APPENDIX
“17, Clarence Street, Landport,
“September 28th, 1895.>/p>
“My Lord Bishop,
“We are taking possession of our new church on October 27th. It practically is joined by the vestries to the old church, which was licensed for celebrations by Bishop Harold Browne, and your predecessor did not think it would require a new licence.
“As at present the district is not a legal Parish, the question of consecration does not arise.
“I am, your lordship’s obedient servant,
“R. Radclyffe Dolling.”
“Dalmeny Park, Edinburgh,
“4th October, 1895.
“Dear Mr. Dolling,
“Your letter of Sept. 28th has only now reached me in Scotland. Everything has been upset somewhat during our removal from one house to another.
“I am greatly interested to learn that you hope to enter so soon upon the use of the new church. I shall be anxious, so far as possible, to meet your wishes in every way with regard to licence. If you were told by Bishop Thorold that no fresh licence would be necessary, I have no doubt such is the case, but I should, myself, have thought it would probably be better that a new licence should be given for the new building. This, however, we can talk over when we meet, and I trust the meeting may take place ere long, as I am most anxious to see something of your work, upon the spot. I have heard much of it, and I pray God to grant you all guidance and blessing among the difficulties by which you are surrounded.
“Bishop Thorold’s opinion that no fresh licence is required will, at least, justify you in going forward now with all your arrangements, and if it turns out hereafter that it is desirable to issue a fresh licence, there will, I imagine, be no difficulty in doing so. I hope to be at Farnham next week, and to enter as speedily as possible upon diocesan work. I know I may rely upon your giving me the help of your prayers.
“I am, yours very truly,
“Randall Winton.”
“17, Clarence Street, Landport,
“October 7th, 1895.
“My Dear Lord Bishop,
“I am most grateful for your kind letter. Bishop Thorold’s idea was that until the church was consecrated (that would be as soon as the parish was created), the old licence would suffice. But I quite feel that your lordship’s wish is most reasonable, and as soon as convenient to yourself the required formalities could be performed.
“We have never ceased to pray for your lordship since your election, and there are no priest or people more desirous to welcome you.
“The Bishop of Southwell, or the Bishop of Reading, will be with us at the opening, or during the octave. There is one of my soldier children on furlough, who needs to be confirmed. Might he have your permission to do it?
“Yours very obediently,
“R. R. Dolling.”
“Farnham Castle, Surrey,
“10th October, 1895.
“Dear Mr. Dolling,
“I thank you for your letter. I will consider the question of licence. In the meantime, do not let the postponement of a decision on that point interfere in any way with your plans and arrangements.
“With regard to the confirmation of the lad you refer to, I should be quite willing that the Bishop of Southwell or the Bishop of Reading should confirm him if you think this desirable, and if such Bishop is willing, at your request, to do it.
“I am, yours very truly,
“Randall Winton.”
“Farnham,
“17th October, 1895.
“Dear Mr. Dolling,
“I have considered the question of a licence for your new church, or rather, for you to minister therein, and it seems clear that such a licence ought to be issued. I have, therefore, asked the Rural Dean, in ordinary course, to send me the usual report that he has visited the building, and that all is in due order.
“Of course, in strict accordance with rule, no service should take place in the building till the proper licence (after the Rural Dean’s letter) has been received by you.
“But as I know you have been making arrangements for your opening services, and that it was owing to the change of Bishops that you did not sooner apply to me, I am quite willing that your arrangements should be proceeded with, and you will, of course, understand that, in the very improbable event of any question arising as to the building or its due ‘appointments,’ I am not to be regarded as hereby prejudging such question.
“I am sure it will be your wish that all should be in due order, and I pray that the blessing of God may rest in rich measure on you and on your work.
“I am, yours very truly,
“Randall Winton.”
“Winchester College Mission, Landport,
“October 18th, 1895.
“My dear Lord Bishop,
“I shall be very glad to see Canon Jacob. I am very distressed to hear from ... that you are hurt at my action about the Opening, and I venture to assure you that the arrangements that I have made are those which I contemplated before there was any vacancy in the See, arrangements which I had planned in accordance with the action of the two late Bishops towards the Mission.
“Bishop Harold Browne would never come here at all, or send his Suffragan, but allowed me to choose a Bishop to confer Confirmation.
