David Cleggett examines the times of Bishop Edward Talbot, Bishop John Harmer and Dean John Storrs over the late 19th and early 20th century, a High Church period in the history of the Cathedral. Featured in The Friends of Rochester Cathedral Annual Report for 2020 as ‘Talbot, Harmer and Storrs, a fine trio’.

Dean Philip Hesketh explores the life and works of Samuel Reynolds Hole, Dean of Rochester, through a series of posts exploring his life both as a proponent of ‘muscular christianity’ and as a keen gardener.

Dean Reynolds Hole (1819-1904): the muscle and the rose

Dean of Rochester Philip Hesketh introduces the life and work of Samuel Reynolds Hole, Dean of Rochester 1887–1904, a celebrated gardener notable for his expertise with roses. First of a two-part series.

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In 1895 the Dean of Rochester, Samuel Reynolds Hole (1819-1904), welcomed the new Bishop, Edward Stuart Talbot (1844-1934). Talbot, like Hole, was of the Tractarian tradition.¹ ²

Edward Talbot, Bishop of Rochester 1895-1905

He was the second son of John Chetwynd Talbot QC, who was a strong supporter of the Oxford Movement, and he acknowledged the Tractarians as his spiritual fathers.³ After graduating from Christ Church College, Oxford in 1865, he remained there as a modern history tutor until he was appointed first Warden of Keble College, Oxford, which was established in 1870 as a monument to John Keble (1792-1866), a leading member of the Oxford Movement.

Photograph of Bishop Talbot, seated, with Dean Hole in the Cloister Garth. Rochester Cathedral Chapter Library, portrait photographs collection.

At first the new college was largely ridiculed by the Oxford establishment but Talbot gradually established it on a firm foundation. In 1889 he became vicar of Leeds Minster, remaining there until 1895 when he moved to Rochester in succession to Randall Davidson, who had been translated to the see of Winchester and, in 1903, became Archbishop of Canterbury.

Although Talbot was a high churchman - he wore cope and mitre on ceremonial occasions⁴ - he was sympathetic to his evangelical clergy. During his time at Rochester one of his greatest achievements was to make the ancient priory church of St Saviour, Southwark, into the cathedral for a newly created diocese and in 1905 he resigned the see of Rochester to become the first Bishop of Southwark. When he arrived at Southwark the present nave had only recently been completed: work had begun in 1890 and was completed in 1897 to the design of Sir Arthur Blomfield.⁵ Bishop Talbot was translated to the see of Winchester in 1911. He retired in 1923 and died in 1934 at the age of 89.

Talbot had three sons and two daughters by his wife the Hon Lavinia Lyttelton. The eldest son, Edward, became superior of the Community of the Resurrection at Mirfield, Yorkshire. The second son, Neville, became Bishop of Pretoria in the Transvaal and on retirement from that see he became the incumbent of St Mary's, Nottingham. The youngest son, Gilbert, born in 1891, served in the Great War and was killed in action at Ypres in 1915. The original Toc H Christian movement was organised in his name.⁶

Although Bishop Talbot is buried outside Winchester Cathedral, there is a monument to him in Southwark Cathedral. Cast in bronze and designed and worked by Cecil Thomas (1885-1976), it portrays the Bishop vested in cope and mitre resting upon a handsome tomb-chest emblazoned with heraldic devices. A portrait by George Richmond hangs in the hall at Keble College, Oxford, and another by Henry Harris Brown is at Christ Church, Oxford. A cartoon showing him in his robes as prelate of the Order of the Garter appeared in Vanity Fair on 11 October 1911.⁷

John Reginald Harmer, Bishop of Rochester 1905-1930

Talbot's successor as Bishop of Rochester was John Harmer, also a high churchman. He was born into a clerical family in 1856, his father being vicar of Maisemore, Gloucestershire.

He was ordained priest in 1884 and became curate at Monkwearmouth, County Durham.⁸ From 1892 he was Dean of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, holding that office until his appointment as Bishop of Adelaide, South Australia. After consecration in Westminster Abbey he was enthroned in his cathedral on 4 July 1895, the same year as his predecessor was enthroned at Rochester. He was recalled to England in 1905 to succeed Edward Talbot as Bishop of Rochester where he remained until his retirement in 1930.

