ram MO BJT HLY REP OSITO RY OF Theo logy and General Literature. i No. LXXXVI. FEBRUARY. [Vol . VIII . HISTO RY AND BIOG RAPHY. l&cmoir rela ting to the Estate at the general use of glass, that is, K irkstead , in Lincolnshire , late- before the twelfth centur y ; and ly recovered to the Dissenters. the tradition respecting its anti - Lincoln J an . 1, 1813. quity which is curre nt Sir , ^ , in the A considerable interest having nei ghbourhood , is, that it had an been excited , both in this and in existence before the abbey. other parts of the country , by a The propert y of thei Cisterc ian tri al which came on at Lincoln , monks was held unde r great and before Ju dge G ros e, at the last peculiar advant ages, havin g been summer assize, and th at trial hav. exempted from all ecclesiastical falsel reporte d in and parish taxes ; and ing bee n very y * at the sup- some of the London papers , I am press ion , it was given away, with anxious that a true stat ement of it all its privileges. There are many should be given to the public , of these estates in the neighbour - thr ough the medium of your pages: hood of Lincoln : they are extra - —an d , in order to have the case paroch ial and extra -episcopal ; of perfectl unders tood , I shall beg course , the y have no parish churc h y * to offer you a short histor y of they are allied to no parish , and Kirk stead. pay no tithes nor chur ch lays* The lor dship of Ki rkstead lies The lordship of Kir kstead was upon the river Witham , at nea rl y given , at the Conquest , by William , an equal distan ce from Lincoln to one of his Norman general s, of %nd Boston. Here was built , in the name of Eudo; and in the the year 1 1&9> an abbey for Cis- chapel is a stone fi gur e, imbossed , tercian monks, the ruins of which still in good preservat ion, of a are still to be seen. Adjoining the man in complete arm our . This Spot on which the ruins stand , but stood ori gi nal ly in an erect postur e, beyond the ditc h which once sur - against the wall , but was laid rounde d them , with a small, pas- down , as a paving stone , wit h the ture field interveni ng, is a chapel , image towar ds the earth , till it was supposed to be one of the oldest discovere d , u pon the new paving buildings in Lincolnshire. Its win- of the chapel , by some one who dows Ipfty&nd narr ow, and pointed ha d more venerat ion for the mon- up wards, in the form of a spear , uments of antiqui ty , and , under indicate th ai it was built befor e his dire ction , it was again placed r' * - YOJU Vlll. ' M &2 Memoir relati ng to Kirks tend * <*rect, dgjainst the w*U? at the en* pi, pciagtss, pmfeimm *&$m& *i** tri ricg? ^tit, ' 'tinfohudfct ^ ly, , the nQt opW Mr. Re^dbJJt >» ^uc cefc. fre#d pf the fi gure could nbt fee sors, and among tPf» Afidre wr , It is not foti tid ^ — improbable , afterwar ds, J)x^ Kipf>i5K affixed to the refore that the chapel Was urate . , thei r i^agigs^ l^ itt^iM ^ J built dt that vfer y earf y period , for Mn i Me^aved- from Tj^ylor^ ^ the use of the general 's family, and thence to Norwich^^, w^U( koawa as tfyat his own bones were deposite d Dr. Tay lor, the autbQr of the He- within it. bre w Concord ance, succeeded Mr . At the su ppres sion of the con- Reed , as minister at Kir kstead ; vents, the lordshi p fell into the settled ther e in 47l4r and left it ia hanfd s of the family of the Earl of 1733; and , in t his obscure cor- Lincoln , and was held by a de- ner , this silent ret reat, lie laboure d scendant of th at famil y, of the h ard at his stupe ndous work . name of pines, about the year About this time, iiv Ujeyear 17^0; 1^80. About this time , the heiress Mr. Daniel Disney, ^opoer«ed to of the family was married to Mr. see that ^, the people resi ding about Dani el Disney, a zealous noncon - his estate were excluded from the Fdr jfnist, who , becoming proprie - cbar \ce of reli giaus insXr uctionr tor of the estate , r emove d , in l6S5, unle