THE CHURCH OF HOLY TRINITY
Was built in the years 1847 and 1848, as a Chapel of Ease to St. Mary's
Church, in the vicariate of the Rev. T. J. Clarke, at a cost of about
2,500 pounds; 500 pounds having been bequeathed towards that purpose by
his predecessor, Dr. Clement Madely, and the rest being raised by public
subscriptions. The foundation stone was laid April 6, in the former
year, by Sir Henry Dymoke, Bart., the Queen's Champion. The roof of the
nave was reared Oct. 12, and the cross on the east end of the chancel
erected Nov. 25, in the same year. The church and churchyard were
consecrated by Dr. Kaye, Bishop of Lincoln, April 27, 1848; his Lordship
preaching at the opening service in the morning, and Dr. Percy, Bishop of
Carlisle (as Patron {57a} of the Benefice) in the afternoon. The
architect was Mr. Stephen Lewin, of Boston (author of _Churches of the
Division of Holland_, 1843, &c) Mr. Hind, of Sleaford, being the
contractor for the work.
It was a condition of Dr. Madely's bequest that the church should be
commenced within two years of his death, which occurred on Good Friday,
March 21, 1845. This fortunately was just (but only just) effected {57b}
in time to secure the bequest.
When the churchyard of Holy Trinity was consecrated that of St. Mary's
was closed, with the exception of some private vaults; both these burial
grounds being closed in 1888, when the public cemetery was opened; the
church part of which was consecrated on Nov. 7th, in that year, by the
Bishop of Lincoln, Dr. King.
The church is in the Early English style, consisting of nave, chancel,
north and south aisles, north porch, high open belfry with one bell, and
has sittings for 400 persons. The materials of the structure are white
brick, with dressings of Ancaster stone. It was considerably improved in
1887, and, more recently, in 1895.
The windows in the north and south aisles are plain small lancets, in
pairs; 5 pairs on the south side, and 4 pairs, with porch door, on the
north. The north and south arcades have 5 bays, with narrow
perpendicular arches, except the easternmost, on both sides, which are
wider, with a view to future transepts; the octagonal columns of brick
have nicely carved stone capitals. The clerestory windows above, 5 on
each side, are alternately quatrefoils and inverted triangles. The roof
is of a very high pitch, slated externally, and internally of deeply
stained deal. The principals of the chancel roof are ornamented with
deeply cut dog-tooth pattern. The choir is rather narrow, and without
aisles. At the east end of the north aisle is the vestry, the doorway
leading to it having a richly carved arch, supported by twin pilasters,
with carved capitals; the porch doorway has also a richly carved arch,
with dog-tooth moulding, and clusters of pillars below.
The east window in the chancel is of 3 lights, and is an enlarged copy of
the beautiful Early English east window of Kirkstead Abbey Chapel; with
triple columns between, and, on either side of the lights, having richly
carved capitals; the wall space above being also elaborately carved with
floriated pattern. It was fitted with coloured glass, by an anonymous
donor, in memory of the Rev. T. J. Clarke, in whose vicariate, as has
been stated, the church was built. The subjects are, running across and
in the centre, the Nativity, the Crucifixion, and Transfiguration; above
being the Resurrection, and Christ sitting in glory; and in the lower
row, our Lord as the Good Shepherd, the Man of sorrows and the Light of
the world.
In the chancel walls, north and south, are triple windows in the same
style, but with plain columns and white glass. Below the east window is
a stone Reredos, having four panels with decorated arches on each side,
north and south; with a central canopy of 3 compartments, nicely carved,
and plain cross in the centre. This was carved and designed by Messrs.
F. Bell & Son, of Horncastle. The Reredos was due to a movement
originating with the Girls' Club, then under the management of Miss Agnes
Armstrong; assisted by contributions from members of the choir, a
considerable sum of money being raised by them, for altar frontals and
other fittings in the chancel. These, and other additions, were
dedicated by the late vicar, Prebendary E. F. Quarrington, on All Saints'
day, Nov. 1, 1895.
The Organ, on the north side of the choir, is a good instrument. In the
early days of the church an old organ was transferred from St. Mary's
Church and placed at the west end, but this was sold in 1869, and for
some years a harmonium was used in the choir. The present instrument was
the work of Messrs. Foster & Andrews, of Hull, and has one manual, with
pedals.
