A Corporate Act of Prayer

Members of the Society are encouraged to join together in saying the following Collect

at the same time in their own homes, at 10.00 p.m. each Sunday evening.

THE COLLECT OF THE SIXTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITYO LORD, we beseech thee, let thy continual pity cleanse and defend

thy Church; and, because it cannot continue in safety without thy

succour, preserve it evermore by thy help and goodness; through

Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

© The Prayer Book Society 2012

Individual articles are © the authors. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in

any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing of the Editor, or as expressly permitted by law, or under terms agreed with the

appropriate reprographics rights organisation.

Issue No. 30 · Michaelmas 2012 ISSN: 1479-215X

THE PBS JOURNAL

Editor:

The Revd Canon Andrew Hawes

Address for correspondence:

The Prayer Book Society, The Studio,Copyhold Farm, Goring Heath,Reading RG8 7RT

Telephone: 0118 984 2582

E-mail: pbs.admin@pbs.org.uk

Website: www.pbs.org.uk

Special anniversary website: www.bcp350.org

All contributions, including articles,letters for publication, Branch newsand notices of forthcoming events,should be sent to ‘PBS Journal’ at theabove address, or by e-mail topbsj@pbs.org.uk

Submission by e-mail is preferredwhenever possible. Electronicsubmission in editable format (such asWord® or RTF) saves the Editor aconsiderable amount of work. A shortstyle sheet is available from the PBSoffice, and adherence to this is alsovery helpful in reducing the need fortime-consuming subediting. We reservethe right to edit or amendcontributions.

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Farm, Goring Heath, Reading RG8 7RT

Patron:

HRH The Prince of Wales, KG, KT, GBE

Ecclesiastical Patron:

The Rt Revd and Rt Hon. Richard

Chartres, DD, FSA, Bishop of London

Lay Patrons:

The Rt Hon. Lord Hurd of Westwell,

CH, CBE, PC

Lord Sudeley, FSA

President:Lord Cormack, DL, FSA

Vice Presidents:

The Revd Dr Roger Beckwith

The Revd Professor Raymond Chapman

The Rt Hon. Frank Field, MP

Professor Roger Homan

C. A. Kilmister, OBE

Board of Trustees:

Miss Prudence Dailey Chairman

The Revd Paul Thomas Vice Chairman

Miss Hilary Rudge Company Secretary

John Winpress Finance Director

The Revd Rob Desics Regional Trustee –

North East Region

Stephen Evans Regional Trustee – West and

Central Region

Peter Hardingham Regional Trustee –

Midlands Region

The Revd Richard Hoyal

Nicholas Hurst Regional Trustee – Eastern Region

The Revd John Masding Regional Trustee –

South West Region

Paul Meitner Regional Trustee – South East

Region

The Revd Lars Nowen

The Revd Karl Przywala

David Richardson

John Scrivener Regional Trustee – North

West Region

Prayer Book Churches and Clergy Co-ordinator:

John Service

Telephone: 07703 532695

E-mail: john.service@pbs.org.uk

Youth Officer:

The Revd Fredrik Arvidsson

The Prayer Book Society’s child

protection policy is available on its

website, www.pbs.org.uk

The Prayer Book Society, like the

Church of England, is a broad church

which embraces a wide breadth of

opinion and churchmanship. Views

expressed in the PBS Journal are those of

their individual authors, and do not

necessarily represent the opinion of the

Society or of the Editorial Board. The

inclusion of any advertisement in the

PBS Journal does not imply that the

Society endorses the advertiser, its

products or its services.

PBS TRADING LTDOrders and enquiries for PBS Trading

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Front cover: The East window at St Thomas à Becket

in LewesPhoto: Trevor Butler

Please note that, following amendments to thetiming of the publication schedule, thisMichaelmas issue replaces the former Adventissue; the next issue will be Lent 2013. The totalnumber of issues remains unchanged at three peryear.

The deadline for contributions for thenext issue is: Friday, 11th January 2013 (preferably typed or electronically submitted)

Publication date: Friday, 22nd February 2013

An Ordinand’s View of the Annual Conference 4The Future of the Book of Common Prayer 7The English Speaking Board 10Quotations from 350th Anniversary Sermons 12A Prayer Book Walk Around Any Church 13‘A well trodden path’ 1440 Years On: Looking Back 15A Prayer Book Confirmation 17Letters 18Review 19News from the Branches 21Forthcoming Events 28Branch Contacts 30

CONTENTS

Submission of Photographs

When submitting photographs for the PBS Journal, please

note the following:

• Digital photographs should be taken using the

highest resolution possible. If the resolution is too

low, photographs may have to be printed very small,

or may not be useable at all.

• Photographs taken using conventional film are also

acceptable. Prints should be sent to the PBS Office at

Copyhold Farm, and we will arrange for them to be

scanned in high resolution. The original prints will

be returned to you.

• When taking photographs at events, ‘action shots’ of

the event in progress are preferable to posed

photographs of groups of people or individuals

standing still.

New Objects of the Prayer Book SocietyIn the last issue of the PBS Journal, we let our readers

know of our proposal to amend the charitable Objects

of the Society, and asked for your views. After

considering the responses we received, the Trustees

decided to go ahead with the new wording as set out.

This was put to the Annual General Meeting on 15th

September, and was approved nem. con.

The required approval has also been received from the

Charity Commission, and the new following Objects

are therefore now in force:

The Charity is established for the advancement of

the Christian religion as set forth in the Book of

Common Prayer; and, in furtherance of this

Object, for the promotion of the worship and

doctrine enshrined in the Book of Common Prayer

and its use for services, teaching and training

throughout the Church of England and other

Churches in the Anglican tradition.

Filling vacancies in Prayer Book parishesThere can be little doubt that the most effective way of

ensuring the continuation of worship from the Book

of Common Prayer in a parish is to make sure that,

when filling a vacancy for a new parson, someone with

strong personal sympathy to the Prayer Book is

appointed. To this end, and thanks to the efforts of our

Churches and Clergy Co-ordinator, John Service, we

now have a list of over 70 non-retired clergy,

sympathetic to the Book of Common Prayer, who have

asked to be kept informed of vacancies in potentially

suitable parishes. In addition, we are able to provide

information about the legal rights of PCCs in relation

to appointments.

If you are a member of the congregation at a church

which has a significant commitment to the Book of

Common Prayer for a large proportion of its services,

please do let John Service know as soon as a clerical

vacancy arises. Information from our members about

impending parish vacancies is vitally important,

alongside the details we receive from a variety of other

sources. All information received will, of course, be

handled with discretion.

John Service can be contacted by e-mail at

john.service@pbs.org.uk, or via the PBS office at

Copyhold Farm.

Have your sins been rubbed out?If you are not sure, you might want to consider

purchasing one of our new Prayer Book Society erasers

(which also make splendid stocking fillers for your like-

minded friends). Shaped like a

miniature red Prayer Book, and

bearing the slogan ‘For undoing

those things which we ought

not to have done’, these are

now available from PBS Trading

for 50p each (plus postage and

packing). Add one—or more—

to your Christmas order!

3

The Revd Professor

Raymond Chapman began

the conference with his

paper on ‘English Society,

Religion and the BCP’. He

described how the BCP, from the

earliest days, then through the

eighteenth century, the Oxford

Movement and into the

twentieth century, reflected a

whole stream of British social

and political change. However, it

remained a text that was ever

‘tolerant and comprehensive’.

Therefore, it should not be seen

merely as a religious text

occupied with the doctrine or

liturgy of a certain age now

passed. It had, and still has,

crucial importance, not just for

members of the church, but for

the entire nation.

The BCP was to become a text

that divided the Puritans

‘between Canterbury and

Geneva’ but also one that bore

witness to the ‘dark side of

Establishment’ in the Great

Ejection. Yet, it was at the

Savoy Conference of

1661 that the BCP

became inextricably

‘married’ to the

Authorised Version of the

Bible much beloved by

members of the PBS.

The Prayer Book has

never become fossilised.

The services for the

Gunpowder Plot and the

Restoration of Charles II

were removed in 1859,

and in 1872 shortened

forms for services were

allowed for the first time.

It was the Royal

Commission on Eccles-

iastical Discipline in

1906, with its judgement that

the ‘law of worship was too

narrow for the religious life of

the present generation’, that

would herald the liturgical

revision of the twentieth century

and eventually bring about the

necessity of the formation of the

PBS itself. Most of all, Professor

Chapman stressed that the BCP

was a book of catechesis and

instruction for all—and

thoroughly commended its

study to young clergy!

Professor Brian Cummings

gave a magisterial address the

next morning on the 1662

Prayer Book, and specifically on

the impact of the two preceding

years on its revision. He began

by noting that the Restoration,

and the coming of the 1662

edition, was at a time of great

and, in some cities, prolonged,

rejoicing! Against the time of the

Commonwealth, with the great

cathedrals abandoned, and the

BCP banned, the 1662 edition

was an occasion of ‘conscious

cultural retrieval’, putting aside

fifteen years of revolution, civil

war and regicide. However, he

pointed out that, in 1662, the

language of the BCP was already

An Ordinand’s View of the Annual

Conference Stephen Edmonds

4

Thank you to Rosemary Hall—hostess with the mostest!

John Winpress, PBS Treasurer, and his Bishop

considered ‘antiquated’ and it

was regarded by some with

suspicion as preserving elements

of the pre-Reformation religion.

Yet, it was a text in which ‘the

peace of the estate was bound to

the peace of the Church’. It was

also commended over and above

the reformed liturgies of the

continent by Charles II: ‘We do

esteem the Liturgy of the Church

of England, contained in the

Book of Common Prayer, and by

Law established, to be the best

We have seen …’.

Professor Cummings concen-

trated on the impact of the Savoy

Conference, giving his hearers a

snapshot of the attendees, and

how they represented various

facets of the theological debates

of the period. The BCP stood

between the tensions of

formalised religion and

extempore prayer. Notable

amongst the attendees was

Richard Baxter, a Puritan who

abhorred the breadth of those

currently receiving Holy

Communion unworthily, specif-

ically ‘the drunkards and the

fornicators’! In Richard Cosin’s

proposal of the ‘Durham Book’

there was the ‘brief dream’ of the

return to the Prayer Book of

1549, but that was not to be.

