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CONTRIBUTE TO YOUR
PARISH MAGAZINE!!
The Parish Magazine
is produced in the
Parish Office and
edited by the
editorial team of David
Robinson, David
Black, Wendy Rendle and
Jill Cawley. The
editors are always
looking for articles
for publication;
your contributions
can be sent to the
parish office by
email to:
office@parish-of-dartmouth.org.uk
. Or left at the
parish office in
“hard copy” form.
Please let us have
your articles by the
15th of the previous
month.
St.
Saviour’s
Door Knocker
The picture
is of a door
knocker sent
to the
parish a
short while
ago.
It was
bought at a
car boot
sale about
20 years
ago,
possibly in
Berkshire.
It is an
exact
replica of
the big door
in
St.Saviour’s
and is
beautifully
made in
brass.
We are
interested
to know any
information
about it,
such as when
it was made
and by whom.
Please
contact the
Vicar or the
Parish
Office.
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THE ANCHOR CLUB
A new venture was
launched on 28th
October. The Anchor
Club, named after
the symbol for
St.Clement’s, was
formed. The Club is
intended for
children, young
people and families.
It will take place
once a month on the
fourth Sunday of
each month in
St.Clement’s Church
at 9.30am, which is
a bit early for
some, especially in
the winter, but it
may not seem so bad
in the summer.
Invitations have
gone out to all
families who have
been to our churches
for baptisms in the
last five years and
to recently married
couples, who are
known to be living
in the area.
The Club is unlike
anything seen in
St.Clement’s before.
There is no order of
service and no books
are used. Everything
that people need
will be projected on
to a screen. All
members will be
issued with badges.
Attendance to date
has been small, but
promising and
comments regarding
the Club’s
activities have been
greatly encouraging.
Although the Club is
still in it’s early
days, new families
have become members
of the Club, and are
wearing their Anchor
Club badges with
pride.
The children are
involved as much as
possible during the
service with action
songs, music makers
and other activities
along with stories
from the scriptures
and a time to say
their prayers.
Images also are used
as much as possible
during this service
as a way of helping
our young members
understand the
theme.
It is hoped that the
Anchor Club’s
membership will
increase over the
next few months and
that more badges
will be being worn
around the town.
Advertising is
essential to the
progress of this
Club, so if you come
into contact with
young people and
families perhaps you
could suggest this
once a month Club to
them or give them
one of our flyers!
However, if you
don’t come into
contact with young
people, please would
you pray for this
venture, asking God
to bless our work
with young people in
helping them to see
something of God’s
Glory.
All are welcome at
the Anchor Club.
PRAYERS FOR PEACE
Our world is a funny
old place. There are
areas of calm and
beauty, as well as
places where there
is blood and
violence and
despair. If what we
are concerned with
is that everyone
should have a fair
chance, then we can
never forget the bad
places. And there
are millions of
people in the world
for whom life is
unpredictable,
violent, unfair and
tough.
Every Friday at
11.30am we have
Prayers For Peace in
the Lady Chapel of
St. Saviour’s, which
bring to God our
worries and
anxieties about the
lack of peace in
parts of the world.
It’s just a chance
to remember for half
an hour the misery
that people cause to
people, and to make
it known that we
care.
There is always room
for anyone who want
to come. It’s a
fairly formalized
but very straight
forward half an hour
at the end of the
week to which you
are very welcome.
JOHN HAULEY, HIS
YEAR - 2008
Many like to assume
that Chaucer’s
Shipman is modelled
on the second and
most famous of the
three members of the
Hawley family (of
Allaleigh),who all
bore the name of
John. We give a
place of honour to
John Hawley at St
Saviour’s as the
benefactor who
provided for the
chancel to be built.
As we make our way
to the altar-rail we
tread upon carpet
that protects the
fine brass-work
above his tomb.
This John Hawley was
a man of great
distinction, twice
an MP, nine times
mayor and, as such,
charged in 1388 with
improving the port’s
sea defences by
building the
fortalice at the
estuary. Frequently
he was a leading
figure in the
improvised squadrons
of local vessels
instructed to
destroy the king’s
enemies. In effect
this virtually gave
licence to ravage
shipping in the
Channel and in
particular off the
north French coast.
Hawley and his
associates seem to
have been very
successful at
ravaging as, for
example, when they
raided the Norman
coast, captured a
number of ships and
seized 1,500 casks
of wine.
There is a fine line
to be drawn between
patriotism and
self-interest when
it comes to the
‘swash and buckle’
of life on the high
seas at that time.
As we come to
commemorate John
Hawley on the 600th
anniversary of his
death, the 30th of
December 1408, the
old arguments will
be renewed about
whether he was more
of a pirate than a
privateer. Collins
describes piracy as
‘robbery on the seas
within admiralty
jurisdiction’. A
privateer is defined
as ‘an armed,
privately owned
vessel commissioned
for service by a
government.’ From
the point of view of
a trading vessel,
with rich pickings,
it must have been of
little consequence
whether the robust
cog bearing down on
you with its mean
looking crew was
officially licensed
or not.
