One hundred years ago: February 1912

Post date: Jan 30, 2012 1:6:25 PM

The Notes and Notices section of the Wateringbury Parish Magazine from January 1912 gives an insight into life in Wateringbury 100 years ago.

January seems to be the month for annual meetings. We had meetings of the Gardeners' Society (Mr. Stow re-elected Chairman of Committee), the Cricket Club (Mr. Horace French and Mr. Vallance re-elected Captains for Saturday and Wednesday matches respectively, and Mr. Horace French to continue his work, so efficiently carried out, as Hon. Sec.), and the Working Men's Institute (which seems to continue to flourish). A football concert is to take place on the 2nd inst., a cricket concert on the 28th, and a Gardeners' dinner on the 14th.

An evening party of parochial character, given by the Vicar and Mrs. Livett and attended by about 80 guests, on the 18th ult.. was voted a success. The guests amused themselves by playing progressive games, and the fun was kept up nearly till midnight.

The Rooms were not so full on the occasion of the meeting of the 28th, to protest against the proposals to Disestablish and Disendow the Church in Wales. The Rev. W. T. Watson, Rector of Walwyn's Castle, Haverfordwest, made a most effective and enlightening speech, full of facts too little known, told with the seriousness which the subject demands, relieved by a vein of nice humour. One would have thought the matter just at present was sufficiently important and interesting to attract a large audience, but the attendance was disappointing in the extreme. The ladies turned up well, but where were the men ? Out of a total of 50 odd there were only about a dozen men, faithful supporters of their Mother, the Church, and a few young fellows, who will turn out equally faithful we hope. The attack is not merely an attack upon the Church in Wales (and if it were we ought to rally to her defence), it is an attack upon the Church of England. The Church in Wales is the key to the whole position. Indifference at the present moment would be little less than criminal. But we refuse to believe that the men of Wateringbury are indifferent in the matter; the fact probably is that they have failed to realise that, barring a defeat of the present Government on some other ground, the only way to ward off the attack on the Church is to prove to the Government that the nation does not want Disestablishment. This can only be done by the holding of enthusiastic indignation meetings up and down the country. Wateringbury has missed its opportunity, unless indeed we can manage to arrange another meeting.

The G.F.S. Missionary Entertainment is postponed to the 5th inst. Miss Gator, sending a letter (which we hope to print next month) from Mr. Broderick, writes that if the Mashonaland boxes come to as much as they did last year she will, with the promised subscriptions, be able to make up the £10. Miss English has undertaken the secretarial work of the Mashonaland Mission, and "there is a hope that we may get the Bishop of Mashonaland to come and preach to us. Miss M. Stevens has succeeded Miss Lownds as Secretary for the S.P.G. and the King's Messengers.

The Vicar has decided to postpone his remaining Talks on Palestine till the Autumn. The 6th Talk, therefore, will not take place on the 14th. The Autumn Talks will deal with Jerusalem and Bethlehem. In the course of the Summer, the Vicar will have time, he hopes, to study this interesting subject more thoroughly than he has hitherto been able to.

Ash-Wednesday falls on February 21st. The Vicar hopes to give a regular course of addresses at the Thursday Evening Services during Lent. On other days (except Saturday) there will be Evening Prayer at 5.30 p.m. in addition to the usual Morning Services.

SUNDAY SCHOOLS.—The prizes for the year ending on the last Sunday after Trinity, 1911, were given in Church at the Children's Service on the first Sunday after the Christmas holidays. In the following list of prize-winners the letter A in brackets after the name indicates the Vicar's prize, a large C indicates full certificate for punctual attendances (never late or absent), and a small c indicates a certificate for not less than 98 per cent, punctual attendances.

BOYS. Class I. Alan Smith (Ac), Bertie Pickett (Ac), Charles Brotherwood (C), Walter Milsted (C), Arthur Hollands, Harrold Whiffen, Jack Horscroft, Jesse May (C), Stephen Sharp (C).

Class II. Charles Horscroft (AC), Harold Smith (c), Bertie Cronk (C), Edward Bell, Leonard Whibley (c), Walter Wolfe, Willie Ralph (c).

Class III. Albert May (Ac), Chas. Crayford, Willie Sharp (c), Albert Large.

Class IV. Geoffrey Travers (A), Harry Luck, Cyril Oben.

GIRLS. Class I. Daisy Acott (A), Gladys Cole (C), Nora Cross, Edith Head, Emily Whibley, Maud Crockford, Emily Ralph, Hilda Sudds.

Class II. Nelly Horscroft (AC), Dolly Thrift (AC), Olive Smith (c), Mabel Wickham (c), Mary Andrews.

Class III. Violet Crayford (AC), Lizzie Money (C), Alice Sharp (C), Dorothy French, Rose Laukstead, Dorothy Smith (c).

Class IV. Beatrice Milstead (A), Hilda Andrews (c), Elsie Smith, Grace Wolfe.

Class V. Alice Ballard (AC), Constance Cronk, Iris Sharp.

INFANTS. Charlie Andrews, Arthur Maytum, Lizzie Maytum, Winnie Smith, Agnes Cronk, Lizzie Ballard, Gladys Luck.

Miss Maud Stevens has joined the Staff of Teachers. We are still in want of more teachers. It is very difficult to carry on the work without a full staff.

On the 11th and 13th ult., Miss Lownds entertained the Infants and the Upper Schools to a Treat in the Church Rooms. The Infants enjoyed a Christmas Tree, and the elder children an exhibition of conjuring (Mr. Lascelles), and on each occasion a tea. In thanking Miss Lownds on behalf of the children for her great kindness, the Vicar drew attention to her long connection with the Sunday School, for many years as teacher and treasurer, and latterly as treasurer, and expressed sincere regret at her approaching departure from the parish.

The G.F.S was the Girls Friendly Society.

The vicar had spent a long time in the Holy Land the previous year (see Vicar in Holy Land).

The vicar's opposition to the disestablishment of the Church of Wales did not succeed and it was passed into law in September 1914 although it was deferred during WWI and did not actually come into force until March 1920.

The rest of February's magazine is taken up by a very long article from the vicar decrying 'a certain Mr. Dash, a parishioner of Wateringbury' who had misunderstood how the church was financed and correcting his errors.

Mashonaland is now the northern part of Zimbabwe containing the capital Harare; at this time it was under the administration of The British South African Company since its acquisition in 1890.