“Bishop Thorold came himself, and sent his Suffragan, to Confirm, but otherwise he never took part in any ceremony in the church, and he personally often told me that he greatly disliked the ritual. And even when he came to Confirm, as of course the service was altogether his own and not ours, he did not allow the acolytes to wear red cassocks, and when I pointed out that the Crucifix was carried in front of the Procession, he ordered it not to be used, though when I told him there was another on the altar, and offered to take it down, he said, ‘No; I shall not see that one.’ I should certainly never have asked him to come to any other service at S. Agatha’s, as I am sure it would have pained him very deeply, and my people here are so very ignorant, that I could not have altered it, had he happened to be present.
“I would not have you think from this, that I did not revere and respect him, even perhaps love him, and we have oftentimes been very near to each other in prayer. And, therefore, I had determined not to ask him to take any part in the ceremonies connected with the Opening of the church, until the time of the Consecration should come, and for the same reason, of course, I would not ask his Suffragan, though the Bishop of Southampton is a Wykehamist, and I should much like to have had him here.
“I do not like to intrude upon your Lordship at such great length, but I should not like your Lordship to think that I am at all lacking in respect to your person or to your great office.
Yours very obediently,
“R. R. Dolling.”
“Farnham Castle, Surrey,
“20th October, 1895.
“Dear Mr. Dolling,
“I thank you for your letter, but either you must, I think, have misunderstood ... or he must have misunderstood me. Perhaps both.
“I perfectly understand the position as you now explain it, namely, that you are simply following out arrangements which were made in Bishop Thorold’s time, and which were such as you thought he would desire.
“Nothing could be further from my mind than to be ‘hurt’ by anything that has passed. I have too much respect for you and for your work. I feel sure you have wished to do all that is right, and (as I said in a former letter) I am anxious not to disturb arrangements which were made before I was responsible.
“I hear to-day from the Rural Dean that he has arranged with you to pay his visit next Wednesday, so perhaps after all the new licence may reach you in time.
“I pray that the blessing and guidance of God may be given you in your difficult task.
“I am, yours very truly,
“Randall Winton.”
“Farnham Castle, Surrey,
“24th October, 1895.
“Dear Mr. Dolling,
“I have this morning received the Rural Dean’s report of his visit yesterday to your new church. While expressing his admiration of the building, he tells me the fittings are not yet in situ, though they will for the most part be ready by Saturday next. He cannot therefore report upon them in detail. But speaking generally, it is clear that the arrangements are in so forward a condition that, if no question of difficulty arose, a licence might be sent to you forthwith, authorising you in the usual form to minister the offices of the Church therein. Of course, if it were a question of now consecrating the church, and thereby giving legal authority to what stands therein, I should require, as always, a more detailed report when everything is in situ. But as you do not ask for Consecration at present, legal questions in the technical sense do not arise in quite the same manner.
“There is, however, one important matter mentioned by the Rural Dean which I must at once bring before you. Canon Jacob says: ‘It is proposed to place a third altar in the middle of the South Aisle ... and the altar is avowedly to be used for Masses for the Dead. Mr. Dolling said that Bishop Thorold saw this in the temporary church (there it was simply the second altar, corresponding to that in the east end of the south aisle of the new church), and intensely disliked it. Here, however, it assumes a far greater prominence, for it is not the altar for ordinary daily use, as in the temporary church, but simply to be used for Masses for the Dead. Mr. Dolling lays the greatest stress on this.’
“Now here is a matter of supreme importance. I have no wish to prejudge any legal question which may arise, and I am not aware whether any authoritative decision has been given in the Church Courts respecting the legality of a third altar in such a position in such a church.
“But I should obviously be treating you unfairly, were I now to send you a licence virtually sanctioning such an arrangement as this, and then, hereafter, when the time comes for consecrating the church, and when your people have grown used to the arrangement, to direct the removal of so prominent a feature on the ground that when duly submitted for the consideration of the Diocesan Court, it is found to be illegal. My belief is that, if the circumstances are such as Canon Jacob has described, it would be so declared, though in this I may, of course, be mistaken.
“I do not know what sanction was originally obtained for the plans of your church. If plans distinctly exhibiting this feature received Bishop Thorold’s signature and sanction, I would ask you to tell me so at once. In lack, however, of such information, I must ask that the church be not publicly opened for Divine Service until a question so important as this has been submitted to the proper authorities for decision, or until the altar in question has been removed from the building. I think you must see that this is no matter of subordinate detail. Were it such, I should not wish, in the very peculiar circumstances of this case, to be over-particular at this moment. But large principles are involved, and it would therefore be quite wrong to prejudge what may be the ultimate decision on so important a matter, by formally licensing you to minister in a building containing thus prominently a feature upon which, if the Rural Dean correctly reports, you lay the greatest stress.
