Milstead Rectory Sittingbourne

March 13th 1869

My Lord Archbishop-

After much consideration I have determined that it is my duty to send the enclosed note to your Grace.

I am to meet Mr Dickson at Dr Willis' house on Monday in the matter of the commission and you will probably think that the enquiry into the value of his Benefice should go on as if your Grace had not seen the enclosed letter of Archbishop Longley:- it may however be a question with the Commissioners whether the Living should be increased in value during Dr Willis' incumbency unless he can and will clear up this very sad report. I will wait upon your grace at Lambeth or elsewhere at any time if you wish to see me – indeed I would have done so and made this communication personally, had I not remembered what cause your Grace has had to avoid the infection of Scarletina – slight attacks of which we have in our house at present.

I have the honour to be

Your faithful Servant

Henry Hilton

My dear Sir

I had some trouble in finding out where Dr Willis was residing, when Mr Bennett left Minster – at last I discovered that he was officiating in the Isle of Man – I wrote to the Bp, and he told me that he was so doing – and that he had in his house a person who passed as his wife – Now Dr Willis had and still has, a wife living in England. The Bishop informed Dr Willis that he had ascertained this fact, and accordingly he took his departure suddenly from the Island.

Before he did so however the Bishop had an interview with this female who passed as his wife, and she told him that about 10 years ago she was married to Dr Willis in Somersetshire: that after a while she discovered that he had a wife living, and from that time she ceased to cohabit with him. Now that they are in England she denies ever having said this to the Bishop – that Bishop however persists in his statement:– and the story they tell is, that she is the widow of a son of his; that she came to live in his house after her husband's death, and that, for certain family reasons with which she has not acquainted me, she consented to pass as his wife!

I am not in a position to prove the second marriage but under the most favourablepoint of view, it is a great scandal that with a wife living, he should have passed off another woman as his wife; and I have told him that under the circumstances I can never give him any countenance, adding that whenever I am asked about his character, I shall tell this much.

You are quite at liberty to show this to Mr Lewis and Mr Bryant – Will you let me know if this female is living in Dr Willis's house.

Believe me

My dear Sir

Yours very truly

(Signed) C.L. Cantaur

Private & Confidential

Rusthall, Tunbridge Wells, July 26 1870

My dear Bishop

I was down to take your place at the opening services of the St Paul's Mission Church on Sunday. The arrangements were fairly satisfactory, and the appearance of the work encouraging.

But I am sorry to say I found there was a great scandal in Sheerness, very damaging to the Church, about the incumbent of Minster. Not only were there frequent executions in his house, but the general belief was that he was living with a person who passes for his wife, his wife being still alive.

I had peviously heard that she was dead, and that he had been remarried to the person who is believed to live there with him as his wife, but whom he calls his son's widow, though it does not appear he has ever had a son.

But my informant has seen a brief, submitted for counsel's opinion, in which it was pleaded that his wife was still alive, and therefore it would be quite easy of proof. So would, I imagine, the other fact that he lives with his present consort as his wife be of easy proof by the testimony of servants. These two facts would seem to present a handle by which the scandal might be abated; which is so flagrant that my informant told me a leading Dissenter had expressed his intention of writing to the Archbishop on the matter. I have thought it better to write to you. The information about the wife being alive, is derived from the lawyer in whose hands the brief was placed.

The worst of it is, that, so lax is the public opinion of Sheerness, that numbers go over on Sunday to hear the Incumbent of Minster, in the full belief of these faults, as he is said to have considerable gifts in the Pulpit.

