PARISH JUBILEE.

Press, Volume LXII, Issue 18672, 22 April 1926, Page 3

PARISH JUBILEE.

LINCOLN CELEBRATES TO-MORROW. SOME EARLY HISTORY. To-morrow Lincoln Parish will celebrato its jubilee, its 50th Annivemry. The celebrations hold much interest for many of the older folk of the district, for there aro still numbers living who remember the early beginnings of the parish. In the early days of Canterbury settlement, the church ministered to settlers, and travellers on the Canterbury Plain, mainly through the voluntary services of several clergymen who were themselves settlers, and did what they eould for their own people and neighbours. • In 1858 Bishop Harper appointed his son, Henry, minister to the country, stretching from the Waimakariri to the Eakaia rivers, and from the sea to the mountains —all except the Peninsula and the neighbourhood of Christchurch. In ISGB, the Eev. II. ; "W. Harper became vicar of Hokitika, and later, about 1878, vicar of Timaru, and Archdeacon. Flagpole Announcements. When Archdeacon Harper went to Wcstland in 1868, his late chargo in Canterbury was divided into two or three smaller charges. Of these, oue was called; Burnham, and was placed in chargo of Rev. T. Pember, who lived in a,vicarage beside the little church of Ay Saints at Burnham, closo to the Brookside ford over the Sclwyn river. The cure embraced the country now called Lincoln, Tai Tapu, Springston, and Grcenpark, Burnham, Dunsandel, Grecndalc, and a wide domain vaguely called Courtenay, stretching away towards present-day Sheffield, and Hororata. Mr Pember was- aecustome'd to hoist a flag on a flagstaff by the Burnham vicarage, a few days .before any Sunday when there would bo "church" at Burnham. Travellers to arid"' fro ; | would necessarily cross the Selwyn by this ford, and would spread far and wide the news that the p'arson .had his •flag up. On Sunday the settlers ."would arrive in their bullock drays and. waggoi.s, whole households with." provisions for the day, camping about the church for the services therein, and for social intercourse in the interval's. Mr Stocker's Years. . In 1573 Mr Pember -became vicar of Lyttelton, arid the .Rev*. Harry Stocker was appointed to Burnham, ■ the cure about this time being reduced in ; size to include Burnham, Greenpark, Springston, Lincoln, and Tai Tapu. Mr Stocker's incumbency was a time of great activitiy and progress. Settlement was proceeding Tapidly, and a vicarage and four churches were built within half a doxen years. First came the church at Springston, dedicated in the name of the Blessed Virgin Mary, opened for use on Easter Monday March 29th, 1873, and consecrated bv Bishop Harper on April 9th, 1577. The Move to Lincoln. Burnham now being on the western extremity of the cure was found inconvenient' for the vicarage. In June, 1875, Mr Stocker moved hia family into Mr Pyne's house at Lincoln. The present viearage at Lincoln w.\s built between April and August, 1876. St. Stephen's Chureh, Lincoln, was opened on August 26th, 1877, and consecrated on September 9th, 1579. In Lincoln the first service of .the church was held by Mr Peraber, on ■ April 11th, 1869, and one Sunday, a

month thereafter. On August I.lth, 1869, Mr A. 0. Knight took a service. Then came a retired priest, the Rev. A. P. O'Callagban, to reside in Lincoln, and he, with Mr Knight's assistance, for a while maintained frequent and regular services. Mr O'Callaghan is still living, in Timaru. St. Paul's Church, at Tai Tapu, was opened on November 16th, 1876, and consecrated on March 17th, 1881. Weekly Services. The first service in the district was held in the schoolroom by the Rev. Harry Stocker, September 19th, 1875. Thereafter services were held once a month until about August, 1870, when weekly services wore instituted. St. Mark's Church, at Greenpark, was opened on April 6th, 1881, and consecrated on November 30th, 1882. To old vicarage at Burnham was long ago pulled dowu and the church moved to another place. The site of the old church and vicarage is now occupied by Lincoln College, and the College authorities utilise the land in return for maintenance of the small graveyard carefully fenced off. The Rev. Harry Stocker was vicar of Burnham, 1873. In 1875, when he moved his household to Lincoln, the name of the cure was changed to "Lincoln and Springston," and Mr Stocker continued as vicar until 1871*, when ho was appointed to Akaroa. Later, when he became vicar of St. John's Invcrcargill, and Archdeacon, the Rev. W. Dnnkley followed as locum tenons for a few months. Other Incumbents. The Rev. J. F. Tcakle was appointed in 1880, and departed in 1886, and was succeeded by the Rev. A. R. D. Toswill, who resigned in 1888. Then came the Rev. IT. L. Gould, 1889-1890. Mr Gould is well remembered as Archdeacon Gould, of St. Paul's Cathedral, Dunedin. In 1890 Mr Teaklc returned to Lincoln for a second term. In 1892 he returned to England. He is still alive, and although over 90 years of age, is vicar of a small cure near London. The Rev. E. R. Otway was vicar of Lincoln 1892-1896, then Ven. Archdeacon Thorpe took charge for a few months until the arrival of the Rev. 11. Northcote, 1897-1903. The Rcy. T. Jasper Smyth (still strong and well at S7 years) was vicar from 1903 to 1913, when he retired. Then followed the Rev. F. B. Redgrave, who was vicar from 1913 to 1917. Ho rs now organising secretary in Wellington for the New Zealand BoaTd of Missions. Next came the Rev. H. A. Wilkinson, 191S-1921, now vicar of Otipua, near. Timaru. He was followed by the Rev. Philip Carrington, 1921-23, who is now Principal of the Diocesan Theological College at Adelaide, South Australia. The present vicar is the Rev. C. L. Wilson, who was appointed in 1923. The Celebrations. The jubilee celebrations will be as follows: — Friday, April 23rd—8 a.m., Holy Communion in St. Stephen's; '2 p.m., thanksgiving in the church with a short address by the Bishop; 2.30 p.m., garden party at vicarage an welcome to the Bishop; 8 p.m., a coucert in the Druids' Hall, organised by Captain Tnhu Rhodes; proceeds for the orphanages.