“I am exceedingly sorry to seem thus to interfere at the last moment with the arrangements you have made; but you are aware that this is not my fault, and I think I am only treating you with such fairness and openness as I should wish myself to meet with in like circumstances. Let me recall to you briefly what has passed.
“On October 2nd I received from you a letter telling me, for the first time, that you proposed taking possession of the new church on October 27th, and adding that Bishop Thorold did not think it would require a new licence. In my reply, while I sanctioned your going forward with the arrangements which had been already made for the opening services, I said that I should myself have thought it would probably be better that a new licence should be given for the new building. To this you quite assented, and I accordingly directed the Rural Dean to pay the usual preliminary visit. The first intimation I received from you that any difficult question would be likely to arise was in your letter of October 18th, in which you said: ‘I should certainly never have asked Bishop Thorold to come to any other service at St. Agatha’s (i.e., other than Confirmation), as I am sure it would have pained him very deeply.’ I merely recall these facts in order to remind you that I could not have written sooner on this subject. Had I had reason to suppose at an earlier date that there were likely to be difficulties of this kind, I should have asked you to postpone the opening services until the question of licence had been further considered.
“You are aware from my former letters how cordially I appreciate and value your vigorous work at Landport, and how anxious I am to promote and help it in every legitimate way. I am most anxious not to make a fuss about trifles, and I desire to recognise to the full the due elasticity and variety desirable in the services of the Church, especially in such neighbourhoods as yours. You will never find me inclined to be needlessly rigid about comparative trifles, but a Bishop’s responsibility is so grave that when large questions arise he must of necessity act with the utmost care.
“I trust that it may be possible for you so to modify the arrangements as to enable your proposed opening services to take place, postponing for the present the decision upon the particular point to which I have called attention.
“If you desire to see me upon the subject, I shall be at your service here at any hour to-morrow, except 1.30 to 3, when I have another engagement. If you are coming, please telegraph to say so.
I am, yours very truly,
“Randall Winton.
“Since writing the above I have thought it may be a convenience to you that I should send it to you by hand. My chaplain accordingly bears it.”
An interview took place on October 25th. (See p. 167.)
“Farnham Castle, Surrey,
“25th October, 1895.
“Dear Mr. Dolling,
“I must send a few lines to thank you for the honest and simple straightforwardness and frankness with which you this morning put before me your position in the question which has arisen, and for your ultimate acquiescence in the suggestion I made as to your proper course of procedure.
“I pray God that to each of us, in our respective positions of anxious and responsible work, may be given from on high that right judgment in all things for which we are accustomed to ask; and whatever may ultimately be decided with respect to the particular point which is now under consideration, I feel sure we shall not lose or loose that bond of fellowship which unites in heart and spirit those who have in common the one great aim of advancing to the best of our power, and in accordance with what seems to us to be the due order of our Church of England, the Kingdom of our Blessed Lord.
“I am, with kindest regards,
“Very truly yours,
“Randall Winton.”
“Winchester College Mission, Landport,
“25th October, 1895.
“My dear Lord Bishop,
“I send you the statement I read out to my people. I have directed the architect to prepare you the plans. I shall be grateful if, when you receive them, you will give me a date when I may expect your decision.
“I am, yours very obediently,
“R. R. Dolling.”
“As our new church practically joins on to the old church, the late Bishop considered that no new licence would be needed. When I communicated this fact to our new Bishop, he desired that a new licence should be granted, and therefore sent the Rural Dean to report on the fabric and ornaments of the church.
“Acting on his report, the Bishop feels that it is impossible to grant this licence until he has consulted authorities as to the legality of the Third Altar, the one which you beautified in memory of Henry Ross, and which used to stand in the old church with the Memorials of the Dead around it. He therefore wrote to me that the licence would not be granted until the Altar was removed. My own feelings under these circumstances were that it would be better for us to remain in the old church, and not to open the new church. But when I saw the Bishop this morning, he very much disliked this idea, and suggested, as an alternative, that we should proceed with the opening, screening off the Altar and the Memorials of the Dead; that the plans should be at once submitted to him, showing every detail; and that he should proceed after due time to deliver judgment; if he can license the Altar, I am to remove the screen; if he cannot, I am at once to resign, so that a successor may be appointed who will remove the Altar and the Memorials.”
