OLD PARISH RECORD.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20244, 2 May 1929, Page 17

OLD PARISH RECORD.

EARLY DAYS IN PARNELL.

FIRST ST. MARY'S CHURCH.

SOME HISTORIC SIGNATURES. An interesting and important parish record, all trace of which was lost for many years, has been restored to St. Mary's Cathedral, Parnell, through Archdeacon Mac Murray. It is the first record of services, officiating ministers and preachers, collections and other matters after the opening of the first St. Mary's Church and it covers the period from October, 1860, to January, 1872. It has passed through many vicissitudes. In many pages of the book are neat rectangular gaps where some collector has removed the signatures of great men. The first signature, "G. A. N. Zealand," is that of Bishop Selwyn, the first and only Bishop of New Zealand. The occasion was the consecration of the original St. Mary's Church —at least, so it is presumed, for there has been an excision. Alongside are the signatures of the first churchwardens, Messrs. S. Cillingham and Philip H. King. The collection on this occasion was £4l, a very large offering for those days, where the average Sunday collection was just over £5, mainly given in the morning. The greater congregation seems to have been in the morning; the evening, collection is seldom much in excess of £l. There was no early celebration of the Holy Communion at 8 a.m. in those days; it was long after 1872 before it was introduced into St. Mary's. The congregations did not vary greatly in numbers, whether the preacher was Bishop Selwyn or Mr. (afterwards Bishop) Patteson or any other clergyman. The signature, "J. C. Patteson," is amended by the words, "missionary bishop," after the writer's consecration early in 1861. The signature of the first incumbent, Archdeacon G. A. Kissling, appears only for six weeks. He was then stricken by an illness from which he never recovered. His successor, Dr. Robert Maunsell, did not assume office until 1865 and in the interval the Sunday duties were shared by the two bishops. They received help from many others, especially at first from the Rev. Robert Burrows, and later from the Rev. B, Thornton Dudley, afterwards archdeacon. Many of the leading ecclesiastics, indeed most of them, preached in St. Mary's in those days. The book contains the signatures of Bishops William Williams, Abraham and Harper, first bishops of Waiapu, Wellington and Chrisfcchurch respectively. Bishop Seiwyn's clerical visitors at Bishopscourt appear to have ministered, according to custom, in the neighbouring church, though St. Mary's was not then the cathedral.

It is interesting to note that the last signatures of Bishcp Selwyn in the book are "G. A. N. Zealand and Lichfield." He retained the office of Bishop of New Zealand for some time after he had been consecrated Bishop of Lichfield. This may have been, strictly speaking, irregular," but he could not relinquish his New Zealand position until he had returned for a brief time to put things in order.

The banns book seems to have been mislaid for a period, and, for a time, the last pages of the register book were used for the purpose. Among the banns there recorded are those of the late Sir Henry Brett, who then resided in St. Paul's parish, his bride being a resident of Parnell.