However, Professor Cummings

reminded us that many of the

Collects of the BCP, well known

to members of the PBS, and

often presumed to be the work

of Cranmer, were actually revised

at this point.

Later that day we heard the

reflections of the Rt Revd Donald

Allister, Bishop of Peterborough,

on ‘The Book of Common Prayer

in Use’. Whilst stressing his love

and admiration of the text, and

its doctrinal comprehensiveness,

the Bishop began by admitting

that it sadly does not serve all

occasions in contemporary

church life, such as Harvest and

Remembrance services, which

had never been conceived by the

Reformers. Also, he did not think

it would be suitable for the

occasion of the Death of an

Infant. Furthermore, it did not

provide a service ‘hallowing the

coming of night’, as shown by

the rise in the popularity in the

service of Compline throughout

the twentieth century. It was also

not suitable for short services

that could be used by families in

their prayers at home. Yet, in

spite of all this, he stressed that it

was a book which at one point

united all from the highest

Anglo-Catholic to the lowest

churchman, and he believed that

it still does hold the promise to

‘unite’.

The Bishop went on to ponder

the appropriateness of sermons

at Mattins (being the main

service of the day) but regarded

a sermon at the—usually

preceding—service of Holy

Communion as crucial. He

considered that the absence of a

sermon would represent a break

5

John Masding prepares for Evening Prayer

Bishop Donald Allister and Prudence Dailey

in the Anglican tradition of

binding together ‘word and

sacrament’.

He stressed that ‘we have a

wonderful book because we use

it flexibly’ and that members of

the PBS would hopefully not be

associated with a rather

distasteful ‘Prayer Book Culture’

which led towards a dry and

strict interpretation of the book.

This approach would limit its

use and appeal to others. It is

important not to promote the

use of the text in itself, but to use

the text in ‘engaging with people

and their needs’.

The Bishop spoke movingly of

the breadth of those who love

and use the Prayer Book, and

said that it was and is a book that

unites—and it does unite those

Anglicans who would assert the

Real Presence, Reservation and

Prayer for the Dead, and those

who find such concepts difficult.

He hoped that the members of

the PBS would agree that the

Prayer Book should be used to

bring about ‘a unity without the

pretence of uniformity’.

The Revd Canon Andrew

Hawes gave our final lecture, and

offered a resounding call to

arms—that the Prayer Book was,

owing to its legal foundation in

Church polity, not only of the

past, but part of the necessary

future in preserving a strong

orthodox Anglican faith with an

apostolic order.

Stephen P Edmonds, 29, was able to

attend the conference thanks to a grant

generously provided by the PBS. He is a

member of the Society and an ordinand at

Westcott House, Cambridge. He is also

currently reading for a PhD, studying the

Anglo-Catholic movement during the

Great War. He is Gosden Scholar at

Selwyn College, Cambridge, where he

also has the privilege of assisting at

Choral Evensong three times a week.

6

The Society is most grateful to have recently

received a very welcome legacy of over

£63,000. We are fortunate to be the recipient

of a number of legacies, both small and large: we do

not usually publicise them individually, since not

everyone would wish this, and it would be

inappropriate to single out the larger legacies for

particular gratitude. In this case, however, the

background to the legacy is unusual and interesting.

The money was sent to us by the St Damian’s Trust,

which was founded by the late Mr Arthur Cuff, a

Prayer Book Society member who lived in Whitby,

and died in 1998. The Treasurer of the Trust, Peter

Gulbis, wrote to us as follows:

The St Damian’s Trust is a very small Christian

group, primarily finding its expression of faith

through community. The two buildings it owned

and managed served different needs: St. Damian’s

House in East London provides shared

accommodation for three people of limited

means; Ewecote Cottage near Whitby was a Tabor

House, a place of prayer and retreat.

Mr Cuff lived and breathed community. During

his working life his home was a large house in

East London, Juniper, which had rooms for over

ten students. Whilst a Christian household,

students of all faiths and none, many from

overseas, were welcome to join the life of the

house. On retirement, Arthur maintained regular

contact with St Damian’s House, whilst

welcoming guests to his new home, Ewecote

Cottage. Arthur died in 1998, leaving the Trust to

run the properties.

Last year the Trust recognised it could no longer

run the cottage, and it was sold by auction this

August. Arthur’s instructions in this eventuality

were to divide the proceeds three ways, the

Prayer Book Society being one recipient.

Arthur was a lifelong, committed Anglican. He

was a lay preacher. His working life was in the

family-run scrap trade, and he bridged the

secular and sacred worlds easily. The Franciscan

link in the chosen London house names was very

deliberate; he had a great sense of humour.

Legacy from the St Damian’s Trust

Many thanks to those who gave

so generously to our new

conference bursary scheme for

clergy, ordinands and anyone

under thirty. We received

sufficient donations altogether

for eight bursaries; applications

were received from three

ordinands and two clergy, all of

whom (including Stephen

Edmonds) were awarded

bursaries. Money donated for

bursaries and not yet spent will

be put towards bursaries for

next year’s conference, and we

hope to see an increase in the

number of applications as the

scheme becomes established.

7

Nearly a century ago, Eric Milner-White, writing

as a chaplain on the front line in 1917, observed:

… it has appeared that the Prayer Book, as it

stands, is a volume that serves only those that

are highly instructed in the Faith. A lesson of

hard experience this. Hardly a soldier carries a

Prayer Book, because there is little in it he can

use. We never guessed of old how removed it

was from common wants: nor how intellectual

are its prayers and forms of devotion. Its

climate to the simple, ardent Christian, is often

ice. The warm romance of man’s pilgrimage to

God is absent from it, because it takes early

stages for granted and can be used only by

those who ascended many hills of difficulty.

How we have blushed for the

incomprehensibility even of the Collects.

So wrote the priest who became a great writer of

prayers and liturgy, not least for the service of nine

lessons and carols in his ministry as Dean of King’s

College, Cambridge.

The future of the Book of Common Prayer does

not lie in the meeting of ‘common wants’; it has

another purpose. Neither does it lie in helping

new Christians take first steps on their pilgrimage.

Devotees of the Prayer Book may wish it were

otherwise, but the hard facts are that the Prayer

Book has always struggled to meet the needs of

primary evangelism or of a popular piety. Milner-

White, for example, makes a comparison between

the soldiers’ response to the Prayer Book litany and

the Roman Catholic litany to the Sacred Heart, the

latter being more immediate and meeting a

definite emotional need. If, like me, one’s heart

and mind resonate with the Prayer Book, it is

because they became part of one’s mental and

emotional map in the same way as times tables or

the stories of Winnie the Pooh. They are for many

of us a given. For the majority it was not the case

in 1917 and it certainly isn’t now.

The future of the Book of Common Prayer is

found in its legal status. It is the ‘deposited book’;

it is the official liturgy of the Church and it is the

legal touchstone of Anglican doctrine and ethics. It

still survives, unlike Series One, Two or Three, the

ASB, patterns for worship, and all the other

liturgies that sought to meet the ‘common need’

and hoped to be tools for evangelism and spiritual

growth. Oliver O’Donovan made this observation

about the liturgies that have emerged to replace the

Prayer Book:

‘There is no point bewailing the linguistic loss

or in being ungrateful to the liturgists, who

have, perhaps, given us the best that an

inarticulate age is capable of using. But the

traditional Anglican way of moderating its self-

understanding has on any count ceased to

operate. The prayer-book which still holds a

normative place in Anglican constitutions is

one which few use for prayer and fewer still

recognise quotations from. If we are to hand

on to future generations something of what we

have received, what is needed is a new and

very deliberate return at a catechetical and not

only a scholarly level to the study of Anglican

sources.’

What is required is something akin to the

description Professor Brian Cummings made of

the ‘conscious cultural retrieval’ of the Prayer Book

at the Reformation.

If there is to be a strong orthodox faith and

spirituality in the Church of England there has to

be a future for the Prayer Book. Only the use of the

Prayer Book, a determined and deliberate return to

its use in the formation of Anglicans, from the

newly confirmed to the newly consecrated Bishop,

will ensure a place for orthodoxy in the Church of

tomorrow. This is because there is no other means

available to us. Unlike Roman Catholicism we have

no clearly defined magisterium or teaching

authority. We have the Book of Common Prayer,

the Thirty-nine Articles and the Ordinal which

constitute the Ancient Formularies of the Church

of England. In their Declaration of Assent, every

authorised minister in the Church declares that is

The Future of the Book ofCommon Prayer

The Revd Canon Andrew Hawes

8

in fact the case. The Prayer Book has a future if

these very same ministers are enabled to know,

understand and use the very things to which they

assent. It is a simple matter of making lip service

become mind and, hopefully, heart service.

The Prayer Book is now a prophetic witness in

the life of the Church. It stands in judgement over

the contemporary Church, complaining (as the

Lord does through Jeremiah) ‘they have rejected

me the spring of living water and dug their own

cisterns that cannot hold water’, and the Prayer

Book in the midst exhorts the Church ‘to stand at

the cross roads and look, ask for the ancient paths

and ask where the good way is and walk in it’. I am

not saying that the Prayer Book has the authority of

Holy Scripture but I do believe that the Prayer

Book is built of the solid foundation of Holy

Scripture as interpreted and lived out by the

undivided Church. This is the Anglican method for

theology and ethics and, cast away from this

foundation, Anglicanism has become something

entirely different.

Last Christmas I sat down in my study equipped

with red wine and Christmas cake and entered a

competition. It was a competition to write an essay

entitled ‘Why I am an Anglican and why I believe

I will remain so’. My essay was in part personal

testimony, ‘Why I am’, and partly a defence of the

integrity of the Anglican patrimony of theology,

ecclesiology and ethics, ‘why I believe I will

remain’. The role of the Prayer Book was central to

both parts of the essay. There were 63 other entries

and the winner was a French theologian, Natasha

Ingrid Titchenoff, who is a convert from Roman

Catholicism. It is a very learned paper and at one

point she reveals: ‘It was time to join a church

where I could pursue the truth freely according to

my conscience in the light of the Holy Spirit.’ She

thus said the same thing as a senior clergyperson

in the Lincoln diocese remarked to me recently:

‘Anglican can mean whatever I want it to mean.’