Yours Very Truly,

B. F. Smith

P.S. Tell me how you bear your work this hot weather

Aug 1st 1870

Milstead Rectory, Sittingbourne

My dear Mr. Sandford

Your letter dated the 29th July and received yesterday does indeed contain unpleasant and painful matter for consideration and it is not easy to say what is best to be done. Remarking on Mr Smith's letter to the Bishop of Dover I would observe that I conclude that the Bishop has consulted with Archdeacon Harrison in whose opinion he places great confidence. We most of us heard last spring that Mrs Willis was dead and report went on to say that the Dr had remarried the female living in his house and calling him Father, tho he did not, that I observed, call her his daughter. It does not quite follow, does it?, that Mrs Willis his first wife is still alive because it is "pleaded" so. I remember a late case in which it was pleaded that a husband was dead, when his Wife told me that he was alive in a distant colony! if so it will be necessary to ascertain more particulars of Mr Smith's informant - a gentleman I suspect of the same name as the Vicar of Minster but not of the same family. (Dr. Willis was son of an Admiral and nephew of George the third doctor). Supposing this Mr Willis has seen the lady or knows some one who has seen her within the last few weeks the case will be so far clear but the way that Mr Smith proposes to find out that he cohabits with the person now in his house does not quite commend itelf to me - at least if the Archbishop intends to proceed personally without process it would not do, I would say, to seek the testimony of servants and it is very possible , I think, that they have no servant in their house at night and that they occupy two rooms - for is he is a guilty man he is wide awake enough to make the criminal intercourse difficult of proof. It would be well perhaps if the dissenter alluded to did write to the Archbishop or call upon the Churchwardens to present Dr Willis at the Archdeacon's next visitation.

The letter of Archbishop Longley, which I enclose for your perusal and which our Archbishop has seen may be of use when we have ascertained that Mrs Willis is yet alive, as the Bishop of Sodor and Mann will, no doubt, still testify to the woman statement about her marriage. The fact, however, of criminal intercourse in the last two years will have to be proved and I will try and learn privately, if you please, whether this can be procured in a satisfactory manner and will likewise see the lawyer Willis, if you think it prudent. He is a Solicitor in a small way of business only.

If you should wish to talk over this business with me I can meet you in London or elsewhere at any time on receiving a few days notice.

Will these frequent executions in his house drive Dr Willis from his home and unless the pressure of these troubles and perhaps the fear of criminal proceedings by the Archbishop induce him to resign his living. I fear not, as he must then starve or go to the Union I suppose.

Believe me

Dear Mr Sandford

Very truly yours

Henry Hilton

Re Revd Dr Willis

I have fully considered the circumstances of this case - I have had an interview with the Revd Mr Hilton and have made private enquiries by means of a personal friend who is connected by marriage with the Willis family - but I am quite unable to recommend any action being taken in the matter.

Dr Willis' antecedants (which are all within my own knowledge) are most unsatisfactory. I believe him to be devoid of any thing like principle. His earlier life was one of scandal.

It is quite probable that the woman who resides in? his establishment is or has been his mistress, and it is not unlikely that her child is his, but I see no means of arriving at proof of this. His story is that the person alluded to is a widow of a connection of his, and that her child is his adopted child - whose parents are living and can be found and that the child calls him 'Papa' but that this is no more than a natural habit, and means nothing.

He requests proof of any improper intercourse between himself and this "Mrs H. Willis". I feel sure none could be adduced - such proof could only be obtained from witihin the house and I have reason to believe that none such could be obtained.

If the archbishop should still desire to pursue the inquiry I see no other way of doing this other than by finding some stranger from Minster to make inquiry - but my impression is that such a step would lead to no useful result - the objections to any such proceeding at the insistance of His Grace are obvious.

I ?? - the advice I would venture to you is to do nothing trusting that Dr Willis continued money embarrassments may be the means of ridding the place of him.

No complaint appears to have come from his parish and my impression is that he is personally well liked by his people and that nothing to his prejudice could be extracted? from them

Illegible signature

12 Aug '70

Archers Court

Dover

22 Sep 1870

My dear Mr. Sandford

It is very sad, but I am afraid that Mr Lee's advice is right - he does not directly refer to the evidence that the Bishop of Sodor and Mann can give - viz - what this woman said about her marriage to Dr Willis - but that is an old story.

I return to Milstead on Saturday -

Believe me

Very truly yours

Henry Hilton