Theodore Howard Galton

“ If instead of claiming from Parliament fresh powers of excluding Dissenters from Church ordinances and worship, the Church of England were contented to allow all that is corrupt in her system of Ecclesiastical Jurisprudence to be swept away, she would find herself in a better position to restore true Church discipline, while the country at large would be benefited by the cessation of a monstrous anomaly. ”

“ In the towns it is clear, as a general rule, that voluntary contributions are sufficient. In the principal towns of the West Riding of Yorkshire, Church rates have been abandoned for some years, and Churchmen find no difficulty in keeping the fabrics of the Church in repair. [5] Dissenters, who, as a class, are much less wealthy than Churchmen, not only maintain their own Chapels and worship, but have been constantly increasing the number of their places of worship, notwithstanding that they are subject to the payment of Church rate.
In country parishes the difficulty is far greater. ”

“ If the Dissenters can, in addition to paying Church Rates, maintain upwards of 21,812 Chapels and preaching rooms, surely the Church of England, which most certainly comprises the chief wealth of the land, need not fear to confront the voluntary principle for the maintenance of her 14,000 fabrics. ”

“ For instance, if a person be deprived of his seat in a Church, or deposed from a benefice by the judgment of these Courts, he shall not be able to bring an action at Common law for their recovery, unless he can show that the Courts in question have exceeded their legitimate authority. ”

“ It has been proposed to transfer all testamentary questions from the Prerogative Court and the ecclesiastical tribunals in Doctors' Commons, to the Court of Chancery, and to remove thither the whole staff of officials conversant with the business, and acquainted with the principles upon which it depends. Another suggestion has been to create a new court of mixed Common-law and Equity jurisdiction, which should act as a supreme Court in questions of probate, and should also have jurisdiction in causes of matrimony and divorce. ”

“ On the other hand there are numbers of ignorant persons in our agricultural parishes, members of the Church by baptism and education, who, for the sake of avoiding a heavy rate, might be tempted to excommunicate themselves and thus to lose privileges of which they are incompetent to estimate the value. ”

“ There is no absolute necessity for such deputies in the Courts held before the Bishops and Archdeacons. Originally each Bishop seems to have been the supreme ecclesiastical judge in his diocese, and I see no reason why, when questions of civil rights are removed from the Church tribunals, the Bishops and Archdeacons should not resume their functions of presiding in person over causes ecclesiastical. ”

“ I propose that in populous parishes, containing Dissenters, the Parish Wardens be empowered to raise a Cemetery rate for the purpose of forming new burial-grounds, or maintaining those already in existence. ”

“ Baines states, in his evidence, that the Dissenters, who possess throughout England and Wales a greater number of places of worship than the Church, experience a difficulty in maintaining self-supporting chapels in country villages. ”

“ He says, that among the Wesleyans, Independents and Baptists there are, throughout England, County Associations, in which the richer congregations subscribe to assist the poorer village congregations. ”