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A HISTORY OF
ST. MICHAEL'S CHURCH
IN BRISTOL
1721
-
1955
Albert C. Larned
Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2019
https://archive.org/details/twohundredyearso00larn
ALLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY
3 1833 06625 9497
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974.502
B776LAC
Two Hundred Years Of St. Michael's Rectors
1721 - 1955
By
ALBERT CECIL LARNED
Formerly Curate of St. Michael's Church in Bristol
With
Biographical Sketch Of
The Reverend Canon Albert C. Larned
Canon of the Cathedral of St. John
By
The Reverend Canon Delbert W. Tildesley Honorary Canon of The Cathedral of St. John
Copyright 1957 Gladys L. Larned Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 57 - 11149
Printed By Bristol Phoenix Publishing Co. Bristol, R. I. May, 1957
This Book Is Dedicated To
Wallis &. Howe
Who has served St. Michael's Church In Bristol For 60 years
THE REV. ALBERT C. LARNED, CANON
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH
of
THE REVEREND CANON ALBERT C. LARNED
It is a great privilege to be asked to write this biographical sketch of the Reverend Canon Albert C. Larned. Canon Larned was a close friend, a wise counselor, and a judicious advisor. De- spite the fact that I was young in the Priesthood and that Canon Larned had served faithfully for many years, he always treated me with the greatest respect and as a fellow co-worker. He was a Priest, scholar, gentleman, and above all a sincere and devout Christian. This is attested by the deep respect and honest admira- tion in which he was held by his fellow townsmen, his parishion- ers, and his brother Priests.
Albert C. Larned was born in Providence, Rhode Island, in 1883. His parents were Edwin Channing Larned and Lucy Mar- garet (Raymond) Larned. He was educated at Groton School, Ox- ford University, and Salisbury Theological College. In 1907 he was ordained Deacon and in 1908 was advanced to the Priesthood; both ordinations took place in England. On July 23, 1907, he was married to Gladys Lilian Lee in St. Peter Port Church at Guern- sey, Channel Islands. He is survived by his wife Gladys and daughter Hope.
After serving two years in the church of England he returned to the United States and became Priest-in-charge of St. Mark's Church in Newport, Vermont. In 1911 he became Curate at St. Michael's in Bristol and served here until 1913. Though his tenure as Curate was relatively brief he began an association with St. Michael's which was to last for the remainder of his life.
A brief resume of his other cures reveals that he was Rec- tor of St. Saviour's Church in Bar Harbor, Maine. He was a chaplain in the U. S. Navy from 1917 to 1919, detailed to duty with the Marine Corps, during which time he saw considerable action and was awarded the Croix-de-guerre. He also served parishes in Cranston, R. I .; Brighton, Massachusetts; Jamestown, R. I., and Centerdale, R. I. During World War II he was for a time Assistant Rector of St Martin's Church in Providence, R. I. He was at one
time Dean of All Saints Cathedral in Albany, New York. As a Canon Residenciary he served St. John's Cathedral in Providence, R. I., from 1945-1947.
Canon Larned was the author of several books, the most noteworthy being: "The Pelagianism and Nestorianism of Today, How to Counteract Them"; "Our Daily Bread;" "A Spiritual Trea- sury"; "Meditation on the First Book of Psalms"; "The Story of Old St. John's". The titles give some indication of his wide range of interests.
Many talks with Canon Larned convinced me that the thing of which he was proudest was his association with St. Michael's. He looked back with joy and pleasure to his curacy under Dr. George Lyman Locke, and he was overjoyed when he was ap- pointed Honorary Associate of St. Michael's in 1955. He recalled that he had held the same position for a few years once before beginning in 1940. His fond affection for St. Michael's is revealed in the pages of this book which was written as a labor of love.
There are several things about Canon Larned's association with this parish which bear note. First and foremost is the af- fection and esteem in which he is held. On every side one hears nothing but praise for him and for the work which he did. He was a wise Priest and counselor, and a friend to all who needed him. The early Eucharists at St. Michael's which today we take for granted, were begun when Canon Larned was the Curate. While he was a student in England he came under the influence of the Oxford Movement and it left its mark upon him. While he was not an extremist in ceremonial, he was convinced of the centrality of the Altar and he never deterred from this position. So it was that he became Curate with the understanding that there would be an early celebration of the Eucharist every Sunday. Thus it was that in 1911 the early services of the Eucharist were begun and they have continued here at St. Michael's with ever increasing numbers of people coming at an early hour to witness to their belief in the Risen Christ.