“Farnham Castle, Surrey,
“26th October, 1895.
“Dear Mr. Dolling,
“I have just received your letter enclosing a copy of the intimation you read yesterday to your people. I feel sure it was not your wish to say anything which would convey a mistaken impression of what has passed between us on the question at issue, but you have certainly done so, however unintentionally.
“Your words, ‘The Bishop wrote to me that the Licence would not be granted until the Altar was removed,’ are surely inconsistent with the purport of the actual letter, in which I tried to point out to you that the question was one which I ought not to prejudge, and that it required time for consideration.
“Again, I never, either in letter or conversation, desired you to screen off the ‘Memorials of the Dead.’ If the temporary screening off of the site intended for the proposed third altar necessarily involves this—which I did not understand—it is merely incidental, and your words would convey the wholly false impression that I had objected to the erection of ‘Memorials of the Dead.’ I have not seen them, and I do not know their precise character, nor did I mention them in any way.
“Most important of all, your final sentence practically says that in the event of such a third altar being found to be inadmissible, it is my wish that you should resign.
“You will remember that on the contrary I expressed my great regret at hearing from you that such would in that event be your course of action, although you assured me that in any circumstances you had already settled to leave S. Agatha’s a few months hence. My own wish would be strongly against your resignation.
“I feel sure, as I have said, that it was not your intention to mislead any who may have heard or read your words, and I do not doubt that you will desire at once to set the matter right, by giving publicity to this letter or otherwise.
“I am, dear Mr. Dolling,
“Yours very truly,
“Randall Winton.
“Rev. R. R. Dolling.”
“Winchester College Mission, Landport,
“October 28th, 1895.
“My dear Lord Bishop,
“I am very sorry, indeed, if I have in any way misrepresented our conversation, but in your letter to me of the 24th, you say:
“‘I must ask that the church be not publicly opened for Divine Service, until a question so important as this has been submitted to the proper authorities for decision, or until the altar in question has been removed from the building.’
“You yourself told me, when I saw you, that it would be a scandal if the church was not opened, and, therefore, surely it was only left to me by your letter of the 24th, to create a scandal or to remove the altar.
“Secondly, the memorials are practically a part of the altar, as a frame is to the picture, and without these memorials, the altar would, I take it, be unobjectionable, or rather, as I think you said yourself, the question is not the red-tape question whether there is to be a third altar, but whether it is to be an altar of this kind—i.e., Dedicated to the Dead. There will be the twelve Celebrations said at it every week, and only two of them will be said for the Dead. I certainly supposed that your injunction, therefore, referred to the character of the thing as a whole.
“Thirdly, I certainly do not say that you would wish me to resign. What I do say is, ‘If he cannot license the altar, I am at once to resign, so that a successor may be appointed, who will remove the altar and the memorials.’ This surely does not convey the meaning that you wish me to resign, but that the action which you quite conscientiously may be compelled to take, may necessitate my resignation, which is quite a different thing. I believe that there is not a man in all the Diocese more anxious that I should remain than you are. I have written to the Portsmouth paper which mentioned the fact. I enclose you the letter.
“Canon Jacob’s letter which I enclose, and which please return, may enable the question to be decided in a more satisfactory way than by your Lordship’s personal judgment.
“I hope that in a few weeks the fabric of the church will be free of debt. I have built a Parsonage House, and I have £1100 in hand towards the endowment. If on these terms the district can be created into a parish, the question would then be one which could be decided by the highest ecclesiastical legal authorities.
“I should be very grateful for your Lordship’s opinion on this matter.
“Ever your obedient servant,
“R. R. Dolling.”
“Farnham Castle, Surrey,
“29th October, 1895.
“Dear Mr. Dolling,
“I thank you for your letter of yesterday. If, as I suppose, the letter to the Evening News which you send me in manuscript has been published in that paper, it meets the chief objection I felt to the wording of the memorandum you sent me, and I am obliged to you for making the point clear to those who might have misunderstood it. If you are satisfied, I do not wish to dwell further upon the other points mentioned in my letter to you, although I still think your words would convey to most hearers or readers a different impression from that which you can yourself have intended. With regard to the suggestion, that an endeavour should now be made to have the district legally assigned, and the church duly consecrated as a parish church, I should like a little time for consideration and consultation with others before giving you definite advice. You will remember that the Diocese is still new to me, and that in a matter like this local knowledge is almost essential to a right decision. Such knowledge I will do my best to acquire speedily. I retain in the meantime Canon Jacob’s letter upon the subject.
