Is there a subject you want to find out more about? Forget Google, forget Wikipedia – just ask a man who knows. And if it’s St Peter’s church, Belgrave you want to know about then there is no better man to ask than this month’s speaker, John Martin-Jones. John has deep-rooted personal and family connections to the church and these were in evidence during his talk entitled ‘A Very Special Man’. John’s subject was Reverend Richard Stephens, minister at St Peter’s during the nineteenth century.
In sixty minutes John managed to shed a little light on the rather misty origins of St Peter’s, outline Richard’s life up to his ordination, paint a picture of Belgrave in 1824 and highlight some of the problems Reverend Stephens faced on his arrival.
The Stephens family lived in the building known as “Wyggeston House”, on Applegate, Leicester, which will be remembered by some as the home of Leicester’s Costume Museum in the 1970/80’s.
When he took up his post in Belgrave in 1824, Richard faced many challenges, probably the most immediate was the poor state of the church building which lacked any modern amenities. The condition of the building was only worsened by the damage caused by the November tempest which destroyed several stained glass windows and damaged the wooden spire. Even the vicarage did not go unscathed. Reverend Stephens manage to raise sufficient finances to carry out the necessary repairs, and by doing this, he demonstrated his commitment to the parish.
One of the most important achievements of Reverend Stephens (as far as historians are concerned) was the founding of the ‘Belgrave Parochial Protective Society’ and our speaker drew heavily on the Society minutes to show us how the new vicar set about improving life for his parishioners.
Belgrave had its own workhouse which provided only limited support for the poor of the parish, and poverty only increased as Belgrave became more industrialised. The Protective Society provided relief for the poor, in the form of food and coal, and with the encouragement of Richard, established a school for children and evening classes for adults. The Society was also responsible for managing the fields owned by the church and the minutes tell us how one or two ‘shady’ characters misused church land and how they were dealt with!
Richard Stephens, A Very Special Man, left a lasting legacy through his dedication to education, social welfare and church restoration.
Thank you John for a very thought-provoking talk.