CHAPTER XVIII.

St. George's Parish, Dorchester.

THIS Parish was separated from St. Andrew's by an Act passed Dec. 11, 1717, and the boundaries established as follows: "to the S. E. by the Plantation of Mr. Bedon inclusive, and from thence by a West Line to the bounds of Colleton County, and also by another strait line from the said Bedon's, to the Plantation of the late William Rowsam deceased, where Mr. Robert Dews now lives, inclusive, and from the said plantation of the said Rowsam deceased, by an east line until it touches the bounds of the Parish of St. James', Goose-Creek, and on all other parts by the same bounds the said Parish of St. Andrew's was formerly bounded.”*

The Church and Parsonage-House were directed to be built where the Commissioners should direct, with the consent of a majority of the Parishioners, professing the religion of the Church of England, who should contribute to the expense. The Rector or Minister I was to be chosen, and enjoy the same privileges, as other Ministers by the Church Act, and to receive a salary of £100 from the Public Treasury. Alexander

* The bounds of the Parish not having been conveniently arranged, they were altered by an Act, Sept. 15, 1721, as follows: "bounded on the South side by Ashley river with a S. W. line from the Plantation of Mr Richard Bedon inclusive, to the bounds of Colleton County; on the North side of the said river by a N E. line, from the Plantation of William Baker, deceased, inclusive, to the bounds of St. James', Goose-Creek, and all other parts by the same bounds the aforesaid Parish of St. Andrew's was formerly bounded."

Skeene, Capt. Walter Izard, Capt. John Cantey, and Messrs. Thomas Diston, Samuel Wragg, Thomas Waring, and Jacob Satur, were appointed Commissioners, and authorized to draw from the Treasury, £333 6 8, in aid of the subscription for building the Church, &c. The Parish contained 115 English families, amounting to about 500 persons, and 1300 Slaves.*

The Commissioners zealously promoted a subscription among the inhabitants, and raised £1196 Cur. to which the Assembly added £466. In 1719 they began to build, and in the following year all the outer work was finished. The Church was of brick, 50 feet long by 30 wide, besides the Chancel. A Tract of Land, containing 145 acres, was purchased for a Glebe, and five acres of land with a brick dwelling house, for a Parsonage.

In 1719, the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts, sent the Rev. Peter Tustian, A. M. as their Missionary to this Parish. Some unhappy divisions prevailing in the country at the time of his arrival, induced him soon after to remove to Maryland. In 1723, the Rev. Francis Varnod arrived as his successor. He was Ordained Deacon, Sept. 23, 1722, by Dr. Green, Bishop of Norwich; and Priest, July 25, 1723, by Dr. Gibson, Bishop of London. He was kindly received by the inhabitants, and his labours were so successful, that the Church was soon too small for the congregation. A year after his arrival, he had near 50 communicants at Christmas, among whom were 17 Negroes. He had baptised several grown Persons, besides Children, and Negroes belonging to Mr. Alex. Skeene. Mr. Varnod extended his labours beyond his own Parish, and frequently officiated for the neighbouring French congregation.

Dorchester was settled at an early period, and was a neat and flourishing town. An Act was passed Feb.

15, 1723, "for settling a Fair and Markets in the Town of Dorchester, in Berkley county, being a Frontier in that part of the country.' A public market was directed to be kept, every Tuesday and Saturday; and two Fairs every year on the second Tuesday in April, and the first Tuesday in October, and each to continuefour days.

The situation of the Glebe and Parsonage being inconvenient, the Vestry petitioned the Assembly for leave to sell them, and to purchase a plantation more convenient and advantageous to the Incumbent. An act for that purpose was accordingly passed, March 24, 1724. On the same day an act was passed for establishing a Free-School at Dorchester. Upon that occasion several gentlemen thus expressed their opinions to the Society: "The chief source of irreligion and immorality here, is the want of schools, and we may justly be apprehensive, that if our children continue longer to be deprived of opportunities of being instructed, Christianity will of course decay insensibly, and we shall have a generation of our own, as ignorant as the native Indians."

Mr. Varnod, being a foreigner, was naturalized in conformity with a law of the Province, Feb. 23, 1733.

