CHURCH GAOLS SQUIRE.

Hawera Star, Volume XLIX, 13 August 1929, Page 9

CHURCH GAOLS SQUIRE.

UNDER. 800-YEAR-OLD LAW. 120 SIMILAR CASES AFFECTED. LONDON. July 4. A mediaeval haw, tried out in England, was found to be valid when John Henry Sit evens, of Cambridgeshire, was gailed by an ecclesiastical court within a. court trial. The church tribunal even went the- regular courts one better and did not set a limit on the sentence, which will Lost until the court think** Mr Stevens has been sufficiently punished lor tbc offence —which was contempt, of court. But Stevens is expected to he released soon.

The trouble began in the year 1130, but Mr Stevens knew nothing about it. In that year the original! title was granted to a parcel of 17 acres of land in Huxton. A clause in the title included responsibility for the condition of the chancel of the church, which the landholder undertook to keep up. Mr Stevens bought those 17 acres 15 yeans ago. Nobody knew anything about the upkeep clause. Then an energetic new vicar came.to Huxton and found that the chancel needed repairing and somehow discovered that clause in the 800-year-old deed. He demanded that Mr Stevenis repair the chance], but Mr Stevens was not interested. He said he knew nothing about the clause in the old title when he bought the land and insisted that it was no longer valid in any ease. Having dug up the medieval agreement, there seemed nothing to do buit to follow the mediaeval form, so an ecclesiastical court was emipaudlled, whic h proceeded' to try Mr Stevens. He was found not guilt of contempt of court, but- also “contumacious.” The chancellor of the diocese filed papers with the chancery division of high court-, and the lord chancellor issued a warrant to the high sheriff of the county of Cambridgeshire, in due ancient- form, for the arrest of Mr Stevens. and thn wealthy landowner n<v cording'ly moved into- a cell in Bedford gaol. The repairs would cost perhaips £4. hut Mr Steve,ns insists he will not p-av l as a matter of principle, claiming an ecclesiastical court is no longer competent in modern England Competent or not, Mr Stevens is gaoled and the repair’s are being done, .for which Mr Stevens- will have to pay. and the courtis under no obligation to releasc him until it gets good and ready. The danger arising from this precedent. is ” frem the fact that the church assembly financed this test case to see if it could get away with the application of the mediaeval law. which wu- never renealed. Tt- found that it co-uld. Now i J has a list of 120 similar oases it intends to nu'sh. thus getting +jlio .landowners to repair churches which are fa’iiim into neglect thro”vh indifference of the parishioners.