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by the following circular held on the 12th of the same month,

"Parish of Sunderland-near-the-Sea."

"Notice is hereby given that a public meeting of the inhabitants of the parish paying scot and lot, will be held in the vestry-room of the parish church, on Thursday next the 12th instant, at Ten o'clock in the forenoon, to take into consideration the expediency of authorising and empowering the churchwardens and overseers of the poor to take such proceedings as they may deem necessary from time to time to protect the interests and preserve the rights of the parish. Especially in reference to a claim made by the Sunderland Dock Company, that a portion of land used and occupied by them is extraparochial."

HENRY PETERS, Rector.

THOMAS ADAMSON, Churchwardens.
EDWARD ANDREWS,

WILLIAM THOMPSON,

THOMAS RIPPON ELLIOTT, Overseers
JOHN POTTS,

DAVID PALIN HUNTLY,

"Sunderland, May 7, 1853."

of the Poor.

Mr. Joseph John Wright, solicitor to the Dock Company, attended and stated that the Company had abandoned their claim that the greatest part of their property was extra-parochial, and that they were ready to enter into arrangements with the parish officers as to the amount of rates to be levied upon them. This offer was accepted, and the Dock Company and their tenants are now rated upon the whole of the land recovered and gained from the sea.

The boundaries of the parish were perambulated for the fifth time on the 3rd June, 1856, by the Rev. Henry Peters, rector; the Rev. John Thomas Smith, B.A., curate; Mr. George Lord, parish clerk; Mr. Robert Burbank Porrett, churchwarden; Mr. John Bruce, overseer; Mr. Thomas Fenwick Hedley, assistant-overseer; Mr. John Thompson, builder; Mr. Henry Spencer; Mr. Jeremiah William Summers; Mr. John Harrison Wake; Mr. John Ferguson; Mr. Thomas Reed Wilson; Mr. Benjamin Palin; Mr. Thomas Waggot and others.

After the usual preliminary business in the vestry had been settled, the perambulators sallied forth under a merry peal of the church bells. The first place visited was the top of Baines's Lane, where "S.P." was painted upon the house on the east side of that thoroughfare, and Mr. Hedley, assistant-overseer made the following proclamation for the first time :

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Be it known to all men, that the parish of Sunderlandnear-the-Sea, in the County Palatine of Durham, includes certain grounds, premises, and hereditaments, now lying and being on the north side of the river Wear, immediately adjoining and contiguous to certain other grounds, premises, and hereditaments, lying and being within the township of Monkwearmouth Shore, in the parish of Monkwearmouth, which said grounds, premises, and hereditaments were previously to the diverting of the ancient or natural channel of the river Wear, on and towards the sea, on the south or parish of Sunderland side of the river Wear. It is therefore publicly proclaimed and declared, that the above-named grounds, premises, and hereditaments, formerly lying on the south side of the ancient

channel of the said river Wear, together with one-half, or to midstream of the said ancient channel, were anciently, and are now part and parcel of the said parish of Sunderland-near-the-Sea aforesaid.

Gud save the Queen!

This ended, a plentiful supply of gingerbread nuts were thrown away amongst the assembled youngsters, a ceremony not to be despised, seeing that the memory of the "bairns" will no doubt be brightened up on mnemonic principles, aud should any boundary dispute arise in future years, putting the nuts and the ceremony together will tend materially to settle points which might otherwise have escaped recollection. The perambulators then proeeeded westward up Coronation Street until they came to a narrow back street between New Grey Street and Flag Lane, down which they went about 45 yards, where Mr. Hedley, with a sufficient number of witnesses, posted through the dwelling of a worthy old dame, who could not make out "what for they always came through her house." Passing through Flag Lane, Mr. Wynn's timber yard, at the north end of Walton Place, came next in order. "Toss up some nuts," was the command of an indefatigable overseer, and "throw them into our parish." The young expectants (and some old ones too) were delighted at this, and away went the nuts into untrodden “n'yuks” and corners of "our" parish, followed by the scampering of merry-hearted children, with whom it was indeed a grand day. Passing through Spring Garden Lane, George Street, and Covent Garden Street, Sans Street was next perambulated, previously to doing which a house near Mr. Sutherland's portrait rooms was marked "S.P." On arriving at the top of Russell Street, anciently

and in popular language still called Beggar's Bank, High Street, Mr. Hedley again read the proclamation, and a house on the south-west corner thereof, the property of Viscount Boyne, of Brancepath Castle (now the representative of the Russell family), marked "S.P." Down Russell Street, painting as they passed, went the officials, and through the premises of the Testing Machine (a part only of which is in Sunderland Parish), where, about the year 1682, the ingenious Sir Ambrose Crowley first established his iron works. At the boundary between the Parish of Sunderland and the township of Bishopwearmouth Panns, the "Stella" steamboat was in waiting, on board of which the perambulators embarked, and proceeded slowly down the river at mid-stream until reaching the east point of the Ham Sand at the west end of the Potatoe Garth on the north side of the river whence the ancient channel took its course; here the steamer ran as close to the north shore as the water would admit. Mr. Hedley here again made proclamation, adding, that the grounds and premises claimed by the parish of Sunderland were passed without being perambulated, such omission not to prejudice the claim of the parish of Sunderland. Three hearty cheers were then given by the party on board, which were heartily responded to by some shipwrights at work on the Ham Sand. The "Stella" then proceeded to sea, outside of the ballast buoys, to claim the parish down to the ancient low water mark; after which the steamer neared the shore a little to the south of the sea entrance of Sunderland Dock, where the party landed on the barrier beach by means of cobles, as before. The assembled perambulators now approached the Dock Extension, after duly fixing the

boundaries of which they proceeded to the Hendon Landsale Coal Staith. Passing the Octagon Cottage, East Woodbine Street was reached. Here the boundary, like the debateable land on the Scottish border "was ill to read," but the line was drawn by giving about two-thirds of house No. 13 to Sunderland, and one-third to Bishopwearmouth. A few back streets near the Moor were next perambulated-Mr. Hedley performing his usual acrobatic feat of jumping through a window at Messrs.

THOMPSON.

John and Joseph Thompson's sawmill (formerly Hendon Lodge); and the proclamation was finally made at the foot of Laurence Street. The company then passed along Adelaide Place to the point of commencement in Coronation Street; and from thence right along to the church-the bells ringing out merrily, as they had done at intervals during the day. Refreshments were again served in the vestry; and, after a vote of thanks was passed to the rector for his attendance, the proceedings terminated, without prejudice either to Sunderland or Monkwearmouth Shore, the claimants of the disputed grounds.

The premises on the north side of the river Wear, claimed by the parish of Sunderland at the last perambulation, comprise all those grounds, &c., situate, lying, and being between and bounded by the ancient low water mark of the sea on the east, the mid-stream of the present but artificially made channel of the river on the south, and the mid-stream of that part of its ancient but naturally formed navigable channel formerly known as the Stell

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