Harmer blamed German philosophers and Prussian militarism for the Great War and spoke of this country's determination to protect the sanctity of treaties, the liberty of smaller nations (Belgium), the down-trodden and non-combatants.⁹ He was proud of his support for Belgian refugees fleeing the German advance.¹⁰

Harmer is captured in a remarkable photo leading a drumhead service on the Somme in 1916. Read more about life at the Cathedral during the First World War:

Challenges of the Great War, 1914-1918

Geoff Ettridge recalls the challenges faced to Cathedral life by the Great War. Featured in The Friends of Rochester Cathedral Annual Report for 2019.

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In his autobiography written towards the end of his life¹¹ Harmer recalled the sinking of three ships from Chatham in September 1914, which resulted in one street in Gillingham having 30 widows, and the bombing of the Drill Shed which resulted in 147 deaths. He wrote 'difficult as it may be to credit, the firing of the guns in Flanders was as audible to Mrs Harmer and myself as the thud of the football from the field opposite where soldiers were at their games.' The Harmers threw open Bishopscourt¹² with real enjoyment to every rank of soldier and sailor.

When he retired in 1930, Harmer went to live at Instow, Devon. He died there in March 1944 and was buried in Rochester Cathedral.

Ledgerstone of Bishop Harmer in the South Nave Transept.

He ruled his diocese with a firm but kindly hand, re-establishing discipline over the two extremes of churchmanship which had had a rather cavalier attitude to the liturgy of the church in the early 20th century. He left his cope and mitres to the Cathedral. The cope, cream damask with a broad red orphrey (embroidered band), remained in regular use until an Eastertide in the 1970s when, as Canon Paul Welsby was processing to the Chapter Room from the High Altar, the damask parted from the orphrey in a quietly resigned way.¹³ Portraits of Bishop Harmer remain at Bishopscourt, Adelaide, and Bishopscourt, Rochester.

John Storrs, Dean of Rochester 1913-1928

Dean Hole's successor, following his death in 1904, was Ernald Lane (1836-1913) who in turn was succeeded in 1913 by John Storrs (1836-1928). Storrs was born in Nova Scotia, the eldest son of the Rev John Storrs of Wolfville, Nova Scotia. He was educated at the King's School, Rochester, and after matriculating in 1865 he went up to Pembroke College, Cambridge.

He was made deacon in 1871 and ordained a priest in 1873. He then served at St Mary's and St James' churches in Bury St Edmunds and twice at the fashionable church of St Peter, Eaton Square, Westminster before becoming Dean of Rochester.

Photograph of Cathedral clergy and choir outside the Deanery on the Installation of Dean John Storrs on the 3rd May 1913. Rochester Cathedral Chapter Library, portrait photographs collection.

He held that office until his death on 29 February 1928. The wooden screen between the Lady Chapel and Nave South Transept was erected as a memorial to him.

Storrs, who was noted as a distinguished preacher and able organiser, married Lucy Cockayne-Cust, sister of the 5th Lord Brownlow, by whom he had six children. Their eldest son, Ronald, later Sir Ronald (1881-1955), was a distinguished Arabist and Pro-Consul who provided several beautiful gifts to enhance the worship at Rochester: the sanctuary lamp, which hangs before the High Altar, and the splendid carpet which still adorns the Sanctuary were sent from Syria. Sir Ronald also sent a beautiful silk from Damascus which was made up into a fine cope for the Dean. This cope has been restored to a pristine condition and is worn by the Dean at Christmas and Easter.¹⁴

Dean Storr's Cope, c. 1920

John Storrs was Dean of Rochester Storrs from 1913 until his death in 1928. His cope is one of the most intricate items in the vestments collection, and is still worn by the Dean for some special services.

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The second son, Francis Edmund (1882-1958), a naval officer, was killed in action on 10 November 1918. The Dean received the official telegram advising him of the death whilst walking from the Deanery to the Cathedral to preach at the Service of Thanksgiving for the Armistice on 11 November.

Dean John Storrs, date TBD. Rochester Cathedral Chapter Library, portrait photographs collection.