Although it is said
that ‘the wind
always blows fair on
Hawley’s Hoe’ it
could on occasion
turn against him. He
was, for instance,
imprisoned in the
Tower by Henry 1V in
1406 and ordered to
make restitution of
merchandise
illegally stowed
away in one of his
warehouses. We may
indeed ask ourselves
whether the spacious
chancel of St
Saviour’s was built
with conscience
money. Having said
that, it would be
wrong for us to
think of him too
much within the
context of our own
times. In his day
there was no such
thing as a navy,
royal or otherwise,
so it was left to
such stalwarts as
Hawley to defend our
shores. It seems
probable that when
it came to a fight,
at sea or when the
Bretons were
defeated at
Blackpool Sands, he
like Chaucer’s
Shipman ‘of nyce
conscience took no
keep.’ It was the
way of the world,
even for crusaders!
Personally I will be
delighted to turn
the spotlight on
John Hawley in 2008.
He represents
something of the
colourful,
significant and
often inspiring
history of our town
which deserves to be
celebrated. To many
in his day he was
‘venerabilis vir’, a
man of distinction
and something of a
national hero. Call
him pirate or
privateer it is
surely a matter of
semantics; even
Francis Drake was
charged with leaving
his post as
Vice-Admiral during
the battle of the
Armada to shepherd a
prize he wanted for
himself into a safe
harbour!
Nor is it of great
concern whether
Hawley is to be
spelt with a ‘w’ or
a ‘u’. These letters
were often
interchangeable at
the infancy of our
language (I always
thought the splendid
tugs of the Lower
Ferry were called
Hauley thanks to a
witty pun.) But we
may all be persuaded
to revise our views
when the new
biography of John
Hawley is published,
very appropriately,
to mark this very
special occasion.
What matters is that
we beat the drum,
blow the bugle and
make a merry din as
most surely he so
often did.
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2008 saw the
600th
anniversary
of the death
of John
Hawley. He
was a
remarkable
man and a
powerful
influence in
the life of
our town.
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Two books on
Hawley were
published
during 2008:
'John
Hawley,
Merchant,
Mayor and
Privateer'
by Michael
Connors is
published by
Dartmouth
Books (ISDN
978-0-9536361-8-1)
it is a
carefully
researched
account of
his life and
achievements
and is
available
from The
Harbour
Bookshop in
Dartmouth
and
elsewhere.
Also, a
smaller but
equally
interesting
booklet was
published by
Dartmouth's
Local
History
Research
group and is
available in
St Saviour's
Church and
from
Dartmouth
Tourist
Information
Centre. |
GIVING
Actually we
cannot really give
anything; we can
only give back,
because everything
we have is given to
us in the first
place.
We can give our time
and our abilities.
Given the challenges
of the future, all
these are needed.
Sadly we do not live
in an age of
volunteering. It is
actually very hard
to get anybody to
take on
responsibility these
days. The church
should be the
exception. If the
St. Clement’s is to
succeed, if the
principles of MOIM
are to be fulfilled
and if the parish is
to survive and grow
in the interregnum
and with the next
incumbent, we need
to get over this.
Giving also involves
money and no apology
is necessary for
this. Giving has
some features that
we should not
overlook. It is good
for us. It is
liberating from
selfishness and
materialism. It is
enjoyable. It is
always voluntary.
True giving has
nothing to do with
control. To give is
to let and to trust
the recipient.
Giving money is
nothing to do with
money raising,
except in so far as
money raising
involves the giving
of time and talents,
but it is different.
Giving is actually
not basically about
money, but about our
faith and our
commitment. It is a
spiritual matter.
Giving for the
church is not about
begging, or getting
people to help us
out. We are the Body
of Christ. Why
should anyone else
pay for our Church?
That is why we do
not have a
collection at the
Holy Communion
services. We have an
offertory, an act of
offering.
We cannot give to
the Church, because
we are the Church.
We can see it
however as giving
back to God
something to
represent all that
God has given us.
All parishioners are
asked to review
their giving to the
Church, both the
level and the
method. It is
a huge help to
treasurers if our
giving is by
banker's order.
Please see forms in
church.
The Wonderful Web
More and more people
use the Internet.
For many people
Email is the main
way of
communicating. It is
amazing that you can
write something down
and someone else can
read it within
seconds anywhere in
the world. It is
surprising how many
people in Dartmouth
use it to keep in
touch with families
and friends. It is a
particular godsend
to those who have
problems with their
hearing and for
those who have
relatives and
friends abroad.
More and more
organisations have
their own Web Site.
The Diocese of Exeter
also has a web site
and uses the
internet to
communicate with
parishes. The
address is
www.exeter.anglican.org.
It has recently been
improved and
contains a lot of
interesting
material.
In the parish,
whereas only a few
years ago, the
minutes of meetings
were read out of a
big book, most of
them are now sent to
the members through
Email. There are
Email addresses for
the clergy and the
Parish Office and
they should be on
the back page of the
magazine.
Worship is our first
duty, and we try,
and hopefully make
the worship here,
both reverent and
accessible. What is
not so obvious at
first is the life of
the Church within
the community. The
Anglican Church has
always sought to
serve God through
the life of the
community.
Here in Dartmouth we
try to do that
through involvement
in all aspects of
local life.
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