Devonshire Characters and Strange EventsBaring-Gould, S. (Sabine)
History
Devonshire Characters and Strange Events
Baring-Gould, S. (Sabine)
Devon (England) -- Biography; Devon (England) -- History
He was complained of for his grasping character. Although the glebe
comprised a manor of eight or nine tenements, yet he did not rest till
he got into his own hands “by dyvers meannes three of the best and most
fruitfull tenements in the two parishes.”
That, in addition to being rector of Bridestowe and Sourton, he was
vicar of another parish in Cornwall.
That he was litigious, citing his tenants and the tithe payers even for
a halfpenny.
That he refused at Easter to give the Holy Communion to a bedridden
woman, eighty years old, named Jane Adams, till she paid him a penny
for his trouble.
“He is a great skold and faller owte with his neybors, for lyght
occasyons, as with Mr. William Wrays, and other the best of the
parishes; and stycketh not to saye yn the churche Thou lyest; and to
skold yn the Churchyerde.
“For his pryde, Skoldyng, Avarice and Crueltye his manner is hated
and abhorred of all the 2 parishes, and so driveth them awaye from the
Church.
“He marryed hys wyffe, a notorryowse lyght woman, and of lyke parents
descended being notoryusly suspectyd with the sayd German of [causing]
her first husband’s death; after whose deathe one Edmonds, her servant
claymed her in promise, to be his wyffe, and that openly, and yn the
presence of dyvers requyred the Parson German to procleme the bannes
bytwene them. But German refused to doo yt but presently shyfted
secretly to marry her hymself, having a lycence, and yn a marryng
before sun rysyng so dyd, having a lyttle before cyted the said Edmonds
to ... prove his contract with her, came too late, and thuse were
they marryed withowt clearyng of the woman, to the offence of both
parishioners and others, knowyng before her lyght behavyor.”
It seems that this widow whom Germyn married had some money. Her former
husband had left a will making several bequests, but Parson Germyn
having got the money of the deceased into his hands refused to pay the
bequests, as also the debts of the man and of his widow, now his wife;
also refused to pay annuitants.
It was further complained that Mrs. Germyn baked bread and sold it in
the rectory.
It may be worthy of remark that there is no trace in the Episcopal
Registers of Mr. Germyn having obtained a licence to marry this widow.
It was probably a bit of bluff on his part to say that he had one. Who
performed the ceremony we are not told. Unfortunately the Bridestowe
registers do not go back sufficiently far to help us.
From 1582 to 1613 we hear no more of Parson Germyn. At this latter date
fresh complaints were made against him. Another bishop now occupied
the see, William Cotton, a man of some character and worth, and not
one interested in protecting the disreputable priest.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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