The Stained Glass Windows of Christ's Church Cathedral
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The Stained Glass Windows of Christ’s Church Cathedral Anglican Diocese of Niagara Hamilton, Ontario, Canada Edited By Alexander L. Darling From notes by John Rathbone (former Canon Pastor and Diocesan Archivist), extensive notes by Katharine Greenfield (Cathedral Archivist), and additional material from the archives and visits elsewhere. Photographs © Alexander L. Darling Introduction For many years Katharine Greenfield has served as Cathedral Archivist and she has accumulat- ed extensive information about the operation of the Cathedral throughout its history. The start of the 175th anniversary year and external enquiries resulted in this attempt to gather together the information we have about the stained glass of the Cathedral. As I came to do this, I found two people were invaluable. John Rathbone, former Canon Pastor of the Cathedral and Dioce- san Archivist, had made notes about the windows in the 1970s when he was Canon Pastor. Katharine Greenfield, the Cathedral Archivist, had gathered much more information and this went far beyond narrow descriptions of the windows and dates of installation. The information included summaries about the people named and their families, correspondence and newspaper clippings. Most of what follows is, therefore, Katharine’s work and she should receive due recognition for it. In compiling this document I drew a little on observations I made while tak- ing photographs at the Cathedral and other churches in the Diocese, and a visit to Robert McCausland Limited, a leading designer and manufacturer of stained glass. In addition, I learned more information as a result of a visit by Charlie Hill of the National Gallery and Tobi Bruce of the Hamilton Art Gallery; in particular they found a number of inscriptions and signa- tures, and provided suggestions on follow-up. Having watched them look for signatures, I was subsequently able to find others. My wife, Jeni, has guided many people on tours; her observa- tion has drawn detail to my attention, and our discussions have helped my understanding. Although stained glass had been used earlier, by the 19th century the techniques and skills of making and using true stained glass had been lost because of changes in artistic taste and protestant theology. Thomas Willement, who made his first stained glass in 1811, was called “the father of Victorian stained glass” and he operated from 1811 to 1869. Commercial manu- facture started in the 1830s, and by 1851 Ballantine and Allen, manufacturers of one or more of our windows, was one of twenty-five firms able to display stained glass windows in the Great Exhibition. Within Canada the firm of McCausland dates from the 1850s. From this time on- wards the fashion arose of inserting stained glass windows as memorials, and this coincides with the period when the first work on building the stone cathedral we know today took place. Organization The information is presented in the sequence the windows occur if one were to walk in the front door and proceed around the Cathedral in a counter-clockwise direction. 2 South Nave Windows 1. Suffer the little children – 1873 This window was manufactured by Ballantine and sons, Edinburgh, Scotland. This firm started in 1837 and operated through three generations of Bal- lantines; the grandson of the founder, James, died in an accident in 1940. The window was originally over the sacristy door and was subsequently placed in the current location overlooking the font, which was south of the central door at the back of the church. It was dedicated by Dean Geddes on July 8, 1873, and an account of the dedication is in the Hamilton Evening Times of that date. This was thought to be the oldest window in the church, but it appears not to be. The Davidson window was dedicated in 1862, and the original east window was erected in 1853. It was given by Mrs. Robert Forest Ainslie in memory of Mary A. Worsop Ainslie and infant (her sister-in-law and infant): her two sons William Al- lan and Robert Forest Gordon. The Ainslie family were members of the original congregation of Christ’s Church in 1835. Mr. Ainslie, listed as a farmer, owned a large property to the west of the city, a property including Ainslie Woods, a favourite picnic area years ago, and site of the Hillfield School before it moved to the mountain. The Ainslie home was the headmaster’s house in those days. 3 2. Dorcas – 1911 This window has the same decoration above and below the main panels, as two of the windows manufactured by McCausland in the north-west of the Cathedral. It did not, however, appear in the files of McCausland when a visit was made in 2009 to review the files. The window was restored by the Women’s Auxiliary (no date given); the W.A. banner and case containing the badges of life members are in front of it. The window is in memory of Elizabeth Mitchell Bruce, wife of Francis Carmichael Bruce and daughter of John and Charlotte Mitchell. (See Annunciation window – north nave) Her sons were Walter H. Stuart and Ernest. Dorcus appears in the Acts of the Apostles as Tabitha, a rich widow who gave to the poor, as she is portrayed in this window. 