It was also Canon Larned who began here the weekday cele- brations of the Holy Communion and these too have continued to the present time. Almost until the day of his death he con- tinued to celebrate the Holy Communion at the Serviceman's Al- tar at 10:00 A.M. on Wednesday mornings. How many times I have seen him in the clergy stalls in the choir before this service reading the Daily Office of Morning Prayer. Who will ever for-
get during the past two years seeing his purple cassocked figure crowned with the beautiful white hair kneeling erect in the Sanct- uary at the early service on Sunday morning assisting the cele- brant. There are many things for which St. Michael's should be thankful and one of them is Canon Larned.
Shortly before his death, and one of the last times that he spoke in public, he talked to the Men's Club of St. Michael's about his forthcoming history of this parish. One had only to listen to him that night to know how much St. Michael's was a part of him and how much he was a part of St. Michael's.
The last conversation I had with the Canon, was in front of the Church on the day that he was taken to the hospital. We were watching the new Episcopal Church sign being erected. He liked the sign - the familiar red, white, and blue sign which says The Episcopal Church Welcomes You. Despite his years he liked to see progress, and he felt that it was good for St. Michael's to hang out the Welcome sign. Then he talked about some work he wanted to do on the manuscript of this book. He probably would have made many changes in this book had he lived. This book, however, is how he thought of St. Michael's. As you read the pages you will gather how he felt about this historic parish whose roots go back to the year 1718.
The Rev. Canon Delbert W. Tildesley Rector, St. Michael's Church in Bristol
Feast of the Epiphany, 1957
Pen and Ink Sketch by Dorothy Holt Manuel
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
Chapter I
- Four Memorials
1
Chapter II - John Usher - Early Days 7
Chapter III - John Usher - Later Days
1
12
Chapter IV - Part One-Colonial Vestry Meetings
16
Part Two-The Death of John Usher
20
Part Three-The Destruction of
St. Michael's Church, 1778
31
Chapter V - Documents 33
Chapter VI - Early Days of the Republic 38
Chapter VII - Bishop Griswold 40
Chapter VIII - The Slave Trade 55
Chapter IX - John Bristed 57
Chapter X - Communion Sunday 61
Chapter XI - The Rectorship of Dr Locke Part One 1867-1877 65
Part Two 1877-1919
80
Chapter XII - 1919-1954 83
CHAPTER I
FOUR MEMORIALS
The history of a parish is always the story of a group of people who, realizing their fellowship in Christ, are united together by the close ties of faith and prayer. Therefore, parochial history is on an entirely different basis from the story of a secular institu- tion, for the influence of religion on the lives of individuals is of paramount importance in such a history. Obviously it is impos- sible to record the religious life of all the parishioners of St. Mi- chael's Church in Bristol over a space of 238 years; all that can be done is to concentrate on the lives of certain leaders, whose influence was tremendously felt by the people of their day.
St. Michael's Church is very fortunate in the fact that cer- tain names in the long list of parish priests from 1722 to 1952 stand out conspicuously as "the choice vessels of Thy grace, and the lights of the world in their several generations", these names are: Usher, father and son; Griswold, Bristed and Locke. To tell the story of these men is to relate the religious history of an old colonial parish up to modern times. Now before going into the details of the story of this parish, let us see by their monuments in church what these names meant to St. Michael's Church in Bristol.
(1) "In memory of Rev. John Usher. the first Rector of this Parish and for more than fifty years a missionary here for the British Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts. Died May 1st A.D. 1775, aged 80 years.
(2) "Also of Rev. John Usher, his Son and Successor, who after having faithfully discharged the high duties committed to him by Apostolic Rites, was gathered to his Fathers July 8th A.D. 1804, aged 82 years."
(3) "In Memory of the Right Rev. A. V. Griswold, D.D., Bishop of the Eastern Diocese, and for many years Rector of this Church. Born in Simsbury, Conn., April 22, 1766. Died in Boston, Mass., Feb. 15, 1843. A noble man, a true Christian, a faithful pas- tor, a Holy Bishop. Combining singular moderation with un- movable firmness, great ability with beautiful modesty, earnest piety with the widest charity. After a long life of extensive use-
1
fulness, with ro stain upon his memory, he has entered into his rest."
(4) "Sacred to the Memory of the Reverend John Bristed. Born in Dorsetshire, England, October 17, 1778. Died in this Town, Feb. 23, 1855. Mr. Bristed was Rector of St. Michael's Church in this town from Jan. 1830 to April 1843, when he resigned in conse- quence of ill health. As a minister of the Gospel he was sincere and zealous in the discharge of the duties of his high and holy vocation; in his Parish a faithful Pastor. A most kind friend to the poor and destitute, so happily tempering the blaze of genius with the milder and more heavenly lustre of the Christian graces that he won the affection, esteem, respect and reverence of all who knew him."
