Rev Dr Richard Child Willis
After Richard Child Willis died, one of his parishioners felt he had been unfairly maligned, and made a statement to the Court of Arches (which had been hearing his case against the Bishop of Oxford):
In The Arches Court of Canterbury
Willis v The Bishop of Oxford
I James Ward of Banks Town Sheerness in the Parish of Minster in Sheppey in the County of Kent Esquire Chairman of the Sheerness Local Board of Health and the vicar's Churchwarden for the Parish of Minster in the Sheppey make Oath and say as follows
I have carefully perused the obituary Notice of the late Rev Richard Child Willis Doctor in Divinity late Vicar of Minster in Sheppey which appeared in the Sheerness Guardian of February 10th 1877 a copy of which is hereunto annexed and marked with the letter A And I say that I have resided in the said Parish of Minster for 70 years last past and upwards and that during the said period I have been intimately acquainted with the said Rev Dr Willis
I further say speaking from my own Knowledge that the statements contained in the said obituary Notice as to the ability of the said Dr Willis as a Preacher as to the manner in which he has performed his ministerial duties in the said Parish during the last 10 years and as to the Esteem in which he was held by his Parishioners are correct and true and that to the best of my belief the other statements contained in the said Notice and the account of his funeral are true
I further say that the said Dr Willis during the whole of last year and up to the beginning of December 1876 had the entire Charge of the Parish on each Sunday performing two full services and preaching two full sermons and that during the last 3 Sundays of December 1876 from the state of his health he was only able to preach once on Each of these Sundays and that his last Sermon was preached on Sunday the 31st of December 1876 and that he died on the 27th of January 1877
The discussions which have taken place in this Court on the pleadings in this suit reports of which have appeared in the Public papers have I believe appended to do injustice to the memory of the late Vicar and I as Vicar's Churchwarden of the said Parish am desirous of bringing to the Notice of this Honourable Court the facts which I believe will remove such erroneous impressions.
Sworn at the Sheerness in the County of Kent this 24th day of February 1877