A public roasting for vicar

He had been in charge of St Philip and St James Church, at Witton-le-Wear for five years when the onslaught came.

One of the wealthiest villagers, William Randolph Innis Hopkins, a magistrate, told a vestry meeting that if they searched all England, they would find no parish in so utterly neglected a condition as this one.

He declared the blame must lie with the vicar.

Hopkins, one of a family of industrialists, lived in Witton Towers, an impressive mansion.

He pointed out that there was no parish clerk, no parish officers, no churchwardens and no one who would take the offices.

He added that the church and churchyard, and everything connected with them, had fallen into a poor state.

Services were “the baldest possible”, there was no choir and no music, and the congregation had been reduced to a myth. No one could imagine a state of affairs so devoid of interest and less likely to attract Christians.

The church was not warmed, though the vicar could have coal for the asking, and nothing was done to make it attractive.

As far as he knew, the litany had not been read for two years, there had been no service during Lent, and the church was not adorned even on Easter Sunday.

After this hard-hitting barrage from a local VIP, did the vicar resign in disgrace? Not a bit of it. He described the 12th Century church, which had an unusual flat roof, as being “in the last stage of rottenous decay” and was trying to have it put right. He succeeded eventually.

He had been married three years earlier aged 50 to Alice Jefferson, a miner’s daughter, who was 30 years his junior.

They soon had two children, Elizabeth and James. So perhaps his mind was diverted for a while.

However, he then oversaw a project to restore the church and add a new roof. Plans were drawn by the architect CH Fowler, but he helped with the drawings and designed seven stained glass windows.

One of them shows him kneeling at a prayer desk in front of the church, and another depicts his wife in front of the vicarage.

The church was rededicated by the Bishop of Durham, Dr Handley Moule, in 1902. It became full of life in the years that followed, with large congregations.

Hodgson remained as vicar until he left aged 92 in 1922 after 44 years in the post.

The church in the 1880s

He moved to Guisborough, where he died late that year.

He was born in Staindrop to George and Elizabeth Hodgson, went to school in Darlington and gained an arts degree at Hatfield College, Durham City.

He held posts as a curate and vicar before moving to Wittonle- Wear. His 44 years there made him one of the longestserving clergymen in any church in the dales — and he left with a proud record that did not seem possible when he received that tongue lashing.

• Thanks to Anne Yuill, a Witton- le-Wear resident, for the photographs of the church, and to Eric Draper for census records.

APROJECT has been launched to trace personal details of the 122 men named on the war memorial in Barnard Castle Parish Church.

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2013 northernecho.co.uk MEMORIES 73 A public roasting for vicar With Jim McTaggart mctagg@uwclub.net As reported here a few weeks ago, the memorial panels have been moved to a different part of the ancient building where they can be read more easily.

The project is being run by retired teacher Peter Wise and local historian Beverley Pilcher.

They would like to hear from the relatives or friends of those listed so they can compile a background picture of as many of them as possible.

Their aim is to compile a book about the history of the Durham Light Infantry in the town.

Many of those whose who died in the two world wars served in the regiment, and there are still a lot of local families connected to it.

Ms Pilcher said: “The memorial inside the church would be significant to those who gave their lives, as some were members of the Sunday school or other parish groups.

“It would be good to find out more about those men so that it can be written down and preserved.”

Anyone with information or photographs can contact her on 01833-690663 or on bpilcher@talk21.com Mr Wise, who has long connections with the church, can be emailed at pgwise@tiscali.

co.uk The memorial panels were moved as part of a scheme to improve the interior of the church. The changes have been greatly admired, as has the upgrading of the area in front of the building.

MANY young farm workers from all over the dales turned up to hear Judge John Bathgate speaking when he visited the area.

He was an Edinburgh man who became a teacher and then a lawyer, before setting off with his wife and children for New Zealand in 1863.

He did well in business and politics there and, before long, was installed as a judge.

He earned praise for the way he conducted complicated court cases.

Then he fancied a trip back home so, as a canny Scot, he stated that if he could have a year’s leave on full pay, he would do all he could to persuade suitable people to follow his example and emigrate to the land of great opportunity.

So, in early 1880, he travelled round giving talks in which he painted a rosy picture of life in New Zealand.

As it is today, with a pitched roof added

It must have made an impact on men who were struggling to make a living on dale farms, as he spoke of vast tracts of fertile land waiting to be worked, with a climate that made it easy to grow profitable crops.

The judge said the climate was so perfect that folk with consumption had three times as much chance of being cured than those in Britain.

New Zealand was at the forefront of wheat growing, with an average of 32 bushels per acre. This was far more than could be achieved here, or in any other country.

It also had large resources of minerals, including coal, so settlers could be sure of a good supply of fuel, and there was also plenty of water.

There were excellent roads and railways. There were fine markets for all the crops, so growers could expect to make a profit of £3 an acre.

What about hostile Maories? He felt there would be no more conflict between immigrants and natives. Life was enjoyment itself and he could see no drawbacks, and said he had never regretted adopting New Zealand as his new home.

He gave good value in return for his year’s leave. Official figures showed a large number of people took his advice within a few months and emigrated there with a combined capital of more than £100,000. Considering the way he was applauded and cheered after his speech, it seems highly likely that some of his audience would think seriously of setting off to seek those golden openings.

THERE was once a pleasing drop in the number of Barnard Castle villains sent to prison.

The total of serious crimes committed in the town had gone down. And who was given credit for this? None other than the master of the National School, JJ Bailey.

When he retired in 1877 after 28 years’ service he was presented with gifts, along with glowing tributes.

William Watson, a local lawyer, recalled that the town was once notorious for the high number of its inhabitants sent to prison.

During 1848, 76 of them had been sentenced to terms in Durham or York gaols.

However, in 1854 the number had gone down to 15, and now it was rare for any local person to be jailed.

He believed this was because of the spread of education and advancement of morals in the way practised by Mr Bailey.

As well as running the school, he visited the pupils’ parents in their homes to interest them in education.

He also encouraged people to join a night class, and that had helped to steer them away from crime.

There were no Ofsted reports in those days, but if there had been, the hardworking Bailey would surely have earned an outstanding grade for his skill in keeping his pupils out of the clink.