I am, yours very truly,
“Randall Winton.”
“S. Agatha, Landport,
“November 4th, 1895.
“My dear Lord Bishop,
“I send you plans of east end, with its two apses and altars, and north and south side of church, showing stations and third altar. The only place not shown is the baptistery under the tower. I had intended putting an altar in this for the use of parents on the morning of the baptism of their children. I did not speak of this to Bishop Thorold, for it was only suggested to me when I showed the baptistery and font to some of the mothers, and they said what a comfort and help it would be to take Communion in the baptistery. I will send you a little plan of this. I mentioned it to Canon Jacob, but he said there was no use in speaking of it to you. Most of the columns, paintings, &c., are memorials; they will all have on them, ‘Pray for the soul of,’ &c. The altars all have candlesticks on them. There is a large crucifix by the pulpit.
“Ever yours very truly,
“R. R. Dolling.”
We always have confession in public in church, so there would be three seats for this purpose in the church.
“Farnham Castle, Surrey,
“6th November, 1895.
“Dear Mr. Dolling,
“I received last night your letter of the previous day, enclosing the plans. Now that I have these before me I can better consider the subject, and ask such counsel as seems desirable. It is difficult for me to say by what day I may be able to give you my decision upon the matter.
“I am much pressed at present with work of every kind, but I will take care that there is no unnecessary delay. I should hope, in a fortnight’s time at the latest, to be able to write to you definitely.
“It is possible I may wish to see you again. May I ask you to tell me whether any particular day in the week would be specially convenient or inconvenient to you for the journey to Farnham?
“Nothing could, I think, be gained by my seeing the architect, as the plans seem perfectly clear.
“I am, yours very truly,
“Randall Winton.”
“Farnham Castle, Surrey,
“11th November, 1895.
“Dear Mr. Dolling,
“Would it suit you to call here next Saturday morning, November 16th, or, if more convenient, to dine and sleep here on Friday night, the 15th, leaving as early as you like on Saturday morning?
“I am anxious, if possible, not to postpone our interview beyond next week. Please let me know when I may expect you.
“I am, yours very truly,
“Randall Winton.”
A prolonged interview took place on November 15th. (See p. 170.)
“Clarence Street, Landport,
“15th November, 1895.
“My dear Lord Bishop,
“I am very grateful to you for your patience this afternoon. You will he glad to hear that I do not feel any the worse. It would be a great relief to me if your lordship could tell me about the date when your lordship is likely to deliver judgment. Of course, we do not mean for one moment to hasten you, but our own minds would be more at rest if we knew about the date.
“Mr. Gresham desires to join with me in many thanks to Mrs. Davidson for her great kindness.
“Yours very obediently,
“R. R. Dolling.”
“Winchester College Mission, Landport,
“16th November, 1895.
“My dear Lord Bishop,
“I send you our Vespers of the Blessed Sacrament, our Stations, our Mass for the Dead, and our children’s Mass book, and the rules of our Communicants’ Society. Our conversation of yesterday was so different from what I have had with Bishops in former days. They seemed to desire to deal with things concerning which complaint had been made to them, and so, when I had ventured on other details of our service here, they stopped me, as though to say, ‘That question is not before me, I do not desire to know it.’ It seemed to me, yesterday, that your attitude was the very opposite of this. You wanted to know everything we do at S. Agatha’s, and, therefore, praying over it all last night, and thinking about it, I was very anxious to discover if I was perfectly honest and straightforward, and I think I was. But when I was leaving your room you said to me, ‘Have you anything more to say?’ I took that, at the moment, to mean, ‘Is there any defence more that you would like to make concerning your doings?’ But, on thinking it over, it seems to me it may have meant, ‘Are there any other services or practices that you ought to tell me about?’ If this is your meaning, pray let me know, and I will send to you, in detail, everything else that we do. If, on the other hand, this thought of mine is over scrupulosity, please don’t answer this letter.
“Your obedient servant,
“R. R. Dolling.”
“Farnham Castle, Surrey,
“21st November, 1895.
