The+final+decades

Compiled from information from the Linstead Parva archive in the Ipswich Record Office

In Kelly’s 1896 directory the Church of St. Peter was described as an old flint building standing in the centre of the parish in an enclosed piece of ground surrounded by fields, an ancient building of flint in the Early English style. The last marriages in the parish date from this time, when James Preston, age 27, a shepherd married Mary Crisp age 20, both of Linstead Magna in 1896, and Daniel Cole, age 22, a labourer from Cratfield married Maude Wright, age 19, of Linstead Magna on October 27th 1897. On June 11th 1913 the gross value of Linstead Magna Church and Churchyard (1 rood and 37 perches) was estimated at £400. This may be compared with the gross value of Linstead Parva Church and Churchyard (3 roods 2 perches) at £1600. Over the next two decades until the church was closed the number of communicants on the roll ranged from 10 to 20, the peak occurring during the height of the Great War. Less than a third of the population (74) were enrolled in the church and from the returns of those who took communion at Easter it seems that most people on the roll did not attend church.

//Communicants// The last two baptisms were celebrated on September 9th 1919, when Joseph (farmer) and Ada Elizabeth Daniels christened their son Joseph Frederick, and on April 25th 1920 when Herbert Cecil (farmer of Linstead Hall) and Annie Gertrude Lincoln christened their daughter Winifrd Mary.
 * Dates || On roll || At Easter ||
 * 1909-10 || 10 || 4 ||
 * 1910-11 || 13 || 4 ||
 * 1911-12 || 13 || 6 ||
 * 1912-13 || 15 || 4 ||
 * 1913-14 || 17 || 6 ||
 * 1914-15 || 20 || 7 ||
 * 1915-16 || 20 || 7 ||
 * 1916-17 || 20 || 5 ||
 * 1917-18 || 15 || 2 ||
 * 1919 || 19 || 9 ||
 * 1920 || 16 || 7 ||
 * 1921 || 16 || 6 ||

The last burials in the register were of children and infants: Selina Keable (2hrs old) on July 7th 1904, Ellen Keable age 15 years, on September 22nd 1904, Ernest Albert King, age 1 year, on June 9th 1908 and Annie Corona Maud King, age 1 year 9 mths, on April 4th 1913. . In January 1916 the connection with the diocese of Norwich ended and the returns to the parish were made by Isaac John Taylor, the vicar.

From the entries on parish forms for the sick and poor it is clear that during its last decades the parish continued to support a variety of charities. It is interesting to see that the local needs of the sick and needy, which peaked just before the outbreak of the Great War, disappeared during the war, presumably due to higher wages associated with the shortage of labouring manpower, and support shifted to the national agricultural benevolent fund. After the war farm wages remained relatively high until the church was made redundant.

//Entries for Sick and Poor in parish forms.//

1910-11 For local sick and needy 3s.0d

1911-12 For local sick and needy 11s 6d

1912-13 Royal Agricultural Benevolent Inst. 1s 5d. Titanic disaster fund 5s.0d. Local sick and needy £2 3s 2d. Total £2 9s 7d.

1913-1914 Royal Agricultural Benevolent Inst. 2s 9d.

1914-15 War Royal Agricultural Benevolent Inst. 2s 0d. National Relief fund 8s 6d. Belgian Relief fund 9s 8d. Suffolk Red Cross 1s.8d. Total £1 1s 10d.

1915-16 War Royal Agricultural Benevolent Inst. 2s. 6d. Hospital Sunday 2s 4d. British Red Cross 5s. 6d. Suffolk Prisoners of War 7s. 0d Total 17s 4d.

1916-17 Royal Agricultural Benevolent Inst. 5s 3d. Hospital Sunday 3s 6d. Total 8s 9d.

Suffolk Red Cross 1s 6d.

1917-18 Royal Agricultural Benevolent Inst. 4s. 3d. Norwich Hospital Sunday 2s 6d. Total 6s 9d.

1919-20 For sick and poor - not necessary - no poverty

For general charity Hospital Sunday 4s 6d. British Red Cross 8s. 0d. Royal Agricultural Benevolent Inst. 3s.10d. Total 16s 4d.

1921 For sick and poor -labourers wages now so good that charitable help not needed

1922 For sick and poor - labourers wages are still so good that charitable help is not needed.