No longer is Richard ‘Responsible for Holy Trinity’ or ‘Priest in Charge’, but with effect from 18th January 2011 with the formation of the United Benefice of Matlock Bank & Tansley he formally became Vicar of All Saints’, Matlock Bank and Rector of Holy Trinity, Tansley.

Our last true Rector, who lived in the Rectory and was in sole charge of Holy Trinity, was the Revd Caldwell who died in 1952. After that time the Rectory was sold and we have been looked after by clergy from St. Giles, Dethick Lea and Holloway and finally All Saints’, Matlock Bank. When the Revd John Drackley (Curate at St. Giles) moved out of Tansley Rectory and took up a post near Derby in 1977, Revd Joe Hurst, Vicar of Dethick, Lea and Holloway became Priest in Charge of Tansley but after 5 years he officially became Rector of Holy Trinity. After Revd Joe Hurst retired and Revd Ralph Lawrence took his place, we went back to Revd Ralph Lawrence being Priest in Charge and now, after Revd Lawrence moved to take up another post, and the reorganisation of the Matlock Parishes we once again we have a Rector.

What’s in a name? History is the short answer.

When the Parish system of churches was set up by the Church of England prior to the Reformetion, each parish priest (Rector) was legally entitled to the tithes paid by landowners and tenants in the parish as his income. The Rector had the ‘freehold’ of the living as long as he was in office, which could be for life. During the period when many more churches were built, newly appointed clergy were called Vicars and were not entitled to receive tithes from the parish but received a stipend instead.

In order to bring the employment rights of all clergy into line a new form of ‘Common Tenure’ has just been introduced with effect from January 2011. As Rector, Richard has just signed a form to relinquish the freehold of the benefice of Tansley, granted on the 18th January, and take up the new form of Common Tenure. He comments that he has had, possibly, the shortest freehold on record (from 18th January to 7th February)!

[11th February 2011]

For many years our church has been collecting used stamps, which have gone to the Leprosy Mission to raise much needed funds. What started in a small way has, like Topsy, grown and grown until now when it has become a major time consuming operation. Every stamp has to be sorted into denominations and the paper round each stamp trimmed. All through the year stamps trickle in and occasionally flood in. Word has spread far and wide and stamps just appear from known, and many unknown, people. Sometimes whole stamp collections from someone who has passed away turn up. They are left in the boxes at the back of church or in Marion Ball's front porch. Some are meticulously separated into separate denominations and countries but mainly they come in small packets all mixed up.

Once a year the stamps are packed up and sent off to the Leprosy Mission in London, the latest going a few days ago. It is impossible to estimate how many millions of stamps are sent at a time but the latest consignment, packed in a large cardboard box, weighed over 35 lbs!

Usually the stamps are taken on the first leg of their journey to London by someone from one of the local churches going to a meeting at, say, Leicester and the consignment is then passed on and on until it reaches its destination.

Marion reminds us that beside stamps, the Leprosy Mission will take used post cards, coins and Bank Notes, cigarette cards, old matchboxes and medals. Last year, 2011, £83,168 was raised by the Mission from the sale of collectables. Apparently the demand for used stamps has now exceeded the supply. Marion would like to thank all those who support this work.

[20th December 2011]