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Hackney

St John's Parish Church

Lithograph of St John's Church, Middlesex, ca 1810

The Old Church

Today all that exists of the old church is a tower on Church Street Hackney. This pleasant plot of green near the centre of The London Borough of Hackney stands in sharp contrast to the busy neon city streets with typical high street shops. The path next to the tower is bordered with old tombs and gravestones leading past a rose garden toward the present St John's at Hackney Parish Church.

Earliest records of a church in Hackney date to around 1275 when the Knights Templars, substantial landholders in Hackney provided funds for any earlier church to be rebuilt or replaced. Before 1660 the church was dedicated to St Augustine, Bishop of Hippo (not the Augustine who converted the English to Christianity). The present church is dedicated to St John the Baptist. Hackney's first recorded rector was Thomas de Cobham.

The old 13th century tower and small chancel would have probably had several small side chapels dedicated to different saints. The most important of these was dedicted to the Virgin Mary. Several bequests left lights for her alter along with church ornaments and money for repairs and a large cross that stood in the nave or one of the aisles.

In the 14th century, St Augustine's had a priest and two chaplains with another priest added in the 15th Century. The most notable of the pre-Reformation rectors was Christopher Urswick who held the living from 1502 to 1521. He is supposed to have been instrumental in Henry VII's marriage to Elizabeth of York. In Hackney he embarked on a major reconstruction of the church with the nave enlarged and the chancel rebuilt. His coat of arms included three cranes and these were liberally scattered on shields on the walls of the church.

After the reformation images were removed from the church and any paintings covered or destroyed. An organ in the church was removed.

In the 1600's the vestry meeting was the principal organ of parish government. Prior to 1613 this was an open meeting. But after this date wealthy parishioners established a monoply on these meetings and the decision making which occured. The vestry also had a say in the appointment of parish schoolmasters, who also helped out with services. "One schoolmaster, Robert Skingle, was found to be such a poor teacher in 1666 that there seemed no option but to give thim the lectureship." Mander, 1993. The lectureship was effectively discontinued in 1828 when the rector JJ Watson began to pay for the afternoon sermon himself.

Hackney's population rose steadily from the mid 17th century. The area was popular with City business men and had a number of private schools established in some of the older schools. The church became overcrowded.

The New Church

With crowding continuing to be a problem and the temptations of non-conformists preachers attracting members from the parish, a committee drew up plans for a new church in 1789. The new neoclassical church was to be built for £10,000. It's capacity was to be for 2,200 people. A tower was originally planned but had to be deferred due to lack of funds. The new church was consecrated on 15 July 1797

New Rectories

In 1825 Hackney ws divided into three rectories, with the old chapel-of-ease in South hackney becoming a parish church. West hackney had a new church on Stoke Newington Road. And St John's at Hackney remained the third rectory. It was still a busy place. It is recorded that in late June and early July 1837 there were one hundred baptisms on each day - three hundred in total. New parishes: St Philip Dalston and St James Clapton were created in 1841 and St Barnabas Homerton in 1847. Even then baptisms were still running at an average of twenty each Sunday up to 1850.

Church Finances

Pew rents were a common source of revenue well into the 1800's. In the new church of St John's at Hackney, the regular pews were free but schools had to purchase pews for their scholars. These funds were supplemented by church rates (which non-conformists complained of because they were required to support a building they did not use) and tithes -- a tenth part of the main produce of the land, stock and labour.

In 1800 tithes were levied on eggs, saffron, flax, wool, hemp, rape, caraway and mustard seeds, peas, beans, clover and other grasses, root crops, fruit and cattle fodder. Tithes did not excite as much opposition as church rates in Hackney but they were commuted to a rent payment based on the prevailing corn price of 1843. Tithes were finally extinguished in 1935.

The Rev Thomas Oliver Goodchild, MA, 1839-77

The Rev Thomas Goodchild was a High Church supporter and known for his "hearty, sprightly manner". Born in Middlesex in 1801, Goodchild was firmly in the Tory mould. He and his supporters were greatly shaken by the Chartist agitation that led to the great march of Kennington Common in april 1848 and local meetings in the Hackney area. In 1851 church attendance was around 700 for the morning service and 500 at evening. By 1886 this had risen to 1,093 and 960 respectively, making St John's the best attended of any Hackney church.

In 1871 he launched an appeal to provide a clock for the four faces of the tower of the new church. Goodchild was rector for thirty-eight years. He was followed by Arthur Brook (known as "running brook" because of his energy). Arthur Brook increased church attendance, introduced a mission house for poorer districts, changed the pews to lower ones to improve visability and introduced open air worship. A Temperance Society may also have been a Brook initiative.

For Further Reading

These books may be purchased by sterling or USD check to: C. Morgan, 'Elmcote' Chepstow Rd, Raglan, Wales, UK. Please add £1/£2.50 postage and handling. Thank you

References

Bennet, Alfred Rosling, London & Londoneers in the 1850Õs and 60Õs. T. Fisher Unwen Ltd., London, 1924

Clarke, Benjamin. Glimpses of Ancient Hackney and Stoke Newington. .London Borough of hackney in Association with the Hackney Society, 1892

Dunstan, James. History of the Parish of Bromley St. Leonard, 1862.

Lewis, Alfred King and Eliza Fenn, Wedding Certificate, 1856, #1034

London Commercial Directory, 1837 - 1870

Mander, David, St John-at-Hackney: The story of a church. Parish of Hackney, London, 1993

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created by Cheryl L. Morgan,
last modified: 19 December 2008