Ernest Harold Pearce

“ We shall admit that Merke was his intimate friend, and shall remember that Colchester showed his own affection for Merke by arranging that the Bishop should be commemorated at Hurley Priory along with the Abbot's parents. 108 Merke's witness, however, may still be true. "Men like," he wrote, "to know your Paternity's views on these matters, for they observe your solidity, which is a rare virtue in these days, and they give you their confidence all the more." 109 No other Abbot ruled our House as long as he; nor could any man of his line desire a more satisfying verdict on his character. ”

“ He had a cultivated sense of beauty in nature, in music, and in words, and his tall, willowy figure and impressive, courtly bearing made him notable in any assembly. He was attacked by serious illness in the summer of 1910, and seemed to recover; but he died of a sudden recurrence of the malady in a nursing home in London on 2 Aug. 1911. He was interred in his wife's grave in the little burying ground to the south of Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford. ”

“ His servant, Nicholas Symcok, of London, has been robbed in the middle of June by highwaymen, one of whom, Richard Surrey, is popularly known as Richard atte Belle. The knight of the road has made off with some silver plate and £40 in coin, and has taken sanctuary at Westminster, being hotly pursued by his victim, who finds on Surrey's person all his lost property, less £5 of the stolen money. Symcok has deposited his recovered goods in the hands of Dan William Colchester, one of the lord Abbot's monks, who has laid them aside and placed his seal upon the package. ”

“ In 1859, too, he helped to form in Cambridge a branch affiliated to the central Church Defence Institution. In October 1861 the Cambridge committee invited individual church-men and the secretaries of church defence associations to join in a Church Congress on the pattern of ' annual meetings of societies for the advancement of science, archæology, &c.' (cf. Preface to First Report, p. iii) . The first Church Congress met in the hall of King's College, Cambridge (27-29 Nov. 1861) , when Emery was senior proctor, the chair being taken by the archdeacon of Ely, Francis France. ”

“ THE PERSONAL EFFECTS OF ABBOT LITLINGTON.
Though general opinion pointed to his election in Litlington's stead, Colchester was in some danger of disappointment. He had spent so much time abroad—a very large proportion of the preceding nine years—being engaged all the time in a cause which brought him into collision with the preferences of the Court, that it is not wonderful if the King desired the election of another. ”

“ As bishop, Festing proved business-like, sympathetic towards hard work, and devout. While in private he urged obedience to the Prayer Book, his high church sympathies made him unwilling to hamper earnest clergy by coercive administration. His see embraced the counties of Essex and Hertfordshire; and he chose to reside at Endsleigh Street, London, W.C, near the chief railway terminal. He afterwards secured a second house at St. Albans. His chief interest lay in the industrial and residential expansion of metropolitan Essex. ”

“ On personal grounds our monk must have been pleased at the choice of the electors, for the new Pope was the special protégé of the French Cardinal of Pampeluna, Simon Langham's friend and executor. But financially the effect was provoking. We know that Urban VI. proved himself a man "full of Neapolitan fire and savagery," who thought "that the Cardinals could be reduced to absolute obedience by mere rudeness," 33 and we are quite prepared for Colchester's statement that between the Pope and the Sacred College there arose a great dissension. ”

“ But, being a witty and stimulating companion, he also established warm friendships with younger and less conservative men of the same school, while his influence over undergraduates grew as they became accustomed to a certain reserve in his manner.
In 1881 Paget was appointed Oxford preacher at the Chapel Royal, Whitehall, and in 1882 accepted the vicarage of Bromsgrove, but returned to Oxford in 1885, having been nominated by Gladstone to succeed Edward King [q.v. Suppl.II] , bishop of Lincoln, as regius professor of pastoral theology and canon of Christ Church. ”

“ That which cost more, and was probably more interesting to Colchester himself, was the coming and going of personages or their servants—the squire of the Earl of Cambridge (Edmund Langley, fifth son of Edward III.) , who receives 20s. for bringing a letter to the Abbot from his lord; the Earl of Warwick's steward, who comes to sell a black palfrey; a monk of his own year, Richard Excestr', who is just starting on his career at Oxford, and to whom the Abbot gives a fatherly present of 20s. ”