The Pulpit, on the south of the lofty chancel arch, is of stone, having 5
panels with dog-tooth borders, illuminated in gold and various colours;
and having, within central circles, figures of SS. Matthew, Mark, Luke
and John, the fifth having the cross with the inscription "Feed my
sheep." The Reading Desk, on the north, is part of the chancel sedilia;
this, with the Lectern, slightly carved, in front of it, and all the
sittings, are of pitch pine, stained.
At the west end of the south aisle is a plain lancet window of one light.
The window corresponding to this, in the north aisle, has good coloured
glass, in memory of the late Hugh George, M.D., who died in 1895. It has
two subjects (1) The healing of the lame man by SS. Peter and John, at
the beautiful gate of the temple, and (2) Luke, the beloved physician,
ministering to St. Paul, in prison at Rome.
The west window is of two lights, narrow lancets with circular window
above, having quatrefoil tracery. These are filled with coloured glass,
given by the late Miss Lucy Babington of The Rookery, Horncastle, in
memory of her parents, brothers and sister. The subject in the upper
"Rose" window is the Holy Dove descending; those in the window below are
(1) our Lord's Baptism, (2) His commission to the disciples, "Go ye, and
baptize all nations;" (3) The baptism of a Jew (St. Paul), and (4) The
baptism of a Gentile (Cornelius). {59}
[Picture: Holy Trinity Church]
Below this window, and in keeping with the subjects above, stands the
Font, on a plain octagonal base. The bowl is circular and larger than
that in St. Mary's Church. It is supported by 8 carved pilasters at the
angles, with a central one; rising from these are narrow arches with
dog-tooth moulding.
In the eastern part of the churchyard lie the remains of four successive
vicars of Horncastle, and the wife of a fifth. A coffin-shaped stone,
adorned with a full-length floriated cross, has this inscription: "Thomas
James Clarke, M.A., Vicar of Horncastle, died 14th May, 1853. Is any
among you afflicted, let him pray." This stone was put down by the Rev.
Edmund Huff, who was curate at the time of Mr. Clarke's death, and
afterwards Rector of Little Cawthorpe near Louth.
An upright stone, the head forming an inverted overhanging arch,
ornamented with dog-tooth pattern (copied from a panel in the church
pulpit), has the inscription: "W. H. Milner, Vicar of Horncastle, died
October 3rd, 1868, aged 64." Within the arch is a Calvary Cross, on the
steps of which are these words "He that believeth in Me hath everlasting
life." On the base of the stone is a quotation from the Burial Service,
"Blessed are the dead, which die in the Lord, &c." Near this a massive
decorated cross bears the inscription: "Robert Giles, Vicar of
Horncastle, died July 12th, 1872. Jesu, Mercy." This is an exact
reproduction of a granite cross in Willoughby churchyard, erected to the
memory of the late Archdeacon Giles, the vicar's brother.
A grass grave, surrounded by a kerb, has resting upon it a full-length
plain Latin cross, along the arms of which is inscribed "Jesu Mercy."
Surrounding the kerb is the inscription "Arthur Scrivenor, M.A., Vicar of
Horncastle, born January 13th, 1831, died August 27th, 1882." "Never
resting, never tiring, in the endless work of God;" the latter words
being a quotation from Dr. Mansel's _Life of Bishop Wilberforce of Oxford
and Winchester_.
Very near the last tomb is the grave of the wife of the late Vicar of
Horncastle, Prebendary E. F. Quarrington, now Rector of Welby, near
Grantham; the plain slab bears the inscription "At rest, Nov. 25, 1888."
The following biographical notes may not be without interest. The Rev.
T. J. Clarke was a remarkable man; born in this neighbourhood, in a
humble rank of life (his widowed mother occupying a cottage in Woodhall,
where, to his honour, he frequently visited her, and supported her,
during his vicariate), he was apprenticed as a boy to a tradesman in
Leeds. A lady upon whom he attended, as she made purchases in the shop,
noticed his intelligence; the result being that she sent him, at her own
expense, to be educated at a good school, and, in due time, assisted him
to enter at St. John's College, Cambridge, where he took Double Honours,
and obtained a Fellowship. He was afterwards appointed to the Vicarage
of Penrith, Cumberland, thus coming under the notice of the Bishop of
Carlisle, who, as Patron, presented him to the Vicarage of Horncastle, on
the death of Dr. Madely in 1845. With Mr. Clarke's arrival in Horncastle
it was felt that a new era in church life had begun. He threw himself
with characteristic energy into every kind of work, and at one time had 3
curates. To him was due the erection of Holy Trinity Church, and a great
multiplication of Church services. The old vicarage, a poor house close
to St. Mary's churchyard, was pulled down, and he rented the house in
South Street, with extensive gardens, which afterwards became the
residence of Major Armstrong and now occupied by Mrs. Howland.