The outworking of this Neo-Anglicanism is seen

in Common Worship. It does not, however, make a

deliberate and a calculated attempt to totally

displace the Prayer Book as the liturgical activists

of the 60s and 70s energetically worked to achieve.

This was part of the culture of the rejection of

history and tradition which was a central feature

of the new modernism of British life in the 70s

and 80s. It was the era of Tomorrow’s World.

The Prayer Book has a future in the Church of

England because it is no longer possible,

intellectually or politically, to maintain its

deliberate exclusion from mainstream theological

education and training. The atmosphere is

changing and there is new awareness of heritage in

general. This is the generation that asks ‘Who do

you think you are?’ Popular culture includes

television programmes such as Time Team and

Country House Restoration. In my own training from

1977 to 1980 at Westcott House, Cambridge, there

was always a definite and deliberate spin against

the Prayer Book as everyone anticipated the arrival

of the ASB. In my three years in Cambridge I never

witnessed a Prayer Book service in Westcott

Chapel. Ordained in 1980, I witnessed the jettison

of the Prayer Book in my title parish for everything

including Evening Prayer. This, I understand, was a

widespread experience. In the vain and worthy

effort to embrace contemporary culture, the Prayer

Book was sacrificed on the altar of relevance. The

ordinands of the 60s had their opportunity to

show what could be done and what could be

dumped and they went about it with enthusiasm.

Yet the Prayer Book has survived and there is now

a new generation that ‘know nothing about

Joseph’; they do not understand why the Prayer

Book has been marginalised and its treasure

hidden from them. The old Prayer Book taboo has

gone, and one sensed that the 350th celebrations,

which have been country- and parish-wide, have

done much to level the playing field again. It is

time for the Prayer Book to be given another

chance.

There is a wider context too. The world of

liturgy is retracing its steps. The liturgical

movement that empowered liturgical reform and

the reformed liturgies of the Roman Catholic

Church has run its course and there is a renewed

attention to every aspect of liturgy—form, content

and language. We see this in the revised Eucharistic

rite of the Roman Church whose ‘new translations’

of liturgical texts have uncanny, but not

unexpected, resonances of the Prayer Book.

This renewal in liturgy and the theology and

spirituality that stand behind it is beautifully

expressed by Pope Benedict in his book The Spirit of

the Liturgy: ‘True liturgical education cannot consist

in learning and experimenting with external

activities. Instead one must be led towards the

essential action that makes the liturgy what it is,

towards the transforming power of God who

wants, through what happens in the liturgy, to

transform us and the world.’ Liturgy has to be first

9

BenefactorsYou should have received a letter from us a few months

ago inviting those who are able and willing to do so to

become Benefactors of the Society, by making a

contribution of at least £500 a year. We are very pleased

to report that, at the time of writing, nineteen members

of the Society have signed up to become Benefactors,

making a much-needed contribution to our funds.

The intention is that the money received from

Benefactors go into the Society’s general funds, to be

spent as is deemed by the Trustees to be most

appropriate, rather than being earmarked for a specific

purpose. It may, nevertheless, be helpful to explain why

the additional money is needed.

In recent years, we at the Prayer Book Society have

increased our level of activity, especially in relation to

our work with sympathetic clergy, ordinands and

churches, and we have employed John Service to help

carry out this work. In addition, we have expanded our

press and promotional efforts, including a range of

projects to capitalise on the 350th anniversary of the

1662 Book of Common Prayer.

All this costs money, however, and in order to fund

many of our projects we have had to rely extensively on

money received through legacies. The Trustees are

mindful that this is not sustainable in the long term,

and, in order to ensure that the current level of activity

can be maintained, all means of increasing regular

general income are being actively explored. For an

organisation such as ours, one of the most effective

methods of fundraising is to ask for additional

contributions from individuals of sufficient means. At

the same time, we realise, of course, that only a

minority will be in a position to contribute £500 a

year, and the support of all our members, however large

or small their subscriptions, is equally valued.

If you have been considering becoming a Benefactor,

but have not yet done so, we very much hope that you

will, since you will be making a vital contribution to

the work of the Society. Please do not hesitate to get in

touch if you have questions about the scheme.

Membership subscriptions You are reminded that the suggested

annual subscription for an individual

or household has been increased to

£28 (from a previous rate of £24).

This is the first increase in

approximately ten years and, given

the increased pressures on our

finances, combined with the ravages

of inflation, we are sure our readers

will understand why this has become

necessary.

This remains a suggested

subscription, which means we will

not chase you up if you are still

paying £24, but we hope that those

who are able to do so will pay the

increased rate. In particular, if you are

paying by Standing Order, please be

aware that (unlike with Direct Debits)

we cannot alter the amount of the

payment, since any change must be

initiated by you. It would therefore be

much appreciated if those paying in

this way could consider setting up a

new Standing Order for the new

amount.

At the same time, we would not

want anyone to be deterred from

joining the Society, or continuing in

membership, for financial reasons,

and we will gladly accept your

subscription at whatever level you can

afford.

and foremost an encounter with the objective fact

of God, and this encounter is expressed in

penitence, humble listening, praise and adoration.

The Prayer Book has this, and that is why it has a

future. It is not an historic accident. It is a gracious

gift that remains available for all.

Dear brothers and sisters, we who love and

cherish the Book of Common Prayer have a clear

vocation at this present time. We must encourage a

movement of conscious cultural retrieval. It is time

to stop seeing the Prayer Book as some kind of

‘forlorn hope’ and shake off the sad ‘victim status’

of many who dub themselves a ‘Prayer Book’ man

or woman. For in God’s grace we are guardians

and witnesses to the resource that can surely be a

source of renewal and the salvation of souls. Be of

no doubt that the Prayer Book has a future because

the Church of England has no future without it.

The Revd Canon Andrew Hawes is Vicar of Edenham, in the

Diocese of Lincoln.

10

The English Speaking Board– helping children to communicate the truthsenfolded in language

Alexandra Daborn

‘It is through speech that we assimilate thoughts, opinions,

emotions, humour, wisdom, common-sense, even morals

and spiritual values of those around us, and it is through

perceptive listening and courteous speaking that we move

towards breaking down social, professional and racial

barriers.’

So wrote Christabel Burniston, founder of the

English Speaking Board, and since 1953 ESB

has flourished, uniquely promoting

confident speaking, listening and presentation

skills for children and for adults.

Through ESB teaching and assessments children

learn from a young age to speak with warmth,

vitality and sincerity, and to communicate with

their listeners using voice, eyes and stance

generously and courteously. In order to speak and

to communicate successfully children learn to

look deep into the language they are speaking

aloud, to respond to its rhythms and to understand

its thinking.

Background knowledge is immensely

important, and through carefully graded ESB

syllabuses children learn to research and speak

about their hobbies and enthusiasms, poetry and

literature. Every level of ESB assessment involves

four sections: a personal project, in which the

candidates share their passion and expertise

through speech, demonstration and the use of

visual aids; a poem or a piece of drama, spoken by

heart and communicated with understanding; a

reading, where the speakers share and bring to life

a text from a book they have enjoyed; and, finally,

a discussion with questions from the examiner

and from the listening group.

The English Speaking Board offers many and

varied assessments to children and to adults,

including a syllabus for Readers and Leaders in

Places of Worship. This includes assessments aimed

at helping those involved in training, as well as

practising ministers and pastoral workers. These

assessments help all speakers to give their

messages clearly, that they should be received and

remembered, and that the speaker should compel

the listeners’ attention—a skill that many adults

find challenging!

Uniquely, every English Speaking Board exam

involves a listening group, for this is crucial to the

ESB ethos of communication. To teach the art of

communication requires an audience—a group

that is truly involved in listening, and supports

every candidate.

I have been privileged to attend the Prayer Book

Society’s Cranmer Awards both as judge and as

teacher. As a child I loved to read in church, and I

still do. As a teacher, it is a great joy to work with

children to dig deep into the text of a reading, to

investigate its context and the background of its

writer, and then to help the child to bring to life

the beauty of the language of the Prayer Book and

Fabiola Keonig of Moffats reading aloud with joy!

the messages of its words. For a child brought up

within the traditions of ESB, the need to read with

sincerity, and with an appropriate respect for the

occasion and the place, should combine naturally

with the skills necessary for good delivery, clarity

and the awareness of the needs of the listeners. In

an age of ever-increasing reliance on technology—

much of which allows and encourages us to

communicate at a distance—the need for us all to

relate to people is becoming more and more

important.

To read aloud from the Book of Common Prayer

is to embark on a journey of discovery into all that

makes us human. To speak the words with sincerity

requires an understanding of the text that is a

challenge to all of us; for a child to attempt this

would seem a lot to ask. Many readers suffer from

a self-awareness that can interfere with the message

of the text, but children can often see with

unexpected clarity, and communicate truths with

humbling simplicity.

The heritage of the Book of Common Prayer goes

hand in hand with that heritage of literature and

great poetry that ESB strives to hand on. Children

are intelligent, receptive and imaginative, and love

to investigate the mysteries enfolded in language.

To introduce children to the language of the Book

of Common Prayer is to hand to them some of the

most joyful, beautiful and important writing in the

English tongue. They will not understand it fully,

any more than they will yet fully understand Gray’s

Elegy or the depths of C. S. Lewis’s Narnia books.

But this is the beginning of a journey and, like all

journeys, the twists and turns of discovery are part

of the adventure. And there is, of course, for those

who love to read a text aloud, the need to

understand and accept that this very special reading

is part of worship. To read from the Book of

Common Prayer is not a performance, but a

reading to be shared with dignity and reverence.

For those steeped in the traditions and vision of

the English Speaking Board, this should be as

natural as breathing.

Alexandra Daborn has taught English and ESB for over 30

years at the family prep school, Moffats, in Shropshire and is a

Fellow of the English Speaking Board.