“ Grenfell died after a bad attack of blackwater fever at Basoko on 1 July 1906. His salary never exceeded 180l. a year. Grenfell was twice married: (1) On 11 Feb. 1876, at Heneage Street baptist chapel, Birmingham, to Mary Hawkes, who died, after a premature confinement, at Akwatown on the Cameroon river on 10 Jan. 1877; (2) in 1878, at Victoria, Cameroons, to Rose Patience Edgerley, a West Indian. His eldest daughter, Patience, who, after being educated in England and at Brussels, returned to the Congo as a teacher, died of hæmaturic fever at Bolobo on 18 March 1899. ”

“ The plan tended to the great advantage of the monasteries; it meant that the likely young men were taken at an impressionable time in their lives out of the narrow rut of cloistral life, and were associated with the world of scholarship and of affairs; and it will be found that a large proportion of those who were sent to Oxford rose quickly to positions of trust in the Convent. William Colchester remained at Oxford, save for periodical visits to the Abbey, from 1366 to 1370. ”

“ Grenfell, who moved to Victoria, Cameroons, in 1877, continued to explore the rivers inland, especially the Wuri, and in 1878 made an ascent of the Mongo ma Loba mountain. On 5 Jan. 1878 he was instructed to undertake pioneer work with the Rev. T. J. Comber up the Lower Congo. After the discoveries in 1877 of Sir Henry Morton Stanley [q. v. Suppl. II] , Mr. Robert Arthington of Leeds had offered 1000l. to the Baptist Missionary Society for such work. ”

“ Such duties sensibly performed, William Colchester was not long in attaining to administrative office. To begin with, Abbot Litlington chose him as his Custos Hospicii; i.e. Seneschal or steward of his household. We have the roll on which the young monk gave an account of his stewardship for the year Michaelmas to Michaelmas, 1373-4, and as the doings it records represent his early experience of that conventual business in which he was to be immersed for nearly half a century, we may stay by it for a short space in order to get our impressions. ”

“ BARRY, ALFRED (1826–1910) , primate of Australia and canon of Windsor, born at Ely Place, Holborn, on 15 Jan. 1826, was second son of Sir Charles Barry [q. v.] , architect, whose 'Life and Works' he published (1867 ; 2nd ed. 1870) , and elder brother of Edward Middleton Barry [q. v.] , whose Royal Academy lectures on architecture he edited with a memoir in 1881. His mother was Sarah, daughter of Samuel Rowsell. His youngest brother is Sir John Wolfe Wolfe Barry, K.C.B., the civil engineer. ”

“ I must not describe it at length, but one feature of it, an entry under the head of "pitancie et flacones," is of too great interest to be passed by. Pittances were additional meals on special occasions by way of varying the dreary round of dry bread and sour wine, which alone could be provided in the Refectory. But "flacones" seem to be pancakes, and pancakes are a recognized Westminster institution, though it is no longer the duty of the Convent Treasurer to provide them for his brethren. ”

“ Among numerous societies in which Williams was interested and which he generously aided with money were, apart from the Young Men's Christian Association, the Bible Society, the London City Mission, the Religious Tract Society, the Early Closing Association, and the Commercial Travellers' Christian Association. ”

“ Therefore, my good Lord—asks the Earl—I pray you have these chattels delivered up to my servant. This letter bears no date, and there is no proof that the Archdeacon as such was concerned with the affairs of sanctuary; nor does any title of office accompany the introduction of his name. But the incident was one which bore a legal character and Colchester's part in it may possibly be brought within the vague limits of archidiaconal functions. ”

“ His attitude to prevailing excesses in ritual was shown in the charge which he began to deliver to his diocese on 8 Oct. 1906, and by the action which he took against the Rev. Oliver Partridge Henly, vicar of Wolverton St. Mary, in respect of 'reservation' and 'benediction.' The case was taken to the court of arches (The Times, 20 and 21 July 1909) ; the vicar, who was deprived, obtained employment in another diocese, and afterwards joined the Roman church. Paget sought to provide for a sub-division of the diocese. ”

