Reverend Henry
Fearon: on the 135th anniversary of his death and funeral
On
Friday 12 June, 1885 (1), at the age of 82 (2), and only
8 days off his 83rd birthday, the Reverend Henry Fearon, Rector of
Loughborough, and Archdeacon of Leicester, passed away. Fearon had retired from
the archdeaconry in early April, 1884, due to failing health, but had been
granted permission by the Bishop of Peterborough to retain the title of
archdeacon. Reverend Fearon had been in declining health for some time, and had
refrained from taking part in the services of the church for several months. The
final two months of his life were spent confined to his bed, under the care of
Dr Eddowes (3) right up until the time of his death.
The
living at Loughborough, which became vacant upon the death of Fearon, was
variously described as being valued at anything from £800, through £988 to over
£1,000 per year, a substantial amount, and probably one of the highest in the
country at the time. It was not until the beginning of August 1885, that a
successor to Fearon was appointed, when Reverend Thomas Pitts, MA and Fellow of
Emmanuel College, Cambridge, accepted the living of Loughborough. Reverend
Pitts had previously been a master of the Haileybury School, an independent
school in Hertfordshire. By contrast, the Bishop of Peterborough was quick to
confer the 8th Honorary Canonry on Reverend John Martyn Collyns, MA,
and Rector of Daventry, and Reverend Collyns was installed at a service on the
afternoon of Saturday 27 June 1885. Reverend Canon Assheton Pownell, MA, and
graduate of Brasenose College Oxford, and Rector of South Kilworth, had been
appointed to the archdeaconry of Leicester immediately upon Fearon’s
resignation in April 1884.
Fearon’s
death was reported widely in the press of the day (4). He was
variously described as a most learned and courteous divine, and a moderate
Liberal. Some newspapers reported on the admirable and kindly manner in which
he performed his important duties, and how he gained the respect and esteem of
the community of Loughborough. It was also said that one couldn’t over-estimate
the value of his dedication to the cause of education, and his unfailing
interest in the welfare of the working classes. During his time as rector, the
church of All Saints had been improved, the ecclesiastical affairs of the
parish had been developed, and all in a quiet and unostentatious manner. Fearon
was reported to be earnest, making practical efforts to improve the condition
of those around him, and a striking feature of his life was the charitable way in
which he treated those of differing religious beliefs to his own.
Reverend
Fearon’s funeral took place on Friday 19 June, the service being held at All
Saints church, and the burial at the town cemetery on Leicester Road. The
ceremony itself was simple, and the whole day was declared a day of mourning.
Most of the shops in the town centre closed just before the time of the
funeral, and even the blinds of private houses were drawn. All the town
factories were closed for several hours so that the workers could pay their
last respects to Reverend Fearon: as such thousands of townsfolk were able to
attend the funeral or line the route of the funeral procession. The bells of
All Saints, Holy Trinity church and Emmanuel church were tolled, and the flag
on the tower of the Grammar School was mounted at half-mast.
The
funeral procession was extensive, comprising both relatives and friends of
Fearon; both clergy from the archdeaconry and non-conformist ministers from
Loughborough; representatives from different public bodies and tenants of the
reverend. In fact, so extensive was the procession that entry to the church
service at All Saints was by ticket only. The cortege arrived at the church
just before 2.30 on the afternoon of Friday 19 June, where, on entering through
the west door, it was met by the sounds of a combined choir of over 80 voices
from All Saints, Holy Trinity church and Emmanuel church, singing ‘When our
heads are bowed with woe’.
Members
of the congregation who were not part of the procession had been seated for
over an hour before the procession entered the church. Once everyone was
seated, the, which was taken by the Reverend James Mountain, the curate of All
Saints, began. The lesson was read by Reverend L.L. Cooper of St John’s church in
Leicester, and Dr Briggs, the organist at All Saints, brought the service to a
close with a rendition of ‘Dead march’ from Handel’s Oratorio, ‘Saul’ (5).
The
funeral procession then made its way to the cemetery on Leicester Road, led by
the sexton, Mr T. Grundy. Leaving the church at about 3pm, the procession went
down Church Gate, passed the edge of Market Place, then along High Street and
up Leicester Road to the cemetery, passing hundreds of mourners along its way.
The whole journey of just under a mile-and-a half took about an hour to reach
its destination. The massed choir sang ‘Jesus lives no longer now’ as the
procession entered the cemetery gates, and did so also at the graveside. The
service at the graveside was read first by the Reverend J. B. N. Woodroffe,
followed by the Reverend Mountain, and the benediction was pronounced by the Venerable
Archdeacon Lightfoot. The grave was layered with dark leaves, a cross of white
flowers, and circles of daisies, and on the ledges were white blossoms fringed
with ferns. The locally made oak coffin, with brass fittings and an inscribed brass
plate, was covered in wreaths and crosses.
On
the Sunday following Reverend Fearon’s funeral, a funeral service was held at
All Saints, the sermon being preached by Reverend Lewis Clayton of St Margaret’s
church in Leicester, assisted by Reverend Mountain and the Reverend R. H.
Parsons. The chosen text read from the bible, was from the 9th verse
of the 4th chapter of Phillippians, which was chosen for its appropriateness
to the situation in Loughborough, and for its obvious application to the
Reverend Fearon, a man who most certainly practised what he preached, and a man
who was always ready to forgive. Later that same evening, the Reverend Martin
preached to another large congregation, whilst the Reverend E. Bell held a
special service at Holy Trinity church, and reference was made to the funeral of
the Reverend Fearon at Emmanuel and other churches across the town.
Post-Script Further details of the life of the Reverend Henry Fearon can be found elsewhere on this blog, as can memories of happy times for the Reverend Fearon.
Footnotes
(1)
Newspaper reports of the time vary widely in their statements about the date of
Reverend Fearon’s death: some quoted 7.50 on the evening of Thursday 11 June,
others Friday 12 June and yet others Saturday 13 June. Friday 12 June is the
date recorded in the probate record.
(2)
Again, newspaper reports of the time claim the Reverend Fearon was 82, 83, 85
or even 89 at the time of his death. His birth is recorded as 20 June 1802, and
he was baptised on 8 September 1802.
(3)
I am unclear which Dr Eddowes was attending Reverend Fearon: this could have
been John Henry (jun.) or his brother, Arthur Benjamin Jackson Eddowes.
(4)
The report of the funeral and burial of Fearon which appeared in the ‘Nottinghamshire
Guardian’ of 26 June 1885, was ironically immediately followed by an
article describing the opening of a new reservoir at Park Row, Nottingham,
which cost around £12,000, the reservoir being capable of holding 2.25 gallons.
In 1870 Fearon had been instrumental in providing Loughborough with a clean
supply of fresh water from Nanpantan Reservoir, and presented the town with the
Fearon Fountain, which, along with the more recent ‘Sockman’ is an iconic
feature of Loughborough’s Market Place.
(5)
The librettist who wrote 'Saul' was Charles Jennens, from Gopsall Hall, in
Leicestershire, with whom Handel had a close friendship, and whom he visited
often.
You are welcome to quote passages from any of my posts, with appropriate credit. The correct citation for this looks as follow:
Dyer, Lynne (2020). Death and funeral of Reverend Henry Fearon. Available from:https://lynneaboutloughborough.blogspot.com/2020/06/death-and-funeral-of-reverend-henry.html [Accessed: 7 June 2020]
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