1810 - 1933
The Vicars of St Mary’s Church, 1810 - 1933
George Hutchinson, M.A. (b. ca.1771/2 - d. 15 Oct 1817)
Ordained 1797, Curate of the Collegiate Church, Manchester before 1810
Vicar of St. Mary’s Church, Nottingham 1810 - 1817
Prebendary of Southwell Minster 1813 - 1817, Rector of Uppingham, Rutlandshire 1815 - 1817
George was the son of Rev. George Hutchinson of Drighlington, Yorkshire. Compared to his predecessor, George Hutchinson led a quite private life, attending to the necessary duties of the parish - baptism, marriage and burial. During his incumbency the number of baptisms rose to over 1,000 per year. Adding to this the marriages and burials, brings to light the heavy workload on the incumbent and his one assistant curate.
Hutchinson’s name rarely appears in the local press, despite the heavily-charged atmosphere of the Luddite period of frame-breaking and the Napoleonic War. On the defeat of Napoleon, he put an illumination of Pitt crowned with laurels in the vicarage window, and also held a list of the British prisoners of war in France, for reference by parishioners. He would have been required to verify and sign all pension claims of war-widows.
Hutchinson died prematurely from a fall off his horse after only seven years in office.
Adapted with kind permission from The Anglican Church in the Industrialised Town, St. Mary’s Parish, Nottingham 1770-1884 M.W.Bowen MA, M Phil, University of Nottingham, October 1997
George Wilkins, D.D. (b. May 1785 - d. 13 Aug 1865)
Ordained 1810, Curate of Great Plumstead 1808, Curate of Hadleigh, Suffolk 1808 - 1815, Vicar of Laxton, Nottinghamshire 1813 - 1817, Vicar of Lowdham, Nottinghamshire 1815 - 1839
Vicar of St. Mary’s Church, Nottingham 1817 - 1843
Prebendary of Southwell Minster 1823 - 1865, Rector of Wing, Rutland 1827 - 1839, Archdeacon of Nottingham 1832 - 1865, Rector of Beelsby, Lincolnshire 1843 - 1865
George Wilkins came from a family of architects. His brother William designed several famous buildings including the National Gallery in London. His father was estate architect to the head of the Pierrepont family, who since 1806 had been styled the Earl Manvers. In accepting the incumbency of St. Mary’s, George Wilkins took on a parish with an enormous workload and limited financial resources. In his first year, he and a single curate between them took 1,127 baptisms and 897 burial services. In addition there were marriages and churchings in a parish of 33,000 souls. The vicar of St. Mary’s also had extensive civic duties. Corporation elections were solemnised in church and national events demanded special services, but these events did not confer much prestige on Wilkins. The powerful local Corporation was dominated by Nonconformists. The small number of bishops also created problems; confirmations of Nottingham folk were usually held in St. Mary’s, as the building could hold the largest number of people. Confirmations often exceeded 4,000 people at a time.
The first full year of Wilkins incumbency coincided with the Government establishing the Million Fund, a grant of one million pounds for the building of churches in populous areas. Wilkins secured money for the building of St. Paul’s Church, on George Street, which opened in October 1822. Other churches which Wilkins formed out of St. Mary’s parish were Holy Trinity, opened in 1841 and St. John’s Leenside, 1844.
During his incumbency, he had to deal with not only the strength of the Nonconformists in Nottingham but the demise of the church rate. This struggle took a great toll on him. The lack of a church rate impoverished St. Mary’s but Wilkins found funds to complete a scheme to renovate the interior of St. Mary’s in 1838/39. This enlarged the seating capacity in the body of the nave, placed the pulpit centrally in full view of the congregation, and brought the reading-desk some way down the central aisle so that everybody could hear the Gospel. The galleries were done away with to improve the acoustics, the organ moved to the west-end and the chancel cut off to form a separate area for special services.
In 1842, when all the money was spent, it was discovered that the piers of the central tower were not solid masonry, but an outer casing containing builders’ rubble. Cracks appeared, the architect L.N. Cottingham, was summoned and the church was closed on Christmas day. Part of the church must have re-opened shortly afterwards. In March 1843, an incident famous in Nottingham history was the final straw for Wilkins. The congregation panicked during a service and stormed out of the church, fearing its imminent collapse. A crowd gathered on Sneinton hill to watch, but it didn’t fall. The church remained closed until 1848.
