Samuel Flood Page to Viscount Melbourne 2 Sept 1833

Ramsey Isle of Man Sepr 2nd 1833

My Lord

I observe that a Sum of Money has been voted by Parliament in the furtherence of Education & the Chancellor of the Exchequer defined the erection of schools as one of the objects to which it would be applied.

Our Day & Sunday Schools in this town are just now involved in difficulties which threaten to destroy them.

About 3 years back a commodious School House was erected under the guarantee of some Gentlemen, in the hope of being able to raise the cost thereof by subscriptions. The building cost about £210 - all we have been able to raise is £100 - & at this moment the builder is about to resume the possession of the building, & to sell it to pay the balance of his debt which with interest is £120 - The children have been dismissed in their vocation with no prospect of a re-assembley for when our Law Courts re-open in October, proceedings will be pressed to termination.

Under these circumstances we trust His Majesty's Government will bec enabled to extend to our children the benefit of timely aid - the population of the town is 2000 - if the sum of one hundred Pounds could be granted to us, the Trustees will procure the residue & take care to secure this new & substantial Building in perpeptuity as a Free School House for the Poor.

I trust my Lord you will consider that this Island has peculiar claims for such assistance when your Lordship learns that we have been excluded from participation in the "Parliamentary Grant for Building Churches", no portion of the Funds of the 'Church Building Society' can be granted us & that the "National School Society" cannot assist us, because their several charters do not extend to the Isle of Man.

The facts of our case can be supported & established by our Authorities and by our good Bishop in any way your Lordship may require.

I have only lately been appointed Minister to St Peter's Chapel in this town & am in no way personally interested in the Matter; but I am too deeply impressed with the Importance of Education to allow any hope to pass unsought & this will be my apology for thus hastely addressing your Lordship - May I presume to cause an early reply - if only to give us hope of assistance it will be of importance - for under such a hope, we could perhaps induce the builder to stay proceedings - I have the honor &c

Saml Flood Page Minister of St Peter's Chapel Ramsey

Notes

A brief mention of St Peter's Chapel is given by Gelling [p65] in his description of the diocese under Bishop Ward

He bought an old chapel in Ramsey, and intended to open it as a second church, to be called St Peter's, to meet the needs of Ramsey. He appointed Samuel Page, who was shortly to be ordained, as the first Chaplain, but the Chaplain of St Pauls [Archibald Holmes]protested so strongly that the plan was dropped.

The Dispute with Revd Archibald Holmes over the need for two chapels in Ramsey and whether there was enough money to fund two chaplains spilled over to the Manx Press in early 1833 [see Manx Sun 30th April 1833] ; the Manx Sun of Friday, 13th September 1833 noted that at an Ordination held in St. Nicholas' chapel, Bishop's Court, on Sunday last, by the Lord Bishop of Sodor and Mann, the following persons were admitted into holy orders :— Priest, Rev. Samuel Flood Page, of Queen's College, Cambridge.— Deacons, Robert Llewellyn Caley, B.A., St. John's College, Cambridge ; Conrade M. Wimbuley, B.A., St. Johns College, Cambridge ; Joseph White, B. A., Trinity College, Dublin.

As there had to be some curacy to which Mr Page would fill in order to be ordained, it would appear that St Peter's Chapel was opened, though for how long is uncertain; in a reprinted Appeal to English donors by Bishop Ward [Manx Sun 16 Aug 1833] £200 9s 9d was spent on St Peter's Chapel for the purchase of the Building and the Freehold ground - Mona's Herald of 27th June 1834 carried a report of Missionary sermons preached in Ramsey including by the Rev. Samuel Flood Page, clergyman of St. Peter's.

St Peter's chapel would appear to have been given up by 1835 - the Rev. Page was then appointed Chaplain to the Bishop, living at Orrisdale, which position he held for 2 years before moving to the parish of Rattlesden, in Suffolk, as chaplain - his death is noted in Preston in 1854 - his wife, the youngest daughter of Lt Governor Shaw died in 1872. The building became the National School in Ramsey and later in 19th Century the Church Hall for St Pauls before demolition in the 1960s.

His letter would appear to have drawn some response in London as Mona's Herald, Friday, 31st January 1834 notes that

We are given to understand that a Bill is in progress by Mr. Spring Rice, to transfer the government portion of tithes in the Isle of Man to King William's College as a foundation, and that the measure will be brought before the House of Commons early in next month. Copy of Mr. Spring Rice's letter to the Bishop of Sodor and Man :—

"My dear Lord Bishop,—In reply to the application so strongly and zealously urged by your lordship in favour of tbe Schools in the Isle of Man, I have the honor to enclose our Minute and the form of return required by the Treasury, and I venture to anticipate that if any of the towns or parishes in your lordship's diocese bring themselves within our rules, there will be no difficulty in making the grant. I have the honor to be, &c SPRING RICE. Treasury, Dec. 26, 1833."