“Dear Mr. Dolling,
“I have not had a moment in which to reply to your letter received two days ago.
“When I asked you at our recent interview whether you had anything more to say, I did not in the least mean to ask you for a detailed account of all the services you hold. Some day I should be interested to hear from you about everything, in order that I may thoroughly understand your position and teaching. But all I desired in our recent interview was to understand the present situation in all its bearings, so that my decision may be based upon a really sufficient knowledge.
“I have been so much pressed during this last week by unexpected matters, including the illness and death of a dear friend, that I have been ceaselessly on the railway, and it has been impossible for me to give to S. Agatha’s matters the attention they deserve. Hence there may be a little delay in my sending you the formal letter I have promised. I can only say that I am doing my best.
“I remain, yours very truly,
“Randall Winton.”
“Farnham Castle, Surrey,
“7th December, 1895.
“Dear Mr. Dolling,
“I am now able to write to you definitely upon the question which has arisen with regard to S. Agatha’s church, and as you may probably wish to make my letter public, it will be convenient that I should briefly recall what has taken place. On October 2nd, a few days after I had become Bishop of Winchester, I heard from you that you had made arrangements to open the new church for divine service on October 27th. With a view, therefore, to your receiving the necessary licence, I directed Canon Jacob, as Rural Dean, to pay the customary preliminary visit to the church, and to report to me whether all was in due order. On October 24th I received this report. He told me of the beauty and dignity of the building, and its general suitableness for divine service in a great parish. The fittings and ornaments were not yet in situ, and he was, therefore, unable to report upon them in detail. But he directed my attention, as in duty bound, to the structural arrangements for Holy Communion. These, as shown in his report, and in his subsequent explanations to me with appended plans, are as follows: One large Holy Table or Altar in the usual position in the centre of the east end of the church; a second (for less largely attended services) at the east end of the south aisle; and a third in the south aisle, placed against the side wall of the church. It is also your wish to place a fourth in your Baptistery at the west end of the north aisle, but that question is not at present before us.
“When Canon Jacob paid his official visit to the church, the proposed third altar had not yet been erected; and after full correspondence and conversation between yourself and me upon the subject, it was decided that the opening services should be held in accordance with the arrangements you had already made before I became Bishop, but that the site of the proposed third altar should be temporarily curtained off, and its erection at the least postponed, so that I should have time before issuing formal licence for the conduct of divine service in the building, to consider the arrangements proposed. You urged me to give you an answer as speedily as possible, as in the event of my being unable to sanction the proposed arrangements you would feel it necessary to withdraw immediately from S. Agatha’s, instead of remaining until Easter next, when you proposed in any case to resign.
“As it is not proposed that the church should be consecrated at present, the question raised does not, and, indeed, cannot, now come formally before the Diocesan Court. Pending consecration, it rests with the Bishop to grant or withhold at his discretion the necessary licence for the conduct of divine service in the new building. In order, therefore, to understand in all its bearings the question to which you attach so much importance, I have, in addition to our correspondence, had two prolonged interviews with you; and I am anxious again to express to you my appreciation of the honest and straightforward readiness you have throughout shown to give me all possible information as to your usages and the opinions on which they are based. In a matter of this kind, where we have but one object—namely, to arrive at a right conclusion in accordance with the doctrines and laws of the Church of England—it is of paramount importance that there should be no concealment or reserve in setting the facts before the Bishop, on whom lies the grave responsibility of decision.
“I am cordially grateful to you, therefore, for freeing me from any difficulty of that sort. After deliberately weighing all that you have put before me, I have come to the conclusion that I should act wrongly were I, on my personal authority, now to sanction the erection and use of the proposed third altar in the situation and for the purposes you have described to me. When the church is consecrated it would, of course, be possible for you, or your successor, to apply to the Diocesan Court for a faculty for the erection of such a third altar; and, were the faculty refused, you would have the opportunity—which you tell me you desire—of bringing the question before the higher Courts on appeal from the decision of the Chancellor.
“In the meantime, as I have fully explained to you in conversation, I cannot, in exercising my discretion upon a proposition so unusual, regard the question as merely the technical one—may there be three altars or holy tables in one church?
