Rev Charles Musgrave

[1792-1875]



Rev Charles Musgrave DD was born in Cambridge on 14th July 1792. He was the second son of Peete Musgrave, a woollen-draper of Cambridge.

He served at Norwich, Bristol and at Whitkirk, Yorkshire, before becoming Vicar of Halifax [1827-1875]. He was the first Archdeacon of Craven [from 1836]

He preached his first sermon in Halifax Parish Church on 1st April 1827.

As Richard Oastler records in his book Vicarial Tithes, shortly after his arrival, Musgrave upset many people by his demands for small tithes which included

Easter offerings - Surplice and other fees - Mortuaries - Milk or cows [every 10th day's milk] - Agistment - Foals - Calves - Pigs - Poultry or eggs - Pigeons [if sold] - Potatoes - Turnips - Gardens - Herbs - Small seeds - Rape - Flax - Hemp - Fruits of trees - Bees, honey and wax - Corn mills - and other small tithes

After his induction, he had a dispute with his parishioners, over the rights and interests of the living. This ended in 1829, by an Act of Parliament, under which the vicarial tithes, mortuaries, and Easter offerings of almost the whole parish, were commuted for a yearly stipend of £1,400 paid by the townships.

In 1822, he married (1) Selina Buxton in Essex.

Child: Charles Buxton [b 1828]

In 1830, he married (2) Ellen Waterhouse.

Children:

  1. an infant son [d 1835]
  2. Vernon [b 1848]

The family lived at

He started a programme of church-building in the district. He laid the foundation stones of St Martin's Parish Church, Brighouse and St James's Parish Church, Brighouse

He died on the 17th April 1875. Craven was buried at Halifax Parish Church. He left £18,000 in his will.

His family donated the pulpit in Halifax Parish Church.

A memorial, a full-length marble effigy by William Day Keyworth is situated below the Tower inside the Church.

The epitaph on the memorial is recorded in the book Monumental & Other Inscriptions


See Halifax Quarterly Choral Society, Wellesley Barracks and Rev Henry White

This & associated entries use material contributed by Alan Longbottom & Angela Westwood



© Malcolm Bull 2024
Revised 17:43 / 3rd May 2024 / 4835

Page Ref: MMM156

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