4 3. Pilgrims and the new Jerusalem – 1891/1892 This window was designed by Henry Holiday (1839-27), a prominent English artist in stained glass, and is pre-Raphaelite in design. It is said to be the most valuable window in the cathedral, and was the subject of an article by Katharine Greenfield, Cathedral Archivist, in the Cathedral Contact (Summer 2008). The article is reproduced in full in Appendix A. The text in the upper half is “In My Father’s House are Many Mansions”, and in the lower half “Here we have no Continuing City”. The two figures in the lower section of the window are pilgrims on their continuing journey. This was given by their daughters in memory of John Winer and his wife Sarah (d 1891). John Winer was a druggist who came to Hamilton about 1830 and sold patent medicines for many years. Later in 1863 he started a glass manufactory in partnership with George Rutherford, which at times furnished employment for as many as 250 men and boys. Mrs Winer was one of the more prominent and active members of the church having been the first to receive John Gamble Geddes when he came to Hamilton to establish an Episcopal church. She was one of the founders of the Hamilton Orphan Asylum, associated with many benevolent societies, and performed many kind and unpublicized deeds. The Vicar, E.M. Blan, said at her funeral that her good deeds extended from the time when, with apostolic simplicity, the services of the church of her love had been celebrated in an upper chamber of her house before there was a church here right up to her death. The Winer name is known to local historians because her grandson, Wil- liam Winer Cooke, fought and died in the American Civil War. His monument in the Hamilton Cemetery was replaced by an American group with some publicity. John Winer was baptized as an adult on September 1, 1838 prior to his confirmation by the Bishop of Montreal. 5 4. Nicodemus/ Good Samaritan – 1889/ unknown Nicodemus: This window bears a signature “McCausland 1889” and it was dedicated in August 1889. [The Canadian Architect and Builder, II:8 (August 1889) p.93] Charles T. Jones died at his residence at 80 Ferguson Avenue on November 26 1888, aged 72. He was a long-time resident of Hamilton, appearing in the 1853 city directory. During his career he was a clerk, working for Rich- ard Juson, a ticket agent and ex- change broker. His obituary names no survivors. The central part of the window shows Nico- demus coming by night to Jesus, and the bottom section Jesus’ charge to Peter. Good Samaritan: Senator Bull died in 1881, and so the window post-dates that. The Masonic symbols at the top always draw com- ment, and the crown at the bottom probably symbolizes the fact that he was a senator. The Bulls, originally from Ireland, were among the first families to form the congregation. George Perkins Boothesby Bull came to Hamilton about 1834 or 1835 to be propri- etor and publisher of the Hamilton Gazette, a conservative newspa- per under the patronage of Allan MacNab. George P. Bull was tireless in the work of the Barton Masonic Lodge. He had three sons: Harcourt, George and Richard. Harcourt became a senator, and George was an Anglican priest. G.P. Bull died in 1847 and was buried in the graveyard. 6 5. St. Mark/ St. John St. Mark: The tiled floor on which St Mark stands is the same as that in the portrayal of St John in the adjacent light, and ap- pears in presentations of St John in other churches. The lion in one of the lower panels is symbolic of Mark. Helen Nelles Woolverton died on June 13 1884, aged 35. She was the first wife of Dr Algernon Woolverton. She was said to be a gentle, devout woman, active in the Ladies Aid, and a musician who occasionally played the organ in the Cathedral. There is a rec- ord of a musical evening given at the Woolverton’s house across from the Cathedral to raise money for the building fund. On her deathbed she requested that her husband be baptized and Dr Mockridge performed the rite and Mrs Woolverton named him. The archives contain extensive information about the Woolver- ton family. The central panel appears in other churches.