“ The King in this case is Harry of Monmouth, and we are thinking with somewhat mingled feelings that October 25, 1915, brings us to the 500th anniversary of the battle of Agincourt. But it is Henry V.'s Abbot who concerns us now; for in such [11] a scheme of windows the Abbots are more difficult to justify to the ordinary visitor than the monarchs, not because of unworthiness, but because there has been but little effort made to appraise their worth as heads of our ancient house, or as conspicuous figures in their generation. 1
In this case the Abbot is William of Colchester. ”

“ On 6 June 1844 twelve men, all but one being employés of Hitchcock, met in Williams's bedroom and established the Young Men's Christian Association, with the idea of extending the work to drapery houses throughout the metropolis. ”

“ Because the Pope had left, there was no great chance of finding company for the journey; 25 and company meant so much the more security. There was nothing for it but to hire a companion, and he found one Gerard of London, who was willing to face the journey for 20s. and his expenses. Colchester is conscious that this seems an extravagance, but he enters in his account a plea that it was justified by the variety of language and the dangers of the roads in foreign parts. 26 For the road to Dover he bought for himself a horse and saddle which cost 34s. ”

“ After a serious illness in 1895, Coillard spent 1896–8 in Europe; but by 21 Feb. 1899 he was again at Leribé on his way back to the Zambesi. The Barotsi country, now styled North-west Rhodesia, was being peaceably administered. But great mortality ensued among the missionary recruits of 1897 and onwards, eight out of twenty-four dying and eleven returning home. Coillard's last years were clouded by an outbreak in 1903 of Ethiopianism under Willie Mokalapa, who drew away for a time many Barotsi converts. ”

“ The floor-space, as the centuries following the Reformation were apt to forget, is intended to serve the purposes of public worship. But the large windows of the Nave offer to those who would honour and foster the memory of the great dead a means of fulfilling their desire, and of adorning the fabric at the same time. ”

“ He was also chosen as 'supporter' bishop at their coronations by both Queen Alexandra in 1902 and Queen Mary in 1911. His administration of the diocese of Oxford was marked by the same anxious care which he had devoted to his college. He was eager to do everything himself ”

“ We can thus easily credit the statement of a Westminster chronicler, 56 whom the Dean of Wells believes to have been the rival candidate himself, that, when the vacancy occurred, the King wrote thrice to the Prior and Convent urging them to find their new Abbot in Brother John Lakyngheth, the very Treasurer whom we have seen in the act of paying to William Colchester the sums required for his long journeys and his legal costs, perhaps with a keen satisfaction at [55] thus facilitating his rival's absence. ”

“ Beaufort was therefore not abroad at the time with Colchester, but was defending his interests at home. But both Colchester and Philip Repingdon, Bishop of Lincoln, were in Italy in 1408. Colchester was at Lucca and Pisa in May, supporting the Cardinals who were struggling with Gregory XII., 91 and his old friend, Bishop Merke, was with him. At Siena, on September 18, Gregory created ten new Cardinals, and one of these was Philip Repingdon. 92 It would be natural that he and Colchester should then meet, possibly travelling homeward together, and being in Cologne on October 10. ”

“ A memorial tablet was unveiled in Heneage Street baptist chapel, Birmingham, on 24 September 1907.
Grenfell was an observant explorer (cf. Bentley, Pioneering on the Congo, ii 127-128) and an efficient student of native languages. He promoted industrial training, and gave every proof of missionary zeal. ”

“ When the great man moved about, it was seemingly not with any great train; otherwise it would hardly be necessary for the Seneschal to give 1s. 8d. to a certain man for guiding my lord out of the forest of Rockingham, as if the Abbot were too lonely to face the possible appearance of Robin Hood with equanimity. ”

“ Grenfell shared with Francis Wallace Grenfell, first baron Grenfell, and William Henry Grenfell, first baron Desborough, a common ancestor in Paskow Greinfield (1658) . Educated at a branch of King Edward's school, Birmingham, Grenfell was apprenticed to Messrs. Scholefield & Goodman, a hardware and machinery firm in Birmingham. The loss of an eye in early life in no way impaired his energy. Though his parents were anglicans he soon joined Heneage Street baptist chapel, where he was admitted to membership by baptism on 7 Nov. ”

