The Vicarage
Sunday Even^g

My dear Sir,

I hoped to have had the honor of calling upon you to say good bye before leaving Lacock, but am still confined to the house – You have no doubt heard that I have had the good fortune to be presented to a Living-^<1>

I am afraid the Bishop ^<2> is encountering fresh trouble & arrogance at the hands of the Vicar about the appointment of my successor here – M^r Paley wants to nominate his son– ^<3> the Bishop opposes him on account of his unfitness for the charge of such a large Parish as this & refuses to license him – there the matter rests for the present, but I shall probably hear further about it in a day or two – M^r Paley can legally claim to nominate the Curate, but not morally having surrendered his right of nomination to the Bishop, when his license for the non-residence was granted – He now wishes to ignore that act altogether, & it places the Bishop in a very unpleasant position – Sh^d M^r Paley present his nomination – the Curate, the Bishop, I trust, will exercise the power he has of making him pay the full stipend according to the Population, for he seems very little to appreciate the lenient manners in which he has hitherto been dealt with as regards it –

My wife writes with me in Kind regards – &

Believe me Y^rs very faithfully
E Percy Brett

M^r Bridges ^<4> came from Bristol to take my duty to day & was obliged to leave for Bath directly after the service, as he w^d have done himself the pleasure of calling upon you – he begged me to say so –

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Notes:

1. Brett was Vicar of St Lawrence, Sandhurst, Gloucestershire, from 1854-1878.

2. James Henry Monk (1784–1856), Bishop of Gloucester and Bristol.

3. Rev James Paley (1790-1863), Vicar at Lacock, 1814-1853. His son was John Paley - see Doc. No: 06895.

4. Rev George Wilson Bridges (1788-1863), photographer & traveller.