John Ramsden Wollaston
Birth
Death Marriage Spouse Father Mother Sibling/s Children |
28 March 1791
3 May 1856 13 May 1819 Mary Amelia Gledstanes Edward Wollaston Elizabeth Ramsden Elizabeth Wollaston Agnes Wollaston Mary Wollaston Edward Wollaston William Wollaston Richard Wollaston John Ramsden Wollaston William Edward Wollaston Henry Newton Wollaston George Gledstanes Wollaston Elizabeth Mary Wollaston Edward Chapman Wollaston Mary Elizabeth Wollaston Mary Agnes Wollaston Agnes Elizabeth Wollaston Sophia Charlotte Wollaston |
Location
Location Location |
London, Middlesex, England
Albany, Western Australia, Australia Wrotham, Kent, England |
John Ramsden Wollaston was born on the 28th of March 1791 at Charterhouse in London, England to Edward Wollaston and Elizabeth Ramsden. His
surname of Wollaston is pronounced Woolaston.
John was educated at the Charterhouse School where his father, Reverend Edward Wollaston, was a Master and his maternal grandfather, Reverend William Ramsden, was Headmaster. It was at The Charterhouse School, that from age eleven, John received his grounding in self-discipline; he went on to win an exhibition to Christ's College, Cambridge. Here he took his BA in 1812 and his MA in 1815. Like the majority of the Wollastons and Ramsdens, he took Holy Orders becoming Deacon in 1814 and Priest in 1815; he was Curate of Wrotham, Kent 1814-1815 and Vicar of Elenham, Essex 1815-1818.
In 1821, he became Curate at West Wickham Church where there was neither income, nor house and the Wollastons had to manage on their own resources, probably supplemented by his father who was by then Rector of nearby Balsham. Prior to John’s arrival and residence, West Wickham had been served by a succession of priests and the “living” held by the absentee Rector of Horseheath, The Reverend John Maule. West Wickham suffered from neglect. Congregations were small and by 1785 the church building was in such a bad state that rain poured in and it was virtually impossible to hold service. John was a priest conscientious in ecclesiastical matters and during his time at West Wickham he worked diligently to repair and decorate the church building. He was appointed Permanent Curate of West Wickham, Cambridge in 1825. In February 1834 he presented an organ (costing £9.25p, towards which he contributed £1).
In 1821, he became Curate at West Wickham Church where there was neither income, nor house and the Wollastons had to manage on their own resources, probably supplemented by his father who was by then Rector of nearby Balsham. Prior to John’s arrival and residence, West Wickham had been served by a succession of priests and the “living” held by the absentee Rector of Horseheath, The Reverend John Maule. West Wickham suffered from neglect. Congregations were small and by 1785 the church building was in such a bad state that rain poured in and it was virtually impossible to hold service. John was a priest conscientious in ecclesiastical matters and during his time at West Wickham he worked diligently to repair and decorate the church building. He was appointed Permanent Curate of West Wickham, Cambridge in 1825. In February 1834 he presented an organ (costing £9.25p, towards which he contributed £1).
West Wickham was a parish entirely dependent on agriculture, which after the Napoleonic Wars, was in severe depression and John’s efforts were concentrated on the poor. Education was also close to his heart and he and his wife Mary were responsible for the opening of a school, catering for 100 children, at which they both taught.
John was brought up within the evangelical tradition of the Church of England but his concern was never narrow, and he wrote “The Anglican branch of the Church of Christ is of no party – she is neither ‘high’ or ‘low’, ‘Popish’, ‘Puseyistic’, ‘Evangelical’ or ‘Liberal’ – but consistently Scriptural”.
John was brought up within the evangelical tradition of the Church of England but his concern was never narrow, and he wrote “The Anglican branch of the Church of Christ is of no party – she is neither ‘high’ or ‘low’, ‘Popish’, ‘Puseyistic’, ‘Evangelical’ or ‘Liberal’ – but consistently Scriptural”.
He married Mary Amelia Gledstanes on the 13th of May 1819 at St George’s Church in Wrotham, Kent.
John and Mary had 10 children; John Ramsden Wollaston, William Edward Wollaston, Henry Newton Wollaston, George Gledstanes Wollaston, Elizabeth Mary Wollaston, Edward Chapman Wollaston, Mary Elizabeth Wollaston, Mary Agnes Wollaston, Agnes Elizabeth Wollaston, and Sophia Charlotte Wollaston. Three of their children, Elizabeth Mary Wollaston, Mary Elizabeth Wollaston, and Agnes Elizabeth Wollaston, died in infancy.