11

This is a radical book, and sometimes I think

we soften it by making it beautiful and

affirming its gentle virtues. It is designed to

enable me to know and acknowledge the

almighty and loving God in all circumstances

and conditions of life. It is radical in its

diagnosis of our—of my—human condition,

my sinfulness and folly—and in its offer of the

astonishing grace of God through the

atonement of Christ. And it is radical because

the BCP invites me to depend on God for my

salvation and for my life, and to live that life in

obedience to God’s commands and purposes.

The Rt Revd Robert Freeman,

Bishop of Penrith

The BCP gave us clarity by using the English

language for the first time in worship. It

promoted compromise in our theological

understanding of the Eucharist. It was classless

in its approach, equally available to royalty and

the ordinary man. It had consistency of use

throughout the world and was comprehensive

in the range of services or orders it offered.

Clarity, compromise, classless, consistent,

comprehension, five ‘C’s, and that’s why in

350 years much has faded away but the BCP

remains the bedrock of Anglican worship.

The Revd Rod Corke, Vicar of St Mary

Magdalene, Taunton

The Book of Common Prayer is, indeed, a

treasured book, but it would be idolatrous if

that became the real focus of our attentions

and our affections. The Book of Common

Prayer is not about finding its own devoted

disciples but about helping to make people

devoted disciples of Christ, those who can go

forth to live Christly lives in the strength of

Christ and his spirit. Perhaps the final words of

our Epistle this morning give to us the

underlying message and purpose of the Book

of Common Prayer. ‘In that Christ died, he

died unto sin once; but in that he liveth, he

liveth unto God. Likewise, reckon ye also

yourself to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive

unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.’ We

have heard that message said of old time, and

I say it unto you again today and it is said unto

us afresh, Sunday by Sunday, through words

both old and new, through the liturgy of the

Book of Common Prayer and the liturgies

which are its successors. With thanksgiving for

all that God has done for us in Christ Jesus, let

us reckon ourselves to be dead unto sin and

alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

That can be perhaps the best way to celebrate

this 350th anniversary of the 1662 Book of

Common Prayer. Thanks be to God for that

special volume and all that is within it and for

all who compiled it. Greater thanks be to God

for what he has done for us in and through

Jesus Christ our Lord.

The Ven. Clive Mansell,

Archdeacon of Tonbridge

Quotations from 350th Anniversary Sermons

12

13

For some time now I have been asking a

question of myself—‘What can we do to get a

considerable number of people who may not

be regular church attenders but who are “vaguely

churchy people”, just to put their toe in the water of

the BCP, albeit they’re not consciously seeking to do

so?’ I have in mind people who, these days, may not

be very aware of the BCP but who nurture a

traditional view of the Church gleaned from their

families and, in some cases, from their younger days.

I think this is quite a significant constituency for the

Prayer Book Society and an important one for it to

touch.

What I have come up with is a leaflet to accompany

a walk around any church, with selected words from

the BCP to ponder at each of the areas typically

found; something to make a touristic visit to a

church a little more prayerful and to keep the BCP

influence alive with the tourists.

I think this approach has a number of plus points:

• Most incumbents and PCCs welcome

church tourism and there should be

minimal resistance to the leaflet—

definitely less resistance from those

not of our persuasion than for

something more overt which

seeks to recruit.

• As well as being helpful to those

who love the BCP, it could give

an appreciation of what the

BCP holds in store, to large

numbers of people who are at least motivated

enough to enter a church for a ‘look round’.

• It might recruit—provision is made—although

this is a secondary objective to the creation of an

awareness of the BCP.

I have tried

• not to overwhelm by incorporating too much

• to keep its use simple

• to make it fairly impressionable in its nature

• to make it first of all a guide rather than a

membership ‘hard sell’.

The idea has been taken up by the Society and the

leaflets are now ready, the artwork having been

designed by Carole Richmond who produced the

acclaimed BCP 350th anniversary booklet.

One ideally needs to put a dozen or so leaflets into

each identified church because the stocks will be

depleted by people taking the leaflets home with

them. The leaflets are available free of charge

from Copyhold Farm both for

Branch Secretaries seeking

to organise a programme

of placements and for

individual members who

can place them in their own

church or churches.

Neil Inkley is Secretary of the

Blackburn Branch of the Prayer

Book Society.

A Prayer Book Walk Around AnyChurch

Neil J. Inkley

‘A well trodden path’, the exhibition at St Botolph’s

Church, Lullingstone, drew more than 250 visitors

during the weekend in mid-July when over 70

historic and interesting Prayer Books were on show.

Prayers for the Sovereign and Royal Family in a

1669 ‘black letter’ altar copy had been changed by

hand on the death of Charles II. Georgian editions

were liberally embellished with vibrant illustrations

of religious scenes and insights into the Georgians

at prayer.

Appropriately in this Jubilee year, there were

Prayer Books associated with Royal occasions,

including some magnificent volumes on loan from

the Chapel Royal at Hampton Court Palace and its

Chaplain, The Revd Canon Denis Mulliner. Those

from his personal collection included the

Elizabethan Prayer Book bound together with a

‘breeches’ Bible and one presented to him by the

present Queen Elizabeth.

Some 50 illustrated panels were displayed

around the church. Some told the story of the

Prayer Book—how it changed from its Tudor

beginnings until the present day and the lives of

people involved in its history. Others shed light on

illustrations in the books such as a pall cloth

enveloping both a coffin and its bearers, and a

Moses basket with lid used to carry a baby to its

Christening. Curiosities on display included the

Prayer Book in Pitman’s shorthand and an

expanding Prayer Book carrier.

The impetus for the exhibition had come from

a similar event for the Authorised Version of the

Bible in 2011. Several visitors brought books to

show us, including a George III Prayer Book

illustrated with engravings of biblical scenes, which

the owner offered to lend us. A visitor this year also

amazed us as he took from his bag a 1662 book

which went on display for the afternoon. Like a

magician, he then produced a copy of Cranmer’s

second Prayer Book, followed by the 1549 book, a

sixteenth-century book of hours printed in red and

black, and finally a vellum-illuminated Psalter from

the fourteenth century.

At the invitation of Rector Gary Owen, the Ven.

Clive Mansell, Archdeacon of Tonbridge, preached

to a packed church at a service of Holy Communion

according to the Book of Common Prayer before

the exhibition re-opened on the Sunday.

Joanna Comer both collected and researched the background for

the exhibition on behalf of the Rochester Branch of the PBS

14

‘A well trodden path’St Botolph’s Church, Lullingstone, Kent

Joanna Comer

Prayers at Sea

From Folio to finger size! (AKA Book Pile)

In the midst of the 350th

celebrations, another anni-

versary has nearly slipped by

without one champagne cork

popping. It was on a summer

evening in a Kensington drawing

room during 1972 that a

meeting called by Lady Playfair

resolved to form the Book of

Common Prayer and Authorised

Version Action Group. The

proposer of this new group was

Tony Kilmister, who in the

1970s and 80s became the

dynamic Chairman of the Prayer

Book Society. It was a letter to

Tony by Lord Fisher of Lambeth

(the retired Archbishop of

Canterbury) arguing that the

Prayer Book needed ‘active

protection’ and that the

Authorised Version could look

after itself which led to the

emergence of the more focussed

Book of Common Prayer Action

Group. The Prayer Book Society

as it now exists did not come

into being until 1975.

As is the case now, the chief

activists in the Prayer Book

Society were laity. Tony recalls a

‘mood of deep disturbance’ as

the reform of the liturgy

unfolded. One of the chief

reasons for this disturbance was

a sensitivity to the new language

in prayer and worship, a

sensitivity which is perhaps no

longer present. But Tony

remembers how some

commentators, including C. S.

Lewis, warned that the link

between religious language and

religious thought was a complex

matter and that unravelling one

would lead to the unravelling of

another. Lewis did remark that

‘The Lord instructed Peter to

“feed my sheep”, not

experiment on my white rats!’

The emergence of the Prayer

Book Action Group was

contemporary with the first

session of General Synod (1970-

75) and, although Tony resists

the term ‘political’ to describe

the actions of the Society, he

admits that there was a

concentrated effort to make a

case for retaining the Prayer

Book in the General Synod and

both Houses of Parliament. The

climax of this was the petition

presented to General Synod in

1979 by Professor David Martin.

Tony remembers that it was not

just the length of the petition but

also the names on it that made

an impact. The value of the

Prayer Book, and an appreciation

of its importance to both Church

and Nation, commanded the

respect and support of key

figures in academia and the arts.

The Society has always enjoyed

significant patronage, not least

from the Prince of Wales, who

gave a seminal talk at the

presentation of the first Cranmer

Awards.

The Prayer Book debate was a

hot media topic, and David

Martin in particular was invited

to make the case for the Prayer

Book in newspaper articles.

There were invitations from both

television and radio for the

Society to provide an advocate

for the Prayer Book, and Tony

recollects that at the height of

the debate the invitations would

come on average about once a

month. As the Church of

England Worship and Doctrine

Measure progressed through the

Synodical and Parliamentary

process, the Prayer Book Society

made a vigorous case for a more

cautious approach, ringing the

alarm that the Measure would

open the door to unforeseen

changes in church life and order.

Private Members’ Bills were

proposed in both Houses of

Parliament thanks to Lord

Sudeley and Lord Cranborne,

and the Ecclesiastical Committee

of Parliament heard the Prayer

Book case loud and clear.

Although the Measure was

passed and became law, Tony

judges that, in retrospect,

because of the actions of the

Prayer Book Society the question

of the place of the Book of

Common Prayer was kept at the

front of the Church’s mind, and

since there was a widespread

awareness of the issues it was not

always easy for those in favour of

innovation to break new ground.

The diocesan Branches of the

Prayer Book Society played a vital

role is keeping the Prayer Book

issue alive and were given help

and guidance to maintain a

vigorous local campaign. Letter

columns were peppered with the

Prayer Book question, and Church

Times readers enjoyed the

jousting between Tony and Ian

Dunlop, Canon and Chancellor

of Salisbury Cathedral, for weeks

on end. Tony makes the point in

recounting that, at this time of

15

40 Years On: Looking Back With Tony Kilmister

16

controversy, he was not a Prayer

Book ‘fundamentalist’. With

others he recognised a need for

flexibility in liturgy, but what he

argued for then was a ‘balance’

in the liturgical life of parishes

and the wider Church.