ss he and his e heirs should tLtiA too k possession of the manor . chuse to provide a BainisU* for 5hbtist *. We learn th at , shortl y them ; and , fearin g to tru ^t to the &fter th is, dissentin g worsh ip was benevolen ce of his descendan ts, perform ed in the chape l, by a gen- and even to his own stability* came tleman of the name of Reed , to to the pious determinat ion of se- wKom the lord of the manor pai d , curi ng the advantage s of rel igiou s aV 'hls own pleasur e, an annua l instruc tion to the ten ants of hi* sti pend. We have no means of lordshi p, by appointing a txuBt of ascertaining whethe r any Protes - fi ve persons , in whoqev he Hif o^ld iint rtiihister officiated in the cha- vest certai n pieces of Jap d r of the jifef tefo re Mr. Reed , but it is then value of 331, per for ^nnwni^ probable the re \Vere ministers ear - the permane nt suppor t of. ^r ^ by. Her ; The pul pi t is a venerab l e tenan wors hi p 1/1 tha t places and at ^teeee of sihtf quity, and bears its his death , he confir med , the* grant m&rke d conspicuousl at t he iger * y by. will, and also gave the chape l , Back , 1620, But the oldest Bible for the use of the Dissenting minis- belonging to the chapel , was given ters who should .chosen ^ be ac- % Mi *. Disiiey, the fatherof Daniel , cord i ng to the instni<StiQiis of the in tlie year 16^9 > ^nd ' dne was also deed of tru st. A Mr* Harris on., given bjrMVs. Fines, in 1672.— wlio removed tp Dis*r in Norfol k , It appears , ibfer eforie , that Protes - came to Ki r kstead when Mr. T&y- tatl t wdrshi p rti ^ V ^ave been firs t lor quitted it/ and was succeeded ? eeiebf^ted tbelfe tihde * the aus- in the year 1759, by Mr. Dunk , |>i^^ v of 'M¥J TJ isn^y, a noncoh- ley. This gentleman continued *-f WrMfk £* £* btift^ ; 'VtrosV time , we in the faithful discha rge of bis ^liiay VentoWtd pMsti iiie, there was ministerial duties, as 9, light shin- ar k h6 %ib\t in tfte ch^pef. iqg in ^ d placp^ f or five and • W is rtdt a K«1S Extra ord inar y, ^i fty ye»i?» and jy3^ seized, <>* ffiat la *lie r ^gisterH book of the Chris tmas day, 1793, with a f it, Memoirrela ting to Kirlcsjead* 83 which termina ted in his deathn , in ney, in the yep J< 72Ott wjiil^ l^e the ?&& 4fTfis¥fi^er ^na j4mongst held the Und himself, having pai r- tffS boh&oth&fy^hitirteT' f ;, whom celled it out in the most cony^ni» he thei ^e MKP%i *fc *eSt. - ent form for the benefit of h iipself A #*f y«ftS l&fa **fat t he ^ tfeafli of and his tenan ts. At fthi$ perip^ f Mr. Buift lSy^h^ es W^s sold which was seventy years after , ^b^e by Mfe Fffg&e^Sney Richa rd ori ginal grant , our read \yill B§<$ ^ ers ElRs ^ ? *ft &ffcoFl*nr of f>&rlla- know that the chapel lands u\u&t ment fer rtR8« ^ Liricoln. This r have been of more than double the gentleman hfk d rfrit been long in val ue of 1720. Thus it happened possession #hen he assiduousl y that Mr. Ellison was suffered to cou rted the ^ friendsh ip of Mr. appoint a clergyman of the Churc h Dunkle y, and in a riianner of of Eng land to do duty in a, place which it fcrill best become us to be of worshi p, which had been ex- sileift, prevai led bn the old gentle- pressly given , out of a gentleman ^ man , to '&£& pV hirh , by a deed , pr ivate estate , to tbe Pres byteria os; pr 4vidilsljK got^&3y, ds;ftfs tenant and whi le he paid that gentlem¦ an to M14M p¥fcce$ Sf land , which he 3QL a year for his dutjj' ,' to |H |t held W daf&fc fcy of rfimister ^ But mor e than as much into his. own if \v^ ^4bnot ^^^I^ih the process pocket , from the pro ceeds of an liy iHiieh Mr. Duhltl ey was per- estate , definitel y given to P'$- suaded to lease &&i the lattd to Mr. senting trustees , for the purpose -J&liihif, "We ettri , fro m the testi- of supportin g Dissenting won^np. Tft&$P$ of^ Many now living, state It happened that a g^a t^ejnian ^he eflfefct^mt ttaris ^efioil produced was appointed in tfye year X§0&9 ^ 1 the T healt h ahd spiri ts of Mr.