Bequests, Charities and Other Forms of Income

• 1781 Mrs. Rebecca Garland left to the Vicar and Churchwardens of Lenton, for the time being, Ten Pounds, the interest to be given in bread on St. Thomas's Day, to such poor persons as do not receive parochial relief.
• Rebecca Garland died in 1769 and was buried in the old Parish Churchyard (no w the Priory Church).
• Annie Carver left £1000 for the upkeep of the churchyard.
• Henry Crewdson, who was Choirmaster and Churchwarden for many years, invested £100, the interest thereon to be devoted to the purchase of choir music etc.
• The Wright charity provided £25 per annum to the expenses of the Manfull Street Mission Hall, Lenton (now demolished).
• David Charles Birks left £1000 for the upkeep of the Churchyard.
• Sir Albert Ball left £1000 for the upkeep of the Churchyard.
• Mrs. Edmondson left £100 for similar provision.
• In February 1971, Miss E. Smith left £250 for the maintenance of the churchyard.
• Church records show that Lenton Church owned arable land (Glebe land) in Lincolnshire and at Dunkirk, but these were disposed of around 1950.
• Another source of income early in the century, was the renting of pews. In other words, for a small rent per annum you had your own reserved pew. Looking at early records, half the pews were free while half were rented, at the rates of between two shillings (10p) and five shillings (25p) per quarter. (The position of the pew in the Church determined the rate for the pew.) This brought in an income of £100 per year.
• Mr. W.G. Player, in addition to all his numerous gifts to the Church, also donated an amount annually towards (or to cover) our Diocesan Quota contribution.
• The Church Communion Plate is all silver and of the same date as the Church, although there have been additions in the form of bequests more recently.
• There is the Paten given by the wife and family of Frank Dickinson, who died 15th March 1973, also a Chalice donated by the congregation of Lenton Parish Church- These gifts were consecrated on 17th March 1974, in memory of Frank Dickinson, who in turn was Parish Clerk and Warden of the Parish Church for over thirty years. He was for many years school caretaker of the Church Schools but after the closure he transferred to the Lenton Council Schools as head caretaker.
• A glass flask for use at the Communion was given by Miss E. Hopewell in memory of her mother. Both were worshippers at Lenton Church for many years, while Miss Hopewell gave many years service to the Lenton Girl Guide movement.