colleges of Oxford University. This tractarian influence received special notice in Charlottetown due largely to specific local circumstances. Local circumstances in Charlottetown . By the early 1860's, following close to a century of British possession of Prince Edward Island , there was still only one congregation of the Church of England established in the capital, Charlottetown . It had become quite evident to the congregation of St. Paul's Parish Church that numbers of parishioners attending the church had grown too large to be satisfactorily served by the existing church building. The congregation became divided over the question of how best to solve the problem. Two main proposals emerged from within the congregation as feasible, but alternative solutions. One called for an addition to the existing structure. The other proposed the construction of an entirely new and larger edifice. Many younger members of the congregation openly expressed dis¬ content over the continuing practice of a system of Tew Rent' subscriptions. Pew Rents were paid by congregational members as a form of financial support to provide maintenance upkeep of the church buildings and for the salary paid to the resident clergyman. Pew Subscriptions entitled the subscribing family members to seating reservations in specific pews. In the existing overcrowded conditions of the parish church it had the effect of excluding less wealthy members of the Church of England from attending church services. Originally the system had been designed and practised in England as a means of raising additional funds for the upkeep of the church. Over the years it had deteriorated to the extent to have caused alarm among some members because it had transformed the church into an elitist organization. Only those who could afford the price of Pew Rents could be guaranteed admission to the church on any regular basis. All but two pews at St. Paul's Church were rented. Only those (two rear pews) could be used by the general public who were not Pew Rent subscribers. The situation had reached the untenable point whereby many proprietors subscribing to family pews went as far as to place locks on the doors of their pews. This was to prevent those pews from being used by others when the Pew Rent subscribers were absent. As agitation for change grew it became apparent that the two popular proposals for a solution dealt only with the shortage of space, but did not address the issue of the problems associated with continued Pew Rents. Two young men who had recently returned from studying Law in England , Edward J. Hodgson and Edward Bayfield , proposed a third alternative which addressed both issues. They promoted the idea that a second church should be built in the city in which the seats would be free and unencumbered. They