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Enderby Quarry explosion A quarry explosion killed at least one person. In the Parish Notes for February it was noted; "A serious explosion took place in Enderby Quarry recently and Mr. Cecil Vestry died shortly after admission to the Leicester Infirmary. It was a dreadful shock to Mrs. Vestry, to whom, and to all the family, we offer our sincere sympathy... The large congregation showed the esteem in which Mr. Vestry was held by his fellow workers at the Quarry, and also by members of the local branch of the British Legion." The February vicar's letter also noted another man who was injured; "I am glad to see that Mr. Cockerill is improving at the Infirmary. He was very seriously hurt when the explosion took place at the Quarry." Illness means vicar must 'go slowly' February's letter from the vicar included an explanation of why he was now not be able to visit his parishioners as much as he wished; "A personal word. I am feeling much better now after my illness, but the doctors tell me that I must 'go slowly'. This is not easy in a big parish when there seems much to do. One of my legs is much weaker than the other and consequently I get physically tired when I do too much walking. I suppose also I am getting a bit older and cannot get about as well as I used to do. I try to visit those who are ill, either in their homes or in the hospital." Enderby House to be made a home for men September's magazine gives a glimpse into changes in the use of Enderby House; "On July 30th several men and women from Hillcrest (Public assistance institution in Leicester), were given an outing at Enderby Hall. The Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress of Leicester with several members of the committee were present. I received an invitation and went to the hall for a short while. I was informed that in November or soon afterwards Enderby Hall will be converted into a home for men from Hillcrest."
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Did you know that ......? The April edition included a one off section introduced by the vicar in his letter : "Mr. Capers has kindly given me a few historical notes for insertion in the Magazine. History is one of his special subjects and as a member of the Leicestershire Archaeological Society he is keenly interested in matters connected with our county. He will probably be able to "unearth" many interesting items for us." The section was headed 'Did you know that -' and continued; "The old site of "St. John's" is really the site of the deserted village of Aldeby - and that this village had no connection with Enderby? That it disappeared
about the time that the village of Lubbesthorpe ceased to exist? The village may
be older than Enderby? That in 1795-6 two houses were built in the Workhouse yard for £68/13/5 out of the Poor Rate of Enderby? The price including 27 1/2 yards of stone wall and 13/7 for ale for the workmen. Bricks cost £2 per 1,000 and were made at Blaby and Cosby"? That the Poor Rates were £127 in 1789, when the French Revolution broke out, and in 1799, during the Napoleonic War, they reached £311, and by 1805, the year of Trafalgar, they had reached £412? Enderby Overseers
paid Wm. Mason £9/15/- Efforts for organ fund gives surplus for church walls The 1948 Christmas bazaar brought in a profit of £191/3/11 that was initially raised to improve the electrics of the church organ; "The results of the Christmas Fair was remarkably good. It far exceeded the expectations of many of us. There was much enthousiasm on the day of the fair, and for two hours one could not in comfort get into the room.... The church council will no doubt decide that the surplus of the money shall go as a nucleus towards the repair of the church interior walls. We shall want a good deal of money. Will boxholders please keep and use the cardboard churches for this object?" |
The Church cannot afford the new verger without help The verger's position, an official who acted as caretaker and attendant, had not been filled for a number of months. By October, the position was filled but funding his pay was another question; "Mr. Clarence Jesson has been appointed verger of the church. Since Mr. Harry Gilliver resigned the duties have been carried out by various people but now Mr. Jesson will be responsible for all the duties, excepting grave digging. Parishioners will be glad to know that in the future the churchyard, 'top to bottom', will be kept in order. Will those who wish family graves to be seen to and kept tidy please speak to Mr. Jesson? It will be understood that in order to pay the verger an adequate salary the church collections will not suffice, therefore we ask that those who are interested in a tidy and well kept churchyard will help us in the matter of finance. It may be that Parishioners who do not regularly support our church collections will desire to help in this way. If acknowledgments are requested it would be a great assistance if the amount were placed in an envelope with the name written on it, and handed to me or the churchwardens." Summertime trips to the seaside Before the war,
trips were to local places, like Kettering, and in the war there were
no trips, but by 1949 the magazine reflects on trips to the seaside;
"The Sunday School outing to Hunstanton on June 18th was much enjoyed.
