ANECDOTAL MEMORIES: DOORS INTO THE PAST, A REVIEW
Audrey Giles’ new book evolved from the research of a family anecdote about a railway accident in 1904 in which her grandfather, George Spencer, was seriously injured.
This is a PowerPoint presentation with notes of a talk, based on recent original research, on the first six priests of St. Raphael’s Roman Catholic Church, Surbiton, KT1 2NA [www.straphaelsurbiton,org.uk ]. It was given on Sunday, 26 March 2023 as part of the Church’s 2023 Lent Project in support of the “Bread of Life” charity of the Sons of Divine Providence [https://www.orionecare.org/support-us/]. The priests were Jeremiah Donovan, 1850-1853, Henry Clark, 1853-1854, James Doyle, 1854-1855, John Ainsworth, 1855-1880, William Morley, 1880-1899, and Emile du Plerny, 1899-1907. All served as a chaplain to the different owners of the Church at the time. Additionally, each priest was appointed by the Bishop of Southwark as head [Missionarius Apostolicus] of the Catholic Mission to Kingston upon Thames. An account of each priest’s life and ministry, as far as can be ascertained, is provided. On the instigation of Bishop Thomas Grant, Frs. Clark and Doyle served as army chaplains in the Crimean War. During Fr. Morley’s ministry, The Countess of Mexborough, the owner of the Church, dispensed with his services as chaplain, and the Church was closed for nearly three years. In the meantime, Sunday Masses were said in St. James’s Hall, St. James’s Road, Kingston and on weekdays at Fr. Morley’s nearby house. The evidence indicates that all six priests were highly respected by their congregations and by Kingston non-Catholics alike.
Audrey Giles’ new book evolved from the research of a family anecdote about a railway accident in 1904 in which her grandfather, George Spencer, was seriously injured.
The Kingston upon Thames Debtors’ Prison existed from 1829-1852 and was situated in what is today Bath Passage.
The tombstone of Josiah Clues who died in 1842 was found in Memorial Gardens, Kingston upon Thames, KT1 1RP. Through merit alone, he rose from the ranks to be a Lieutenant in the British Army
…whether the tradition arose because Biden, in 1852, used unreliable hearsay as his source?
Some of the digitised material that I have used has been sourced as follows:
“Ancestry”
http://home.ancestry.co.uk
“Find My Past”
http://www.findmypast.co.uk/
The Times Digital Archive, via
http://www.surreycc.gov.uk/libraries
19th Century Newspapers, via
http://www.surreycc.gov.uk/libraries
The London Gazette
http://www.thegazette.co.uk/
Lloyds’ Register Historic Archive
www.lrfoundation.org.uk
British Newspaper Archive
http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk
Parliamentary Papers, via
http://www.history.ac.uk
The non-digitised material [books, journals, records of Assizes and Quarter Sessions, Council Minutes, etc], has come from many sources including:
The British Library
http://www.bl.uk
The National Archives
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/
Surrey History Centre
http://www.surreycc.gov.uk/…../surrey-history-centre
Kingston Local History Centre
http://www.kingston.gov.uk/…/visit_kingston_history_centre
Kent History and Library Centre
http://www.kent.gov.uk/…/kent-history-and-library-centre
Institute of Historical Research, University of London
http://www.history.ac.uk