“It is easy to conceive a church or cathedral of such dimensions or construction as to render it desirable to extend yet further the principle upon which a second altar or holy table has been sanctioned in many of our churches for more convenient use when the number of communicants is small; and, whatever might be the legal decision on such a point, no question of doctrine or principle need thereby be raised. But such is not the case at S. Agatha’s. You do not ask for my sanction of the third altar on grounds of convenience (in the ordinary sense of the word); and, indeed, it is obvious that in that respect it would have no advantage over the second, or subsidiary, altar, to which I have raised no objection. You have explained to me that your wish for the addition rests, in the main, on quite different grounds. The altar in question is intended to have special association with a deceased friend, whose memory is rightly cherished in the parish.
“You desire that it should be surrounded with memorials of the dead, and that its special, though not exclusive, use should be for the celebration of what you describe as ‘Mass for the Dead.’
“I endeavoured, in our recent conversation, to ascertain exactly what you mean by this term, and you explained candidly and clearly what it is that you believe and teach. You regard the Celebration of Holy Communion ‘for the dead’ as having the effect [you add, ‘we know not how’] of shortening the period during which the souls of the faithful departed are in a state of ‘purgation’ or ‘preparation,’ and of hastening their admission to the Beatific state.
“Now, I have no wish to dictate to you, or to dogmatise, upon the mysterious and difficult question of what is known as ‘prayer for the dead’—a term obviously capable of a great variety of meaning, ranging from the words we use in the Prayer for the Church Militant to doctrines of quite another sort. The whole subject is of great importance, and I will gladly discuss it with you hereafter; but, whatever liberty of private opinion and individual devotion may be permissible, I have no hesitation in saying that I should depart both from the spirit and the letter of our Church’s formularies were I definitely to sanction the addition of a third altar to S. Agatha’s with the knowledge that one main purpose of its erection is that it should be a centre for services and teaching of the character above described.
“I myself believe your teaching on this subject to be contrariant to some of the distinctive principles of the Church of England, and I am bound to add further that I am unable to reconcile your usages in celebrating the Holy Communion with the specific directions in the Book of Common Prayer, which both you and I have solemnly pledged ourselves to follow. You tell me, for example, that in S. Agatha’s Church, where you have about twenty celebrations of the Holy Communion every week, more than half the celebrations on week-days, ‘perhaps eight out of fifteen,’ are in ordinary circumstances without communicants. You have so arranged that the celebrant shall know beforehand if any desire to communicate, and, if not, the celebrant omits the Exhortation, Confession, and Absolution from the Service.
“On week-days, unless they are festivals, the Creed and the Gloria in Excelsis are always omitted.
“It is impossible for me to disregard these facts in coming to a decision as to what I ought, at this juncture, to do. You have, as it seems to me, dealt practically at your will with our Church’s Rules.
“I do not, for a moment, doubt that your motive is a good one. Your services are those which, in your individual opinion, are best calculated to lead your people into a knowledge of what you believe to be the truth.
“But the Church of England does not allow us thus to deal at our will with the Book of Common Prayer, and in the event of your deciding to remain at S. Agatha’s, I must carefully discuss with you what modifications are required in order to bring your services into harmony with the Prayer Book.
“I need not repeat to you what I have so often said as to my sense of the value of your devoted work in the midst of special difficulties. Many of your distinctive Church Services seem to me to have a special value, as bringing home to the minds of unlearned people, by the use of anniversaries and memorials and otherwise, the links which bind us to the world unseen.
“These are, I believe, compatible with perfect loyalty to the Book of Common Prayer.
“I earnestly trust you may not think it necessary to sever yourself at present from a parish in which God has signally blessed your energy, your self-devotion, and your enthusiasm; and you may rely upon my constant endeavour to help and further your work in every legitimate way.
“I am, my dear Mr. Dolling,
“Yours very truly,
“Randall Winton.”
“Winchester College Mission,
“Landport, Portsmouth,
“9th December, 1895.
“My dear Lord Bishop,
“I have to-day sent to Dr. Fearon my resignation. I think your account of our interviews is quite correct, except in one detail. I did not intend to say that I did not know how the Service of the Holy Communion affected the state of the dead. There is, however, one practical question.
“I must conduct the Services as I have for the last ten years. Do you wish me and my staff to go away at once, or to wait until Dr. Fearon has appointed my successor? I am ready to follow either course; only for fear of mistakes arising, I should like to say that as long as I am in charge the Sunday and daily services remain the same.
I am, your lordship’s obedient servant,
“R. R. Dolling.”
“Farnham Castle, Surrey,
“10th December, 1895.
