55l. a-year, which has of late years been reduced by the lessee deducting 4l. a-year for property tax; and that the petitioner found the curate's house in a very dilapidated state, therefore repaired three of the rooms, and has since made occasional amendments, to the extent and beyond what his stipend would allow, though the house is now positively in ruins and dangerous to inhabit, but his means did not extend to upholding the barn and stable; and that the petitioner entertained hopes that after 24 years service his situation would be ameliorated in proportion to the wealth which the reverend prebendary had himself attained, but the proposed augmentation of his stipend to 70l. a-year is not a compensation for the labour of the petitioner, and bears no just proportion either to the profits of the ecclesiastical patron, or to the duties of the cure, much less will it enable the petitioner in any manner to perform or even to provide for the common duties of his cure when the infirmities of old age shall come upon him; and therefore praying, that the house will grant him such relief in the premises as to them shall seem meet."
§ The petition was read and ordered to lie upon the table.