ANGLO-CATHOLIC HISTORY SOCIETY Newsletter—Autumn 2016 St Augustine’s, Tonge Moor, Bolton, Lancashire (see page 10 for details) www.achs.org.uk CHAIRMAN’S NOTES second, paperback, edition appeared in 2008. I met Bill in the 70s when I was in Oxford and Welcome to the latest edition of our Newsletter. he was a visiting Fellow at St Antony’s College. Slightly earlier than last year. Next edition in the Bill was a cradle Anglican brought up at an spring. I have now organised the programme Anglo-Catholic Church in Teddington. He was for 2017. These lectures will take place at St ordained in 1950 and served in Grimsby but he Clement Dane’s, in The Strand at 7:00 p.m. became interested in the sociology of religion, Monday 30th January then a relatively new discipline. He went on to Canon Clive Williams will talk on “Anglo- have a distinguished academic career, initially Catholicism in North Staffordshire: an overview in Winnipeg and latterly at the University of 1833-1903.” This will be a welcome look at how Newcastle .He was fluent in French and was the Oxford Movement moved into the parishes drawn to the study of the French sociologist in a particular locality. Emile Durkheim. Indeed he was probably the world expert on Durkheim and was honoured Monday 12th June by the French government for his academic (preceded by the AGM at 6:30 p.m.) work. In Newcastle he helped out at St Michael’s, Revd Professor Paul Avis will address us on Byker, with Fr Bunker. In 1987 he retired to “Michael Ramsey and the Reformation”. Paul Coton near Cambridge but continued to be very addressed us on Bishop Gore in 2003. I thought productive, publishing 14 book-length studies. it would be good to have a more theological He helped out at St Clement’s. topic again. 2017 is, of course, the 500th In Cambridge he had a happy retirement anniversary of Luther’s protest. The Tractarian’s with his wife Carol. With increasing old age took a negative attitude to the Reformers but life became more difficult especially as Carol Ramsey in his extremely influential book “The became so frail. I kept in touch and they visited Gospel and the Catholic Church” was unusual me in Canterbury in 2011 as Carol having been in providing a more positive evaluation of how brought up in India and the United States, the men of justification by faith and the men of had never visited Canterbury. Who should sacramental order might live together. be at Evensong that Saturday but Rowan, who Monday 9th October remembered Bill giving him a lift to Oxford We welcome back Professor Ken Fincham from about 20 years before! Bill died peacefully on the University of Kent. He gave us a memorable 23rd May, his step-son the Vicar of Newmarket lecture on Archbishop Laud a while ago at the having administered the last rites the night Charterhouse. Recently the Society gave him before. He was in his 94th year. He was a fine a grant towards research for his edition of academic, a faithful priest and a good friend. Laud’s letters for the Church of England Record I am so pleased to have known both him and Society and this will be by way of a thank you. Carol. May he rest in peace. He will address us on the fascinating and under George Herring researched topic of High Churchmen under In 1984 George Herring submitted an Oxford Cromwell. doctoral thesis entitled “From Tractarianism “To have done the best things in the worst to Ritualism”. Now an expanded and revised times, and hoped them in the most calamitous.” version has been published by Oxford University Persecution and revival in the Church of Press under the title The Oxford Movement in England 1640-1660. Practice: the Tractarian parochial world from the Bill Pickering 1830s to the 1870s. At £75 it is a book for libraries Some of you may have read W.S.F. Pickering’s rather than the ordinary reader. In it he looks at book Anglo-Catholicism: A Study in Religious how Tractarians tried to implement the ideals of Ambiguity. It was published in 1989 and a the movement in the parishes using especially ACHS Newsletter—Autumn 2016 Page 1 of 10 material, sermons, tracts, correspondence and a long-standing member of the Society. It and handbooks and illustrating the parochial was always a pleasure to chat with him at our aims of such well-known pastors as Butler of meetings. He studied at the University of Wales Wantage, Bennett of Frome, T.T. Carter and (Lampeter) and St Stephen’s House. He was for Munro of Harrow Weald. By a careful analysis 43 years the Priest at St