One important feature of the

Prayer Book Society since the

beginning has been its ability to

hold three traditions of the

Church of England together.

Catholic, Evangelical and Broad

Church produced clergy and lay

members who ‘recognised that

the Prayer Book was essential to

the well-being of the Church’.

This, it is worth noting, is still

the case, as was seen at this year’s

Annual Conference, whose

speakers covered a wide

spectrum of churchmanship.

Tony admits it is difficult to

assess the difference the Prayer

Book Society has made to the

Church of England. He suggests

that ‘the Prayer Book would have

remained, but only as an

appendage to an Act of

Parliament’ without the work of

the Society and ‘possibly the

Church would have changed

more radically than it has’. He

welcomes the fact that the very

strong anti-Prayer Book

opposition of the 1970s and 80s

is no longer a feature of church

life. He doesn’t think that the

place of the Prayer Book in

the contemporary Church is

a ‘token’ one—‘it is much

more than that’. He is

pleased to see something of

the more ‘balanced’ approach

that he was arguing for 40

years ago.

Now a Vice President of the

Prayer Book Society, Tony is a

very active Chairman of the

Anglican Association which

works both in England and

abroad to support and encourage

traditional worship and practice

in the Anglican Church.

This article is the fruit of answers by C.

A. Kilmister, OBE to questions put by the

Editor.

The Book of Common Prayer and the EnglishSoul in the 21st Century

To celebrate 350 years of the Book of Common Prayer, the following event has been organised by Praxis (which is an organisation concerned with

the worship in the Church of England, sponsored by the Liturgical Commission).

Saturday, 10th November 2012, 10.30 a.m. - 4.00 p.m. (Registration and Coffee from 9.45 a.m.)St Paul’s Church, Winchester SO22 5AB

(5 minutes from the railway station)

The BCP holds a unique place in English culture. Seemingly centuries past its sell-by date, it still resonates in our

society, both in worship and in our language. How can this be? The Revd Canon Angela Tilby explores what it is about

the BCP that might still impinge on our awareness of God and sense of self, while The Revd Dr Cally Hammond looks

at how we can still use it in a meaningful way in the Common Worship era.

The day will provide us with the opportunity of exploring our liturgical heritage and give us practical experience of

using it in what is perhaps a different way from usual.

The Revd Canon Angela Tilby is Canon Residential of Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford, author and broadcaster, especially

appreciated for her contributions to Thought for the Day on Radio 4. She is a member of the Liturgical Commission.

The Revd Dr Cally Hammond is Dean of Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge as well as an author, and is known for

‘doing interesting things’ with the BCP!

The cost of the day will be £15.00, or £12.00 for affiliate members of Praxis (including if you join on the day).

Please book by the end of October if possible.

Full details and a booking form can be obtained from the Revd Peter Furber, e-mail peter@furber.me.uk or telephone

01202 296886, or downloaded from the Praxis website: www.praxisworship.org.uk/the-book-of-common-

prayer.html

17

As this is the 350th

Anniversary year for the

Prayer Book, I tried to

think of ways to celebrate it in

this remote North Devon parish.

One way was to present all our

Church School leavers with a

Prayer Book, and this we did. I

had long been trying to get a

confirmation class out of our

School, and when it appeared

that this was a strong possibility,

I was able to get the Bishop of

Ebbsfleet to change the terms of

his visit to a more purposeful

one, that of confirming any

candidates, rather cheekily

suggesting that he might

Confirm according to 1662. This

he agreed to. Then a further

thought occurred to me: why

not centre preparation around

the Prayer Book Catechism?

Classes had to be squeezed into a

very few weeks, and, in the

event, there was only one

candidate.

Years ago, as a young priest, I

had attended various study days

organised by the then Chancellor

of Truro Cathedral, and

remembered how one speaker

had begun, ‘Of course, no one

now uses the Catechism.’ And a

by no means elderly Priest there

said, ‘I always do.’ Trying to save

some face, the speaker said, ‘But

you must mean the Revised

Catechism ...’. ‘No, I always use

the Prayer Book Catechism.’ Why

had I never thought before of

using it?

Of course, school children

now are unaccustomed to

learning things by heart (or ‘by

rote’, educators will sniff dis-

missively), but wouldn’t this add

some novelty to the process, and

wouldn’t the unfamiliar words

be just the sort of thing to lodge

themselves in young minds?

With fewer than five weeks of

classes, my one candidate wasn’t

able to learn by heart all that

much, but the framework

provided by the Catechism

helped me a great deal.

A Prayer Book confirmation

was to be a novelty too, to

Bishop Jonathan, but it

was quite a relief for

him, I think, at the end

of a hectic week, to have

such a simple, short

service to conduct (he’d

had one earlier that

week which was nearer

two hours than one; ours was

comfortably less than sixty

minutes!). It also meant that First

Communion was on the Sunday,

so Courtney received the

Sacrament at the hands of her

parish priest, having had the

intervening 36 hours to take it

all in.

My plan is to build on this

experience, having rather more

than four or five classes, but

again framing it all with the

Catechism. Why try and re-

invent the wheel? Why despise

learning by heart? Why cast aside

all those generations of practice?

A Prayer Book ConfirmationThe Revd Francis Otto

Bishop Jonathan Baker at Abbotsham Prayer Book Confirmation

LettersDear Editor,

I go to a church where the Book of Common Prayer

is not used at the main Sunday service. Belatedly,

following William Doyle’s advice in the 2011

Michaelmas Journal (p.4), I recently asked our vicar

whether we could have a BCP service as the main

Sunday service in celebration of the 350th

Anniversary. Much to my surprise, he has taken me

up on the idea, his only stipulation being that the

Branch should print service sheets so that the service

will be accessible to those unfamiliar with it. To this

end he has e-mailed me a version which I am slightly

editing prior to printing.

Tom Allen

Leicester Branch

To The Editor,

Thank God for our cathedral choirs who maintain

such a high standard of music. They have a supreme

ability to take us from the things that are earthly and

temporary to things that are unseen and eternal.

These boys, girls, men and ladies spend many hours

singing. This involves much practice as well as

leading services to the very best of their ability for

God. Some sing six or seven services a week,

sometimes more. Supporting them in their task are

the Friends of Cathedral Music (see fcm.org.uk for

more information). They are a priceless heritage we

need to support, encourage and protect. Cathedrals

are helping to preserve the use of the Book of

Common Prayer in many of their services, whereas

parish churches often have gone completely over to

Common Worship. Thank God for all they do and

encourage them. I was first a chorister at the age of

seven, singing pointed psalms and canticles. I am

now 78, still able to sing and be a member of a

cathedral congregation, and enjoy listening and

worshipping.

John Scott (New Member of the PBS)

Herne Bay

18

These Are Our Prayers: A Selection of Traditional Prayers

compiled by Raymond Chapman

PBS Publishing. Hardback £9.60, 175pp.

The Revd ProfessorRaymond Chapman, who was a

speaker at this year’s Annual Conference, is an

Emeritus Professor of English at the University of

London and has written widely on Classical Anglican

Spirituality and Theology. He has a peerless

knowledge and sensitivity to both the Caroline

Divines and well- and lesser-known characters in the

Oxford Movement and its heirs. This beautifully

presented book, whose prayers are set in a large,

clear, classical font, is worth buying just for the

introduction by the compiler. It is, in effect, a short

essay on language and spirituality. It is full of ‘pearls’

worthy of contemplation. He writes of ‘traditional

language’:

This preservation is not a weakness, but the

strength of traditional religious language. Already

heightened and dignified when it was first

written, it gives stability in the continuing

change of language, which is irreversible from

one age to the next. Traditional language links the

generations, making us one with those who

worshipped using the same words.

He writes of the use of ‘set prayers’ that they should

supplement our own extempore prayers. He adds

that ‘there is no firm division between prayer and

meditation: these prayers may be read slowly and

used in silent reflection’. The prayers are the fruit of

a lifetime of praying and also leading others in

prayer, and the introduction contains some valuable

practical advice concerning both personal and

corporate prayer, not least ‘worship, personal or

corporate, needs focus, but not compartments’.

In true Anglican fashion this is an eclectic, truly

catholic collection, from Orthodox, Roman Catholic,

Free Church but mainly Anglican sources. It is always

good to find new prayers, and some of these were

quite new to this reviewer. The prayers are divided

into five sections: personal devotion; the life of

prayer; home and daily life; intercession; and the

Christian year. The collection ends with a doxology

by Thomas Ken. This is a wonderful book, pocket

sized and a delight to use. It’s a pity it doesn’t have a

ribbon marker or two. I am buying several copies as

Christmas presents for grandchildren and

godchildren! Thomas Andrew

Review

19

(PBS)

Bristol

Members of the Bristol Branch

celebrated St George’s Day, together

with members of the Royal Society

of St George, at a special Choral

Eucharist at Christ Church, Broad

Street, Bristol on Sunday, 22nd

April. This service, which has

happily become something of an

annual fixture, naturally had a

special resonance in this Diamond

Jubilee year. The preacher was the

Revd John Masding, a PBS Trustee

and Hon. Secretary of the Royal

Society of St George. The service was

followed by a carvery lunch at the

next door Grand Hotel, where

members were able to enjoy ‘the

Roast Beef of Old England’,

although our younger visitors

tended to show more interest in the

chocolate fountain!

Christ Church was also the venue

for ‘The Prayer Book in Words and

Music’ presented by Concordia

from Birmingham under their

conductor, Richard Cook, on 9th

May. Settings by Howells, Vaughan

Williams and others were

interspersed with readings of both

well-known and lesser-known

passages by two of our Branch

members, Margaret Dymond and

John Heal. This was a most suitable

way to celebrate the 350th

anniversary of 1662.