The venerable Archdeacon Philpot has issued a circular to the Clergy of the Isle of Man. requesting them to call meetings and urge the inhabitants to subscribe either in money, cartage, or materials, for the erecting of School-houses in the Island wherever they are needed, as the Lord Bishop has succeeded in getting a promise from the British Treasury, that a portion of the £20,000 granted last session for the building of School-houses for the children of the poorer classes in Great Britain, will be appropriated to the Isle of Man, provided the towns or parishes requiring School-houses will bring themselves within the Treasury Minute Rules hereafter stated. The Lord Bishop requests that not a day be lost in calling meetings and ascertaining the wants of the Island in the above respect, as he fears the grant may be expended if early application be not made. As public journalists we feel it our duty to impress the foregoing subject seriously on the mind of every parent and friend of the rising generation, as apathy expressed now, may act as a barrier to much future good.

Copy of Treasury Minute, dated 31st of August, 1833.

My Lords have read the Act of last Session, by which £20,000 is granted in aid of private subscriptions, for building Schools for the children of the poorer classes in Great Britain. The following arrangements are made:—
1.— That no portion of this sum be applied to any purpose whatever, except for the erection of new School-houses, and that in the definition of a Schoolhouse, the residence for masters or attendants be not included.
2.—That no application be entertained, unless a sum be raised by private contribution, equal at the least, to one half of the total estimated expenditure.
3.— That the amount of private subscriptions be received, expended, and accounted for before any issue of public money for such School be directed.
4.— That no application be complied with, unless upon a satisfactory report of the National School Society, and the School be likely to be permanently supported.
5.— That the applicants, whose cases are favourably entertained, bind themselves to submit to any audit of their accounts which this Board may direct, as well as to such periodical reports as may be called for.

The death of Rev Page was noted in the Manx Press with summaries of an obviously fuller obituary carried in the Preston Chronicle. - that of the Manx Sun, Saturday, 30th September 1854;

DEATH OF THE REV. S. F. PAGE

It is with much regret that we have this week to record the death of the Rev. Samuel Flood Page, the zealous and much respected incumbent of St. Paul's Church in this town[Preston]. The rev. gentleman expired on Saturday evening List, after two day's illness. The sudden death of a clergyman so much esteemed naturally caused a strong feeling of regret and sympathy. Mr. Page took holy orders rather late in life, having been ordained, after a probationary course at Queen's College, Cambridge, of which he was a fellow commoner, in the chapel at Bishop's Court, in the Isle of Man, by Bishop Ward, on the 31st of March, 1833, so that his ministerial life has only just exceeded twenty-one years. He remained in the Isle of Man four years, the last two of which he was chaplain to the bishop. From the Isle of Man he removed to the parish of Rattlesden, in Suffolk, of which he was curate in sole charge. Here also he served for the like period of four years. From Rattlesden, he removed to the small incumbency of Farnham, in Suffolk, where he remained upwards of three years. From Farnham he removed to Ipswich, to attend upon the declining years of his infirm and aged uncle, Admiral Page, at which place he became chaplain of the county jail, whence he removed to Preston in the early part of 1848, to succeed the late Rev. J. Rigg in the incumbency of St. Paul's, to which he was presented by the patron, the Vicar of Preston. He was the first clergyman instituted by the Bishop of Manchester, on his appointment to that newly erected see.

The deceased clergyman was a zealous minister of the gospel, and considered the discharge of his pulpit duties as but a portion of the labours of a minister. In Preston and in his previous ministrations he was an affectionate visitor and adviser of his flock, more especially of the poorer members, and was a particularly active promoter of education. At Ramsey, in the Isle of Man, at Rattlesden, and also at Farnham, he established parochial schools, and during his incumbency here, although St. Paul's had large and efficient schools when he succeeded to its pastorate, he has erected and established an additional infant school, in Fletcher-road, Ribbleton-lane. During his incumbency here, and also at Farnham, parsonage houses were erected. The rev. gentleman leaves a widow, two sons, one of whom, the Rev. A. S. Page, is curate of St. James's Church, in this town, and two daughters.

A slightly different one was carried in the Isle of Man Weekly Advertising Circular, Thursday, 28th September1854;

References

J. Gelling A History of the Manx Church Douglas:Manx National Heritage 1998