“Dear Mr. Dolling,
“I am exceedingly sorry to learn that you feel it to be your duty to leave St. Agatha’s forthwith, but, of course, I recognise that your decision is perfectly consistent with what you said to me at our first interview.
“With regard to your question, What is to be done as to the services until your resignation takes effect, I have no sort of wish to press unfairly upon you, and I think it would be a grave misfortune were St. Agatha’s Church to be closed pending the appointment of your successor.
“I think that until that appointment is made you had better continue to officiate. This will, I hope, be in accordance both with your own wish and with the wish of your people; and, though I must not be supposed to be giving formal sanction to the teaching or usages to which I have called your attention, and must adhere to my decision respecting the third altar, I am far from wishing to cause unnecessary difficulty in any way. Should anything lead you to modify your decision, and to desire to remain at St. Agatha’s, it will be a pleasure to me to hear from you to that effect. I am glad that I succeeded in my endeavour to represent fairly what you told me at our interviews. The particular words to which alone you take exception in my account, are contained in the memorandum I made at the moment, and read to you for your approval. But the point is comparatively unimportant, and, of course, I accept the correction you desire to make.
“I am, yours very truly,
“Randall Winton.”
“Winchester College Mission, Landport,
“11th December, 1895.
“Dear Lord Bishop,
“You will not blame me if I say that your letter amazes me. If my teaching is so contrary to the mind of the Church of England that it necessitates a step so disastrous as the disruption of a work like this, I cannot imagine how you can allow me to remain here one single day.
“I want, therefore, to make it clearly understood that I have unscreened the altar, and am using it, and that I shall conduct the services exactly as I have conducted them for the last eight years. I know you will understand that I do not say this in any spirit of bravado, but I desire, above all things, to be perfectly plain with you. Having said this, I am content to stay here for a short time, but there are two reasons that urge me to request you to fix a date not later than January 10th—(1) The Mission expenses are nearly £100 per month, and I am already very much overpressed with debts; in fact, winding up all the different charities and other expenses here, and repairing the parsonage and other property I have bought, and the paying for the church, will, I think, necessitate my begging £1500 before I leave, perhaps even more, and your action will very likely dry up some of our sources of charity. (2) I have to consider my own and my sister’s health. I doubt if your lordship could imagine what it is to be here. It is almost impossible for us to go out of doors; the tears and lamentations of our poor people are more than we can bear for any length of time. I write this all with more confidence because your letter of to-day confirms my own remembrance of our interviews when I assured you I should have to leave, and, therefore, I am assured you have already considered the difficult question of a successor.
“I am, your lordship’s obedient servant,
“R. R. Dolling.”
“Oxford,
“13th December, 1895.
“Dear Mr. Dollingn>,
“Owing to ceaseless pressure of other work I have not, since your letter reached me yesterday, had a free moment for writing to you.
“I can only repeat that I have no sort of wish to expedite the resignation on which you have, to my great regret, and in spite of my remonstrance, decided.
“I cannot easily reconcile your action in ‘unscreening’ the third altar with what you said to me on our first interview, but in present circumstances I say no more upon that, and I am anxious to make every allowance for your acts and words at a time of such stress and strain.
“I have just read in the Times what you are reported to have said at a meeting last night. I can hardly doubt that the report must be inaccurate. You could not, I feel sure, have represented me, after all that has passed, as thinking it ‘necessary that disruption should take place,’ or as harassing you with minute insistence on matters of mere rubrical detail. A grave question of Church order has come formally before me for decision as Bishop of the Diocese. With anxious care, and with an earnest wish to consider your difficulties, I have decided in accordance with what seems to be my duty, and thereupon, to my great regret, you have resigned at once, instead of waiting until the time you have publicly announced. I can scarcely conceive that anyone who studies our Ordinal, and realises a Bishop’s obligations and responsibilities, could wish me to have acted otherwise than I have.
“I must in all kindness remonstrate against your resignation—even at a time of excitement—as though it were my act rather than your own. Few things in my life have caused me more sorrow and anxiety than this.
“With regard to the date when you cease to officiate at St. Agatha’s; the appointment of your successor rests, as you know, with others, and not with me.
“I earnestly trust that if you persist in your resignation you will consider the difficulties of the Mission District, or Parish, and of those with whom the appointment rests, and will do what you can to meet, or to relieve them.
“I am, yours very truly,
“Randall Winton.”