Finally, on Saturday, 30th June, the

Litany was sung in procession

between Christ Church and St Mary

Redcliffe, in re-enactment of its

being first sung in English in Bristol

in 1543. Saturday afternoon

shoppers and passers-by looked on

in curiosity, as the congregation

strained to catch the words sung by

the white-robed choir at the head of

the procession, in order to join in

the responses. The rain thankfully

held off until we had almost

News from the Branches

21

The Bristol Litany Procession

22

reached our destination at St Mary

Redcliffe, where a brief service was

followed by refreshments.

Carlisle

The Carlisle Branch celebrated the

350th anniversary in June 2012 at

its annual Festival Eucharist. The

service was held at Kendal Parish

Church; the celebrant was the Vicar

of Kendal (the Revd Rob Saner-

Haigh), and our preacher was the

Bishop of Penrith (the Rt Revd

Robert Freeman). His sermon, with

its inspiring affirmation of the

importance of the BCP both for him

personally and for the Church as a

whole, will long live in the memory

of all who heard it. Lunch was

followed by the Branch AGM. This

was attended by 35 members of the

Society (among whom we were

particularly pleased to be able to

welcome Prudence Dailey, the

national Chairman of the PBS, and

Neil Inkley, Secretary of the

Blackburn Branch). Members

received with regret the news that

the Revd Eric Robinson had decided

that the time had come for him to

step aside from office as Chairman,

and recorded their thanks and good

wishes. Arthur Moss (President), Joy

Budden (Secretary) and Kate East

(Treasurer & Membership Secretary)

were re-elected, and David

Richardson was elected as

Chairman.

The 2013 Festival will be held on

Saturday, 15th June at Kendal Parish

Church.

Chester

On 8th September the Chester

Branch of the PBS came together

with Chester Cathedral for a day of

celebration of the 350th anniversary

of the Book of Common Prayer. The

Sung Eucharist in the morning was

celebrated by the Very Revd Dr

Gordon McPhate, Dean of Chester,

with the Rt Revd Dr Peter Forster,

Bishop of Chester, preaching.

Following lunch, a talk on the

Prayer Book was given in the

Chapter House by Lord Hurd of

Westwell, CH, CBE, PC (Douglas

Hurd). Later in the afternoon

Professor Philip Alexander led a tour

of the exhibition on the 1662 Prayer

Book in the Cathedral Library. The

day was completed by Cathedral

Evensong at which the first lesson

was read by a member of the

Society.

Earlier in the year the Branch had

marked Her Majesty The Queen’s

Diamond Jubilee with an Accession

Service at St Mary’s Church, Nether

Alderley, at which the Revd James

Clark Milnes preached a sermon on

the theme of duty.

Chichester

Chichester Cathedral held a sung

Holy Communion to celebrate the

350th anniversary of the Book of

Common Prayer on Wednesday, 21st

March, the day the Church

remembered Thomas Cranmer. The

sermon was preached by the Revd

Duncan Dormor, the Dean of St

John’s College, Cambridge. The

service was much appreciated as

Prayer Book services are usually said

at the cathedral.

The theme of the Chichester

Cathedral Flower Festival held in

June was ‘Every book tells a story’.

Chichester West members

sponsored an arrangement in

honour of the 350th anniversary.

In June, large-print Books of

Common Prayer were presented toLord Hurd, guest speaker at Chester’s day of celebrations

sixteen ordinands at their retreat by

the Revd Donald Johnson (past

Chairman) and Valerie Dane

(Secretary). Prayer Books were also

presented to two deacons who were

ordained ten years ago!

Coventry

The Branch held its annual service

of Choral Evensong on Saturday,

12th May at St Peter’s, Hampton

Lucy. The congregation was greater

than in recent years, and heard an

excellent sermon from The Very

Revd Michael Sadgrove, Dean of

Durham and formerly Provost of

Coventry Cathedral. The singing was

ably led by the Oken Singers, and

members enjoyed tea and cakes

afterwards in the adjacent school

hall. The collection was shared with

the church.

The Branch AGM took place on

the evening of Wednesday, 11th July

in the familiar surroundings of

Aston Cantlow Village Hall. The

evening started with an excellent

supper prepared by some of the lady

members of the Branch. In the AGM

that followed, the Secretary reported

on another year of varied and well-

attended meetings, and the

Treasurer presented accounts

showing that the Branch was in

good financial health. The

committee was re-elected

unopposed. There followed a talk by

Mr Tom Winnifrith, a Branch

member, who spoke on the topic

‘The Prayer Book in English

Literature’. This was a survey, both

interesting and entertaining, of the

attitudes to the Book of Common

Prayer of a variety of characters in

English novels. The audience needed

to remain awake and alert, but were

hugely rewarded for doing so. It was

a very enjoyable evening

throughout and was attended by

over a third of the members of the

Branch.

Exeter

On Saturday, 24th June, after a

shortened AGM, the Exeter Branch

celebrated the 350th anniversary of

the Book of Common Prayer with

Choral Evensong at St Andrew’s

Minster Church, Plymouth. The

Revd Preb. Paul Hancock, Branch

Chairman, opened the meeting with

prayers. In his report, he said that it

was apt that the 350th anniversary

of the BCP coincided with the

Jubilee of our Queen who, we are

told, knows the Prayer Book

backwards. It is always used at

Sandringham. He drew attention to

the following, which is a

contribution from the Vice

Chairman of the Society, the Revd

Paul Thomas:

Cranmer composed the BCP to

edify the English; to make them

more literate in their faith,

participative in worship and

devout in living. It has done this

for earlier generations precisely

because it is simple and succinct

to use. It speaks plainly,

memorably and faithfully. Its

anniversary provides us with a

rare opportunity to become

familiar again in our generation

with this book of rich devotion

and practicality.

The Chairman went on to say that

the past year had been a particularly

rewarding one for the Exeter

Branch, with copies of the BCP

presented to deacons and ordinands

followed by a well-attended and

successful seminar. In October,

members and friends gathered for

Evensong at St James’ Church,

Avonwick, where four new

members joined the Branch. In

February, the Chairman conducted a

pre-Lenten Quiet Day at Plympton

St Maurice Church, Plympton.

The Branch Treasurer, Mr Philip

Higginson, gave a report on the

accounts, which he said were in

good order, and £800.00 was sent

to Head Office as a contribution to

general funds. Dorothy once again

organised one of her excellent

bookstalls. Amongst other items, we

were able to purchase copies of the

350th anniversary booklets.

Complimentary bookmarks and

packs of mints were also on offer.

A goodly number attended

Evensong, which was conducted by

Bishop Mark at the presentation to Chichester ordinands

23

the Chairman. The preacher was the

Rt Revd John Ford, Bishop of

Plymouth. In his sermon, Bishop

John said that in the early years of

his ministry, he had not been too

familiar with the BCP but that, as

his ministry had developed,

especially within the cathedral

environment, he had come to know

and love the BCP. He spoke of

Cranmer’s skill as a translator, of his

eloquence with words but most of

all his ability to speak to the

congregation in a language they

could understand. He described the

BCP as a ‘safe and comfortable

place, an anchorage for both priest

and congregation’. He also said that

he thought it had stood the test of

time. Its words help us to be open

and still are so easily memorable.

He concluded by thanking the PBS

for promoting this valuable

inheritance and wished them well

in their work. The Minster Choir

sang the anthem O God, you search me

out by Bernadette Farrell. An

excellent tea prepared and served

by the Minster Maids was enjoyed

by all in the Abbey Hall.

Leicester

On Saturday, 21st July 2012 the

Leicester Branch of the Prayer Book

Society attended Evensong at the

delightful church of St Mary

Magdalene, Peckleton. The church

is situated in the heart of

Leicestershire, standing proudly on

a hill, overlooking the rural

countryside ablaze with beautiful

harebells. Much of Peckleton

Church dates from the fourteenth

century, as can be seen from the

perpendicular architecture. The

tower and spire are fifteenth

century. There are six bells

weighing a total of two tons.

Interestingly, the font belongs to

the transitional Norman period

(1145-89), so must have come

from an earlier building. Many of

our members attended the service,

which was conducted by the Revd

Richard Sharpe. A warm welcome

was extended to all. The

churchwarden gave a wonderful

testimony to the importance of the

Book of Common Prayer in her

own life, and said how much it was

valued at Peckleton Church today.

As the vicar was retiring at the

end of the month, the parishioners

decided to unite with the Prayer

Book Society to honour this

occasion with Evensong. As a result,

the singing, atmosphere and

excellent sermon made it a most

memorable occasion. Refresh-

ments, a special cake, and a

presentation in the village hall to

the Revd Richard Sharpe and his

wife followed the service. This

proved to be an ideal opportunity

to socialise with everyone present

and was a happy ending to the day.

London and Southwark

Our Theology Think Tank continues

on the pioneering path. So far as we

know, we are the first Branch of the

Society to use the phone conference

as a novelty method of meeting.

We are fortunate that the firm for

which one of our members works

donates the cost as a charitable gift.

The calls for participants are at the

normal rate of a phone call, but

there would be a booking fee for

the Branch Committee. The fee

increases, as does the length of our

conversations! We aim for 45

minutes, which sometimes creeps

to an hour. Thank goodness for the

firm. The phone conference also

conveys our newly-devised social

meetings to help pass the long

evenings in the cold seasons. It all

started with our using the phone

conference for our conventional

Branch meetings, and expanded

from there. We hope other Branches

will join us on the phone. We have

been paid compliments and given

promises, but so far it has been

London and Southwark members

only. If you are interested, contact

us through Head Office.

Our Think Tank has taken a

chance by discussing in theory how

to tell a doting parent the

unfashionable view that every child

is born into sin. We have not yet

had the courage to issue a Think

Tank statement on that subject.

24

Final preparations at the Leicester celebration

Oxford

The AGM of the Oxford Branch

took place on Saturday, 5th May in

All Saints’ Church, Downshire

Square, Reading. The Revd Dr Roger

Beckwith was re-elected Branch

President, Mr Geoffrey Horne,

Chairman, Mr John Dearing,

Secretary, and the Revd Phillip

Corbett, Branch Chaplain. The

membership stands at 240, and the

Secretary reported on an active year.