Storrs was responsible for overseeing the restoration of the Gundulf Tower, which had fallen into a sorry state, in 1925 and for the re-casting of the bells in 1921. On the tenor bell is the following inscription: 'I was recast in Memory of Francis Edmund Storrs RNVR, son of the Dean, died 10th November 1918, Eve of the Armistice tollowed by a quotation in Greek.¹⁵

Bishop Harmer (seated centre-right), Dean Storrs (seated second-left), Canons McKean (standing second-left) and King (seated far right), and Archdeacon Tait (seated far left) meeting with Archbishops Earlynz Germamos and a delegation from the Russian-Greek Church, June 18th 1925. Rochester Cathedral Chapter Library, portrait photographs collection.

With Dean Storrs' death in 1928 and the retirement of Bishop Harmer in 1930 the direction of both the Cathedral and Diocese changed until the arrival of Dr David Say as Bishop in 1961.¹⁶

David A. H. Cleggett

Featured in The Friends of Rochester Cathedral Annual Report for 2020

Illustrated by Jacob Scott, Heritage Officer

Footnotes

Biographies of many of the people mentioned can be found in the online editions of The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography and Who's Who/Who Was Who which are available through some public library memberships including KCC.

1 Tractarianism was the name applied to the first stage of the Oxford movement, derived from a series of Tracts for the Times written in 1833-41 by a group of Oxford high churchmen. They opposed the theological liberalism and Erastianism of their age and reaffirmed the divine authority of the Church of England as a branch of the historically continuous Catholic Church.

2 Hole became Dean in 1887, moving from the church of St Andrew, Caunton, Nottinghamshire, where he was vicar from 1850-87 and where he is buried. In 1869 he had the church re-modelled by wan Christian (1814-95) on strictly Tractarian lines. For descriptions and photographs see southwellchurches.nottingham.ac.uk/caunton and historicengland.org.uk.

3 The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, online version - see above.

4 Charles Smyth, Cyril Forster Garbett, Archbishop of York, Hodder and Stoughton, 1959, p.179.

5 B Cherry and N Pevsner, The Buildings of England London 2: South, Penguin Books, 1983, p.566

6 See The Story of Talbot House (Toc H). Poperinge at greatwar.co.uk/vores.

7 See commons.wikimedia.org.

8 The Clergy List, London, Hamilton & Co, 1889.

9 Rochester Diocesan Chronicle, July 1915.

10 The refugees found shelter at Crosby Hall, Chelsea, as recorded on a plaque in the Great Hall. See warmemorialsonline.org.uk.

11 Published in instalments in the Rochester Diocesan Chronicle in 1950.

12 Diocesan boundary changes from the mid 19th century resulted in the bishops using various short-term residences until 1921 when Bishopscourt, Rochester, became the official residence. See The Kent Compendium of Historic Parks and Gardens for Medway - Bishopscourt, Rochester, available at kentgardenstrust.org.uk.

13 Personal observation. The author does not know whether the cope has been repaired.

14 This cope, and Bishop Harmer's cope, may be seen in the sketch The Procession by Donald Maxwell, reproduced on the back cover and described on p.25 of the Friends' Report for 2002/2003.

15 See kent.lovesguide.com. The Greek quotation is translated as ‘Death Is Swallowed Up In Victory: 1 Corinthians 15:54’.

16 The pattern of services became very conservative until the early 1960s: Sundays, Holy Communion 8.00; Mattins 10.30; Sermon, 11.05; Holy Communion, Choral, 11 30; Choral Evensong 3.15; Evening Service in the Nave 6.30. Personal knowledge, 1957 onwards. Under the benign Deanship of Stanley Betts, 1966-76, Archdeacon Harland followed in 1969 by Archdeacon Stewart-Smith and Canons Gripper, Welsby, Allan and Baddley in their turn made for a strong Chapter and the Cathedral moved forward.

Friends of Rochester Cathedral Annual Reports

The Friends of Rochester Cathedral were founded to help finance the maintenance of the fabric and grounds. The Friends’ annual reports have become a trove of articles on the fabric and history of the cathedral.

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