CLASS AND CONûREGATION= SOCIAL RELATIONS IN TWO ST. JOHN'S, NEWFOUNDLAND, ANGLICAN PARISHES, 1877-1909 by Lam BodeColleen Morgan A thesis submitted to the School of Graduate Studies in partial fdfhent of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts Department of History Memonal University of Newfoundand St. John's National Librafy Bibliothèque nationale du Canada Acquisitions and Acquisitions et Bibliographè Services services bibliographiques 395 welristteet 395, nie Wdlingtori ûttawaON KIAûiü4 OLeewaON KIAW Canada Canada The author has granted a non- L'auteur a accordé une licence non exclusive licence allowing the exclusive permettant à la National Li'brary of Canada to Bibliothèque nationale du Canada de reproduce, loan, distribute or seil reproduire' prêter, distri'buer ou copies of this thesis in microform, vendre des copies de cette thèse sous paper or electronic formats. la forme de microfiche/film. de reproduction sur papier ou sur format électronique. The author retains ownership of the L'auteur conserve la propriété du copyright in tbis thesis. Neither the droit d'auteur qui protège cette thèse. thesis nor substantial extracts fiom it Ni la thèse ni des extraits substantiels may be printed or otherwise de celle-ci ne doivent être imprimés reproduced without the author's ou autrement reproduits sans son permission. autorisation. St Mary's Anglican church was located in the wocking-class West End of St John's, Newfoundand, and St. Thom's in the upper and middle-class East End. In the laie 19th and early 20th centuries, St. Mary's parishioners and congregation shared salleci working-class experience and contacts. In contrast, while St Thomas's parishioners were mainly wodring class, the congregation was dominateci by the bourgeoisie. Secular class differences shaped church developments, and affected parishioners' experience of Victorias and Edwdan AnglicSULism. St. Mary's Lay administration hcluded church wardens and a skilled working and lower middle-class vestry. There was no vestry at St. Thomas's, and the church wardens were seculariy powerfid men. St. Mary's lay administration was more dem~ccatic,whereas St. Thomas's operated on a system of personal authority. St Mary's and St. Thomas's systems of financing were similar, but St. Mary's was more aware of the financial dficulties its parishioners could face. It designed a system to accommodate irregular incomes, and encouraged donations hmevery member of the community. At St. Thomas's, rectors emphasised large personal donations bmthe wealthy. Theologically, St- Mary's was High Church, and St Thomas's Low. St. Thomas's was more affecteci by Ritualism, a Liturgical and architectural revival associated with middle-class consumerism- St Mary's congregation was less interesteci in maloiag their church into a "fashionable" place of worship. Insteaà, the use of locally built items and hand-made gifts showed an aesthetic rooted in community and craft pride. At Si. Thomas's, Victorian bourgeois ideology, which includcd fededomsticity, sbapd parish poor relief. morts to help the prat St. Maryts were morr communai, with les attention to judging the "deservedness" of needy parishioners. Lilrcwise, the most most volunîary associations at St. Thomas's were those with a piesaptivc mandate, especialiy promoting the bourgmis ide& of True WomPnbood and Christian Gentlemen. At St. May's, voluntary associations were community-based and fiatend. In St. John's eady feminism was centred in East End society, and the adivities of St 'Ibomas's women sbowcd îhis inûuenœ. At St Mary's, women had limitecl parochial power and were less ncogaized for theu contributions. TABLE OF CO~S Page Absîract ............................................................................................................................... IIS. List of Tables. .............................................................................................................. ....vi Chapter 1 - Introduction ........................ ............................ .............................................. 1 Chapter 2 - Beyond Institutions and Ciencal Elites: Putthg Social History into the Smdy of Newfoundland's Religious Past ........................ 9 Chapter 3 - "The Rich Man in his Castle": Estabüshing Social Classes for Victorian and Edwardian St. John's ........................... 34 Chapter 4 - Upper-Ciass East End; Workïng-Ciass West End: the Social Status of Parishioners and Congregations at St. Mary's and St. Thomas's Churches, 1880-1905 .................................................................................. -46 Chapter 5 - "Men of Roperty": Social Class, Gender, and Power in Parish Administration and Fi~an~ing......................................................................... .A7 . 