(5) "To the Glory of God and in Memory of George Lyman Locke, Doctor of Divinity. Rector of this Parish 1867-1919."
2
TO THE CLORY OF GOD DAND IN MEMORY OF O CEORCE & LYMAN ~ LOCKE DOCTOR OF DIVINITY 1867 . RECTOR OF THIS PARISH - 1919
The Memorial for Dr. Locke.
3
The headquarters of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts. London.
S.P.G. HOUSE
ARCHIVES
The Archives Room of the S.P.G.
4
SP6. LIBRARY
The Library of the S.P.G.
S.P.S. CHAPEL
The Chapel of the S.P.G.
5
IN
SIGI
TO IN PARTIBIS TRANS
>VOS
TRANSIEN
CIETATIS DE PRO
GELIO
MOV
Seal of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts
6
CHAPTER II
JOHN USHER, EARLY DAYS
It is one of the weaknesses of human nature that as a rule we can only realize things as we have actually seen them or known them. What is outside of this can only be understood by much study and imagination. The historian, no matter what his subject may be, is the person who has his imagination so keyed up that he can see in his mind's eye the subject of his history. Unfortu- nately the writing of history has largely been left to the compiler of facts, and so many people associate the history of a nation with statistics of battles, reigns of sovereigns and matters of like bor- ing character. Who, for instance, can find any pleasure in the statistics of dioceses and parishes, without the story of how these statistics came to be? So in the story of St. Michael's Church in Bristol the value in the growth of numbers can only be realized in setting out the spiritual causes of this growth; in other words, the power of the Gospel of Christ to draw human hearts.
Let us imagine Bristol in 1718. A few frame houses scattered along Hope. Thames and High Streets, with a few buildings on the cross streets of Bradford, King (State), Queen (Church) and others. Where now stands St. Michael's Church there then stood nothing, and it would have been a bold man who could have foreseen at that spot the future Anglican Church. Yet even then there were a few of the Bristol settlers who, brought up in the old Church of England, had no wish to have their religion given to them by the powerful Puritan junta of Massachusetts Bay. Rather than that they assembled for Anglican worship in a house overlooking Mount Hope, its location unknown. A little later services conducted by laymen in the house of Mr. William Walker, between High and Wood streets, were held. In an old graveyard near High and Walley streets were buried the Walker family, one of whom, John, has this inscription on his grave: "He was the first born of this race, and first buried in this place." He died August 7th 1724.
As the Anglican congregation held together by the loyalty and devotion of its lay members, it soon became apparent that if the church of England in Bristol was to get anywhere, a resident
7
clergyman must be secured. Even today when we hear some lay- reader lead the General Confession in Morning Prayer, we miss what immediately follows, the Declaration of Absolution, said only by a Priest. So the churchmen of Bristol made application for a minister to the Society of the Propagation in Foreign Parts in London, and their request did not fall on deaf ears. The Rev. James Orem was appointed.
In the meantime, a gift of land on the site of the present church was given by Colonel Henry Mackintosh and 200 pound sterling in cash; 100 pound were contributed from Boston, 100 pound were sent from Newport, and smaller amounts from other places. Nearly 1,000 pounds sterling were raised in Bristol alone, showing the great interest in the venture. Immediately plans were laid for the building of St. Michael's Church, named after the famous parish church of Bristol, England, (the mother-town of our Bristol). This is guess work. Quite as likely it was named for the fact that the first building was finished in Michaelmas referred to by Mr. Usher in his report to the S. P. G. September 28th 1727. Let us see now what happened a little later in a meeting of the S. P. G. in London.
From the Journal Page 242
"The Society read a letter from Mr. Orem dated Bristol in New England 30th October 1722." This letter was a resignation of his appointment to the Bristol church where he had served one year, and his declaration of his intention to accept a com- mission as chaplain in the Royal Army in the Province of New York. To continue the proceedings of the Society: "another (letter) from Mr. Pigot dated 'the 3rd of the same month, and another from the Church Wardens and Vestry of Trinity Church at New- port on Rhode Island, dated 29th of the same month, and other letters recommending Mr. Timothy Cutler, late President of Yale College, Mr: Daniel Brown late Tutor of the same, and Mr. Samuel Johnson, late Pastor of Westhaven, who are come over for Orders to the favour of the Society; and the Memorials or Representations of the said gentlemen were also read: Ordered that a Committee be appointed to meet on Monday next to consider in what manner the Society can provide for them, and to report their opinion to the Board; and agreed that the Committee be impowered to give them Texts to preach on, in case they shall be admitted into Holy Orders.
