A refuge for women and children
The history of Clumber Church ‒ Part 2
Clumber Church, outside Bathurst on the Shaw Park road celebrates its 150th year anniversary this year.
The main celebrations, which also coincide with the renovations to the church, take place from 20 to 22 October. Leading up to this, Grocott’s Mail is publishing the history of the church in three parts.
The head of the Nottingham Party, Dr Thomas Calton, died in Algoa Bay. His successor, Thomas Draper, left Clumber not long thereafter, so the leadership passed to William Pike a Methodist who administered spiritual comfort from the moment the Party boarded the Albury. Pike was the final leader of the Nottingham Party.
Prior to the first Church being built, the Nottingham Party used to congregate under the trees at John Bradfield’s home, in wet weather at William Pike’s and even in the open on Mount Mercy.
The first service conducted by an ordained minister was on 11 January 1821 when Reverend William Shaw visited Clumber. By April 1821 a district preaching plan had been put into operation which resulted in a service being held each Sunday.
The first 100-seater church was opened on 28 Septem- ber 1825 at Mount Mercy – which was remarkable considering the financial circumstances of the Party and that there had been three successive crop failures due to rust and the Great Flood of October 1823.
William Pike died in 1829 and is buried close to the existing church.
In 1834 the sixth Frontier War erupted and the entire district had to be vacated and thus lay abandoned.
The Settlers congregated in Bathurst but the authorities deemed the protection there insufficient so on 28 December they were relocated to Grahamstown under armed guard.
The first Clumber Church was entered during this time and when everyone returned it was recommended that a second, 200-seater church be built.
By 1837 this second Church was operational. Reverend John Ayliff , a friend of Clumber for 20 years, preached in January 1845.
In March 1846 the Seventh Frontier War, or War of the Axe began.
In April the Clumber Church became the Clumber Command Station with Thomas Cockroft as Commandant.
Rather than evacuating the entire area, the church became the refuge for women and children while the men were on reconnaissance duties. Martial law was lifted in January 1847 but it was not possible to resume services until March.
On 27 December 1850 the Eighth Frontier War began and during this time the base camp was established on Edward Timm’s farm, Prospect, as it was easier to defend than the church.
By January 1851 most Clumber people were in the camp, living in wagons and hastily erected wattle and daub huts.
Hostilities only ended in March 1853. The church badly needed repairs and Thomas Tarr and William Foxcroft were each paid 10 shillings for the work.
In August 1854 William Shaw preached the Anniversary Sermon, more than 33 years since his first visit.
• Courteney George Bradfield attended Clumber Church, Clumber Sunday School and Clumber School in his youth. A descendant of Granville Glasson Bradfield, father, Edmund George Bradfield, grandfather, Jonathan Bradfield, Great Grandfather, Joseph Bradfield, GG Grandfather and John Bradfield GGG Grandfather, all buried at Clumber. He is the current compiler of the church website and Chairman of the church committee.