362

LAWS OF MARYLAND.-rl798.

Vestry to
have an
estate in all
churches,
&c.

in fee simple in all churches and chapels, and in all glebes, and
other lands, and shall have a good title and estate in all other
property heretofore belonging to the church of England, or
which shall hereafter belong to the said church, now called the
Protestant Episcopal Church, in Maryland; and it shall be law-
ful for such vestry so to manage and direct all such property as
they may think most advantageous to the interests of the
parishioners, and they shall also have the property in all
books, plate and other ornaments belonging to said churches
and chapels, or any of them.

Penalty on
the rector
for waste,
&c.

SEC. 10. And be it enacted, That if any rector shall commit
any waste on any glebe-land, or other land belonging to the
vestry of his parish, or if he shall do any injury to his parson-
age, or to his parish library, he shall be liable to pay treble
damages, to be recovered of him by the vestry in their corpo-
rate name, in the same manner as if he was not one of the
vestry.

Church-
wardens to
be chosen.

SEC, 11. And be it enacted, That on every Easter Monday,
immediately after the election of vestrymen, the vestry shall
proceed to choose from among the persons qualified to vote, two
sober, discreet and pious persons, to be churchwardens for the
ensuing year, and before they act as such, they shall take and
subscribe the oath of fidelity, and make and subscribe the
declaration herein before prescribed to be taken by vestry-
men, and also an oath, that they will faithfully discharge the
duties of a churchwarden.
SEC. 12. Repealed by 1802, ch. 111, sec. 11.

Elections
for vestry-
men may
be held at
any time,
&c.

SEC. 13. And be it enacted, That if, from any cause whatever,
those persons qualified to vote in any parish should suffer Easter
Monday to elapse without any election of vestrymen, then the
said election may be held on any other day appointed for the
purpose, at any time after, although it may be in any subse-
quent year, of which day notice shall be given by the rector (if
any) in his church, immediately after divine service, on two
succeeding Sundays, and if no rector, by any two vestrymen,
or of those persons who last possessed the powers of vestry-
men, by writing set up at the door of the church ten days
before the day of meeting.

Church-
wardens
maybe
chosen, &c.

SEC. 14. And be it enacted, If churchwardens should not
from any cause be chosen by the vestry on the day of the elec-
tion of vestrymen, it shall and may be lawful to choose them at
any subsequent meeting of the vestry, and such elections shall
be held valid and obligatory.

Vestry may
choose
ministers,
&c.

SEC. 15. And be it enacted, That the vestry of every parish
shall have full power and authority, from time to time, to
choose one or more ministers or readers of the Protestant Epis-