Norfolk Newspapers -

Eastern Daily Press

Extracts from December 24th 1913

[Transcription copyright © Geoffrey Woollard]

Deaths

Crosse. - December 22, at Stow Vicarage, the Rev. Charles Henry Crosse, M.A., M.L., 22 years rector of Fincham, Norfolk, aged 85. Funeral at Stow Church on Wednesday, 24th December, at 2 p.m.

Death Of The Rev. C.H. Crosse

One of the best known ecclesiastics of the county passed away on Monday in the person of the Rev. Charles Henry Crosse, M.A., M.L., who was for twenty-two years rector of Fincham. His last days, since July, have been spent at Stow Vicarage, the residence of his niece (Mrs C.E.H. Wilford, wife of the vicar of Stow), and the end came on Monday as the result of senile decay after about a month's illness. He was 85 years of age. The rev. gentleman was appointed to the rectorship of Fincham by the Lord Chancellor in 1886, succeeding the late Canon Blyth, and after doing excellent service towards the restoration of the fabric of the church and the revival of public worship, retired some five years ago. He was a brother of the late Archdeacon Crosse, and leaves a daughter, Mrs Cecil Tennant.

The rev. gentleman was educated at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge, and was ordained in 1854 to the curacy of Stow-cum-Quy, Cambs. This curacy he held for nearly three years without stipend. At that time there was neither day nor Sunday school in the parish. He established both, and also raised money sufficient to restore the west end of the church. Mr Crosse next took the cure of Great and Little Chesterford, during the absence abroad through ill-health (for two years) of the vicar, Lord Charles Hervey. He then went to help the Rev. John Hailstone, Vicar of Bottisham and Bottisham Lode, near Cambridge. Soon after this Mr Hailstone fell into ill-health and went abroad, and Mr Crosse had for some time charge of both parishes. Mr Hailstone having, in 1861, resigned the living, the two parishes were separated and new incumbents appointed who did not need a curate. Just at this time the vicar of Histon became of unsound mind, and Mr Crosse was appointed by the Bishop to the charge of the parish. While there he established and carried on a night school, raised money to pension off the parish schoolmaster (who was 81 years old), formed a choir, raised money for an organ, formed a cottagers' horticultural society, started harvest thanksgiving services (then by no means usual), took 100 harvest labourers to the exhibition of 1862, and arranged Lent and Advent special week-day services - since regularly continued. The living of Histon having passed into other hands, Mr Crosse next accepted the cure of Wendy, the vicar there being old and infirm, and leaving the entire charge of the parish to him. He remained in this curacy about five years, during which time he was enabled to collect £1500 for the restoration of the Church. The living of Dry Drayton, near Cambridge, at this time (1868) changed hands, and the new incumbent not being able to come into residence for six months, Mr Crosse, by the wish of the Bishop, took charge of the parish. From Dry Drayton he went to Fen Ditton. The rector of the parish was incapacitated from all work by ill-health. Although the population of the parish was 648, Mr Crosse found a congregation averaging only some ten or twelve adults - a church disfigured by high pews of all shapes and sizes, no regular choir, celebration of Holy Communion three times a year, two rival schools both returned as inefficient - one a small endowed school averaging 20 scholars, the other a national school averaging 15 scholars - no Sunday school. Through Mr Crosse's efforts the church was re-paved, re-floored, and seated with oak benches at a cost of £450. The number of celebrations was greatly increased, the two schools were combined under certified teachers, and the attendance rose to an average of 117. The school buildings were enlarged and re-fitted at an outlay of about £250, raised by Mr Crosse, who also established a night school and Sunday school.

After having been for seven years connected with Fen Ditton, Mr Crosse accepted, in 1878, the incumbency of Impington, near Cambridge. During the four years he was vicar of Impington he raised upwards of £1200 for the improvement of the church, which is now in a very satisfactory state. In 1882 he became vicar of Sawston, an important parish near Cambridge, with a population numbering nearly 2000. Here he raised £2450 for a vicarage, established an offertory at every service for church expenses and other objects, by which means £847 was raised in four years; and £760 was also raised and expended on works of restoration and improvement. Mr Crosse also for several years acted as chaplain to the Cambridge Borough Rifle Corps, and subsequently to the Duke of Manchester's Light Horse Volunteers, and was for sixteen years secretary to the Church Music Society for the Archdeaconry and Isle of Ely. Whilst carrying on all this church work, Mr Crosse also for many years attended diligently to a large class of private University pupils, upwards of 1000 having passed through his hands to a University degree. As a writer one of the deceased gentleman's best works was Paley's Analysis, which was published in 1860, and still has a remarkable sale.

The funeral will take place at Stow Churchyard to-day (Wednesday), when the Rev. C.E.H. Wilford and the Rural Dean (the Rev. E.W. Bayly) will officiate. Other clergy of the Deanery will be present, and the body will be borne to the grave by four old Fincham choir boys - Oliver Staines, Cecil Staines, Sidney Staines, and R.G. Kendall. Mrs Tennant will be unable to attend the funeral owing to the serious illness of her husband.

See also Other Extracts from Newspapers.

These pages are for personal use only. They may not be copied, and the links within them may not be harvested for use on your own web pages. Please see the Copyright Notice.

Copyright © Pat Newby
December 2004