St Peter's Magazine, May 1901

As well as offering a taste of Parish events as reflected in the Parish magazine for May 1901, this article looks at the financial state of the Parish as portrayed through meetings of the Vestry (Annual business meeting); the health of the congregation as reflected in the baptisms, marriages and deaths recorded in the Parish magazine; and one of its social outreach ventures, the Penny Bank.

The liturgical framework

Both Ascensiontide and Whitsun fell during this month as the Rector, the Rev. Geo. Edgcome, noted in his homily: "our church bids us consider this month the ascending Lord, the descending Lord, separate yet one, will form the theme" (SPM 05/1901). This homily, built round the motto for the month "Thou hast ascended on high. Thou has led captivity captive. Thou hast received gifts for men" (Ps. 68:18) used references to Old Testament reflections on Ascension, as well as some New Testament ones, to discuss how the road to heaven leads from the point of greatest trial and suffering. Unusually in this month's magazine there is a second meditation by Howard T.N. Ussher on the purpose of Christ's coming. On Whit Sunday the choir sang Stainer's anthem "What are these" as part of the services.

Intriguingly the Parish calendar, published in the magazine, pointed out that the timing of the Rector's bible class, normally a fixed point each week that was published monthly, would be announced on a weekly basis. As became clear in the June 1901 magazine, this was because Geo. Edgcome had "gone away for a few weeks much needed rest," his work being deputised by the Rev. E. L. Bond, MA, "late curate at St Nicholas" (SPM 06/1901). It pointed sharply to the need for a curate to fill the vacancy at St Peter's church.

The business of the Parish

As now, the business of the Parish was discussed formally once a year at a meeting of the Vestry. The meeting, held at 12 noon on Easter Monday 1901, gives a view of the year 1900/01 while that held in April 1902, again on Easter Monday, complements it to give a view of the financial year 1901/02. In 1901 the Rector presided with only Messrs. Curtin (Parish Warden), G Smith, E.C. Smith, G. Salsbury, and S. Collinson being listed as attending. The Churchwardens were thanked for their work, and Mr. R. Evans J.P. was again nominated as the Rector's warden. Mr. G. Smith proposed the re-election of Mr. J.W. Curtin as parish warden, which was carried unanimously. This self-perpetuating oligarchy was again appointed in 1902 (SPM 04/1902). Mr. E.C. Smith in both 1901 and 1902 was thanked for his general contributions to church matters, for his management of the Parish magazine, and his use of magazine funds to defray various incidental church expenses, including those of choir robes. In 1901, in response to Mr Curtin's thanks to him for his work, the Rector said "it was a solemn reflection for him to look back upon a ministry of 31 years in that church, and as age and infirmity grew upon him" he prayed that "the good feeling and kindly agreement between him and his congregation" would continue as they "persevered in conducting the church upon the old fashioned lines; and kept to the simple teaching of Christ" (SPM 05/1901).

At the Easter Vestry meeting the church accounts were presented

The 1902 accounts indicate clearly the various sources of expenditure. These were in descending order of size

• Cleaning the church
• Organist salary and tuning and blowing the organ
• Gas (for lighting)
• Bell ringers
• sick poor tickets - to buy medical care for those without medical insurance at a time when there was no national health service
• coals (for heating the church)
• insurance
• visiting speakers
• water
• petty accounts

In 1902 the church was unexpectedly faced with having to raise funds to repair a bell that had cracked, although it and the other six bells had been completely refurbished in 1897 for £150, an expenditure that was expected to last for 25 years. The estimated cost of recasting was £60 - £70, which the church was attempting to raise by contributions from various local sources (SPM 04/1902) - see also St Peter's magazine, March, 2001.