“ They turned southward to Shoshong in the territory of the friendly Khama, who commended them to the Barotsi chief and set them on their way from Mangwato across the Makarikari desert. By August 1878 they had reached Sesheke, the chief town on the Lower Zambesi, and were cordially greeted by the subordinate Barotsi chiefs, finding everywhere the traces and the influence of David Livingstone [q. v.] ; but they failed to obtain an interview with the Barotsi king, Lewanika. ”

“ But the Sacrist has something to enter on the other side, an offering of £2 from the Countess of March, the lady who craved the aid of the girdle. If any one is churlish enough to say that the bargain seems but a poor one for the Convent—150s. spent on the journey, and only 40s. received from the beneficiary—the answer is that the horses would be sold at the end of the return journey for almost as much as they cost. If, again, it is objected that in any case the lady's gift was money thrown away, it is not so easy to convince the gainsayer. ”

“ REDPATH, HENRY ADENEY (1848–1908) , biblical scholar, born at Sydenham on 19 June 1848, was eldest son of Henry Syme Redpath, solicitor, of Sydenham, by his wife Harriet Adeney of Islington. In 1857 he entered Merchant Taylors' School, and won a scholarship at Queen's College, Oxford, in 1867, taking a second class in classical moderations in 1869 and a third class in literæ humaniores in 1871, graduating B.A. in 1871, and proceeding M.A. in 1874 and D.Litt. ”

“ For enemies without and rebels within are confederate in their malicious plots to shatter the peace of the realm. You therefore to whom (under us) belongs the administration of government in our monastery we hereby urge and enjoin that, [71] considering what we say above, you should put a limit upon the Brethren's walks abroad and upon their ridings into distant parts—except of course in the case of the Monk Bailiff—until God grants us more peaceful times. ”

“ Early difficulties arose, partly from the witchcraft, animism, and polygamy of the Basutos, and partly from the hostility of the chief Molapo, son of Moshesh, who had been baptised and had apostatised. ”

“ The passage, when they obtained one, cost 3s. 4d. each for the men, and double for the horses. At that cost they reached Calais, and within three days were at Bruges, where again there was a long halt. For the royal letters had not come. Edward III. was on his death-bed, and passed away eleven days after our travellers left London. But Colchester is convinced that an enemy had done this, and when he insists that the issue of the letters has been frustrated "per aduersarios," we must remember that the Dean and College of St. Stephen's were closer to the royal ear than our Abbot and Convent. ”

“ In 1864 Lord Palmerston nominated him to the archdeaconry of Ely, and he became residentiary canon of Ely in 1870. As archdeacon, he soon organised a diocesan conference, the first in the country, remaining its honorary secretary till 1906. In 1881, when the institution had spread widely, he helped to establish a central council of diocesan conferences, of which he was honorary secretary till 1906. ”

“ Almost immediately there arose a difficult question about sanctuary, as to which the reader may be again referred to the Polychronicon. 61 Words almost fail the scribe as he pictures the reverence and love of the King for the Church. "There is not a Bishop on the bench," he says, "who displays as much zeal for the Church's rights."
Thus it came to pass that King and Court alike poured upon the Abbey the benefits of their generosity in spite of Colchester's election, and in the case of the Court the gifts came quite as [57] readily from Richard's enemies as from his friends. ”

“ Lefroy was devoted to Switzerland, and he was one of the summer chaplains of the Colonial and Continental Church Society annually from 1867 to the year of his death. From 1875 to 1878 he was a member of the Alpine Club, but although fond of mountain climbing made no great expeditions. ”

“ Secondly, he begins to be recognized as an experienced person who can safely be sent upon missions involving prudence and the management of men. In the same year, 1371-2, a payment of twenty shillings was made by the Steward of the Abbot's Household for the expenses of William Colchester and two valets who were sent to Northampton for the meeting of the General Chapter of the English Benedictines, probably in attendance on the Abbot of Westminster, who was frequently one of the Presidents of the Chapter. ”