Notwithstanding his heavy parochial work Mr. Clarke (as the present
writer can testify) kept up his classical and mathematical studies. He
was also devoted to music, and a very skilful performer on the flute.
Although these were relaxations from his more serious parochial labours,
the amount of mental work involved eventually told upon his health, and
in the 8th year of his vicariate it became perceptible, even in his
pulpit utterances, that his mind was affected. He had married a
Cumberland lady, but all her care and attention was unavailing; he
gradually collapsed into a condition of melancholy, scarcely roused by
anything except the music of his piano. {60} The end inevitable was seen
to be approaching, but unfortunately Mr. Clarke by his own act
anticipated it. Being accidently left alone for a few moments he took a
pistol, which he had concealed in a drawer, walked out into the garden
and shot himself, the overwrought brain rendering him no longer
accountable for his actions.
Of his successor, the Rev. Prebendary W. H. Milner, who, like Mr. Clarke,
had held preferment in the diocese of Carlisle, we have only to say that
he was an able man of business, carried on the work of the church with
great energy, and introduced many reforms. He built the present
vicarage. He was the last vicar nominated by the Bishop of Carlisle. Of
the next two vicars it may be said that their tenure of office was all
too short, hard faithful labour cutting off the Rev. Robert Giles (as we
have before stated) in 1872, after a vicariate of only 4 years; while the
Rev. Arthur Scrivenor died, after 10 years work in the parish, in his
51st year, in 1882. Canon E. Fowler Quarrington succeeded him, and held
the vicarage during 18 years, when he was transferred, in 1900, to the
Rectory of Welby, near Grantham. The Rev. Prebendary Alfred Edgar Moore,
formerly Vicar of Messingham, near Brigg, began his vicariate in 1900,
being inducted into the benefice on August 24, in that year.
Horncastle, we may here add, has been well served by its Curates.
"Comparisons are (proverbially) odious," we will not therefore refer to
any of these in recent years; but we may take three typical cases of men
whose memory is still green and redolent of good work.
In the latter years of the amiable vicar, Dr. Madely, he needed an active
assistant, and such was the Rev. William Spranger White, of Trinity
College, Cambridge, a member of a family of position, the head of which
was his uncle, Sir Thomas Wollaston White, of Wallingwells Park, Worksop,
High Sheriff 1839, and formerly of the 10th Hussars. Mr. White possessed
independent means and was very generous. He was of a most sympathetic
nature, and became greatly beloved by all classes. He worked hard in the
parish from his ordination in 1833 to 1849. {61} In that year he was
selected by the Marchioness of Lothian, to take charge of an Episcopalian
Church, which her Ladyship built and endowed at Jedburgh, Roxburghshire.
The church was opened with an octave of services, which were attended by
the great Doctor Hook of Leeds, who had recommended Mr. White to her
Ladyship. The father of the present writer, and many leading clergymen
from this neighbourhood, and various parts of England and Scotland,
attended the opening services. Mr. White remained there for some years,
and married the eldest daughter of Lord Chancellor Campbell, who resided
at Hartrigg House, near Jedburgh. This marriage led to his subsequent
return to England, being appointed by the Lord Chancellor to the Rectory
of St. Just, near Land's End, Cornwall; at a later date promoted to the
Vicarage of Chaddesley Corbett, near Kidderminster, Worcestershire; and
finally in 1859 to the Rectory of Potterhanworth, near Lincoln, of which
cathedral he was made an Honorary Canon, in recognition of his generous
gifts towards cathedral improvements. Here he did excellent work until
his death in 1893. {62}
We next take two of the well chosen curates of the Vicar, T. J. Clarke,
who were contemporaries at Horncastle; Charles Dashwood Goldie of St.
John's College, Cambridge, where he took Mathematical Honours in 1847,
was ordained as Curate of Horncastle in 1848. An able preacher and
indefatigable worker in the parish, he at once made his mark, not only in
the town, but in the neighbourhood; he and his beautiful wife being
welcome guests in many a rectory and vicarage. He was also a man of good
social position and private means, and occupied a good house with large
garden on the north side of West Street (then called Far Street),
belonging to the late Mrs. Conington, within some 120 yards of the
railway station, now occupied by Mr. Sills, and named "The Chestnuts."
