Little Fork Church Notes From History July 18, 2024
Notes from History No. 4, 1736 Scandalous Behavior
From the beginning of Little Fork until 1733 Rev. Mr. Debutts served the Chapels part-time. In April 1733 Rev. John Becket became the first full-time Rector serving until January 7, 1739 (1740) when he was discharged for scandalous behavior. The following are excerpts from the Saint Mark Parish Vestry Book & Levies 1730 - 1785 from 1736 to 1741 when he was discharged.
April 27, 1736 (Easter Sunday) Vestry meeting at the Church in the fork Order that WILLM. PAYTON, Church Warden receive of the REVEREND MR. JOHN BECKET fifty shillings it being a fine of his House Keeper for a bastard child.
October 11, 1738 Vestry meeting at the Vestry house in the fork. Order that the Church wardens take care of Caturan Williams a Mulatto woman living with the Rev. Mr. John Beckett and charge the Parish with the same.
June 13, 1739 Vestry meeting at the vestry house in the fork. Order that the Church Wardens proceed to take all Evidence to prove all the allegations presented to his Excellency the Governor and Commissary against the REVEREND MR. JOHN BECKET and all other allegations as are to be presented and to give the REVEREND MR. BECKET Notice of the Time and place.
January 7, 1739 (1740) Vestry meeting at the Gleeb Rev. Mr. John Becket is discharged.
April 4, 1741 Vestry meeting at the vestry house in the fork Settling the accounts of former Rev. Mr. John Becket.
After life in Saint Mark’s Parish we find him still in the area as recorded below.
1734-1742 Spotsylvania County, Virginia Deed Book C; [William Armstrong Crozier]; John Becket, acknowledges himself servant to Col, Henry Willis, for 13 mos. May 6, 1740. Recd. May 6, 1740.
Published in the Historical Magazine of the Protestant Episcopal Church, 1966, Vol. 35, No. 1 by the Historical Society of the Episcopal Church available on JSTOR and the Church Google Drive. Click here for Google Drive copyGoogle Drive copy. Documentary History of the American Church. A Virginia Colonial Frontier Parish’s “Poor” Petition for a Priest, Edited by Richard Beale Davis.
1735 July 8, Letter from Governor Gooch to the Bishop in London describes Mr. Beckett as a man of strong constitution, loves drink perhaps too well, and living in the Northern Neck where drinking and boxing is too much in fashion has been tempted to quarrel; for being unpolished, he is bold and hardy in his temper, and has not yet learned to turn the other cheek, but with this he is constant in the discharge of his duty.
1744 Petition to the Governor of Virginia begging the restoration of an ousted parish priest. The Reverend John Beckett. Warning of occasional extremely vulgar expressions.
Mixed probate records, 1749-1870; index, 1749-1930 from familysearch.org Found on pages 119 and 120 of 547. Culpeper County mixed probate records from 1749-1870, April 17, 1760 inventory of the estate of John Beckett.
Judging by the inventory, evidence this was our rector is determined by the references below to books.
2 Large books of Divinity
9 small books of Divinity
Sermon and Divinity Books
10 Greek and Latin Books
4 Boxes of Written papers (some sermons)
Also from the Probate records for the inventory;
To a negro Woman Named Lilly £30.0.0 ($9,850.5 today)
To a negro Girl Daughter to the above Lilly / named Frank? £40.0.0 ($13,134 Today)
To a negro Man named Abram £25.0.0 ($8,208.75 Today)
To a negro Boy a son of the above Negro Woman (Blanton) £50.0.0 ($16,417.5 Today)
£1 pound in 1760 was worth 258.35 today or 328.35 US Dollars The above 4 mentioned negroes were valued at a total $47,610.75 in today’s dollars. The above slaves were Delivered to Robert Brown at the appraisement.
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