8
"Mr. Usher, educated at Harvard College in New England, who is lately come over for Orders, attended and offered his Service to be sent as a Missionary from the Society; ordered that he attend the Committee on Monday next.
"Also that they had given Mr. Brown a Text to preach on, viz; 15th verse of the 5th chapter of the Ephesians, and agreed as their opinion that he be appointed the Society's Missionary to Bristol in New England as soon as he shall be in Priest's Orders; the People of that Place having desired in their letter of the 29th of October last that he may succeed Mr. Orem who is about re- moving to New York, and that he have a Salary of Sixty pounds per annum from Christmas last."
Agreed by the Society
Proceedings Continued
"Also that they had read a Petition of Mr. Usher to them referred pray that he may be admitted the Society Missionary and agreed as their opinion that when he shall be in Priest's Orders, he shall be appointed the Society's Missionary to St. George's Parish in South Carolina with a Salary of fifty pounds per annum to commence from Christmas last, and that in the meantime he prepare a Sermon upon the 23rd verse of the 14th Chapter of the Acts;" "And when they had ordained them elders in every church and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord, on whom they believed."
Let us now return to the Rev. James Orem in Bristol pre- paring to join his regiment in the Province of New York. He had been received with much rejoicing when he first came to St. Michael's, and he had been much impressed by the spirit of his parishioners who, even before he arrived, had started to build their church. To quote again from Mr. Munro's history; "The church was a handsome wooden building, sixty feet long and forty feet wide. It stood on the same lot on which stands the pres- ent church edifice. Such was the zeal of the congregation, that on the Saturday following his (Mr. Orem's) arrival a temporary floor was laid, benches and chairs were provided, and on the next day between two and three hundred people, not only from Bristol, but also from Swansey, Tiverton, and other neighboring towns gathered for the service."
To return to London. In the archives of the S. P. G. are two letters, called "memorials", both undated, being petitions from
9
Mr. Usher and Mr. Brown to be appointed the Society's Mission- aries in America. Here they are: Mr. Usher's Memorial.
To the Hon'ble and Rev'd the Society for the
Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts Sheweth
That he was educated at Harvard College in New England and being desirous of taking Orders in the Church of England, he came to Great Britain for that purpose and has made applica- tion to the Rt. Rev'd. the Lord Bishop of London for ordination.
Wherefore he prays this Hon'ble Society to entertain him as their Missionary in some part of New England if a vacancy can be found there, if not to St. George's parish in So. Carolina to ye first of wch places he is more inclineable, it being his native (soil) and will be near his friends and your Petitioner as in duty bound shall ever pray, etc.
John Usher
MR. BROWN'S MEMORIAL
"That wh I humbly request of the Hon'ble Society is that the Petition exhibited in the (?) of the church w'ds and vestry cf the church in New Bristol to the Society may find a gracious Reception and that I may be permitted, according to their desire therein expressed, to succeed the Rev. Mr. Orem by whose re- moval a vacancy is made in that place, if I may be thought in a tolerable measure capable of answering the Ends of the Society's mission into those parts."
Dan'l Brown
(See Appendix)
The services of the Rev. Daniel Brown were never to be given to Bristol, for in 1723 he died in England, and the Rev. John Usher in London about to sail for America, wrote on April 26th to the Society asking their advice as to what steps he should take, if the Bristol people were willing to receive him as their minister, apologizing for his inability to call. "The Society (Journal Book IV P. 266) upon reading a letter from the Rev. Mr. Usher, de- siring to be fixed at the Parish of Bristol in New England, now vacant by the death of the Rev'd Mr. Brown, pursuant to a former Minister of the Society agreed that he be accordingly appointed Missionary at the said Parish with a Salary of sixty pounds per annum to commence from Midsummer next.
Agreed"
10
And so there came to Bristol, and not to South Carolina, the Rev. John Usher, who for 52 years was to guide St. Michael's parish. What he found there his own words tell in his "Notitia Parochialis New Bristol in New England, January 1, 1723.
