The GLIO Site

PETERSFIELD, Saturday, August 10

     LAYING THE FOUNDATION STONE FOR THE NEW CHURCH AT SHEET.—On Wednesday afternoon the highly interesting ceremony pf laying the foundation stone of the new church took place. The weather was sadly unpropitious, shower following shower throughout the day, thereby rendering the attendance far less numerous than otherwise would have been the case upon so cheering and gladsome an occasion; nevertheless there were congregated numbers of our resident clergy, gentry, inhabitants of the locality, and visitors. Amongst the former we noticed the Rev. J. M. Sumner (the Rector), Rev. H. Haigh (Curate of Petersfield), Rev. E. Docker (of Froxfield), Rev. W. Hawker (of Steep), Rev. ― Charrington (of Hawkley), Rev. ― Angley (of Eastmeon), attended by the committee, viz., Mr. J. Bonham Carter, M.P., Mr. Soames, Mr. Minty, Mr. Stowe, Mr. Light, Mr. Elkington, Mr. Marvin, Mr. Welsh, Mr. Coryton, Mr. C. Chase, Mr. Hannard, Mr. Grain, Rev. J. M. Sumner, Rev. H. Haigh, and the Rev. R. E. Coles (nearly all of whom attended), with the choirs of Buriton and Petersfield churches. The proceedings commenced by the above marching from the schoolroom, followed by the Rev. J. M. Sumner and the Rev. H. Haigh, in their surplices, to the spot selected for the erection of the building, pleasantly situate at the upper part of the village street, where a canvas awning had been erected for shelter from the inclemency of the weather, beneath which the foundation stone was suspended above the platform. Previous to laying the stone, the form of prayer was read and the hymn sung, when a glass bottle, hermetically sealed, containing coins of Her Majesty’s reign and a parchment scroll, stating by whom and when the stone was laid, with the names of the clergy of the parish, the architect, builder, and the committee, was deposited, upon which the Hon. Mrs. Bonham Carter said—‟In the faith of Jesus Christ we lay this foundation stone of a church, to bear the name of St. Mary’s, in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost. Amen.” Assisted by the architect, Mr. Blomfield, she then proceeded, with an elegant silver trowel, to spread the mortar, on which the stone was placed, which, after being tested with the spirit level and the requisite taps from the mallet, was declared to be duly laid. This being accomplished, appropriate addresses were delivered by the Rev. Mr. Sumner and Mr. Bonham Carter. Then followed a hymn, after which the blessing was pronounced, and the ceremony terminated. At the conclusion of the ceremony about 200, from the invitation of Mr. Bonham carter, proceeded to Adhurst St. Mary’s, where they partook of an elegant repast.

Hampshire Telegraph — Saturday 10 August 1867

PETERSPIELD.

Agent—Mr. G. DUPLOCK

     LAYING THE FOUNDATION STONE OF THE NEW CHURCH  AT SHEET.—This interesting ceremony was performed on Wednesday last by the Hon. Mrs. Bonham-Carter, in the presence of between 400 and 500 persons, who assembled notwithstanding the unfavourable state of the weather. The time appointed for the ceremony was four o’clock. The service commenced with the chanting of the CXXXII Psalm by the united choirs of Petersfield and Buriton, after which the Rev. J. M. Sumner repeated the Lord’s Prayer and three suitable collects. The lesson for the occasion, taken from the Book of Ezra, chapter iii., verses 10 and 11, was read by the Rev. H. Haigh, and an appropriate hymn having been sung, J. Soames, Esq., who has kindly acted as secretary to the committee, read a copy of the the scroll, which, together with sundry current coins of the realm, was placed in a sealed bottle, the inscription  being as follows:—

‟The foundation stone of this church of Mary, Sheet, was laid by the Hon. Mrs. Bonham-Carter, on Wednesday, the 7h day of August, 1867, in the thirty-first year of the reign of Queen Victoria.

Charles Richard Sumner, D.D., Lord Bishop of Winchester
Philip Jacob, M.A,, Archdeacon of Winchester.
John Mannoir Sumner, M.A., Rector of Buriton-cum—Petersfield.
Henry Haigh, Curate of Petersfield
Richard E. Coles, Assistant-Curate of Petersfield
George Etherington, and John Small, Churchwardens of Petersfield
William Nicholson, Esq., Basing-park, M.P. for Petersfield
Arthur Blomfield, Architect
Robert Futcher, Builder

Committee for building this Church:—

The site of this Church was presented by John Bonham-Carter, Esq., M.P. 

The Hon. Mrs. Bonham-Carter then stepped forward and placed the bottle containing the scroll and the coins in a receptacle beneath the suspended stone, and a handsome silver trowel having been handed to her by Mr. Blomfield, she spread a layer of mortar, which had been prepared on a mahogany board, and the stone having been lowered and adjusted to its proper position, she gracefully applied the mallet and level, pronouncing the following words:—

‟In the faith of Jesus Christ, we lay this foundation-stone of a church, to bear the name of St. Mary’s, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.”

—The Rev. J. M. Sumner delivered the address, which he commenced by stating that he had long felt the desirableness of having a separate church for the tithing of Sheet, but it was not till last autumn that the subject was brought before him in such a way as seemed to warrant the attempt to carry it out. Mr. Bonham-Carter had most generously presented them with the ground on which to build a church. Mrs. Chandos Pole had also very kindly offered a site, but the committee had thought the spot offered by Mr. Bonham-Carter the more eligible, from its being near the centre of the village and in immediate proximity to the school, which had been already erected by the liberality of Mrs. Askew. The funds already subscribed amounted to over 1900l., but something like 500l. more was needed to carry out the plan in its entirety, which included a spire to the church, and it would be a  subject of much regret if the addition of the spire should have to be postponed to a future time for want of funds. The choirs sang another hymn.—Mr. Bonham-Carter, M.P., also addressed the meeting. He said that from early associations and the habits of his life his sympathies were bound up with Buriton, and although the erection of the church which they were that day commencing might interfere with those habits, it could never alter his feeling of attachment for Buriton. He rejoiced greatly at the prospect of having a church at Sheet, because he felt that those who were his neighbours locally, would thereby become his neighbours in a higher sense, by assembling for religious worship in the same house of God. It was somewhat difficult and perhaps unusual for a layman to take part in the proceedings on such an occasion as that on which they were assembled, when all that was apposite had been already said by the clergy, and he felt the difficulty, although not unaccustomed to address other assemblages. Still he wished to give expression to his sense of the importance of the work which they were that day met to inaugurate, for while the object of all  secular government was to bring justice home to every man’s door, it was still undoubtedly true that this and every other secular and social institution to be successful must be based upon a pure religion, and it was an incalculable advantage in carrying on the ordinary work of life to have the opportunity at stated times of meeting in the house of our common God and Father. For these reasons he congratulated them on the prospect of speedily having a church erected on the spot where they were assembled.—The proceedings then terminated with a collection in aid of the building fund.