The
Revd Edward Wilson
Curate 1806-1854
The Revd Edward Wilson was Curate
of St John’s for 48 years. He was appointed in 1806 at the age of 24,
having been born in 1782. There is a gap in the parish registers which
lasts until 1813, and we do not find any entries with his signature
until then. This may be
because, in common with many other clergy of the day, if they had the
means, they frequently employed less well-off curates to officiate for
them. This was evident throughout Edward Wilson’s cure, for there
are plenty of examples of other men taking the services at the chapel,
but it may also have been the case that he suffered from periodic bouts
of ill health or depression, as we shall see.
Edward
Wilson was the son of another Edward Wilson, who was also a clergyman
and who served as Incumbent of Chapel Allerton, near Leeds in the
County of York for 35 years. He was born in Kescadale, Newlands, near
Keswick on May 6th, 1761, and died at Keswick on July 2nd,
1835
His
son, Edward Wilson was a family man. His wife was Anne Wilson, and
during his time as curate, they had no less than seven children born
and baptised at the chapel. There was at this time no parsonage in the
parish, so the family lived at a variety of addresses.
Their first child, Joseph, was baptised on November 19th, 1817
by Edward himself. Interestingly, the immediately previous
entry (6th Oct 1817) is for the baptism of John Richardson, son of
Daniel and Mary Richardson of Stone. John Richardson became a
noted writer of dialect poetry and prose and wrote later of ‘Priest
Wilson’.
The Wilson’s address is given as Yew Tree, though, whether this
was the farm or the cottages is not apparent, and before they
moved house, Anne had given birth to two more sons, Alfred, who was
baptised on September 2nd 1819, and Edward, baptised on
August 4th, 1821.
During the next few years, Edward Wilson baptised and buried regularly
those parishioners who needed his ministrations, but in December 1824,
other clergy sign the register for a year or two, with only the
occasional signature of Edward Wilson. Perhaps he suffered a
period of illness. Even when his fourth child, a daughter this time
named Mary Anne, was baptised in 1825, someone else took the service.
By this time the family had moved from Yew Tree to Piet Nest (Low Nest
today). Again, in 1827 when Daniel, his fourth son was born, he did not
baptise the child himself. Parson and White’s Directory of 1829 records
that The Rev. Edward Wilson, Perpetual Curate of St John’s
was resident at Piet Nest.
Apart from the occasional signature, it was not until May 1829 that he
started to take services regularly again. In 1831 he baptised his sixth
child Thomas, but the following year sorrow came to the family with the
death of Edward, his third son, at the age of ten. The curate
took his son’s funeral himself. At some point during the next two years
the family moved back to the other side of High Rigg, leaving Piet Nest
for Bridge House, and here, in May 1834, to their joy (one imagines) a
second daughter was born and baptised. This was the last
child Edward and Anne were to have.
Edward Wilson continued to serve the parish for another 19 years.During
this time, the ‘parsonage house’ (presumably Bridge House) became unfit
for residence, for we have among the parish papers a licence from the
Bishop of Carlisle permitting the curate to be absent from the benefice
from January 1842 until December 31st, 1843, ‘due to the
dilapidated condition of the house’.
This was not the only dilapidated building either, for in 1845-6, the
church itself was rebuilt, because it too needed repair.Whether Edward
Wilson ever moved back to Bridge House is not clear.
Certainly, towards the end of his life he lived in Keswick,
where he died.
He was greatly respected by his parishioners as this little token
illustrates:
On Tuesday, November 10th 1846, a Yew Tree presented by Sarah
Stanley of Row End was transplanted in the churchyard ‘as an ornament
to the Chapelyard as a token of veneration and esteem for her beloved
pastor, the Reverend Edward Wilson, Keswick.’ The tree was planted by
the Schoolmaster, John William Crowe and ten of his pupils, John
Edmondson, John and Robert Cartmell aged 13 and 14 of Piet Nest (Low
Nest), William Cartmell (13) of Smaithwaite, Joseph Allison
(11) of Goosewell, William Edmondson (9), John Williamson (9) of
Lowthwaite and Christopher his brother (11), Thomas Allison (9) of
Goosewell and John Cartmell (9) of Bridge End.