5.1 Lay Admuustration ........................................................................................ 71 Chapter 6 ."Members of the Church will ... be WeU Pleased": Theology. Secuiar Aesthetics. and the Ordering of Public Worship, Church Architecture, and Interior Design............. ................... ..................... .................95 6.1 Chmh Music ......... .................. ........... ....................................................... 101 6.2 Choral Services.......... ....,......... ...........t........ ................106 6.3 Architecture and Interior Decotation.. ..................................,.. L Page Chapter 7 -"Succour the Lowly": Cornparhg J?arochïal Approaches to Poor Relief .......................................................... 125 7.1 Direct Relie£ .................................................................................................. 129 7.2 Indirect Relief. ............................................................................................... 137 Chapter 8 -"Not ... an Eneminate Sort of Thhg": Class. Gender. and ChmchSponsored Voluntary Associations .....................................148 8.1 Men's Associations ........................................................................................ 149 Chapter 9 O Conclusion.................*.................................. ... Bibiiography.................................................................................................................. 188 LIST OF TABLES Table 1 Table 2 Table 3 Middle-Ciass Proper Baptisms. 1880-1905 ......................................... Pg .51 Table 4 Middle-Ciass Proper Subscrïptions. 1880-1905 .................. ..... ...... .P g. 51 Table 5 Table 6 Lower Middle-Ciass Subscriptions. 1880- 1905 .................................. Pg. 55 Table 7 Table 8 Table 9 Skilled Working-Class Baptisms. 1880-1905 ..................................... .Pg .59 Table 10 Table 11 Unskilled Wodring-Class Baptisms. 1880- 1905 ............................... .P g. 61 Table 12 Unskilled Workiag-Ciass Subscriptions. 1880- 1905 ..........................Pg . 61 Table 13 St. Mary's: Lay Administration by Cîass. 1877- 1904 ....................... ..P g. 75 Table 14 St. Mary's Parish Meetings: Attendance by Class. 18774904............ Pg . 76 Table 15 St. Thomas's: Lay Admimstration by Ciass. 1889-1908 ..................... Pg. 78 Table 16 St. Mary's: Conttibutions O the General Church Fund by Amount, 1890-1905..................................... .............. ............... Pg. 90 Table 17 St. Thomas's: Contributions to the General Church Fund by Awwit, 1890-1905................................................................... 091 Table 18 St. Thomas's Women's Association: Ofncers by Class. 18sCr1904................................................................................... Pg. 142 Table 19 St. Mary's Womn's Home Missionary Association Meetings. Attendance by Ciass. 1880.99 ............... ... .......................... Pg. 171 Many people helped m write tbis thesis. My first tbanks go to the clergy and staff of St. Thomas's and St Mary's Parishes, and St. Mary's archivist Donald Kellami, for ailowing m access to cheu records. A special th& to Newton Morgan. archivist of the Diocese of Eastern Newfou11dIand and Labrador, who helped me immeasurably over the past year. He gave his own tùne to make my work easier, and his stones always brought a smile to my face. 1also want to thanic staff hmMernorial University's Centre for Newfoundland Studies: Anne Hart, Jaaa Ritcey, and Gleoda Dawe for helping me locate sources; Rosernary Heaiy, Swan Hadley, Audrey Cole, and Janet Gates for retrieving thousaods of pounck of books, theses, and bound jomals with gdhumour and efficieacy. Funding hmthe School of Graduate ShKües made this work possible. Special thanks to mmkrs of the AG. Hatcher Mernorial Scholarship Cornmittee. Dr. Hans Rollmam introduced me to the shidy of religion in Newfoundland, and provided continual suppoa Likewise for Dr. Terrence Murphy, who urged me to pursue this work when 1 was unsure what my next educational step wouid be. Almost every member of the History facdty has helped me, either in this pmject or in the course of my undergraduate degree. Special thanks to Professor Thomas Evans, and to Graduate Coordinators 01. Shannon Ryan and Dr. Ralph Pastore. Graduate serninars by Dr. Gregory S. Kealey and Dr. Linda Kealey introduced me to many of the ideas discussed hem Supe~sorDr. J.K. Wer oEered valuab1e suggestions and careful editing, as weli as the Momto purme my own ideas and mthods. Dr. Wüliam Reeves and Dr. Judith Figard read and commented on an earlier version of the thesis. 1want to thank History Department staff members Fian Warzen and Beverley