Anselm’s, Hatch End. he estimates there were nearly 1,000 Tractarian He was shortly to celebrate 50 years in the clergy in parish ministry by 1860, only 5% of the priesthood. total but an expanding number. They were found Mr Brian R. Wilson mostly in London, the Home Counties and the Brian was a genuine English gentleman and a South West. Besides description, however, there member of the Society from its foundation. He is a thesis underlying his analysis, and this is was a real enthusiast even though in recent years that the later Ritualists by being extreme and he was unable to get to meetings. He bought confrontational knocked the more moderate all the books and was an authority on cricket Tractarian programme off course. as well as on Anglo-Catholicism. He did his The 1860s was the key decade. The result homework before the trips, arriving with maps was that Anglo-Catholics settled for eventually and additional information. He was a long term becoming one group among others within a member of the fine Anglo-Catholic church of comprehensive Establishment. This meant the St Margaret’s, Ilkley, where he was a server and original Tractarian aim to gently catholicise the PCC member. church went overboard and Anglo-Catholicism ended up with sectarian status and the effective May they rest in peace. victory of the Liberals who the Tractarians had opposed. This is, needless to say, quite a controversial conclusion and will continue to Anglican Abbot–Dom Denys Prideaux fuel debate. Fortunately George wrote a much by Aidan Harker shorter introductory book in 2002 published Members and their guests by Continuum called “What was the Oxford are cordially invited Movement?” It is by far the best survey on to attend a Reception offer and it includes a chapter on Parishes that marking the publication anticipates what he writes in the bigger book. It of this, our latest publication, is an excellent book for the general reader. to be held on Membership Secretary I have taken over from George Skelly the Monday 28th November at 6:00 p.m. job of Membership Secretary. It would help at St Cuthbert’s, Philbeach Gardens I think especially if there is need for quick (nearest Tube station Earl’s Court) communication for me to have e-mail addresses Dom Denys Prideaux (1864-1934) was the if you have one. Can you please send yours, if first Abbot of Pershore, later Nashdom you have one, to me at [email protected] Abbey, and was in effect the re-founder of Best wishes, Perry Butler the Anglican Community on Caldey Island after the majority decided to leave the OBITUARIES Church of England and be received into the Roman Catholic Church. Fr Clive Pearce We are not always informed about the death of Copies will be available a member. However, it was with sadness that at the Reception at £15 we learned of the death, in August, of Fr Clive Pearce, aged 75. He was a kind and friendly man ACHS Newsletter—Autumn 2016 Page 2 of 10 WORK IN PROGRESS – COMING SOON TO MEMBERS… MALCOLM KEMP REPORTS …your copy of the lecture delivered by the Revd All Souls, Brighton Dr Mark Chapman on 13th June Rethinking My history of All Souls, Brighton, is being Christendom and that of the Revd Dr George published by St Mary’s Church, Brighton, and Westhaver on Dr Edward Bouverie Pusey will be issued at Easter 2017 when there will be delivered on 3rd October. an exhibition in that church commemorating the 50th anniversary of the closure of All Souls. A.C.H.S. DAY IN NORTH WEST I’ve got all the material I am ever likely to get KENT – 30 JULY 2016 and am now organising it into readable form. It was with some anticipation that I looked Th e intention is that there will be a formal forward to the ACHS annual coach outing launch in St Mary’s, possibly combined with an and this year’s to North West Kent was really appeal for funds for the restoration of the All excellent thanks to the eff orts of Michael Yelton Souls 1903 Comper cloth of gold cope. I’ll keep and others. you informed of developments. Our fi rst stop was St Mary, Kemsing (photo below), a truly exceptional church with major NEW BOOK FROM MICHAEL work inside by Ninian Comper under the YELTON auspices of the wealthy incumbent the Revd Michael Yelton’s new book, Martin Travers Th omas Carleton Skarratt, a strong Anglo- (1886-1948) is now published. Catholic whose parsonage has since become a 65-bed youth hostel (his curate was for a short Th e Book Launch is on Wednesday 30th period, Hugh Benson, prominent Catholic November at 5:30 p.m.