The Rector of Whitechappels Answer to the Case and Petition of the Hamlet of Wapping.  
THE Inhabitants of Wapping, 
Their Allegations of Number of Inhabitants in the said Parish, of New Buildings, of Increase of tithes.  which is part of the Parish of St. Mary Whitechappel, Petitioning, that they may be made a distinct Parish, do suggest and allege the following things, viz. The great number of Inhabitants in the said Parish, so that the Church is no way able to contain them, and also the great Increase of new Buildings within late years in the Upper Hamlet of Whitechappel; whereby, they pretend, the value of the said Living is greatly increased to the Rector beyond what it was in former years, and that it is now worth 600 l. per Annum, whereas it was but 350 l. per Annum in the year 1660, and that it will be worth 400 l. per Annum without Wapping.  
In Answer to which the Rector Replies as followeth,  
I. 
Their Bill is not to Build or Enlarge any Church or chapel, but only to free themselves from their Old tithes and Parish Charges  It is confessed that the Number of Inhabitants in the said Parish is very great, as in all the out-Parishes about London, and he wishes there were more Churches and Places for Religious Worship built in all of them, but no such thing is proposed or designed by the Bill to make Wapping a distinct Parish, which is not to Erect or Enlarge any New Church or chapel for the better Service of Religion, or the Conveniency of a greater Number to repair to Divine Worship, the said Hamlet having a Large and Capacious chapel already built with Brick, and a Yearly Fund to keep it in Repair out of the Burials there, but their only design is to take away the tithes from the Rector of Whitechappel, and to free themselves from those, and other Parish Charges.  
II. 
They have had a chapel almost Fourscore Years, with Maintenance for a Curate, and a Fund to Repair it.  The said chapel of Wapping hath been built almost Fourscore Years, and hath ever since had a Competent Maintenance for a Curate, having some Endowment upon its Consecration, and several Gifts of Hou●●s settled upon it since, which with the Perquisites of christenings, Burials and Marriages, and the Usual Contributions of the Inhabitants( which is but the same Charge to them with all other Parishes in and about London to their Lecturers) hath been always Computed at Six or Seven Score Pounds per Annum, so that upon avoidance of the said Curacy, there hath been great Competition for the same by Clergy-Men of good Worth.  
III. 
They have paid their Old tithes to the Rectors of Whitechappel, as is done in all other places in England where are chapels of Ease. The New Buildings have not lessened the Parish Rates, nor increased the Old tithes.  The said Inhabitants before and ever since the building of the said chapel have paid tithes to the Rectors of Whitechappel, as is done likewise in all other Chapelries in England, where many hundred such chapels of Ease are, and have been built, and a Curate distinctly maintained in them, without taking away the tithes, or any part of them from the proper Rectors or Impropriators of the said respective Parishes, to do which( without consent) would be a thing of dangerous consequence not only to several Rectors, but to many Impropriators in England.  
IV. There have within some years last past been many New Houses Erected in the said Parish as in all the Out-Parishes of London, several of which have dropped down before they were Inhabited, or quiter finished, and the old Houses in the said Parish have greatly fallen in their Rents, by reason of the New Ones, and many of them are quiter decayed and fallen down, and ●●●ers stand Empty, or are filled only with very poor People: So little benefit hath therefore ac●●●d to the said Parish or the Rectory thereof by the said New Buildings, that as all parish Rates have been higher since to the particular Inhabitants, and been considerably raised to what they were formerly, so neither have the tithes and Profits of the said Rectory been increased beyond what they were in former Years, nor do amount to more now than they did Threescore Years ago, as appears by the Old Decimaries and tithe Books of the said Parish, neither is the value of the Living now above Two Thirds of what they falsely compute it, nor does almost any thing exceed what they own it to have been in 1660, viz. 350 l. per annum, out of which the Rector pays Yearly Taxes of 60 l. per Annum, besides Charge of Curate, Collector, and Tenths to the King, all which the Curate of Wapping is free from.  
V. 
The Hamlet of Wapping the most Trading and Rich part of the Parish, their Old tithes 130 l. per Annum.  The said Hamlet of Wapping is above a Third part of the said Parish, and having the Advantage of the River Thames, 〈◇〉 〈◇〉 the side of which the greatest part of it is built for above a Mile together, hath always had, and ever will have a very great Trade much above the other parts of the Parish, and most of their Inhabitants have been accounted a Rich and Wealthy People, therefore their Old Rate tithes in respect of their Houses have been always much above a Third part of the tithes of the whole Parish, and are of the Yearly Value of 130 l. or thereabouts, and were so ab●●●● Threescore Years aged, as appears by the Old Decimaries and Tyth-Books.  
The Rector therefore of the said Parish who hath been legally possessed of the said tithes for near Thirteen Years, and for several years last past paid Taxes for the same to the full, doth not at all doubt but the Justice of the Honourable House of Commons, who have been always the asserters of the Property and Liberty of the Subjects, will preserve to him his Property and Freehold in the ●●id tithes, and not let the same, which are above a Third part of his Live●● 〈…〉 away from him by the Bill to make Wapping a distinct Parish, but that the 〈…〉 to him during his Life.   

Rector of Whitechappel's ANSWER TO THE Case and Petition OF Wapping-Hamlet.