History of our church - Faculty for making certain alterations in the Parish Church of Horfield.
Dated 17th October 1846.
JOSEPH PHILLIMORE D.C.L. of the Right Reverend Father in God JAMES HENRY by Divine Permission Lord Bishop of Gloucester and Bristol to all Christian people to whom these presents shall come or may in any way concern GREETING.
Whereas it was represented unto Us by Petition under the hands of the Minister, Churchwardens and Inhabitants in the Parish of Horfield in the County of Gloucester and Diocese of Gloucester and Bristol. That in consequence of the increase of population in the said Parish of Horfield and the probability of a still further increase upon the completion of the large Military Barracks there and now in course of erection in the said Parish the Petitioners are desirous of providing adequate accommodation for the Parishioners attending Divine Worship in the Parish Church and that in order to effect that desirable object the Petitioners had caused plans of certain proposed alterations to be prepared which were annexed to their Petition and that in accordance with such plans the Petitioners were desirous to lengthen the Chancel of the said Church and to erect 2 windows and a door on the South side and one window on the North side. Also a door to the vestry room on the North side and also to erect a Chancel Screen and that the Petitioners were desirous of removing the pulpit and Reading Desk from their then present position in the centre to the North and South sides respectively and that the Petitioners were desirous of continuing the transepts to the Tower and removing the whole of their present Galleries and that the Petitioners were desirous of removing the present Vestry Room and of throwing the space so occupied into the Church and that the Petitioners were desirous of making the entrance on the South side instead of through the West End as at their present and they proposed to erect a porch for that purpose and that these alterations would increase the accommodation in the said Church by sixty sittings being two hundred and sixty and the proposed number three hundred and twenty and that the Petitioners showed unto us that in order to carry these alterations into effect at the East end it would be necessary to arch over four graves which were close to their present Eastern wall of the said Church and the Petitioners also showed unto us that they would be enabled to carry out these alterations into effect without burthening the Inhabitants and Parishioners of the said Parish with a Church Rate by means of a voluntary Subscription from divers pious and charitable persons.
The Petitioners therefore humbly prayed us to grant our Licence or Faculty in order to enable the Petitioners to carry the alterations mentioned in their Petition into effect. And we being willing to promote the said undertaking, DID lately cause our process or citation with Intruration to be issued forther against all and singular the Inhabitants of the said Parish of Horfield in special and all other persons in general that would could or should object against our granting our Licence or Faculty for the purpose above set forth to appear before us the said Vicar General our lawful surrogate or some other competent judge in this behalf on a certain day time or place in the said process mentioned their and there to show good and sufficient cause (if any they had or knew) why a Licence or Faculty should not be granted to the Churchwardens of the said Parish of Horfield to enable them to make the said alterations in the said Parish Church of Horfield as hereinbefore stated which process being duly executed and returned and no person having appeared to show cause to the contrary, JOHN JEFFERIES COLES clerk A.M. our surrogate DID at the petition of the Proctor of the said Minister, Churchwardens and Inhabitants of the said Parish of Horfield judicially decree direct and order that a Licence or Faculty should be made out to empower the said Churchwardens to make the said alterations in the said Parish Church of Horfield as hereinbefore stated and decreed that the said Faculty should not go under seal till the Church had been viewed by us.
THEN KNOW YE that we have viewed the said Church and directed that this Faculty might issue without any condition as to reconsecration of the same Church leaving that question for the consideration of the Right Reverend the Lord Bishop of Gloucester and Bristol.
AND WE do by these presents (as much as in us lies) give and grant unto the Churchwardens of the said Parish of Horfield our Licence or Faculty to enable them to effect the said alterations and improvements according to the prayer of the said Petition.
IN TESTIMONY WHEREOF we have caused our seal of office which in this behalf we use to be affixed to these presents
DATED at Bristol aforesaid the Seventeenth day of October in the year of Our Lord eighteen hundred and forty six.
Signed
W.L. Clarke
Charles Clarke
DEPy. REGrs.