Wilkins resigned as vicar of St. Mary’s and was succeeded by Joshua Brooks in 1843. However, he continued in his role as Archdeacon of Nottingham.
Adapted with kind permission from The Anglican Church in the Industrialised Town, St. Mary’s Parish, Nottingham 1770-1884 M.W.Bowen MA, M Phil, University of Nottingham, October 1997
Joshua William Brooks, M.A. (b. ca. 1789/90 - d. 15 Feb 1882)
Ordained 1820, Curate of East Retford, Nottinghamshire 1821 - 1827, Domestic Chaplain to Viscount Galway 1821 - 1827, Vicar of Clarborough, Nottinghamshire 1827 - 1843, Rector of Grove, Nottinghamshire 1837 - 1843, Domestic Chaplain to Lord Fitzgerald and Vessey c. 1840
Vicar of St. Mary’s Church, Nottingham 1843 - 1864
Prebendary of Lincoln 1858 - ca.1882, Rector of Great Ponton, 1864 - 1882
Brooks arrived in Nottingham to a closed church in a state of collapse, the former vicar as Archdeacon, and a parish in a poor state. Not an ideal start, however, Brooks was probably attracted by the opportunity for building new churches. He had some experience of this; as vicar of Clarborough he had built a new church. During his 20 years in Nottingham it became his overriding passion. He divided St. Mary’s parish up, creating six new parochial districts, each with schools.
However, Brooks’ immediate priority was the dilapidated state of St. Mary’s Church. His Evangelical style alienated many old-style worshippers, but brought new blood into the church. A successful application to the Incorporated Church Building Society secured a £500 grant and, no-doubt, other donations followed. The restoration of the church was completed by June 1848. However, this was just the beginning of a long campaign which saw the openings of new churches - St. Matthew’s, Talbot Street, 1856, St. Marks, St. Michael’s Street 1857 and St. Luke’s, Carlton Road, 1863, St. Ann’s, 1864, St. Saviour’s, 1864 and All Saints, 1864. Brooks successfully persuaded local rich Evangelicals to give £50,000, at a time when a new church could be erected for £2,000. By the time the patronage of St. Mary’s was passed to the Bishop of Southwell in 1885, trustees were well in control of the daughter churches. The patron, Lord Manvers had seen to that. As a result there are few great cities where the diocesan Bishop has so little patronage, or where the patronage has not remained with the incumbent of the mother church.
The central section of the north window in the north transept was given by F.B. Gill in memory of Joshua Brooks. Designed by Clayton and Bell it was inserted in 1874.
Adapted with kind permission from The Anglican Church in the Industrialised Town, St. Mary’s Parish, Nottingham 1770-1884 M.W.Bowen MA, M Phil, University of Nottingham, October 1997
Francis Morse, M.A. (18 May 1818 - 18 Sept 1886)
Ordained 1845, Perpetual curate of Ladywood 1854 - 1864
Vicar of St. Mary’s Church, Nottingham 23 Dec 1864 - 1884
Prebendary of Lincoln 1867 - 1884, Canon of Southwell Minster 1885 - 1886
Francis Morse was the son of Thomas Morse of Blundeston, Norfolk. With the arrival of Francis Morse at St. Mary’s in 1864, a distinct change occurred. He introduced a modern style of management; printed annual reports first appear during his incumbency, and the Vestry minutes start with his arrival. He was an intellectual with a distinguished career at Cambridge University. He catered for both ‘catholic’ and ‘protestant’ interests. The church supported both The Society for the Propagation of the Gospel and the Church Missionary Society. There was a Guild of Communicants and meetings of the Evangelical Temperance Society. A great effort was made to attract men and boys to special services, and to collect money for the General Hospital. The third Earl Manvers, in spite of being based at Thorseby, supported Morse and was vicar’s warden throughout the incumbency. The fabric of the church was not neglected and continual restoration took place. After 20 years, More is reputed to have raised and spent £18,000 on the interior alone, re-roofing the aisles and transepts, and redesigning the chancel. Apart from the organ of 1871, which was removed in 1915, the chancel stalls, bishop’s throne, reredos, altar, sedilla and rood-screen are all from this date and still extant.