1. Number of inhabitants (families) 133
2. Number of Baptized unknown
3. Number of adult persons baptized this half year, 6
4. Number of actual communicants of ye Church of England, 23
5. Number of those who profess themselves of the Church of England, 45 families
6. Number of Dissenters, Independents, 78 families papish, none.
"Reply of the Rev. John Usher to the questions of the S. P. G. N. Bristol, September 28, 1727. Church was built (finished) dur- ing week of Michaelmas at cost of 1400 pounds sterling, most of which was subscribed locally with great difficulty. Church is 60 feet, 40 feet wide, of wood. Apart from the Society he (John Usher) gets an average of 15 pounds sterling per annum from the parish, no house (rectory) or glebe. About 40 families attend the church 'whose general condition was a middle state of life neither abounding in riches nor yet oppressed with poverty. Sundry of them farmers, others tradesmen as carpenters, joiners, coopers, shoe makers and such like.' They have drawn off from dissent and 'have heartily embraced the principles of the Church.' 'The body of the people live in a space of a mile in length and a quarter in breadth.' Farmers are more distant and there is no other church for 13-14 miles, including a large and troublesome ferry, impassable in winter being frozen over. Frequently there is a great depth of snow.
"There is one meeting house and one teacher supported by a rate on the whole town, dissenters being in majority and carry- ing everything in their own favour. 'An insufferable presump- tion.' School master is a dissenter. There is no library. There are 80 slaves and he does his best to teach them virtue and piety. Masters object to their being baptized, 'having imbibed the opin- ion that they ought not to be detained in slavery after they have received baptism which hinders their admission.' Writes truth and not with rhetorical phrases." (Comment of S.P.G.) PP 51-54.
11
CHAPTER III JOHN USHER - LATER DAYS
We have come to a place in our history of St. Michael's Church in Bristol where we can stop for a moment in the narrative and consider the ecclesiastical situation. Although two hundred years ago there was little of the ceremony and ornaments of the Church, which we now take for granted, yet the Church of Eng- land held on tenaciously to certain principles which she had in- herited from earliest times. These principles were three: (1) The Sacred Ministry of Bishops, Priests and Deacons. (2) The use of the Book of Common Prayer at all services of the Church. (3) Confirmation as a necessary step to Holy Communion, or if that were not possible, a certificate of Baptism. There being at that time no Bishop in the American Colonies, it became necessary for the candidate for Holy Orders to take the long sea voyage to England, with all its dangers of storm and disease. Frequently, the young man never returned to America, being either ship- wrecked or what was more common, dying from small-pox. Then, too, the Sacrament of Confirmation could not be admin- istered in the absence of a bishop, and consequently the prepara- tion for First Communion was totally inadequate. The only one of these three inflexible Anglican principles that was conspicu- ous in America, was the use in public worship of the Book of Common Prayer of the Church of England.
With the Prayer Book was always included the XXXIX Articles, subscription to which was so universal that not a young man going up to Oxford or Cambridge, could enter the uni- versity without subscribing his assent to them. So important were they to the clergy of those days that they formed the basis for all theological teaching, and were regarded (as they rightly are), the only official theology of the Anglican Church.
So in outward appearance there was little noticeable differ- ence in the Episcopal churches of those days from the Congregational churches all around them, except for one very significant fact, viz; at the east end of the church was a Holy Table, set apart by a communion rail in front of it. On the wall behind the Holy Table in letters of gold on a black background,
12
were often painted the Creed, the Lord's Prayer and the Ten Com- mandments. Like all churches of the XVIII century, the pulpit with its great sounding board, was the most conspicuous piece of furniture in the building, while directly under the pulpit facing the congregation was the reading desk, where the rector read Morning and Evening Prayer and the lessons from the Bible. Very good illustrations of this setup can still be seen in Trinity Church, Newport, and the Old Narragansett Church in Wickford, Rhode Island. So perhaps we cannot altogether blame the British soldiers in their raid on Bristol in 1778, if they mis- took St. Michael's Church for a Meeting House.
We then find St. Michael's Church in Bristol 200 years ago a building of no special ecclesiastical architecture, with an in- terior drab and dismal, full of pews rented at prices varying ac- cording to their location, and with a pulpit important enough in appearance to suggest that the preaching of the Word overshad- owed the Lord's Supper. Yet once a quarter at least, the Holy Table, without cross or candles, was decked in fair white linen, while on it was placed the beautiful silver communion set, still in existence, the gift of Nathaniel Kay, Esq. of Newport. Small wonder that with such infrequent Communion Services the tend- ency to a stiff and formal expression of religion became the order of the day; later to be broken down by the revivals of 1812 and 1820, and much later by the Oxford Movement of the middle of the next century. Thus proving that Evangelical and Catholic are supplementary and not antagonistic terms.
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