Perhaps this is the Yew tree now in the corner of the churchyard near
the Diocesan Youth Centre, or possibly, the Irish Yew near to the
church?
In 1852, Sarah Margaret died in Keswick and was brought to be buried at
the chapel by her now aged father. She was 18 years old. Edward Wilson
was to follow her only two years later, when he was buried in St
John’s-in-the-Vale churchyard at the age of 72. His grave can easily be
found near the West end of the church under the rhododendrons. The
stone commemorates his father as well. Anne Wilson joined her husband
eleven years later when she died, also at the age of 78.
We come now to the sad and tragic death of Edward. This report appeared
in the Kendal Mercury on Saturday 15th July 1854 and speaks
for itself.
'On the morning of Saturday last, the town of Keswick was thrown into a
state of excitement, by the painful report that the Rev. Edward Wilson,
Incumbent of St John’s-in-the-Vale, had committed suicide in
an outhouse adjoining his dwelling, by cutting his throat with a razor,
about six o’clock that morning. The deceased had been incumbent of St
John’s–in-the-Vale for a long period of 48 years; and was held in great
esteem and respect. The inquest on view of the body was held on Monday
last, before W. Lumb, Esq., coroner for the Western Division of the
County of Cumberland, and a respectable jury, at the Royal Oak Hotel,
Keswick.
Thomas Wilson, who was extremely affected, on being sworn, said,
" I am a son of the deceased, who would be 73 years of age
next Christmas. I last saw him alive on Friday night about eleven
o’clock.On Saturday morning about six o’clock, my mother came into my
room and said she had lost my father. I got up and went into two or
three rooms, and then went into the garden to see if the door was
bolted; it was fast, and I then knew he must be on the premises. It
was
quite an unusual thing for him to go out in the morning. I then
went accompanied by the servant, into a place – a barn
formerly – at present used for lumber. I had to go through the yard to
get to it. I could not see him. I told the girl to open broad the doors
to throw in more light. I then saw him lying on his left side dead,
from a wound on
his throat. His body was quite warm. I had no suspicion that any one
else had done it; there is no doubt that he had done it himself. When I
returned from College about ten days ago, I found a marked difference
with him; before that he had not been at all well; he had suffered from
influenza; complained of intense pain in the head, and his feet were
quite cold. He had been in a low desponding state, and took no interest
in anything since my brother’s death about two months ago; he was of a
very nervous temperament; he had done no regular duty for 30 years. I
made no remark to the family about the marked difference in
him that I noticed".
The Rev. R Mulcaster, on being sworn,
stated that he was curate of St John’s in the Vale, and had known Mr
Wilson’s family for about three years. He had been about 18 weeks in
his curacy, and lived in Keswick. He had observed great alteration in
the deceased since his son’s death, and recommended Mrs Wilson to go
with him to the sea side. He never observed any derangement;
he was not cross; he desired to be alone; never gloomy and
sad; lived quietly, and was very abstemious. I saw him on Monday last;
he would not join in conversation; he was quite capable of transacting
parochial
business; he kept pressing his head with his hands; he said” what nice
cold hands you have got; my head is very hot”.
The jury
returned a verdict “that the deceased destroyed himself
during temporary derangement.”’
This report reveals much more about
Edward Wilson. It may be that he did in fact suffer from periods of
depression, and his regular use of curates to look after parish
affairs, while common among clergy of the time, may also have been due
to his poor health. Clearly the death of his son only two
months earlier, and of his daughter two years earlier, had affected him
deeply. This was the third of his children to predecease him.
He is said to be nervous, desiring a quiet life, and very abstemious.
