St. Paul’s Anglican Church and Parish, Rothesay, NB – Historical Sketch
St. Paul’s Church has an unusual and interesting
history. In the
days before the church
was built, the community and Railway station
were known as
Kennebecasis, and in
the waiting room of the station. Sunday afternoon services were
conducted by a
Presbyterian
minister, the Rev. William Donald from Saint John.
arranging for a
proper place of worship, and in 1860, between January and August, St
Paul’s was
built in much of its present form,
as a Presbyterian church. The land on which it stands was given by the
Hon. John Robertson.
seven hundred pounds, he would “raise,
build and completely furnish….a certain building intended for a church
or place
of worship
in a good, substantial and workmanlike manner, and to
furnish and
provide good, proper and sufficient materials of all kinds whatever
necessary
for that purpose.
The said
building to be completely finished by the 15th
day of July”
The church was ready as
contracted
and was officially opened on August 17th.
1903
It
is interesting to note that during this same month of
August, the young Prince of Wales, (later Kjng Edward VII) visited the
village
en route by river boat to Fredericton, and the story has it that the
Prince
remarked that the place reminded him of Rothesay, Scotland.
Actually, “Duke of
Rothesay” was one of his
senior titles, and he was asked if the name of the village might be
changed
from
Kennebecasis to Rothesay in his honour. The Prince graciously consented to this request.
At this time, the village was in
the Church of England
Parish of Hampton, under the Rev. W. W. Walker. Parson Walker, as he was
known, ministered as best he could to a vast
area and a few people. Through the
courtesy of the Presbytery, when he came to
Rothesay, he held Sunday
services
in St. Paul’s either morning or afternoon, alternately with the
Presbyterians. This system of
sharing
the church continued for some time.
Rothesay Corner circa 1910
In
1870, the Parish of Rothesay was separated from
Hampton. It covered
the entire area from
Nauwigewauk to Brookville,
and embraced St. Luke’s Church at Gondola
Point, the
oldest church in the parish, having been built in 1833. The first baptism
was performed about 1870 by
the Rev. S.B. Kellogg. The
parents were
Robert and Sarah Henderson, but the baby’s name was
not recorded. The first marriage was performed about 1873
by the Rev. Francis Partridge between Wellesley Parlee and
Margaret
Saunders.
and
in 1876,
the church was handed over to the Rector and wardens of the Parish of
Rothesay
in the Church of England Diocese
of Fredericton.
The building was consecrated on May 31st
by Bishop John Medley. Some
alterations
were made at this time to
make the church more suitable for the Church
of
England services.
Rothesay Road circa 1910
Robertson and
his family were faithful supporters of the efforts of both
denominations. The
Presbyterians made a new start in
1887 in
a new Church Hall in the same location as the present St. David’s
United
Church.
but the front section has
retained its
original architecture, high vaulted ceiling and pleasing ecclesiastical
exterior. Then, at
the turn
of the
century, major restoration of the church took place, including paneling
to
cover the previously plastered walls, and lowering
and paneling of the
ceiling. This
called for the closure of
the galleries, which previously existed on either side.
original Robertson
land. After it was
destroyed by fire,
the present rectory was built in 1904.
Since
its formation in 1870, the Parish of Rothesay has
undergone several changes. At
that time
the parish included four churches,
namely Holy Trinity, Hammond River,
St.
Luke’s, Gondola Point, St Paul’s Rothesay and St. James the Less,
Renforth. In 1894,
the mission church of St. Augustine, Quispamsis, was built. These five churches constituted a heavy ministry in those
horse and
buggy
days. From
that time, the
associated churches have gradually been separated, Hammond River in
1915,
Renforth in 1932, and Gondola
Point and Quispamsis in 1961. Renforth joined Coldbrook
as an independent
parish; Gondola Point and Quispamsis were associated
with the Parish of
Hammond
River. Since 1961,
the Parish of
Rothesay has consisted of the Mother Church of St. Paul’s alone.
Children's Festival 1954
With
the appointment of the Rev. G. E. Lloyd in 1890 as
Rector of the Parish and Headmaster of Rothesay Collegiate School,
the
schoolboys attended the village church twice on Sunday. After their own chapel was built as a
memorial to the boys who fell
during World War I, they attended only
once a
Sunday, then once a month and now about three times a year. Eventually, Rothesay
Collegiate School became
a parish on its own. Over
the years, the
Parish of Rothesay has been very fortunate to have had the
assistance
of Dr.
Hibbard, who was a great help to Canon Daniel during his later years,
and of
all the successive R.C.S. chaplains,
Rev. Selwyn Coster, Rev. Francis
Keble, Rev. Terence Davies and Rev. James Golding.
special mention, namely “Johnny” Kirkpatrick, about 40 years, and “Doug”
Wright, for 18
years.
guided
by the local clergy. The
architectural
styles of these churches were dictated by the materials available and
traditional conventions.
The
style in
its random use of architectural elements has been termed vernacular. Neo-classical elements
used in the
construction of
St. Paul’s include a Greek Revival façade, Regency
windows and
an articulated two story bell tower, reminiscent of the Georgian spires
of Sir
Christopher Wren.
1969. It is a
two-manual and pedal organ
and is a mechanical action instrument of 11 stops (16 ranks), and
operates
under low wind
pressure. Music
has
always been an integral part of the church service, and for generations
a mixed
choir, including boys, has served
voluntarily and devotedly. Well-qualified organists
and choirmasters
have maintained a high standard of performance.
There names
include: Mrs Hevennor, Mr. Samuel Baker, Mrs
Dorothy Gooday,
Mr. Trueman H. Clarke, Mr Ian Anderson, and the present
organist
Mr. Charles Willett.
Many
gifts and memorials grace the church.
These have been added over the years and
include the pulpit, carved by one parishioner,
the font, altar crosses
and
communion vessels, stained glass windows, choir stalls, screens, honour
rolls,
additions to the church hall,
restoration of the steeple after damage
by
lightning, the clock and carillon, needlepoint kneelers, bibles, hymn
and
prayer books and
monetary gifts. Some
of them are useful and practical, some are ornamental and beautiful, but
all are
to the Glory of God and in memory
of some loved one.
A catalogue of these memorials has been
prepared coincidentally with this account and is on record in the
church.
Remembrance Day 1956
 | Rectors of the Parish of Rothesay Rev. W.W. Walker, 1860 – 1870 (Ministering from Hampton) Rev. S.B. Kellogg, 1870 – 1872 Rev. Francis Partridge, 1872 – 1882 Rev. W. Hancock, 1882 – 1890 Rev. George Exton Lloyd, 1890 – 1896 Rev. Canon Alan W. Daniel, 1896 – 1927 Rev. Canon W.R. Hibbard, 1928 Rev. J.H.A. Holmes, 1928 – 1932 Rev. Canon C.J. Markham, 1932 – 1964 Rev. L.D. Batchelor, 1940 – 1943 (Interim rector during the absence of Canon Markham on Active Service) Rev B.H. Campion, 1964 – 1972 Rev. C.N.A. Blagrave, 1972 – 1983 Rev. D.R. Stables, 1984 – 1995 Ven. Richard McConnell, 1995 – 2006 Rev. Canon Albert Snelgrove, 2007 - Present |
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