A letter from Cowbit
This letter was written from John Steel, perpetual curate of Cowbit, to the Bishop of Lincoln, John Kaye. {LAO COR B5/4/33/6/2}
Cowbit March 25th 1831
My Lord
When I had the pleasure of offering myself at Buckden for institution to the Perpetual Curacy of Cowbit, your Lordship was kind enough to say, in reference to its locality, that you would not insist upon residence if the grounds of exemption were sufficiently urgent ?? I have now resided at Cowbit upwards of three years, -regarding the duty of residence as paramount to every obstacle, which might be resolved into inclination; during the last twelve months however we have experienced so much illness in the family, that I feel called upon if not justified in making this request to your Lordship for a dispensation for nonresidence - our medical man received last year for medicine and attendance upwards of 50£ I will not say that this could have been entirely avoided elsewhere, but I feel confident that the situation has greatly augmented it.
Should your Lordship be kind enough to grant my request , Mr. W Moore eldest son of Dr. Moore of Spalding, will officiate as the Curate of this place, + I shall succeed Mr Burnaby in the Curacy of Dunsby (Vicar the Revd Wm Waters Of Rippingale)
I am
My Lord
Your very faithfully
J Steel
Later in 1831 he starts signing the registers at Dunsby as a Curate, so Kaye obviously let him go.