We had a very pleasant 'bus ride, via Peterborough, on both journeys.
Although there was no rain, fortunately so, it was quite cool and windy
at Hunstanton, but this did not mar the enjoyment of the outing. Several
parents went with us and appeared to enjoy the 'bus ride and the six
hours at the seaside. Fine weather helped
considerably towards the success of the British Legion Fete on Whit-Monday.
There was a good crowd at The Cross to see Miss Betty Lord crowned Queen.
She looked charming with her attendants around her. |
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The 'Nightlarks' take off The church had organised what appears to be a drama group that is first mentioned in February when looking back to 1949; "The church social on November 25th was a great success, and everyone who was present appreciated all the items which the 'S. John's Nightlarks' gave on the stage. These items were intensely amusing and entertaining and some of the scenes and characters appeared in the local papers. It meant many weeks of preparation beforehand, rehearsals and getting together of scenery 'props' but the members of the party can be rest assured that their great efforts were well rewarded. After my little speech of appreciation I was 'shot at' by a member of the cast; fortunately for me the pistol was not loaded with live ammunition! I must not mention any names because I might leave someone out but I do want to thank everyone who contributed in any way towards this successful and entertaining social. It was not arranged as a great profit making effort although after expenses a sum of £5/19/4 was handed in and this will go to the church renovation fund. There is a possibility, so it seems, that there may be another social on Shrove Tuesday." In April the vicar was just as full of praise for the social mentioned at the end as the one in November. A new offering system replaces collections Financial challenges had brought the church to a decision that was announced in July's magazine; "At a church meeting, including members of the church council, held recently, it was unanimously decided that we adopt the offering envelope system for our church finances. The matter has been under review for several months and now after much thought and discussion we have decided to adopt the scheme. We shall, of course, want your full support and cooperation. So many parishes have had this scheme in operation for a number of years, and have found it most satisfactory, the weekly collections having increased very considerably. Three parishes in our deanery, at least,can bear testimony to that. Our own weekly collections are on the whole very good indeed, and I am truly grateful to those who give regularly and generously., but our expenses are very heavy and everyone knows that the price of things has increased with the cost of living" then followed information on a leaflet that was included with the magazine for supporters to fill out. In September, the start of the scheme was announced; " I have asked the Church Council to announce that the offering envelope system of our church finances will commence on October 1st, and the envelope booklets will be handed out or sent to subscribers before that date. So far I have received quite a nice few promise slips, but not enough at the moment to make the scheme really operative. Perhaps some church people are holding back because this scheme is new to them and cannot yet make their minds up whether to join or not. Our church finances will greatly benefit if we can have at least 250 regular subscribers..." By October, the number of subscribers must have reached a sufficient level, as the vicar notes; "Since writing my letter the church council has decided, at a recent meeting, to dispense with collections in church. The intention is that those that have joined the ... scheme are kindly requested to place their envelopes in the offering box near the door as they enter for the service, and non subscribers to the scheme are asked to place their offerings in the box too. The church wardens will open the box during the service and place both envelopes and loose change on the plates and take them to the sanctuary where they will be received and blessed in the usual way." The 1,000th baptism August's edition brought a milestone for Cannon Hibbert in his ministry to Enderby; "A little while ago I counted up the number of baptisms I have taken since I came to Enderby, and the other Sunday I reached the one thousand mark. I thought this would be an interesting fact to reveal. Of course, in a big town parish a parish priest would have to baptise a great many more in the same number of years. In 26 1/2 years 1,000 baptisms at Enderby. In practically every instance I have visited the home afterwards and left a baptism certificate card." |
