Sad deaths through a pretended Saviour - Cinque-Ports claims at the Coronation
Perhaps it was the prevalence of such a notion that caused so many ill-informed persons to espouse the cause of John Thom, alias Sir William Courtenay, a Kentish lunatic, who under the assumed character of a political reformer, avowed his intention of relieving the country from the terrors of the new Poor Law. But, sad to say! this was not the only aspiration of the psuedo (sic) Sir William Courtenay. Having been released from a lunatic asylum, he lived among the peasantry in the neighbourhood of Canterbury, calling himself the Saviour of the World, and at the same time complaining of the great earthly possessions of which he had been deprived. He drew around him about a hundred discontented people, who presented a menacing attitude on the 30th of May, and on the following morning he shot with his own hand a constable named Mears. The news soon spread, even in those non-telegraphic days, and gentlemen as they received their letters at the Hastings and St. Leonards post-offices, made known such of their contents as referred to the terror inspired by John Thom and his disciples. As the news circulated, the country became alarmed, and felt it as a relief when informed that a detachment of the 45th Regiment had been sent from Canterbury to Bossenden Farm to take or disperse the deluded gang. Lieut Bennett was in charge of the soldiers, and on his approach, Courtenay fired his pistol and shot him dead on the spot. The soldiers then discharged their muskets and shot Courtenay and eight of his followers, besides wounding and crippling a number of others. Such was the infatuation of those people that they previously received the sacrament as administered by their blasphemous leader in a wood, who addressed them as their Saviour, and received their prostrate adoration and worship. And so strong was their faith that they expected him to rise from the dead as he had promised. Notwithstanding that the circumstances ought of themselves to have been sufficient to dispel the delusion, believers, or at least sympathisers, multiplied for a time, even after Courtenay's death. From this belief or sympathy our own locality was not entirely free; just as there were still believers in the "Claimant" Arthur Orton who had suffered as a convict the penalty of his unrighteous representations.
Of Corporation matters not already noticed the proceedings were as follows :- At a January meeting it was resolved to allow the Hastings Commissioners to quit the occupation of the fire-engine house and the same to be offered to Ransom and Ridley, who were then owners of the ground. At the same meeting, the committee appointed to view the East well groyne reported that the old vessels might perhaps, be laid up with safety under the cliff during summers, but only smaller craft would be safe in the winter. Also that the delimitation (or boundary lines) proposed by the Woods and Forests Commissioners for the Government land in the Holy Trinity parish should be 90 feet from the Denmark-place house, and thence in a straight line to the centre of the arch of the bridge. At the monthly meeting in April, Mr. Putland's motion to reduce the number of policemen by four was negatived (sic) by a large majority. At a special meeting in the same month it was resolved that the Mayor and Town Clerk take such steps as they might judge necessary to prevent the dispensation of canopy-bearing and other coronation services as directed in her Majesty's proclamation from operating in any way as a bar to our claim as one of the Cinque Ports for the performance of such services at any future coronation. Shortly after such meeting the Mayor received the usual circular from the Mayor of Rye as the then Speaker of the Ports, which communication was as follows:-
"Right Worshipful Sir, Loving Brethren, Combarons and Friends. After our hearty salutations, we beg leave to inform you that Her Majesty hath appointed the 26th day of June next for solemnising her coronation, and that the first meeting of the Court of Claims will be held in the Council Chamber at Whitehall on the 20th day of April, inst., and, considering that it is incumbent on us, as Speaker of the Ports, to propose a person or persons to solicit the Ports' claim for the canopy service, we, for our parts, propose William Stringer, gent., and George William Ledger, gent., to appear as our solicitors in the said Court of Claims, and when the ceremony is over, that the bill of charges be defrayed in the first instance out of the money now belonging to the ports, and if the same be insufficient then by a proportionate allotment on the Cinque Ports and Two Ancient Towns. Nevertheless, we submit to your grave consideration and brotherly request, subscriptions of your several opinions. We are, Right Worshipful Sirs, Your Loving Brethren, Combarons and Friends, the Mayor, Aldermen and Burgers of the Ancient Town and Borough of Tye, under the seal of the office of Mayoralty, the 12th day of April 1838, David Manser, Speaker.”
The reply of the Hastings Corporation was to the effect that in consequence of the canopy and other services by the Cinque ports barons being dispensed with by the Queen's proclamation of the 10th instant, which contained a reserva-