Nevertheless, the mention that he was held in great esteem and
respect is supported by the planting of the tree in the
churchyard already referred to.
The family must have been reasonably well off. As an incumbent
of St John’s, his stipend at the time he took up his
incumbency was provided from an ancient endowment. On 15th June, 1719,
‘certain of the inhabitants (of the parish) had contributed to the
procuring of Queen Anne’s Bounty for the augmentation of the curacy’
and a declaration of the “intention” of such of the inhabitants as had
so contributed’ had been made. (Report of The Charity Commissioners
dated during Edward Wilson’s incumbency). This stated among other
things that the curate should teach the children of the Chapelry, and
that ‘as the inhabitants of the chapelry had contributed to the
obtaining of the royal bounty, and beside that, paid the ancient yearly
allowance and stipend, the school should be free for the benefit of the
whole chapelry; and if the “curate should refuse or be disabled as to
teaching school himself, he should allow another fit person £5 per
annum for that end and purpose” This was signed by 37 inhabitants, by
two curates previous to 1773, and by John Wilson in 1773 (also a
curate), stating that he promised to perform all the particulars
required except the clause in which the school is mentioned as being
free, but he agreed to teach the same during his pleasure at a
reasonable quarter
pence, or to allow £5 per annum. It was signed by another curate in
1786.
This ancient stipend was £3-7s-11d, being a fixed rate collected from
every householder and paid to the curate. The statement then goes on to
say that ‘the Rev. Edward Wilson teaches school, receiving quarter
pence from the children according to what they learn ---- and that
Mr Wilson has no intention to discontinue teaching school,
and if he should, he has no objection to pay £5 to another
schoolmaster.’
In addition, Mr Wilson also receives ‘27s being the interest of a
turnpike ticket for £30 purchased with £27 of ancient chapel
stock but it is not known how this fund arose.’
A Terrier of 1777 lists the various properties purchased with the
sum of £200 given by the late John Gaskarth, the £200 from
Queen Anne’s Bounty, and £100 contributed by the inhabitants of the
chapelry. These lands (Sykes, Birkhow Sykes and Dale-Bottom) were said
to be worth about £30-10s yearly. There were also funeral,
baptism, and churching fees. Altogether this seems to add up to about
£35 per annum.
Whether this would have been sufficient income to support a curate we
cannot say, but it seems doubtful that the curate could have
afforded to pay other clergy and a schoolmaster too without
private means. In the case of Edward Wilson, we know
perfectly well that he did for long periods employ others,
including, presumably, the schoolmaster Mr Crowe mentioned
before.
An interesting letter exists among the church papers. It is
from Edward Wilson to John Faulder, his tenant at Sykes, and
reads:
“Take notice that you are to quit and deliver up to me on the
twenty-fifth day of March next the quiet and peaceable possession of
all those
farms called Birkhowe Sykes, Birkhowe and Dalebottom and the premises
with the appurtenances which you farm of me situate in the
Parish of Crosthwaite or elsewhere in the County of Cumberland. Dated
the twentieth Day of September 1852.”
Among those who were taught by Edward Wilson was John Richardson, the
local dialect poet, builder of the church, the school and the vicarage,
and eventual schoolmaster.
Of priest Wilson he says in his humorous tale in dialect, “T’ Barrin’
Oot”,
“I went to
St Jwohn’s Scheull, when Preest Wilson was
t’maister. He
was rackon’t a varra
good maister. Sartenly, he was parlish sharp on
us at times; an’ some
o’t’ laal uns war nar aboot freetent to deith on’im.”
Among the subjects that Priest Wilson would have taught John
Richardson were Latin and Greek, and reading, writing, and
arithmetic, as required by the declaration of 1719 already referred to.
It appears that Edward Wilson did fulfil his obligation to teach in
the school himself for some years at least.
The wording on the gravestone tells us little more, merely saying
that he was ‘Laid to rest, July 11th 1854, aged 72 Years,
Incumbent of this parish for 48 Years’