Monumental Inscription Detail

Place:

St Andrew, Jevington

Inscription:

Near this place lyes ye body of Nat' Collier MA late rector of this church who dyed Mar ye firft 169½.

Monument details:

Type: Stone Tablet.

Monument Condition: Unknown.

Inscription Condition: Unknown.

Person commemorated (or mentioned):

Last name: Collier.

First Name(s): Nathaniel.

Birth date: Not given.

Death date: 01 Mar 1692.

Comments:

The black marble memorial, on the North wall of the chancel, is a constant source of interest due to its apparent strange date. It is an unusual example of the disagreement as to when the New Year began. If you followed the old Julian calendar the year started on 25th March. If you favoured the new Gregorian calendar, decreed by Pope Gregory, the first day of the New Year was 1st January. Many of the Protestant clergy would not follow a calendar authorised by a Pope. However an Act of Parliament in 1752 declared New Year’s Day to be 1st January so putting a stop to the controversy.

Nat Collier was instituted as Rector of Jevington 28 June 1690 and died 1692. He was Rector for just one year nine months. His was one of the shortest incumbencies at Jevington and he died suddenly at a young age.

He was obviously well liked as there is no memorial to his predecessor William Carr, rector for 20 years or his successor James Purse rector for 38 years. It is said that Nat was very popular with his parishioners due to his tolerance of their smuggling.

The memorial was moved to its present position in 1873 and was originally mounted on the South chancel wall.

Transcription details:

Transcribed by: Rosalind Hodge.

Batch: Unknown.

Image:

Image of a monument

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