Vestry Meeting Minutes

The Meeting of the Vestry and Parochial Church Electors was held in the Church Room, Ilmer, on Wednesday, the 12th of April, 1939, at 6, p.m. There were present - the Rev. W. O'Connor, Vicar, in the Chair; Messrs. R.H. Attenborough and W.J. Harper, churchwardens, Mrs. Attenborough and Mrs. Cobb. Mrs. Pursell was unable to attend owing to a heavy cold.

After the opening Prayer, the Minutes of the Meeting of the 20th of April, 1938, were read, confirmed and signed. The Secretary was instructed to copy into the Minutes a letter received by Mr. R.H. Attenborough, dated the 16th of June, 1938, from Mr. Kenneth H. Thompson, of the Firm of Messrs. Stanley Attenborough and Co., Solicitors (original kept in Church chest) - "My articled clerk called at the office of the Ecclesiastical Commission this morning, and a representative looked up their file and found that the site of the Mission Room was not transferred to Mr. Albert Goodchild in 1927 as stated in the Commissioners' letter to the Revd W. O'Connor of the 9th Octr. 1936. He has altered the plan you left with me and I understand that the deeds relating to the site of the Mission Room are with the Commissioners."

Extract from the Rev. J.E. Varley's letter of May 16, 1936, to the Rev. W. O'Connor:- "The name 'Parish' room is wrongly given. I built it on the glebe land. It therefore is the possession of the Vicar, and he might well call it the Church Room". The Rev. J.E. Varley was Vicar of Ilmer from 1898 to 1911.

The Vicar nominated Mr. R.H. Attenborough as his Churchwarden. Mr. W.J. Harper was unanimously elected People's Churchwarden.

The Statement of Accounts for the year 1938 was read by Mr. W.J. Harper:- Income. Balance carried forward from 1937, 16s. 8d. Parochial Collections, £16-1-11. Donation from Mothers' Union, 3s. Church Box, 4s. 9d. Non-parochial Collections, £15-5-9. Total, £32-12-1. Expenditure. Non-parochial Collections, £15-5-9. Fire and Light (Church) £3-8-6, (Church Room, Light) 17s. Rates, 10s. 8d. Insurance (Window) 5s. Sundry minor payments, 18s. 7d. Organist, £3. Sexton and Clerk, £4. Cash in Bank £4: in hand, 6s. 7d. Total, £32-12-1. The Statement was unanimously passed.

The list of Charities (Minutes, 1935) was approved. It was agreed that new prayer-books with hymns should be purchased and the Church chimney repaired: also that a beginning should be made with painting the outside of the Church Room. The Meeting was closed with Prayer.

W. O'Connor, Vicar. March 28, 1940.