Rev Ernest Julius PARKER [1054]

  General Notes:

Julius Jottings No 2 April 1900
Ernest Julius, born at Rowledge, October 20, 1872; educated at Rev. J Baker's, Winchester, 1883-85; Foundation Scholar of Marlborough College, 1886-91; Head of the House (Mitre), 1889-91; of "Penny Readings" Committee, 1890-91; Scholar of Brasenose College, Oxford, 1891-95; Member of Committee of the University Musical Union, 1893-95; represented it at Cambridge, 1892, 1894 and 1895; 2nd Class Classical Mods., 1893; 3rd Class Greats; and Graduated 1895; Oxford House, Autumn of 1895; Ordained (1895) at Chichester to Curacy of Westbourne Sussex; Curate of St John's Stamford Hill, North, October 1898.
Address: 39, Daleview Road, Stamford Hill.

Julius Jottings No 2
April 1900.
Parish Work in North London.
I have been asked to give my experience of Parish work in the north of London. Now all my acquaintances, and almost all my relations, live the other side of the river. They know the Oxford streets shops; the street names around Waterloo or Victoria run from their tongues glib as water; the gentleman know the city, the ladies say they know St Paul. One or two have penetrated the crowded slums of the East. But the North newer than any, with his bracing air with its hills stretching away to Essex and Hertfordshire, the North and its vast artisan population they know not.
We have indeed heard of Hamstead, with its heath and November bonfire, of Highgate and Dick Whittington; those are in the north-west. But if you want to reach Stamford Hill, you must choose another way. If you don't take the G.E.R from Liverpool Street, get on the tram that runs from the City past Shoreditch, and on through Kingsland, Dalston and Stoke Newington, till you get to the edge where Stamford Hill shelves sharply down into Tottenham, and at the same moment the big houses of Stoke Newington change suddenly into rows and rows of small flats and tenements for artisans.
Sixty years ago the lonely fields of Stamford Hill were unsafe for travellers by night. 30 years ago wealthy city merchants resided on their estates in Clacton and Hornsey and Tottenham was a country town. Now everything is broken up and perpetual streets sprawl over Muswell Hill, Crouch End, and the banks of the Lea. Go on northwards down the train lines through Tottenham; mark the remnants of aristocracy in the High Street, always the same change unrolls itself; on past the Marlborough Mission (St Mary's), on without a break to Edmonton, where stands a new "Angel" big, square, and gilt. Edmonton is now roughest of the rough; yet one can hardly be surprised, for the return ticket to Liverpool Street's (7 miles each way), for those who like to go before 6 am, is no more than twopence. Only I should recommend my own friends a later train for choice.
It is the contribution of the G.E.R. to the solution of the terrible overcrowding problem; it brings out the labourers at the lowest rates where rents are less ruinous than in London. That is why hundreds of new houses rise every year in Edmonton.
And what about St John's, (Stamford Hill) Paris, I have worked for some 18 months, and should know something of it. Well our little flock of labourers, odd job men, clerks, mixed up with a good sprinkling of middle-class, amounting roughly to about 10,000 souls. The Vicar classes his parishioners in to sets - the poor, and the very poor. Upper class, beyond one or two outside the parish, we have none.
Work in the winter is slack for many trades, and this winter there has been a good deal of distress; but of course the "Woodbury" and "Victoria" are responsible for far more. The roads (we don't have streets here) are broad, and the houses not high; but in most instances they are tenanted by two or even three or four families. The outsides of the houses are most deceptive. If you really want to know what kind of people live behind, you must knock at the door, and view the lady in the doorway. She generally betrays herself. Only it isn't fair to go on Tuesdays, because that is washing day.
And what do we do for them? What is our parish work?
Well we have St John's church St John's Church holdiing 700 people (with parish room attached), and a Mission building down in the Tewkesbury. Each have the three services every Sunday and we have a staff of three clergy, and now a lay reader given us by the E. L. C. F.
We don't of course fill them fall though we do fairly well; but it is only fair to mention, that there are three dissenting chapels in the parish, of which two are as large as St John's, and their congregations of a richer type.
The most original thing about St John's church to the stranger is the weddings which take place there on Christmas, Easter, or Whitsun days On these occasions there are usually from 6 to 10 couples in rows and all married at once. The ceremony takes place at 9:15 a.m. If you have is any later, some of the guests mightn't be in the right frame of mind the congregation is considerable, we have a great reputation for strictness Clergy Churchwardens and Verger we all wait for them, we dragoon them from the doors upwards; we break them into parties; we hustle and arrange them; we drive them into corners. Sometimes they walk up the aisle with their hats on then we go and take them off. All would be chattering if you would let them, so it is necessary to break their spirit first. Then the couples themselves are so odd sometimes.
One of our factory girls has passed into a proverb she was going to take her bloke like anyone else for better for worse; but when she came to specifying the time, she and amended the marriage service, from this day forward, to, for this day fortnight. Whether the emendation was deliberately planned I can't say; but it couldn't be allowed to pass.
Then for the weekday work. It is a mistake to think you can't be lazy in a London parish. You can be lazy anywhere unless your employer is of a violent turn of mind; and even then with management, you can be fairly slack. But once begin in earnest, and there is no end to the multitude of things. Of course there is study work in the mornings; in the afternoons procure visiting, sometimes interesting, sometimes dull. But it is the evening club work that gives us our excitement. My own program, at least through the winter months is:
Monday, 6.30 - 8.00: take the boys choir practice; 8.00 - 10.30; men's social; go around and talk, organise games, play accompaniments, etc
Tuesday, 8.30 - 9.30; Church Lads Brigade; open with prayers, do all the odd jobs, perhaps take the weekly payments, keep people on the go.
Wednesday7.30 - 9.15; take Sunday School Lads Club, gymnasium, single stick, drafts, dominoes, etc
Thursday: concerts lectures, teachers classes etc.
Friday, 8.00 - 9.30: attend a full choir practice
Saturday, 7.00 - 8.30; Take Choral Society practice.
This exhaust my own, but not the full parish list. At the Mission they have a similar catalogue of clubs. The list there includes "Miss Lawford's Saints" (male sex) and "Miss Wallers Angel's" (female) alias the Factory Girls Club.
These ladies are extremely lively, and full of original sin. Space forbids to tell how they conspire to all take down their hair at once, how they behave in the street, how they plot to mass them blokes round the door, of their revenge when they are put out those of our readers who know Miss Waller will be sorry to hear that influenza is compelling her to resign both her post and her angels.
Then we have this winter started a flourishing Debating Society: among the speakers have been FH Brewin and HF Parker. Our branch of the Church Lads Brigade was born in October; fortunately we have excellent officers, this is indispensable; I have the honour to be Chaplain. Also we have a Parochial Choral Society, numbering 40 members, founded in January, 1899. Our first concert took place on February 22, and was a great success, both musically and financially. But the happiest sign of all is the number and kindness of the workers. Of Sunday School teachers we have 60, and more than 50 of those work all week for their living in the city. In my own school, there are two, the average attendance out of 35 teachers is 33: this is partly to be put down to the systematic methods learnt in London business.
So, again, with district visitors, of whom there are nearly 20, all but three volunteers but we don't keep servants here but only HR women, it represents a real sacrifice to attempt a street of anything between 20 and 100 houses, many of them double tenanted.
So, yet again, with the clubs; all the workers are volunteers, in clubs for men, boys, factory girls; some as Brigade officers some in the Choirs, on the Council, or different Committees.
Perhaps I have drawn the bright side of the picture. There is a dark side as well, especially in dealing with individuals; we often seem to make a little way; we fail offtener then we succeed. And our own people are apt to fall out with each other every now and then in the most idiotic way. Still, we try not to take these things too seriously. I believe that in many parishes in North London the Church of England is doing a great and effectual work, and I can wish the gentle readers of this magazine no better fate than defined occupation as interesting, and possibly similar to my own
Ernest Julius Parker
39 Daleview Road,
Stamford Hill N.