Following the meeting, members

enjoyed an excellent tea provided

by the church, and the afternoon

closed with Evening Prayer

conducted by Mr John Mitchell, a

committee member and lay

minister.

Pusey House was the scene on

2nd June of Choral Mattins in

honour of The Queen’s Diamond

Jubilee, followed by the re-launch

of the Oxford University Branch of

the Prayer Book Society.

The 350th anniversary of the BCP

was celebrated during the weekend

of 16th-17th June at Christ Church

College and Cathedral, Oxford, in a

programme devised by the diocese

in consultation with the PBS. Those

who attended were treated to a

lecture on the place of the Prayer

Book during the Commonwealth

period (or rather the lack of it) by

Canon Theologian Dr Judith

Maltby, who combined erudite

scholarship with a lively style. This

was followed by a tea of epic

proportions in the Great Hall of

Christ Church and then, at 6.00

p.m. (Oxford time), Evensong in

the cathedral. There was a further

treat the following morning in the

shape of Prayer Book Mattins,

Litany and Holy Communion, all in

choral mode, with a twenty-minute

break after the Litany! Choral Litany

and the Nicene Creed were sung to

Merbecke, as well as sung responses

to the Ten Commandments. Hearty

thanks to the cathedral staff and, in

particular, the Precentor, the Revd

John Paton, for putting on this

liturgical feast, and to those from

our own ranks who contributed to

the organisation and administration

of the event.

Each year the Oxford Branch

presents copies of the BCP to

candidates for ordination to the

diaconate. This year thirty books

were presented at a brief ceremony

at Ripon Theological College near

Oxford by Branch President, the

Revd Dr Roger Beckwith,

accompanied by Branch Chairman,

Mr Geoffrey Horne. Each candidate

also received our latest promotional

aid, a pencil eraser bearing the

inscription ‘For undoing those

things which we ought not to have

done’.

The Branch received sad news

towards the end of June of the

death of Mr Gordon Spriggs,

Branch Vice President and former

Chairman, aged 99. A staunch

25

Prayer Book Evangelical, Gordon

was also a devoted church organist,

serving as such at St Mary’s, Castle

Street, Reading (which is a

corporate member of the Prayer

Book Society) from 1988 to 2010.

St Edmundsbury & Ipswich

On 16th June, guests from the

University of Cambridge joined

members of the St Edmundsbury

and Ipswich Branch, meeting to

mark the 350th Anniversary of the

Book of Common Prayer, at

Assington Hall, near Sudbury. The

speaker was Dr Marcus Tomalin,

Fellow of Downing College and

Director of Studies in English.

Evening Prayer was led by the Revd

Dr Michael Peel at the Church of St

Edmund the Martyr. Thomas Plant

of Selwyn College and Westcott

House was the preacher. Mr Plant

was ordained the following week.

An ecumenical service

commemorating the 350th

anniversary of the Book of

Common Prayer and the Great

Ejectment was held on 24th June at

Walpole Old Chapel, Suffolk. The

service was led by the Revd Bill

Mahood and the preacher was the

Rt Revd Clive Young, Suffragan

Bishop of Dunwich. Walpole Old

Chapel is in the care of the Historic

Chapels Trust.

Salisbury

The Memorial Hall, Ramsbury,

Wiltshire was the setting for this

meeting of the Salisbury Branch

who were joined by members of

the Oxford Branch, including the

Society’s Chairman, Miss Prudence

Dailey. Opening prayers were said

by the Revd Derek Frost.

The speaker was Mr Paul Meitner,

Vice-Chairman and Treasurer of the

London and Southwark Branch, and

Treasurer and Trustee of Music in

Prisons. He explained that this

registered charity provides music

training and music workshops to

inmates at UK prisons, with the

help of professional musicians.

Visitors and their families come to

hear prisoners play, some fifteen to

twenty projects a year are provided

and the re-offending rate among

prisoners involved is markedly

reduced. After a particularly lively

question time the speaker was

thanked by Miss Joy Rabbetts, the

famous ‘Salisbury Tea’ followed, and

the bells of Holy Cross Church were

rung by members of the Branch.

Evensong at the church was

conducted by the Revd Derek Frost.

Winchester and Portsmouth

In April and May the Branch was

delighted to support the cathedral

in two special lectures, followed by

tea and Choral Evensong. The first

lecture, given by Canon Precentor

Michael St John-Channell,

described the role that Prayer Book

worship has played and continues

to play in the life of the cathedral.

The second, given by the Canon

Theologian Judith Maltby, was

26

more historical in focus, describing

the attempts under Cromwell to

replace the Prayer Book with the

Directory. It was fascinating to see

how many of the religious

controversies of that time still have

their echo nowadays.

Also in May, Branch members

were invited to Winchester College

where the Fellows’ Librarian, Dr

Geoffrey Day, showed the visitors

some of the more valuable and

remarkable prayer books from the

college collections, and did so in

some of the very rooms occupied

by Warden Harmer, one of the

principal translators who worked

on the Authorised Version. This

meeting was followed by a

magnificent Choral Evensong in the

college chapel.

On 17th June the Branch AGM

was held in Sparsholt Village Hall,

after BCP Mattins in the church. The

guest speaker, Paul Meitner, Trustee

for the South-East region and

Churchwarden for Holy Trinity,

Prince Consort Road, described

how his parish had managed to

survive and even thrive during long

periods of interregnum. His talk

provoked a lively discussion.

For the first time, the Branch is

seeking to organise heats for the

Cranmer Awards in our dioceses.

Response from schools is a bit tepid

but we are hopeful that we shall

send winners to participate in the

finals next year. Meanwhile we have

launched a scheme to designate a

‘Prayer Book Service of the Month’.

Our hope is that, by designating a

particular service every month,

some of us will be able to support

that service, and, by swelling the

numbers of regular worshippers,

express our appreciation to the

officiant, and encourage him or

her, and the parish, to continue to

use the BCP.

27

Exeter

Tuesday, 13th November at 11.00

a.m. Choral Mattins at St James’

Church, Avonwick, South Brent

conducted by The Revd Preb. Paul

Hancock. Followed by lunch at the

Avon Inn.

Sunday, 18th November at 3.00 p.m. at

Exeter Cathedral. Choral Evensong to

commemorate the 350th anniversary

of the Book of Common Prayer.

Refreshments to follow Evensong.

Please advise the Branch Secretary if

you wish to attend.

Oxford

This year’s Cranmer Heats will be held

on Thursday, 8th November at St

Edward’s School, Oxford. Tea will be

at 3.30 p.m. followed by the heats at

4.00 p.m. Anyone wishing to register

can do so by contacting

pbs.admin@pbs.org.uk. More

information can be found on the

Society’s website.

Saturday, 8th December. Advent Carol

Service at St Michael at the North Gate,

Oxford.

Forthcoming Events

28

National Finals: CranmerAwards 2013Thursday, 28th February 2013 at

the Royal York Hotel and Events

Centre, Station Road, York YO24

1AA

We are delighted that His Grace,

the Lord Archbishop of York,

John Sentamu, has agreed to

present the prizes. All members

and friends of the Society are

warmly invited to attend. The

timetable for the day is:

10.30 a.m. Coffee. 11.00 a.m.

Finals begin. 12.45 p.m. Lunch

(Pre-booking essential). 2.00

p.m. Presentation of Prizes

A buffet lunch served in the

restaurant will be available at the

cost of £18.50 per head for

those who have purchased

tickets in advance. Cheques

(made payable to The Prayer

Book Society) should be sent to

the Society’s office at Copyhold

Farm. Please enclose your name

and the address to which the

tickets should be sent, together

with a note indicating that

payment is for the Cranmer

Finals Lunch. Lunch bookings

must be sent in no later than

Friday, 8th February 2013. If

travelling by car please contact

the Royal York (Conference and

Events department) to book a

parking space (01904 653681).

Once the ten complimentary

places are booked, additional

spaces have a daily rate of £6.

29

The Society stands for:

Respect for the Monarchy: Duty to our

Sovereign and our Country;

The cause of England and Englishness.

In accordance with our Constitution, the

Objects of the society are:

One

To foster the love of England and to

strengthen England and the commonwealth

by spreading the knowledge of English

history, traditions and ideals.

Two

To keep fresh the memory of those, in all

walks of life, who have served England or

the Commonwealth in the past in order to

inspire leadership in the future.

Three

To combat all activities likely to undermine

the strength of England or the

Commonwealth.

Four

To further English interests everywhere to

ensure that St. George’s Day is properly

celebrated and to provide focal points the

world over where English men and women

may gather together.

Are you proud of your Country and her glorious history?

Then why not become a member of

The Royal Society of St. George. Membership provides an

opportunity to take part in our determination to honour England

and Englishness, and to celebrate our nation and its achievements.

An elected Council governs the Society, and we have over 100

branches worldwide.

Please visit our website for regular updates

www.royalsocietyofstgeorge.com

Contact the address below for a brochure

Administration Centre

Enterprise House, 10 Church Hill, Loughton

Essex, IG10 1LA England

Office: 020 3225 5011

Fax: 020 8508 4356

Facebook page – www.facebook.com/RoyalSocietyofStGeorge

Twitter account - @RSStGeorge

Membership Application Form

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Subscriptions (UK): Full Individual £25.00 p.a. Joint Full £35.00 p.a.

For all other forms of membership and information, please contact our Administration Centre

Membership includes a RSSG Jewel Badge and Journals

The Royal Society of St. GeorgePatron:

Her Majesty the QueenSociety Founded: 1894

THE ENGLISH CLERGY ASSOCIATIONFounded 1938 www.clergyassoc.co.uk

Patron: The Rt. Rev’d & Rt. Hon. the Lord Bishop of LondonPresident: Professor Sir Anthony Milnes Coates, Bt., B.Sc., M.D., F.R.C.P.

Parliamentary Vice-President: The Rt. Hon. The Lord Cormack, F.S.A.

The Association seeks to be a Church ofEngland mutual resource and support forclergy (with Freehold or on CommonTenure) patrons and churchwardensrequiring information or insight.

Donations to the Benefit Fund provideClergy Holidays:

Gifts, Legacies, Church Collections muchappreciated.

