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Church Collector


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What actually was a Church Collector?

These lead plaques with the names and dates are fastened to the outside wall of the Cathedral Bell Tower.

Southside

 

Cathedral Plaque 3.jpg

Cathedral Plaque 2.jpg

Cathedral Plaque 1.jpg

Cathedral Bell Tower Wall.jpg

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Source (1693)

Presumably collected rent(s) for pews.

Probably also prodded people into making contributions to the collection plate and biffing small boys about the head with a stick to stop their noise.

1690 also

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According to Picture Sheffield http://www.picturesheffield.com/frontend.php?keywords=Ref_No_increment;EQUALS;s07752&pos=2&action=zoom 

'Joseph Clay of Bridgehouses was one of the Church Burgesses from 1739 and served as Collector in 1741. He died in 1797. Several of the Cathedral roofing sheets have names cast into them'

The Sheffield Church Burgesses Trust is still going strong; a brief history of them can be found here:

http://www.sheffieldchurchburgesses.org.uk/history-of-sheffield-church-burgesses-trust.htm 

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1694/5 Mr. Marriot, 10 bob, Workehouse

Source

Also : Queen Mary died of small-pox on the 28th Dec., 1694. She was not interred till 5th March, 1695. - it says ....

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Found this on Wikipaedia (my highlighting): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheffield_Town_Trust#cite_note-webb-3

'The Sheffield Town Trust, formerly officially known as the Burgery of Sheffield is a charitable trust operating in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England.

The Town Trust was established in the Charter to the Town of Sheffield, granted in 1297. Thomas de Furnival, Lord of the Manor of Sheffield, granted land to the freeholders of Sheffield in return for an annual payment, and a Common Burgery administrated them. The Burgery originally consisted of public meetings of all the freeholders, who elected a Town Collector.

By the 1540s, the Burgery was unable to maintain essential public works, or to provide for local unemployed people. In 1554, a charter established the Twelve Capital Burgesses and Commonality of the Town and Parish of Sheffield to maintain the parish church and area immediately around it. This effectively split the old Burgery in two, while giving it increased powers and responsibilities.

In 1681, a commission formed a group of thirteen people, known as the Town Trustees, to assume the administrative role. The Trustees were headed by the Town Collector, one of the most senior officials in the town.'

It would seem then, that the term 'Collector' is used to signify the most senior official.  Therefore, I think it is reasonable to assume that Joseph Clay et al. served as 'the most senior official' within the Church Burgess in the year stated on their memorial. 

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Looking through the Records of the Burgery of Sheffield, it would appear that the Collector was roughly the equivalent ofthe City treasurer, responsible for the collecting of taxes, rents etc, and certain payments. The collector was elected annually by the Town Trustees, to whom he reported nand presented the accounts.

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