Catalogue description Photocopies of letters of the Rev John Hubbersty of Parham, Wilmington and Folkington and curate of Ringmer, Seaford and Bishopstone, and Barcombe

Photocopies purchased 3 Mar 1990 (ACC 5441)

The photocopies of the letters listed below are part of a larger archive consisting of ninety letter to Zachary Hubbersty of Kendal, Westmoreland, attorney from his brothers John and Robert. The letters are held by the Cumbria Record Office (Kendal) and their references are given in brackets at the end of each entry

John Hubbersty (c1730-1779) was the son of Robert Hubbersty of Under Barrow in Westmoreland. He matriculated at Queens' College, Oxford on 17 March 1748 (aged 18) where he was awarded a BA on 24 October 1751; in 1764 he was awarded an MA from King's College, Cambridge

Hubbersty was ordained as a deacon (Canterbury) in 1752 and as a priest in 1753. He served first as a curate at Ringmer from about January 1754 to June 1755, at Seaford and Bishopstone between March 1755 and January 1758 and then at Barcombe from February 1758 to October 1764

His time as curate was characterised by his poverty - he had continual recourse to his brother Zachary, an attorney at Kendal, for money - and his attempts to find patrons who might present him to a permanent living. His letters show his attempts to gain the patronage of the Bishop of Durham, the Duke of Newcastle and Sir Cecil Bishopp. The latter attempt succeeded when Bishopp presented him to the rectory of Parham on 13 November 1761, which he continued to hold until about 20 November 1770

However, it appears that even then he did not feel financially secure since he continued as curate of Barcombe until he was appointed as vicar of Wilmington on 10 July 1764, where he continued to serve until his death. Having resigned the rectory of Parham in November 1770 he was appointed to the rectory of Folkington on 18 July 1770, which he held until his death

Hubbersty married Elizabeth Woodward, the daughter of the Rev Thomas Woodward (rector of West Grinstead, 1731-1752 and vicar of Billingshurst, 1746-1752) sometime after his appointment as vicar of Wilmington in 1764. They had six children baptised at Wilmington between 31 July 1766 and 4 July 1772, of whom two died in infancy. John Hubbersty was buried at Wilmington on 8 February 1779; Elizabeth was buried at the same place on 6 February 1789 and her will was proved in PCC