Bulpit in the pulpit – a
OUR previous ecclesiastical feature about the renowned Birmingham-born Rev William T Bulpit, starting his career in 1872 as a 31-year old at Holy Trinity Church, Hoghton Street, had him perhaps boarding with his family at one of his colleagues for just a couple of months in Southport.
Meanwhile, in 1866, the landed gent Rev Charles Hesketh gave land for a church, vicarage and glebe in Banks, and the next year saw that church consecrated.
The rural village had previously come under the charge of Crossens until this church, St Stephen’s, was created, and the Rev Norman S Jeffrey (Curate to the Rector) was appointed first vicar; on his transfer to Blackpool he was succeeded by the Rev T Simmons, but he soon resigned.
Just when William Thomas Bulpit was ordained has yet to be established. However, what we do know is that the indefatigable William Bulpit (a good friend of Charles Hesketh) was, somewhat surprisingly – basically due to his lack of experience – offered the living of St Stephen’s-inthe-Banks, in 1872, six years on from it being built, and he stayed until resigning in 1878.
After a good six years’ service at Banks, the earnest, able and beloved minister became Vicar of St John’s Church, Crossens – following the death of the Rev Thomas Henery, in January 1878, aged 56.
Bulpit officially took over on March 6, and once there William, the cleric and amateur medic, liked nothing better (apart from local history research) than to meet-and-greet and quickly got to know his parishioners (even going fishing with some of them), taking a great deal of interest in – and lending support to – the families.
The original churches of St John’s, Crossens, and (Holy) Trinity – along with the respective vicarages – had both been built in 1837, and said to have been created from the same rather basic plans, probably drawnup by Anna Maria Alice Hesketh, Lady of the Manor (wife of the Rev Charles Hesketh, at Meols Hall), the daughter of Richard Saunders, of Wennington Hall.
The Crossens congregation had previously met in the village’s old tithe barn, near The Sluice, while the embryo of Trinity had their home in Hall’s Chapel, facing Sussex Road (as it was later called).
The Rev Jonathan Jackson was appointed the first incumbent for Trinity, and the Rev J Power, rector at Crossens.
Bulpit, the rather autocratic clergyman turned amateur historian, had his masterpiece published in 1908, with Notes On Southport And District, featuring more than 190 editorial pages crammed with historical facts and stories; it cost one shilling to buy at the time, but is now a very rare commodity, a collector’s item which will take you back in the region of £150.
It is a masterful piece of interesting writing, and still extremely useful for today’s local and family historians.
There are only a handful of photographs in his book, but even these are wonderful early illustrations.
The well-known cleric may well have been short in stature, but make no mistake, the Rev Bulpit was once a very big deal in Banks, Crossens and early Southport.
One of the great works advocated by him was the drainage of Martin Mere, and after waiting for other landowners to take part in the improvement, and being pressed by Bulpit, Sir Charles Scarisbrick spiritedly accomplished the task – at least as far as his own estate was concerned.
Another great boon to Banks brought about by the efforts of Bulpit was the laying of a water main for the villagers, and the placing of taps in every cottage.
Ditches and the rainfall had been the previous sources of supply, for there were no springs in Banks.
Another excellent advocated project by WTB was the making of the West Lancashire Railway; Bulpit, along with his friend ex-Alderman Fisher waited patiently for moneyman Edward Holden, of Woodbank, to provide his support (in 1875), and with Bulpit’s enthusiastic efforts the project was revived, culminating, in 1877, with the opening of the railway line between Hesketh Park and Hesketh Bank.
Well might the farmers rejoice as this extension to the West Lancashire Railway to Preston gave a good market for cockles, as well as various farm produce.
Things were now different from what an early travel writer told of in 1838: “The roads are so sloughy and sinkable that horses drag loads of produce for Preston market over socalled roads in the Banks, with broad appendages to their feet, called ‘pattens’, to prevent their sinking knee deep.” You can just image it! In his 1908 book Bulpit said he found the people of Banks “hospitable and public spirited”, and when he first moved in to his house there he found it stocked with sacks of corn and flour, and a quantity of pork, eggs, butter, buttermilk, pies and other food – all as a welcome for the new minister.
In his prized volume Bulpit recollects, by name, many of the wonderful characters of the time, especially those he had made strong acquaintances with – so it is now a wonderful record for family and local historians to dwell on, and get to know who was who, and what they were like.
In this tome – worth its weight in gold to nostalgia lovers – the vicar said he would have liked to have told of all the “boggarts” (ghosts), but bemoans: “I only have time to tell of ‘finds’.”
In 1857 W Abram (“Random”) and W Baxter, excavating a drain at Hundred End, discovered some Roman coinage; their friend Edward Thornton showed them to Bulpit, who recognized them as Vespasian and Trajan copper coins.
William Ryding, excavating for a barn, opposite the vicarage, also found a period sepulchral urn, containing a little red earth and ash – all very interesting to our man of the cloth.
Bulpit thoroughly enjoyed studying local history and was always searching for relics of the past – but more on his glacial and wooden discoveries next week in our concluding feature.
To the antiquarian the joy of discovery is certainly ample reward for his (or her) patient labours, and on