Thursday 23 May 1929

[191-3] Preliminaries. Canon Leece, the Rev. W. P. Beard (Dalby) and Rev. A. G. Bowerman (Sulby) have been excused by the bishop. The lord bishop delivered his charge and after a short interval convocation was assembled in the antechapel. The minutes of the last convocation, 1927, were read and confirmed. Canon Quine and the rector of Ballaugh requested that their protest against the recognition of the unbeneficed clergy as members of convocation be entered on the minutes.

Death of Bishop Thornton-Duesbury

On the motion of the archdeacon, it was resolved that the clergy of the Manx Church in their annual convocation assembled desire to record their deep sense of the great loss which they have sustained [194] by the death of their lord bishop, Dr Charles Leonard Thornton-Duesbury, and their grateful appreciation of his sympathetic, energetic and successful efforts to relieve the necessities of the poorer clergy of the diocese. They assure the members of his family of their heartfelt sympathy with them in their sore and unexpected bereavement.

Church endowments bill

The rector of Ballaugh asked the bishop why the church endowments bill was not presented to convocation for its consideration before being introduced into the legislative body? On behalf of the bishop the vicar-general replied: The diocesan endowments bill was promoted by the diocesan conference and in dealing with the matter the conference followed the provisions of the church assembly act 1925, by which its procedure is governed.'

Financial accounts

The rector of Ballaugh, in answer to a further question, whether copies of all returns of diocesan funds for 1928 were on the table of convocation, was informed by the vicar-general they were not, and that convocation had no legal right to demand such returns.

Award of grants from the Manx Fund

The archdeacon announced grants of £4 each to the following: Jurby, Laxey, Onchan, St Barnabas, Rushen, Patrick, Dalby, Foxdale.

Tithe agent's report

[195] The secretary, on behalf of the tithe agent who was unable to be present, submitted the report for the crop of 1928 and Mr Johnson was thanked for his services.