Many Yuletide parties in Enderby The Rev. Cannon Hibbert was reflecting on the events of Christmas time in the February edition and commented on the many parties in the village; "The old age pensioners and widows had a tea and concert in the canteen at Jones & Shipman's (A local factory) shortly before Christmas and on New Years Eve the Co-operative Society held their old members tea and concert. I was invited to both and so were the local free church ministers. In January, the Girl Guides had their party, the British Legion Women's Section a turkey supper, and the Male Voice Choir their annual dinner. No doubt many other parties were held in connection with the village organisations. All these things provide interest, enjoyment and good fellowship amongst various people in the village." An active youth fellowship starts and entertains foreign helpers In April, the vicar could write about a new youth initiative that was starting; "We are hoping to revive the church youth fellowship.... There is an excellent youth club in the village, under the leadership of Mr. Bernard Thorpe, and I look in from time to time and help wherever I can. We are not trying to compete with the youth club in anyway, but there does seem to be a need of having a youth fellowship in connection with the church." In September, the main organiser, Audrey Timmins, was asked to write a section on it. This is just part of that section; "I think everyone knows now that the camp on the Enderby Lane is being used as a hostel for overseas students who come over to help on the farms. When the Education Department wrote asking if we could entertain the students in some way all the members were keen to arrange something for them. The result was a Social which we held in the School, and approximately thirty students, of different nationalities, came as well as friends of the Fellowship members. Despite the fact that some of the students spoke very little English, we made a great deal of noise and I think everyone enjoyed themselves. The following week we arranged a Sausage Supper in the "Green Lane," to which we again invited the students. This proved a great success and after they had sung some French songs we knew and some that we didn't - more of the latter I'm afraid - we rendered a few well-known English songs, and the evening was brought to a close with each one singing "Auld Lang Syne" in their own language. Before we begin meeting inside again, we are hoping to visit both the Infirmary and the Telephone Exchange, and then we shall start our winter programme. We are grateful to Mr. Turk and also Miss Faulknall for the use of a room in the Senior School. The Committee have agreed that every other meeting during the winter should be of a more serious nature, and for these we are hoping to obtain various speakers from Leicester and also hold debates and discussions. The other two evenings each month will be more social with games, table tennis, etc. Our aim as a Church
Youth Fellowship is not only to unite the young people who already belong
to our Church, but also to draw other people into our midst and encourage
them to join the Fellowship of the Church. The Committee which consists of the elder members of the Fellowship, plus two of the younger ones, work out the programmes, and we are grateful for the help of Miss B. Tebbutt who is a newcomer to our parish, and who has had a lot of experience in youth work. Our one regret is that, at the moment, we are not wholly supported by our own young Church members, but we hope that in time they will become interested" |
St. Francis and St. Elizabeth arrive in Enderby Church from South Africa The dedication of a new stain glass window is mentioned in April; "I dedicated the new stained glass window on Mothering Sunday evening.
It was the wish of the late George Townsend to perpetuate the memory of his wife and mother by having this window in our church. He entrusted his brother in law, Professor Groves , of Capetown University, with the execution of this work. A few weeks ago the window arrived from South Africa. The subjects depicted in the window are those of S. Elizabeth and S. Francis. It has been beautifully and artistically carried out and I have written to Professor Groves a letter of real appreciation. The late Mr. Townsend was a retired schoolmaster who lived in Kirby Muxloe, but because of his long friendship with certain old families in this village he had a great attachment to Enderby and our church. That explains the reason for this new window in the church of Enderby." Diary Example Each magazine included a calendar for the month. A relatively short one for February is quoted below as an example; CALENDAR
FOR FEBRUARY. Masonic links to the Church Except for one mention in June 1950, there are no references, in the magazines we still have, to past links with the masons. That mention comes when the vicar talks of a particular Sunday morning service; "Several members of my Masonic Lodge in Leicester (the Enderby Lodge) came with their wives and friends on May 7th to a service here. It was a delightful change to see so many people in our Church on a Sunday morning. I should like to thank the choir for coming in good strength on this occasion. The Archdeacon of Leicester was the preacher and his sermon was most forceful and compelling. Mr. Iliffe gave a solo which was much appreciated. I have received many expressions of gratitude for this service." Model Churches used to raise renovation funds The never ending need to maintain the Church and the associated fundraising was part of Church life. In 1950 a novel collection method is mentioned; "Mrs. Jesson has handed me from the cardboard model Churches the sum of £20/12/4. This amount will be placed in the Church Renovation Fund". |
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