The CASE of the Inhabitants of the Hamlet of Spittle-fields, with Relation to their late Petition for a Supply toward Building a Church or chapel, for the Use of the said Inhabitants, Humbly laid before the Honourable House of Commons.  
THE Hamlet of Spittle-fields is part of the Parish of Stepney, Their Parish Church is far distant, and not very large, The Parishioners so Numerous as in the Bills of Mortality to bear the Proportion of more than two Thirds to the whole City of London within the Walls.  
The Inhabitants of the said Hamlet of Spittle-fields by a moderate estimate, amount to more than fifteen thousand Souls, and their Poors Rate Communibus Annis is not less then Twelve Hundred Pounds.  
Their Numbers being so great, they have often desired a Church or chapel of Ease, with a Burying-Place, which might hold some Proportion to them: And the Reverend Mr. John Wright the present Vicar of Stepney, has several times declared his Readiness to promote the same by his own Friends and Interest.  
Some Years since Sir G. w— r to encourage the Building of such a Church or chapel, by a Solemn Instrument drawn up by himself, and under his own Hand promised Five Hundred Pounds in Money and Moneysworth, and some of the Inhabitants subscribed readily; yet, though Trading were then very Good, the Inability of the said Inhabitants to accomplish so great a Work appeared but the more plainly, and the Design proved Abortive.  
In the Year 1693. Sir G. w— r, with the Assistance of Mr. Tho. Seimour Goldsmith, purchased an old Tabernacle and set it up on a little piece of Ground of his own; the Purchase, Remove, and Fixing it, cost One Hundred Pounds: The Dimensions of the Tabernacle are about 30 Foot wide, 50 long; the Ground it stands on is 16 Foot Southward, but cut off by a Brick-House 12 Foot Northward, 8 and 9 Westward, and 10 Eastward: A Garden lies on the South, out of which he promised 100 Foot in length, and 30 Foot in Breadth for a Passage and Burying-Place: And this he pretended to give to the Hamlets of Spittle-fields, the Old Artillery-Ground, and Northeme Falgate, for a Place of Divine Worship.  
Northeme Falgate and the Old Artill●ry-Ground are Extraparochials, are inhabited by more then Four Hundred Families, and have no manner of Concern with Spittle-fields.  
The first Provision for this Tabernacle was a Pulpit, a Reading Desk, and two and twenty Fourms of about Eleven Foot each in length.  
On this Mr. Milbourne a Conformable Clergy-man adventured, and opened the Place with Prayers and Preaching on Christmas-Day, in the Year 93. He was approved and recommended by the Right Reverend the Lord Bishop of London, chosen and agreed to by the People, accepted by Sir G. w— r, the People being the more satisfied by reason of those Hopes they had, that their Forwardness might be a Motive to the High Court of Parliament, when the Act for Building and Finishing the Cathedral of St. Pauls should be renewed, to grant that Humble Petition, they have now with all submission given in to this Honourable House.  
Sir G. w— r professed openly, That He gave the Tabernacle aforesaid, to the Hamlets above-named, Congratulated their Choice of Mr. Milbourne, who was licenced accordingly, at Sir G. w— rs own Motion, by the Bishop himself, to be Curate there. Mr. Milbourne officiated duly, prayed, preached, Catechis'd 'd constantly, was respected, brought many to the public, got a reasonable Subsistence among them; The Hearers laid out more than One Hundred Pounds in Seats and Galleries for the greater Convenience, so as its capable of near five Hundred People, and all this in Confidence of Sir G. w— rs kind meaning, and an Opportunity of Petitioning this Honourable House on the now emergent Occasion for some Assistance to Build a greater, and more convenient Place for Worship.  
Sir G. w— r soon cut off the Entail of the Ground on which the Tabernacle stood, and instead of settling it in Trustees for the Use of the Neighbourhood, settled it on himself and his Heir Male, during each of their Natural Lives, and after their Decease to Devolve on Lincoln College in Oxon.  
Next he takes upon himself as Minister of the Tabernacle, Disturbs the Curate in Officiating; 
Such as Singing Psalms before the beginning of Morning and Evening Prayer, Preaching in the Surplice, singing a Penitential Psalm before the Litany, beginning the Communion-Service on Sacrament Days, with nothing on the Table but a linen Cloath, and ordering the Clerk to bring in the Bread and Wine in a Wicker Basket and Glass Crewets at or just before the Prayer of Consecration, &c. See his Letter to Mr. M. of Febru. 12.93.  Appoints New Orders, not used in other Churches, gives great Trouble and Dissatisfaction to the Congregation, makes a long and notoriosly Scandalous Speech to them against their Curate; and after many other Disorders committed, on the Sunday before Christmas-Day , in the Year 1695. the said Sir G. w— r seizes the keys of all the Doors of the Tabernacle, forbids Mr. Milbourne the Pulpit, gives Another Unlicens'd Clergy-man possession of the Reading Desk, sets a Chair before the Pulpit Stairs, seating himself in it during all the Time of Prayers, to prevent Mr. Milbourn's Preaching; and in short, forced the much greater part of the Congregation to hire a large Throwsters Shop, then by chance empty, at a very great Charge, where by and with the Express Order and Consent of our Right Reverend Diocesan they have since continued, Prayers, Preaching, and constant catechizing, being there still carried on by the Curate Mr. Milbourne; But the place they so meet in, tho' far bigger then Sir G. w— rs Tabernacle is much too little for those vast Numbers which would gladly attend the public Service.  
Sir G. w— r still Officiates in his own Place, has an Unlicens'd Assistant under Him, does what himself pleases undisturbed, has a full Congregation from the Old Artillery Ground, Northeme Falgate, and some few of the Inhabitants of Spittle-fields, whom the nearness invites to it; But neither does nor can supply our great Numbers with any such Place as we Petition for. Only He refuses to repay that Money which many of the Inhabitants out of their very streight Circumstances had laid out in Seats and Galleries, and endeavours to keep up Feuds and Contentions among the Neighbourhood, who were, otherwise, Kind to one Another, Peaceable, Well-minded, and ready to perform their Duties in all respests both to their God, and to their King.  
The Reverend Mr. Wright, our Vicar,( who is most concerned, had we presented any unjust Petition) approves of our Request, and the best of our Neighbours, who make use of Sir G. w— r's Tabernacle have joined with us in it, as being sufficiently sensible of the Unsuitableness of that for our Extraordinary Necessities.  
These Reasons have the more strongly obliged Us, to present our Humble Petition at this time, and We cannot Doubt the Favourable Assistance of this Honourable House in so Pious and Necessary a Work, the Attempts of all troublesone, unconcerned and busy Persons to the contrary notwithstanding.