In 1836 John’s father Edward died. With the loss of a parent, as well as financial support, he decided to emigrate to Western Australia where he believed his family might have a better future.
In 1840, in response to advertisements by the Western Australian Land Company offering land for settlement in Western Australia, John decided to take up land there where he was promised a ministry at a proposed new settlement on Port Leschenault.
He arrived at Fremantle, Western Australia, in the Henry with his wife and 7 children on the 20th of April 1841. They settled on a farm near Port Leschenault.
These pioneering days were hard and difficult for all those who came to Western Australia, and the fact that he was a clergyman meant little when food was short, clothing and footwear worn out, and sickness affected many.
Although the authorities had promised to pay him a stipend as a colonial chaplain, he was unable to receive his payment until a church building had been constructed. Despite the harsh weather conditions, he built a little church at Picton in fewer than 18 months.
On the 8th of July 1840 the American whaler Samuel Wright was wrecked in Koombana Bay. The skipper, Captain Coffin, salvaged timber from the whaler and built himself a cottage at Picton.
In 1842 the cottage was purchased off Coffin by the newly arrived Reverend John Ramsden Wollaston.
In 1836 John’s father Edward died. With the loss of a parent, as well as financial support, he decided to emigrate to Western Australia where he believed his family might have a better future.
In 1840, in response to advertisements by the Western Australian Land Company offering land for settlement in Western Australia, John decided to take up land there where he was promised a ministry at a proposed new settlement on Port Leschenault.
He arrived at Fremantle, Western Australia, in the Henry with his wife and 7 children on the 20th of April 1841. They settled on a farm near Port Leschenault.
These pioneering days were hard and difficult for all those who came to Western Australia, and the fact that he was a clergyman meant little when food was short, clothing and footwear worn out, and sickness affected many.
Although the authorities had promised to pay him a stipend as a colonial chaplain, he was unable to receive his payment until a church building had been constructed. Despite the harsh weather conditions, he built a little church at Picton in fewer than 18 months.
On the 8th of July 1840 the American whaler Samuel Wright was wrecked in Koombana Bay. The skipper, Captain Coffin, salvaged timber from the whaler and built himself a cottage at Picton.
In 1842 the cottage was purchased off Coffin by the newly arrived Reverend John Ramsden Wollaston.
With the help of his sons William, George, and Edward, local farmers and with remarkable tenacity he built his own church out of pit sawn timber using cloth soaked in linseed oil for the windows. The thatching was done by Fred Hymus, a man John knew well in England, as well as a man named Everett. John was 50 years old at the time.
On the 18th of September 1842 his Church at Picton was opened. The present building was extensively restored in 1942 but the character has been retained. It was only the second church built in Western Australia, and is still preserved as a national monument.
On the 18th of September 1842 his Church at Picton was opened. The present building was extensively restored in 1942 but the character has been retained. It was only the second church built in Western Australia, and is still preserved as a national monument.
His energy and efficiency became widely known, and he was asked to minister to the people of Albany. In 1848, he completed St John’s Church, which had been started before the church at Picton, so that he is associated with both of the oldest churches in Western Australia. St John’s Church first was founded after petitions were made in 1839 to the newly arrived Governor of Western Australia, John Hutt, to create an Anglican church on King's Square. It stood at the centre of the square at the end of the High Street. The expense of building the church was underwritten by Daniel Scott, who was an enterprising harbour master and supporter of the Church of England. The church was opened on the 4th of August 1843. This church stood for decades but was demolished when the new church was available. The outline of this building is still shown in the pavement and two stained glass windows in the nave of the present church are said to have been moved from this building to the new church.
After these successes, he was appointed the first Archdeacon of Western Australia, and for seven years he visited the settled areas of the archdeaconry, travelling hundreds of miles on horseback in overpowering heat or pouring rain to make sure the Church was ministering to the people. He was much loved by lay people and earned a reputation for bringing the very different clergy of the colony together.
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John kept journals of his travels, including the Picton Diary (1841-1844) and the Albany Diary (1848) as well as five Archidiaconal Visitations covering over 1,000 miles each time on horseback visiting clergy and small settlements. In a report to the British Missionary Society, his Bishop wrote of Wollaston:
“He is a worthy pastor who most affectionately and powerfully addressed his flock. He is respected and beloved by all classes, one who by his mild and affectionate pastoral faithfulness wins the regard of all under this ministry. The Society could not contribute to a more worthy, laborious, energetic missionary than this.”