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Mon. 13th MAY 20132p.m.

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Benoporto-eca@yahoo.co.uk for Membership enquiries.The Old School House, Norton Hawkfield, Bristol BS39 4HB

12.45p.m. HOLY COMMUNION (B.C.P.) Celebrant: The Rev’d John Masding (Chairman)Buffet lunch upon reservation

Annual Address usually printed in the Members’ journal Parson & Parish.

Branch Contacts• BATH & WELLS:

Mr Ian Girvan, 59 Kempthorne Lane,

Bath BA2 5DX

Tel: 01225 830663

iangirvan@me.com

• BIRMINGHAM:

Colonel Michael J. World,

19 Belmont Covert, Northfield,

Birmingham B31 2EQ

Tel: 0121 477 8355

drmikeworld@aol.com

• BLACKBURN:

Mr Neil Inkley, 6 Knot Lane, Walton-

le-Dale, Preston, Lancashire PR5 4BQ

Tel: 01772 821676

Fax: 01772 259340

• BRADFORD:

Please contact the office, Copyhold

Farm

• BRISTOL:

Mr David Selwyn, 8 Barrow Court,

Barrow Gurney, Bristol BS48 3RW

Tel: 01275 463421

Membership Secretary: Mrs Joyce

Morris, 29 St John’s Road, Clifton,

Bristol BS8 2HD

• CANTERBURY:

Mr Christopher Cooper, Goose and

Gridiron, 6 Churchyard Passage,

Ashford, Kent TN23 1QL

Tel: 07525 095717

saveashfordchurch@yahoo.co.uk

• CARLISLE:

Secretary: Mrs Joy Budden, Arthuret

House, Longtown, CA6 5SJ

Tel: 01228 792263

jobudsignofthefish@yahoo.co.uk

Membership Secretary: Mrs Kate

East, 10 Fernwood Drive, Kendal,

LA9 5BU

Tel: 01539 725055

• CHELMSFORD:

Mr David Martin, The Oak House,

Chelmsford Road, Felsted CM6 3EP

Tel: 01371 820591

• CHESTER:

Mr J. Baldwin, Rosalie Farm, Church

Minshull, Nantwich, Cheshire CW5

6EF

Tel: 01270 528487

mdsc187@aol.com

• CHICHESTER:

Mrs Valerie Dane, 225 Chichester

Road, Bognor Regis PO21 5AQ

Tel: 01243 827330

valerie.225@btinternet.com

(Chichester East) The Revd G.

Butterworth, The Vicarage, 51

Saltdean Vale, Saltdean, East Sussex

BN2 8HE

Tel: 01273 302345

• COVENTRY:

Mr Peter Bolton, 19 Kineton Road,

Wellesbourne, Warwickshire CV35

9NE

Tel: 01789 840814

peterandrosalindbolton@hotmail.com

• DERBY:

Please contact the office, Copyhold

Farm

• DURHAM:

Mrs Rosemary Hall, 23 Beatty

Avenue, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, NE2

3QN

Tel: 0191 285 7534

hallrosyhall@aol.com

• ELY:

Mr P. K. C. White, The Orchard

House, 12 Thrift’s Walk, Old

Chesterton, Cambridge CB4 1NR

Tel: 01223 324176

pkcwhite@waitrose.com

• EXETER:

Mrs Esme Heath, Brookfield,

Stokenham, Kingsbridge, Devon

TQ7 2SL

Tel: 01548 580615

esme.heath@sky.com

• GLOUCESTER:

Miss S.M. Emson, 38 Gloucester

Road, Stratton, Cirencester GL7 2JY

Tel: 01285 654591

susanemson@hotmail.co.uk

• GUILDFORD:

Mr John Fox-Reynolds, 3 Orchard

Cottages, Bron-y-de, Churt, Farnham

GU10 2LL

Tel: 01428 605156

john_reynolds2002@hotmail.com

• HEREFORD:

Mr Stephen Evans, 14 Raven Lane,

Ludlow, Shropshire SY8 1BW

Tel: 01584 873436

Mobile: 07812 424007

onny@hotmail.co.uk

• LEICESTER:

Mrs S. Packe-Drury-Lowe, 35 Green

Lane, Seagrave, Loughborough LE12

7LU

Tel: 01509 815262

ritaphillips@gmail.com

• LICHFIELD:

Mr D. Doggett, Grassendale, 5 Park

Drive, Oswestry, Shropshire SY11

1BN

Tel: 01691 652902

• LINCOLN:

The Hon. Christopher Brightman,

The Grange, Hall Street, Wellingore

LH5 0HU

Tel: 01522 811432

cbrightman@hotmail.co.uk

• LIVERPOOL:

Ms Dianne Rothwell, 7 Gorsey Lane,

Warrington WA1 3PT

elfmag@btinternet.com

Tel: 01925632974 (eve)

• LONDON:

Please contact the office, Copyhold

Farm

• MANCHESTER:

Mr Nicholas Johnson, 552 Liverpool

Street, Salford, Manchester M5 5JX

nicholasj2104@yahoo.co.uk

• NEWCASTLE:

Mrs Rosemary Hall, 23 Beatty

Avenue, Newcastle-upon-Tyne NE2

3QN

Tel: 0191 285 7534

hallrosyhall@aol.com

• NORWICH:

Mrs A. Wilson, The Old Rectory,

Burston Road, Dickleburgh, Diss,

Norfolk IP21 4NN

Tel: 01379 740561

• OXFORD:

Mr J. B. Dearing, 27 Sherman Road,

Reading, Berkshire RG1 2PJ

Tel: 0118 958 0377

gpwild@btconnect.com

• PETERBOROUGH:

Mrs M. Stewart, The Sycamores, 3

Oakham Road, Whissendine, Rutland

LE15 7HA

Tel: 01664 474353

mary.stewart@decomplexity.com

• PORTSMOUTH: Please see

Winchester & Portsmouth

• RIPON & LEEDS:

Mr J. R. Wimpress, Bishopton Grove

House, Bishopton, Ripon HG4 2QL

Tel: 01765 600888

bgh@ripon.org

• ROCHESTER:

Mr G. Comer, 102 Marlborough

Crescent, Sevenoaks, Kent TN13 2HR

Tel: 01732 461462

joannacomer@btinternet.com

• ST ALBANS:

Mrs J.M. Paddick (Treasurer)

82 Barton Way, Croxley Green,

St Albans WD3 3QA

Tel: 01923 442734

j.paddick@ntlworld.com

• ST EDMUNDSBURY & IPSWICH:

Mr Anthony C. Desch, South End

House, 2 Sicklesmere Road, Bury St

Edmunds, Suffolk IP33 2BW

Tel: 01284 755355

anthony@adesch.wanadoo.co.uk

• SALISBURY:

Mrs Lucy Pearson, 10 Briar Close,

Wyke, Gillingham, Dorset SP8 4SS

Tel: 01747 825392

lucypearson@waitrose.com

• SHEFFIELD:

Miss Rosemary Littlewood, Railway

House, Hazlehead, Sheffield S36 4HJ

Tel: 01226 764092

rowood@waitrose.com

• SODOR & MAN:

The Revd Clare Faulds, The Lynague,

Ramsey Road, St Germans IM5 2AQ

Tel: 01624 842045

faulds@mcb.net

• SOUTHWARK: Please contact the

office, Copyhold Farm

• SOUTHWELL AND NOTTINGHAM:

Mr A.F. Sunman, 1 Lunn Lane, South

Collingham, Newark NG23 7LP

Tel: 01636 893975

adriansunman@lineone.net

• TRURO:

Mr J. St Brioc Hooper, 1 Tregarne

Terrace, St Austell PL25 4BE

Tel: 01726 76382

j.stbrioc@virgin.net

• WAKEFIELD:

The Revd Philip Reynolds, St Aidan’s

Vicarage, Radcliffe Street,

Skelmanthorpe, Huddersfield HD8

9AF

Tel: 01484 863232

life.draw@virgin.net

• WINCHESTER & PORTSMOUTH:

Mrs Nikki Sales, 19 Heath Road

South, Locks Heath, Southampton

SO31 6SJ

Tel: 01489 570899

grass.green@virgin.net

• WORCESTER:

Mr John Comins, The Old Rectory,

Birlingham, Nr Pershore WR10 3AB

Tel: 01386 750292

john_comins@yahoo.co.uk

• YORK:

Mr R. A. Harding, 5 Lime Avenue,

Stockton Lane, York YO31 1BT

Tel: 01904 423347

eboraco@talktalk.net

• NORTH WALES:

The Revd Neil Fairlamb, 5 Tros-yr-

afon, Beaumaris, Anglesey LL58 8BN

Tel: 01248 811402

rheithor@spamarrest.com

• SOUTH WALES:

Dr J. H. E. Baker, 56 Bridge Street,

Llandaff CF5 2YN

Tel: 0292 057 8091

• CHANNEL ISLANDS: Please see

Winchester & Portsmouth

• OVERSEAS MEMBERS:

Mrs Sally Tipping, Woodland Cross

Cottage, Woodland Head, Yeoford,

Crediton, Devon EX17 5HE

sally631@btinternet.com

AFFILIATED BRANCHES

• IRELAND: Please contact the office,

Copyhold Farm

• SOUTH AFRICA: Please contact the

office, Copyhold Farm

SISTER SOCIETIES

• AUSTRALIA:

Miss Margaret Steel, 9/63 O'Sullivan

Road, Rose Bay, NSW 2029

mste8801@bigpond.net.au

Mr F. Ford, PO Box 2, Heidelberg,

Victoria, 3084, Australia

Mrs Joan Blanchard, 96 Devereux

Road, Beaumont, South Australia,

5066, Australia

• CANADA:

The Prayer Book Society of Canada,

P.O. Box 38060, 1430 Prince of

Wales Drive, Ottawa, Ontario, K2C

3Y7, Canada

• SCOTLAND:

Mr J C Lord, 11 Melrose Gardens,

Glasgow G20 6RB

Tel: 0141 946 5045

jcl30@btinternet.com

• UNITED STATES OF AMERICA:

The Prayer Book Society, P.O. Box

35220, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,

19128, USA

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