APPENDIX I.

CONTAINING

THE LAWS,

RELATING TO RELIGIOUS WORSHIP

IN

South-Carolina.

ART. I.

THE CHURCH ACT.

An Act for the Establishment of Religious Worship in this Province, according to the Church of England; and for the Erecting of Churches for the public Worship of GOD; and also, for the Maintenance of Ministers, and the building convenient Houses for

them.

I. FORASMUCH as in a well grounded Christian Commonwealth, Matters concerning Religion and the Honour of God, ought in the first Place to be taken into Consideration, and honest Endeavours to attain to such good Ends countenanced and encouraged, as being not only most acceptable to God, but the best Way and Means to obtain his Mercy and a Blessing upon a People and Country. Be it therefore Enacted by his Excellency John Lord Granville, Palatine, and the rest of the true and absolute Lords and Proprietors of this Province, by and with the advice and consent of the rest of the Members of the General Assembly now met at Charles-Town for the South and West part of this Province, and by the Authority of the same. That the Book of Common Prayer, and Administration of the Sacraments, and other Rites and Ceremonies of the Church, according to the Use of the Church of England, the Psalter or Psalms of David, and Morning and Evening Prayer therein contained, be solemnly read by all and every Minister or Reader in every Church which now is, or hereafter shall be settled, and by

Law established within this Province; and that all Congregations and Places for the Public Worship, according to the Usage of the Church of England, within this Province, for the Maintenance of whose Ministers and the Persons officiating therein, any certain Income or Revenue is, or shall by the Laws of this Province be established and enjoined to be raised or paid, shall be deemed Settled and Established Churches.

II. And whereas it is necessary, and for the better Accommodation and Conveniency of the Inhabitants of this Province, that the same be divided into Parishes, and the Bounds of the several Parishes ascertained. Be it therefore Enacted by the Authority aforesaid, That Charles-Town, and the Neck between Cooper and Ashley River, as far up the Neck as the Plantation of John Bird, Gent. on Cooper River inclusive, and the Plantation of Christopher Smith, Esq. on Ashley River inclusive, is and shall for ever be a distinct Parish of itself, and be called by the Name of the Parish of St. Philip's in Charles-Town.

III. And be it further Enacted by the Authority aforesaid, That Berkley County shall be divided into six more Parishes besides Charles-Town, that is to say, One upon the South-East of Wando River, which shall be called by the Name of the Parish of Christ Church; One upon that Neck of Land lying on the North-West of Wando, and South-East of Cooper-River, which shall be called by the Name of St. Thomas; One upon the Western Branch of Cooper River, which shall be called by the Name of St. John's; One upon Goose-Creek, which shall be called by the name of St. James', Goose-Creek; One upon Ashley River, which shall be called by the name of St. Andrew's; and One in the Orange Quarter, for the Use of the French Settlement there, which shall be called by the name of the Parish of St. Dennis.

IV. And be it further Enacted by the Authority aforesaid, That Colleton County shall be divided into Two Parishes, that is to say, One on the South side of Stono River, to extend to the North side of South Edisto, which shall be called by the name of St. Paul's; and the other on the North of St. Helen's, which shall be called by the Name of St. Bartholomew.

V. And be it further Enacted by the Authority aforesaid, That one Parish shall be erected in Craven County, in that Part of it which commonly is known by the Name of the French Settlement on Santee River, and the Church which is now built in James-Town in the said Settlement, or any new Church hereafter to be built or erected in the said Place instead thereof, is hereby made, enacted and declared to be the Parish Church of St. James on Santee River, and shall be and continue so for ever, in all things as the other Parishes erected in this Province are or ought to be.

VI. And whereas it was thought necessary that Six Churches should be built for the public Worship of God according to the Church of England; that is to say, one upon the South-East of Wando River; one upon that Neck of Land lying on the NorthWest of Wando, and South of Cooper River; one upon the Western Branch of Cooper River; one upon Goose-Creek; one

upon Ashley River; and one on the South Side of Stono River in Colleton County; and six several Messuages or Tenements, to be built upon the several Parcels of Land allotted for a Glebe for the said Parishes. And whereas in order to defray the Charges of the building of the said six Churches, and the said six Messuages or Tenements, and also for the purchasing of Lands for the several Sites of the several Churches, and the Cemeteries or Church-yards for the Burial of Christian People; and also the Glebe Lands for the several Places above mentioned, for the use of the Rectors or Ministers of the several Parishes, by one Act of Assembly in this Province, entitled, "An Act to continue an Act, entitled, An Act for laying an Imposition on Skins and Furs, and for appropriating the same;" ratified in open Assembly the fourth Day of November 1704, amongst other things it was Enacted, That Two Thousand Pounds of the Money, which by the said Act should be raised after the ninth Day of May next ensuing the Ratification thereof, should be equally divided to the building the said six Churches, and convenient Tenements and Outhouses for the several Rectors or Ministers, as before mentioned. Be it therefore Enacted by the Authority aforesaid, That if any part of the said Sum of Two Thousand Pounds is behind and unpaid, that the same shall be paid to the Commissioners hereafter named, or to such Supervisors as they shall appoint, in order to defray the charges of the building of such Churches, and Tenements, as are not already finished, or not begun to be built.

VII. And be it further Enacted by the Authority aforesaid, That in case any Church or Churches, or Tenement or Tenements, which are for the several Rectors or Ministers of the said several Parishes, be not already begun or finished, that then, and in such case, it shall be lawful for the Commissioners hereafter named, to appoint one or more Persons, Inhabitants of the Parishes, in the several Places where the Church or Churches, or House or Houses for the several Rectors or Ministers are to be built, to be Supervisors for the building of the said several Churches, and the enclosing the several Cemeteries or Church-yards, and the several Buildings to be built on the said Glebe or Glebes; the Place or Places in the Parishes aforesaid, where the Church or Churches, or the Buildings on the Glebe or Glebes, is not begun or fixed upon the same, shall be in such Place or Places, in the Precinct or Parishes aforesaid, as shall be agreed upon by the majority of the Commissioners hereafter named, and by and with the advice and consent of the major part of the inhabitants of the said precincts or parishes, who are of the profession of the Church of England.

VIII. And be it further Enacted by the Authority aforesaid, That the commissioners hereafter named, shall have power to take up by grant from the lords proprietors, or purchase the same from them, or any other person, and have, take and receive so much land, as they shall think necessary for the several sites of the said several Churches, and the Cemeteries or Church-Yards, for the burial of Christian people there, in the several places above mentioned, and shall also direct and appoint the building of the said severa?