The Church having become in a ruinous and dangerous condition, Mr. Varnod, in a Letter to the Society, dated March 26, 1733, stated that, his Parishioners were raising subscriptions for building a new Church; but that notwithstanding their liberality, they would not be able to raise the sum required. On Easter Day, Mr. Varnod had but 31 communicants, 19 of whom were Negroes, which he attributed to the unfavourable state of the weather, and to the sickness of many of his congregation. He had baptised 5 white and 2 black children.

The Assembly taking into consideration the ruinous condition of this Church, as well as its insufficiency for the increasing congregation, passed an Act May 4,

1733, "for Building the Parochial Church of St. George's Parish in Dorchester."

It does not appear that this Act was carried into operation, for another was passed April 9, 1734, "for Repairing, Enlarging and Pewing the Parochial Church of St. George's Parish in Dorchester," authorizing the Churchwardens and Vestry to repair and enlarge the old Church; to dispose of the Pews and Seats, and to appoint Persons to receive subscriptions, &c. At the same time an Act of Incorporation, was passed," for founding and erecting, governing, ordering and visiting a Free-School, at the town of Dorchester in the Parish of St. George, in Berkley county, for the use of the inhabitants of the Province of So. Ca." The Master was to be capable of teaching Latin and Greek, and of instructing and catechising youth in the principles of the Christian religion.

Mr. Varnod informed the Society June 29, 1736, that the repairs and additions to the Church, advanced but slowly, from the difficulty of collecting the subscriptions; but that the doors and windows were finished, and the floor would soon be laid. He further stated that, Religion flourished as much in his Parish as in any part of the Province; that the fashionable principles of libertinism and infidelity had not yet infected his Parishioners, which, under God, be ascribed, chiefly, to the Bishop of London's Pastoral Letters. He had at Easter, 25 white, and 14 black communicants; and on Whitsunday, 31 whites, and 21 Negroes. In the preceding six months he had baptised 7 white, and 4 black children.

Mr. Varnod removed from the Province in 1736, and was succeeded by the Rev. Stephen Roe, A. M. who was licensed for this Parish by the Bishop of London, March 19, 1736. He was Ordained Deacon, June 15, 1730, by Dr. Synge, Archbishop of Tuam, and Priest, June 5, 1732, by Dr. Hoadly, Archbishop of Dublin. He was a Missionary from the Society.

cure.

and remained in this cure until 1742, when he removed to Boston. In 1741, Dorchester contained about 350 persons. The Rev. Thomas Thompson was removed from the Mission of St. Bartholomew's to this cure in 1744, but in 1746, his ill health induced his return to England. He carried with him very satisfactory testimonials of his diligence and success in the Ministry, from the Vestry of the Parish, and the Clergy of the Province. At the request of the Vestry, the Society appointed the Rev. Samuel Quincy to this He had been a Missionary in Georgia, and lately Rector of St. John's, Colleton. He was much esteemed by the Commissary and the Clergy, and stood high in the opinion of the Society. In July 1747, be resigned this cure in consequence of his appointment as Assistant Minister at St. Philip's Church. He was succeeded in 1748, by the Rev. William Cotes, as the Society's Missionary, at the request of the Vestry, and the recommendation of Mr. Commissary Garden. He was Ordained Deacon, Dec. 21, 1746, by Dr. Butts, Bishop of Ely; and Priest, Feb. 1, 1746, by Dr. Beauclerk, Bishop of Hereford. He continued in this cure until his death in July 1752.

Mr. Cotes was succeeded in Nov. 1752, by the Rev. William Langhorne, whom the Society removed from St. Bartholomew's at his own solicitation, and the request of the Church in this Parish. In a Letter of July 20, 1753, he thanked the Society for transferring him to this Mission, and informed them that, his Parishioners had very liberally enlarged the ParsonageHouse, added such out-buildings as were necessary, and purchased two negroes for his service; they had likewise built a handsome Steeple to the Church, and had opened a subscription for a Ring of Bells. Both of these objects were soon after accomplished. Mr. Langhorne continued in this Mission until the year 1759, when he removed from the Province. He was succeeded by the Rev. Winwood Serjeant, late Assist