Lord Kingpresented a Petition from the parish of Woodbury, in Devonshire, complaining that while 600l. a year was levied in that parish, and appropriated to the Choral Fund of the cathedral of Exeter, only 50l. a year was paid to the Curate, who performed all the ecclesiastical duties in that parish.
The Bishop of Exeterstated, that he had no jurisdiction in that parish. That statement, he hoped, was sufficient to relieve him from the charge of not giving a larger salary to the Curate of that important parish. It was one of those cases in which the tithes were all in the hands of lay impropriators.
§ Lord Wynfordsaid, that this formed one of those peculiar cases of impropriation, where Bishops had not the power to interfere. Cases of this peculiar kind of jurisdiction were at present under the consideration of a Committee, of which he had the honour to be a member, with a view to remedy such abuses. It was one proof of the use of Bishops, that where Bishops had jurisdiction such instances as this did not occur.
The Archbishop of Canterburyconcurred in the statement of the noble and learned Lord, that no such instances of inadequate compensation were to be found where Bishops had jurisdiction. He would take that opportunity to inform the House, that it was his intention, immediately after the recess, to bring in a bill to give Corporations possessing impropriations of this description, the means of remedying evils of this kind, and wiping off the disgrace which thereby accrued to the Church. At present it was extremely difficult for such Corporations, as the law stood, to increase the stipends of the clergymen in parishes 1130 situated like this. It was also his intention, immediately after the holidays, to bring in a bill for the restriction of pluralities,—not for their abolition, but for their restriction,— by which they would be placed under such regulations as would prevent many of the abuses which at present arose from them. There was also another bill which he had often mentioned it was his intention to bring forward, and for the delay in the introduction of which he must apologize to their Lordships, by stating that it had arisen from circumstances not under his control; he alluded to the Bill for the composition of tithes. That bill had undergone a great deal of alteration, and, as he trusted, considerable improvement, and he hoped to be able, shortly after the recess to present it to their Lordships.
§ Petition laid on the Table.