St John's Church

Newspaper cuttings from the Eastern Cape.
Weekend Post, October 1973.

CHURCH PLAYED ROLE IN SETTLER HISTORY

St. John's Church in Bathurst, is the oldest unaltered Anglican church in South Africa and is a National Monument. This historic edifice is not only representative of the heroism of the 1820 Settlers and of the dangerous times in which those people lived but also their determination to build a worthy place of worship. Though services were begun as early as 1820 - in a marquee - it was not till 1838 that the church was completed and opened for worship. In that time it was used on more than one occasion as a place of refuge for the local inhabitants.

FIRST SOD
Those first services in the marquee were presided over by the Chaplin of Bathurst, the Rev. William BOARDMAN. He died in 1825. A successor was not appointed for nearly three years. In 1832, during the ministry of the Rev. George PORTER, the first sod was cut for the foundations. The foundation stone was laid two months afterwards.

By the time the Rev. James BARROW took over in August, 1833, the masonry was completed. The bell was hung in the tower that December. In October, 1834, tenders were received for roofing the church with zinc. Then in December, war broke out. Lower Albany was overrun by rampaging Xhosa.  Outlaying settlers were ordered to abandon their homesteads and concentrate in Bathurst.

EVACUATED
The most secure building there was the church. Women and children were sheltered there while men guarded the building and the cattle kraal established nearby. Periodic attacks were repelled till a week later, the settlers were evacuated to Grahamstown in an escorted wagon convoy.

In January, 1835, the military re-occupied Bathurst and garrisoned the church, which was incorporated in the military post for the period of hostilities. The building was strengthened with outer earthworks and survived attacks till the end of the war in September. In October a meeting was held to organise resumption of work on the church. The furnishing of the church was completed by December, 1837, and it was opened with a service on New Year's day, 1838.

SHELTER
The peace in the district was again disrupted when war broke out in April, 1846. On this occasion 300 people had to sleep in the church, its windows blocked by sandbags. War ravaged the country for a third time in December, 1850. As before, the church became a night-time shelter for the people in the area. When peace came in 1853 it also ended the turbulent period in the church's history.

The churchyard is also a focal point of historical interest and Mr. George BRISCOE, a retired farmer living nearby, says almost every grave has an engrossing background. One of the graves is that of Thomas HARTLEY, a settler from Nottingham. He was Bathurst's village blacksmith - who also pulled teeth as a sideline, much to the objection
of dentists in Grahamstown. He was also one of St. John's first wardens.

It is interesting to note that most of the settlers from Nottingham actually made their homes in Bathurst. Another grave is that of little Catherine BARROW, a daughter of the Rev. James BARROW. She died aged six in 1860 when the infant mortality rate was particularly high. There are also many graves of people who died in the Blaauwkrantz train disaster.
 

ST. JOHN'S CHURCH

THIS CHURCH. BUILT BY 1820 SETTLERS.  WAS DESIGNED BY
C.C. MICHELL  R.E., LATER PROMOTED TO LT. ~ COLONEL
AND APPOINTED SURVEYOR ~ GENERAL OF THE CAPE COLONY.
THE FOUNDATION STONE WAS LAID ON 1ST MAY, 1832. AND
THE CHURCH WAS OPENED ON 1ST JANUARY, 1838.  WHILE STILL
UNDER CONSTRUCTION.  THE BUILDING SERVED AS A REFUGE
DURING THE WAR OF 1834 AND AS A FORT IN I835.  IT
AGAIN BECAME A PLACE OF REFUGE IN THE WARS OF 1846-47
AND 1850 ~ 53.
 

Historical Monuments Commission

ST. JOHNSKERK

HIERDIE KER, GEBOU DEUR 1820 ~ SETLAARS. IS ONTWERP
DEUR C.C. MICHELL R.E., WAT LATER TOT LT. ~ KOLONEL
BEVORDER EN AS LANDMETER ~ GERNERAAL VAN DIE KAAP ~ KOLONIE
AANGESTEL IS.  DIE HOEKSTEEN IS OP 1 MEI 1832 GELÊ EN DIE
KERK IS OP 1 JANUARIE 1838 GEOPEN.  TERWYL DIT NOT IN
AANBOU WAS.  HET DIT IN DIE OORLOG VAN 1834 AS 'N TOEVLUGS
OOR EN IN 1833 AS 'N FORT GEDIEN.  DIT IS WEEK IN DIE
OORLOË VAN 1846 ~ 47 EN 1850 ~ 53 AS 'N TOEVLUGSOORD GEBRUIK

Historiese Monumentekommissie

1967

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