Mr. Goldie being curate at the time when Holy Trinity Church was built
presented the carved oak chairs within the communion rails. After
leaving Horncastle he was appointed to the vicarage of St. Ives, in the
diocese of Ely. The Goldies were an old Manx family; Col. Goldie, his
brother, of the Scotts Guards Regiment, being President of the House of
Keys, the local parliament. Their residence in that island is "The
Nunnery," near the town of Douglas, so called from the ruin close at hand
of an ancient priory, said to have been founded by St. Bridget in the
sixth century. Mr. Goldies' nephew is the present Sir George Dashwood
Tanbman Goldie, Privy Councillor, K.C.M.G., F.R.G.S., &c, formerly of the
Royal Engineers, but latterly holding various Government appointments,
director of several expeditions in West Africa, having travelled in
Egypt, the Soudan, Algiers, Morocco, &c., and attended the Berlin
Conference in 1884, as an expert on questions connected with the Niger
country, where he founded the Royal Chartered Company of Nigeria. His
latest honour (1905) is the Presidency of the Royal Geographical Society,
in succession to Sir Clements P. Markham, K.C.B., &c.
The Rev. Thomas Castle Southey (a relative of the poet) was Fellow of
Queen's College, Oxford, where he took Classical and Mathematical Honours
in 1847. He was ordained in the same year, and held the curacy of
Horncastle from that year till 1849. He was an able and scholarly
preacher and persevering worker in the parish. On leaving Horncastle he
became Incumbent of the Episcopal Church at Montrose, N.B., which he held
for six years, when he became Assistant Curate of St. Paul's Church,
Brighton, under the Rev. Arthur Wagner; then Curate of the church of St.
Thomas the Martyr at Oxford; then Vicar of Wendron, Cornwall, and
afterwards of Newbold Pacey, near Leamington, in 1868. After leaving
Horncastle he was invited by the Governors, as an able scholar, to
examine the Horncastle Grammar School, then a considerably larger school
than it has been in later years, with a large number of day boys, and
also boarders from London, many distant parts of the country, and even
from Jersey and the continent.
As this is the last chapter in which we shall deal with church matters,
we may here say that a Clerical Club, with valuable library and news
room, was established in the town in the year 1823. At that time there
was a numerous community of country clergymen living in the town; a
dozen, or more, villages in the neighbourhood having no official
residence in their parishes; thus a Clerical Club became a convenient
institution for social intercourse, and valuable papers were often read
at their meetings. This ceased to exist at the close of the 19th
century, when the books were transferred to the Diocesan Library at
Lincoln. In order to enable these country incumbents to maintain a town
residence, they, in several cases, held a plurality of benefices, which
would hardly be allowed in the present day. Even the Vicar of
Horncastle, Dr. Madely, also held the Vicarage of Stickford, distant more
than a dozen miles; another clergyman was Rector of Martin, Vicar of
Baumber, and Rector of Sotby, several miles apart; while a third held the
Perpetual Curacy of Wood Enderby, 4 or 5 miles to the south-east of the
town, with the Curacy of Wilksby adjoining, and the Chapelry of
Kirkstead, 5 or 6 miles to the west. Further, to eke out the family
income, his daughter found employment of a somewhat novel kind in the
service of the late Queen Victoria. Being in figure the exact size of
the Queen, her Majesty's dresses were all tried on this lady by the royal
dressmaker; and, as a portion of her remuneration, the cast-off clothing
of the Queen became her perquisite. On the occasion of the wedding of
one of her friends at Horncastle, the bride and her bridesmaids were all
attired in Queen's dresses.
In connection with the church is the "Young Churchmen's Union," of which
the Vicar is President. They have fortnightly meetings, in the Boys'
National School, at 8.15 p.m. There is also a Church Lads' Brigade, No.
1951, attached to the 1st Battalion, Lincoln Regiment, B 51. This was
enrolled Oct. 1st, 1901. The members are youths between the ages of 13
and 19; the present Lieutenant being H. W. Sharpe; Chaplain, the Vicar;
Assistant Chaplain and Correspondent, the Senior Curate. Entrance fee
1/6, subscription 1d. per week.
The Church National Schools are good substantial buildings, erected at
various periods, the Girls' School in 1812, the Infants' in 1860, and the
Boys' (at a cost of 1,000 pounds) in 1872; the total accommodation is for
300 children, the average attendance being about 250. The schools were
taken over by the Lindsey County Council, on April 1st, 1903.