In a Casual Conversation, Jim Cumpson Mentioned to One of the Members of the Archives Committee

Pew Rent

Some people leave their imprint on history by great actions. Others may leave their mark by default. In a casual conversation, Jim Cumpson mentioned to one of the members of the Archives Committee that Miss Eckersley was the last person in St. Mark’s Church to pay pew rent.

To the contemporary church goer, the idea of paying pew rent is a totally foreign concept. In the nineteenth century, it was customary in most churches. There was no such thing as state support for the church. They wisely considered that they had to know their income before they could begin to pay expenses. So as the way of preparing an annual budget they announced the cost of pew rentals, generally with the most expensive pews being the ones near the front of the church. Examining the pews in St.Mark’s churchwe discovered that a few still bear a brass number, recalling the days of rents. The regular parish members paid an annual fee, as a pew rental to sustain the ongoing ministry. For building repairs or for construction of additional facilities special subscriptions were called for.

The fact that pews were rented to regular parishioners did not preclude others from attending services. There were always extra pews and if it was known that the owners of a given pew were not in town, strangers could be seated in their places.

It was not until the January business meeting of 1955 that Joseph Masters moved to abolish pew rentals. With the advent of envelops for weekly offerings, rentals had become an insignificant part of the total income of the parish. So as of January that year pews were no longer rented.

Miss Gertrude Eckersley came from a family who had been active in St. Mark’s for many years. She had taught in the Sunday School as well as the Willing Workers. She was a member of the I.O.D.E and the Women’s Institute. She lived in the family home at the corner of Regent and Johnson Streets until her death in 1969 at the age of seventy-nine years. Apparently Miss Eckersley was late in paying her rent in 1954. In this way she is remembered as being the last member to pay rental and thus has gained her place in the history of the parish.