Despite the best efforts of its most enthusiastic members there were a number of administrative problems in 1901: Mr. E.C. Smith wanted copy for the monthly Parish magazine earlier from "the principals of the various departments of parochial work" (SPM 05/1901). There was a shortage of district visitors and teachers in the girls' Sunday school. "Several districts are without lady visitors and the dearth of teachers in our Sunday schools causes a heavy pressure on those who are at present carrying out the work" (SPM 05/1901). A similar notice appeared in the June edition of the Parish magazine, too. As it turned out the most important shortage was the need for "the help of a few gentlemen at our Penny Bank" (idem). The largely uncontested gendered differentiation of work at this time is clearly visible in these parish requests for volunteer help.

The Penny Bank

This seems to have been a small savings bank run by the church. Its opening times, every Monday night at the St Peter's schools from 7.30pm to 8.30pm, and weekly rota managers were advertised each month in the Parish magazine calendar. The President was the Rev. Geo Edgcome; Superintendent Manager, Mr. A Salsbury, and Secretary and Treasurer, Mr. L. F. A. Rogers (SPM 12/1901). Although there is no firm evidence available of the purpose of the St Peter's Penny Bank, similar ventures elsewhere met the small savings needs of working men and women in their local communities.

In 1901 it suffered a terminal crisis. From January of that year, when 16 men worked in pairs once every second month to open the bank every Monday, it lost eight managers between March and June 1901 only succeeding in replacing two of them. Despite further appeals for extra managers in October 1901, none materialised so it was decided "at a meeting in the Vestry on Wednesday 27 November by the President (Rev. Geo. Edgcome) of St Peter's Bank and Managers present to close the Bank. This course [is] having to be adopted on account of the want of managers to carry on the same. Depositors are requested to note that after Monday 2 Dec. the Bank will only be open for withdrawals. Any depositor who finds it inconvenient to call on Mondays to withdraw their account may call on Mr. L.F.A. Rogers between the hours of 10-12 noon or 3-5pm any weekday except Saturday at Temple Buildings, Albert Street, Nottingham" (SPM 12/1901). The notice was repeated in the Parish magazine until March 1902, and then discontinued.

Baptisms, Marriages and deaths - 1901/02

On the face of it, St Peter's seems to have been a burgeoning parish at this time. Only three deaths were recorded in the Parish magazine for these years (with a fourth - Councillor E. Denman - in Dec. 1900 - SPM 01/1901 and our January 2001 article).

There were 119 baptisms during the same period, more or less evenly spread month by month, although three separated months only had two or three baptisms. Of the baptisms, only two were indicated as for adults. However in several cases families seemed to have been baptised en masse, suggesting that child baptism, perhaps after a period of attendance at Sunday school, was at least as common as infant baptism. The families who were baptised were: Freestone (Feb 1901 - several of which children gained Sunday school attendance prizes); Watson (March 1901); Marriott (July 1901); Stansfield (Sept 1901); Hurst (Dec. 1901); Potts and Rowland (Feb 1902); Mason and Robinson (May 1902) Cresswell and Nutt (Sept 1902); Potts (a different family, Nov 1902).

On the other hand there is also clear evidence of infant baptism, and in some cases within only a few months of a marriage taking place. Of the 39 marriages carried out in St Peters in 1901/02, and recorded in the Parish magazine, six led to baptisms within eight months - the parents' names on the baptism corresponding exactly with the first names of the marriage partners and the husband's family name. Only one other marriage, that of Robert Flinders and Margaret Palmer (May, 1901) seems to have led to a baptism within the compass of these magazines: that of Arthur Leonard (Flinders) in August 1902. If one is not to suppose the unlikely incidence of widespread infertility amongst people attendng St Peter's church, this suggests the extensive use of contraception and family planning by members of the congregation, even amongst those living in the slums of the Broadmarsh.

Hugh Busher, assisted by Keith Charter

Next month (June) we aim to look a little more closely at Sunday School treats and the "Rambling Club" - an offshoot of the choir.

Links

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• Back to April 1901
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© St Peter's Church, Nottingham
Last revised 2nd June 2001