Julius Jottings No 2 April 1900.
St John's, Stamford Hill. Rummage sale early in May, to wipe off debt on the Church of L50. Wanted - all remnants of housecleaning is, all old clothes, boots, etc., thankfully received by the Rev E. J. Parker also, if any kind friends have in-patient letters for any of the London hospitals or for Convalescent Homes, we have many applications for them. Address, Rev E. J. Parker, 39 Daleview Road, Stamford hill, N.

Julius Jottings. No 7 April 1902.
The Rev E. J. Parker, Curate at St . . . . . Church, Stamford Hill, is about to resign his curacy, as he starts in May for the Cape en route for Bulawayo, where he will work under Bishop Gaul of Mashonaland. In the meanwhile he is getting up a little knowledge of medicine and surgery at the hospital. His London parish deeply regret losing him.

Ernest returned to England in 1932, and was given the living of Winwick Rugby.

Parker the Rev Ernest Julius of the Rectory Winwick near Rugby clerk died 31 January 1942 at St Andrews Hospital Northampton Probate Llandudno 10 April to Alfred Julius Stevens solicitor. Effects L1914 1s 6d
Ref: National Probate Calendar

  Research Notes:

Image Courtesy McKillop Family Tree Ancestry.

  Medical Notes:

Ernest suffered from senility at his end, a family trait - Roy Waight

  Other Records

1. Census: England, 3 Apr 1881, Rowledge Vicarage Farnham HAM. Ernest is recorded as a son aged 8 a scholar born Rowledge.

2. Census: England, 5 Apr 1891, Rowledge Vicarage Binsted E Hants. Ernest is described as a son aged 18 single a scholar born Binsted

Ernest married Elizabeth May FORD [1056] [MRIN: 335] in 1908. (Elizabeth May FORD [1056] was born on 11 Nov 1887 in Hoxton MDX.)