The bronze doors are a striking feature of the church, and were put up in 1905, “in loving memory of Francis Morse, 1818-1886, Father, Pastor, Friends.” The panels of exquisite workmanship mostly “illustrate the life of our Lord in its relation with the Holy Mother to whom the church is dedicated,” and remind us of the words of Christ: “I am the door”. Symbolism plays a large part in the design, and in that connection the dove is frequently introduced. For instance, in the spandrels over the doors, the dove as the weary spirit of man enters behind the veil to emerge with renewed life. Again in a striking panel of the Crucifixion - unfortunately placed at the bottom of the door - the doves of pardon and peace hover above conscience-stricken humanity in the types of Adam and Eve at the foot of the Cross, which is a branching vine.
Adapted with kind permission from The Anglican Church in the Industrialised Town, St. Mary’s Parish, Nottingham 1770-1884 M.W.Bowen MA, M Phil, University of Nottingham, October 1997
John Gray Richardson, M.A. (d. 13 Jul 1924)
Ordained 1877, Vicar of St. Michael, Cambridge, 1877 - 1888, Vicar of Monks Kirby 1878 - 1884, Vicar of St. John’s Church, Darlington 1884 - 1886
Vicar of St. Mary’s Church, Nottingham 1886 - 1900
Canon of Southwell 1888 - 1894, Archdeacon of Nottingham 1894 - 1913, Rector of Southwell 1900 - 1913
John Gray Richardson was the son of Samuel B. Richardson of Sheffield. He was a fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge in 1874. He died on 13 July 1924 at Coombe Fishacre House, Newton Abbot.
Arthur Hamilton Baynes, D.D., Bp. (b. 23 Mar 1854 - d. 30 June 1942)
Ordained 1882, Vicar of St. James Church, Nottingham 1884 - 1888, Domestic Chaplain to the Archbishop of Canterbury 1888 - 1892, Vicar of Christ Church, Greenwich 1892 - 1893, Bishop of Natal, 1893 - 1901
Vicar of St. Mary’s Church, Nottingham 2 Feb 1901 - 1913
Canon of Southwell Minster 1905 - 1913, Canon of Birmingham Cathedral 1913 - 1937, Provost of Birmingham Cathedral 1931 - 1937
Arthur Hamilton Baynes was the son of Rev. Joseph Ash Baynes, of Blackheath.
Thomas Field, D.D. (b. 9 Nov 1855 - d. 20 May 1936)
Ordained 1880
Vicar of St. Mary’s Church, Nottingham 28 July 1913 - 1926
Canon of Southwell Minster 1913 - 1936
Thomas Field was the son of Thomas Field of Folkestone, draper. Canon Thomas Field was a distinguished Oxford “classic”, he taught at Repton and Harrow (1878 - 1886), and had been Headmaster of King’s School at Canterbury (1886 - 1897) before becoming warden of Radley College (1897 - 1913). He was described in those days as being tall, ponderous and swarthy, with a mighty chest and close cut black beard, a man of invincible energy. He was truely the picture of the Victorian Headmaster. People recall a man of elephantine memory, whose singing was an unmelodious roar. A delightful but apocryphal tale is told of Field’s days at Radley - that he was left, owing to a sudden conspiratorial silence, to blare forth alone - ‘I am a worm and no man’.
The congregation of St. Mary’s found him to be a kind a gentle vicar.
James Geoffrey Gordon, M.A. (11 Dec 1881 - 28 Aug 1938)
Private Secretary to Lord President of Council 1904 - 1906, Called to the Bar 1906, Rector of St. John’s Church, Edinburgh 1919 - 1926
Vicar of St. Mary’s Church, Nottingham 8 Oct 1926 - 1933
Suffragan Bishop of Jarrow 1932 - 1938
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Vicars of St Mary’s Church, 1933 - present
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