“He is a worthy pastor who most affectionately and powerfully addressed his flock. He is respected and beloved by all classes, one who by his mild and affectionate pastoral faithfulness wins the regard of all under this ministry. The Society could not contribute to a more worthy, laborious, energetic missionary than this.”
In 1848 John and Mary moved to Albany which remained his base after becoming Archdeacon of Eastern Australia in 1849. In his five archidiaconal visitations he visited each of the parishes and clergy of his area commenting on their work and living conditions. This remains a valuable witness to the early days of settlement in Western Australia. He also developed a concern for the plight of the Aboriginal people for whom the arrival of European settlers brought great turmoil.
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John died on the 3rd of May 1856 in Albany, Western Australia aged 65 years. He died shortly after his second main archidiaconal tour of around 1000 miles. It is believed his death was the result of exhaustion.
When John and Mary moved to Albany in 1848, their sons William and George Wollaston went to South Australia and settled near Port Lincoln. They were joined by Edward the following year and later by their mother Mary and sister Sophy who left Western Australia in the “Augusta Kaufman” on the 24th of December 1856 after John’s death.
John Ramsden Wollaston’s legacy and name live on in many places throughout Western Australia.
John Ramsden Wollaston’s legacy and name live on in many places throughout Western Australia.
On the 23rd of February 1984 John Ramsden Wollaston was promulgated a Local Saint and Hero of the Anglican Communion, “appointing an open observance on the 18th of September each year in all altars in this Province an appropriate Collect, Epistle, Gospel and other Propers”, also stating
We give thanks to Almighty God for his signal virtues and heroic labours as a faithful pastor of souls, his resolute commitment to the building of the first place of worship at Picton as a sign of his constant devotion to the building up of the flock of Christ, his leadership in all things of the Spirit, his unflagging endeavours on behalf of new settlers and his earnest concern for the welfare of the Aboriginal people of this land. And no less do we recommend to our people the example of his selfless devotion and holy living and within the fellowship of the Communion of Saints we ask that God will bless this Province and make us not only inheritors of His servant’s work, but also lively followers and instruments of it.
There is also a John Wollaston Anglican Community School which was founded in 1989.
We give thanks to Almighty God for his signal virtues and heroic labours as a faithful pastor of souls, his resolute commitment to the building of the first place of worship at Picton as a sign of his constant devotion to the building up of the flock of Christ, his leadership in all things of the Spirit, his unflagging endeavours on behalf of new settlers and his earnest concern for the welfare of the Aboriginal people of this land. And no less do we recommend to our people the example of his selfless devotion and holy living and within the fellowship of the Communion of Saints we ask that God will bless this Province and make us not only inheritors of His servant’s work, but also lively followers and instruments of it.
There is also a John Wollaston Anglican Community School which was founded in 1989.
In 1992 the Province of Western Australia added his name to their calendar of saints. Later, it was added to that of the Anglican Church throughout the whole of Australia, where he is remembered on the 18th of September - the anniversary of the first service held in the church he built at Picton.
References
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_Charterhouse
The Curious Case of the Wollaston Affair, Provenance: The Journal of Public Record Office Victoria, issue no. 7, 2008. ISSN 1832-2522. Copyright © Lyn Payne.
http://prov.vic.gov.au/publications/provenance/provenance2008/he-wollaston-affair
Portrait of Archdeacon John Ramsden Wollaston (1791-1856). National Library of Australia, GM Matthews collection of portraits of ornithologists 1900-1949, ID 3799374
http://www.perth.anglican.org/download/diocese/john_ramsden_wollaston/John%20Ramsden%20Wollaston%20Promulgation.pdf
http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/ivorjackson/1724.htm
http://www.ely.anglican.org/about/good_and_great/jrwollaston.html
http://www.daao.org.au/bio/william-wollaston/biography/
The Curious Case of the Wollaston Affair, Provenance: The Journal of Public Record Office Victoria, issue no. 7, 2008. ISSN 1832-2522. Copyright © Lyn Payne.
http://prov.vic.gov.au/publications/provenance/provenance2008/he-wollaston-affair
Portrait of Archdeacon John Ramsden Wollaston (1791-1856). National Library of Australia, GM Matthews collection of portraits of ornithologists 1900-1949, ID 3799374
http://www.perth.anglican.org/download/diocese/john_ramsden_wollaston/John%20Ramsden%20Wollaston%20Promulgation.pdf
http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/ivorjackson/1724.htm
http://www.ely.anglican.org/about/good_and_great/jrwollaston.html
http://www.daao.org.au/bio/william-wollaston/biography/