St Peter’s Magazine December 1901

...and so, fare well!

St Peter's Square, Nottingham in 1901‘We enter this month upon the closing scenes of another year … There has been much happening to teach us about Him who rules… [and] to set us thinking and to solemnise our minds.’ So wrote Geo. Edgcome in his homily for the month. He offered a message of hope as the nights drew in. ‘He who is true to His word, in the revolutions of the seasons of this sin-stained world, will not prove unfaithful in His dealings with His own beloved Son and with us as we stand in Christ.’ He saw winter as a resting time during which nature gathered new resources for the good of the world. He suggested we should celebrate even the ‘nasty days’ because such weather, if not comfortable, was necessary for future fruitfulness as were cold frosty times. He drew a parallel between the seasons of nature and those of our spiritual journey but put his trust in God: ‘Our God is the constant source of warmth and comfort in every time of trouble… He who made the winter made the summers, too’ (the December motto was Ps74 v17).

December 1901 at St Peter’s was a month appropriately of endings and beginning. St Peter’s Penny Bank closed because of ‘want of managers to carry on the same’. From 2 December 1901 the Bank was only open for withdrawals. It was the month in which the Rev. A. W. Bell began his curacy. However the main item in the December issue of the Parish magazine was a long report on the Sunday School Anniversary which was held on 24 November (see also April 2001). The Sunday Schools met for the whole day and endured three sermons (morning afternoon and evening) and two special services led by St Peter’s choir. As a fund raising venture it collected only £11 15s 1d through the service offertories, an amount which ‘is unfortunately below average, and was no doubt caused by the unpropitious weather’ (SPM 12/1901). The article outlined the main burthen of the three sermons. Two briefer items focused on the new curate and on the work of the Band of Hope, both discussed more fully below.

New broom

The Rev. A.W. Bell was ‘said to bring with him a record of good work done. He will receive we are sure, a hearty welcome from the congregation and will ingratiate himself with the parishioners. He will prove… a useful helper to the Rector, who has worked long amongst us, and who, in his declining years, needs rest’ (SPM 12/1901).

Bell first appeared in the Parish magazine in December 1901 when he was reported as giving the afternoon sermon at the Sunday School Anniversary. He was said to have given

‘a most able and interesting address that even the youngest could not fail to remember.’

In 1902 he seems to have been responsible for initiating the Rambling Club (Choir men and older Sunday School boys) in the early summer 1902, the Men’s Institute - a three evening a week social club (SPM 11/1902) which first met 26 September 1902 (SPM 10/1902), and possibly the Men’s and Women’s Communicants’ Union. In addition he gave support to various Parish organisations such as the Girls’ Friendly Society, accompanying them on their outing in August 1902 to Lincoln (SPM 09/1902).

The January 1902 issue of the magazine records that ‘thanks to the kind efforts of many willing helpers and generous contributors the church was very prettily decorated for the Christmas festival’, and lists who did what. The Day Schools’ Christmas party was also well attended - and the names of the donors of cash and contributors in kind are listed. The latter included ‘500 oranges and Christmas cards (Alderman R. Fleeman and sons); 2 stones of plum cake (Morley Bros.); 2 lbs. of tea (Armitage Bros)… The delight of the children at the spread before them amply repaid the teachers for the trouble they had taken. The Rev. A.W. Bell made a few well chosen and suitable remarks to the children… Before dismissal the children had refreshments, oranges and Christmas cards’ (SPM 01/1902). Not much was written about the Day Schools in the Parish Magazine 1901/02, except a regular Calendar listing of the headteachers and assistant teachers of the three schools (Boys, Girls, Infants). One report in August 1901 talked about the older boys and girls going to Mablethorpe on 12 July for a treat, for which they paid their own fares and carried their own lunch. The treat was paid for by subscription and the donors listed in the Parish magazine.

Religious outreach

The Band of Hope met regularly throughout 1901/02 in the winter months (November to April),organised by Mr T. Hind. A Miss King acted as its secretary until October 1902 (SPM 10/1902). It met fortnightly in the Infants’ school at 7.30pm for an hour (SPM 10/1902). On 30 January 1901, fifty four children attended a ‘very instructive and humorous address’ by Mr Slater Harrison. On 13 Feb 1901, sixty one ‘scholars’ went to a meeting led by Mr Swingler of Carrington. The children took part in a Band of Hope Union demonstration on Whit Monday (27 May) 1901 in Nottingham (SPM 03/1901) as they did in 1902 too, ‘when the members will join the Bands of Hope of the City in the Demonstration at Forest House, Mansfield Road’ (SPM 05/1902). On Wednesday 13 November 1901 it began its winter season with a Lantern entertainment by Mr E. C. Smith who presented slides of the holy land and places visited by Jesus. The report of this event ended with a plea: ‘As Christmas is nearing, we shall be very pleased to receive gifts of Christmas cards, sweets, nuts, toys etc. for the children of our Band’ (SPM 12/1901).

Bible classes were held weekly through out the year with the Rector’s being held on Fridays at 3.30pm in the Vestry and the young women’s being held on Sunday’s in the Vestry at 2.40pm.

The Men’s and Women’s Communicants Union were started in 1902 ‘to bind together in closer fellowship… to deepen spiritual life of members by special gatherings for prayer, praise, addresses on devotional subjects… and to strengthen those who engage in church work’ (SPM 05/1902). About thirty members enrolled during May 1902 when the women’s branch was founded led by the redoubtable Miss E. F. Evans. In June 1902 a men’s branch was established organised by Mr Denman, but it had only seven or eight members (SPM 06/1902).

And so, farewell. We have found this series on St Peter’s 1901/02 fascinating to research and write. We hope you have found these glimpses of past life in St Peter’s as interesting to read.
[My personal thanks to Hugh for lifting my original concept of a simple factual record to this more detailed social review of the life of St Peter’s community at the time - KC]

Hugh Busher and Keith Charter

Links


http://www.stpetersnottingham.org/1901/12.html
© St Peter's Church, Nottingham
Last revised 4th December 2001