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THE »STATE'S FIRST
CHURCH.
INCIDENTS IN ITS HISTORY.
AY rapped in historic- associations, linking
the hirth of the province with the present
time, Hoiy Trinity Church, North-terrace,
Adelaide, becomes just now even more than
usnaly interesting, for yesterday was tha
eightieth anniversary of ita dedication on
Trinity Sunday, 1837. It is the oldest
churcb in the State. An cutty in the
parish register, in writing faded by agc,
reads:
On the 26th «lav of January, 1S*S. the Brsi
stone of Trinity «OhurcU, South Australia. *as
laid by his Kxcellency "Captain John Huxl
marsh, R.'X., K.H.; flh-ptix's, the lion. .1. II.
i'i.sher, Osmond Gilba* Esq., Cliarles Mann.
Ksq.; Rev. Charles B. Howard, A.M., incuni'
bent. The following radies and gentlcmea
were present on that occasion:
There the entry linislies; apparently thj
nain« of those present were never ascer-
tained. The Jiistory of the church may
be said to have begun <sven prior to that
«late, for the Rev. Charles Boaunionf
Howard, a man of channin«-: pcrsonalitj
and of "catholic and gracious spirit," cam<
to South Australia with Captain Hind-
marsh, in H.M.S. Buffalo, under appoint*
mont by the Commissioners of the pro«
vince as the first Colonial Chaplain. It ii
recorded that he brought "wini bim tha
framework of a wooden church to accom«
modate 350 people, and a similar framework
nor a parsonage. These were set up with«
out delay on the present church grounds,
Mr. Howard taking an active part in Um
transport of the materials from the sea-
shore (whence they had to lie drawn by
hand in a truck, as no horses were avail«
able) and in the erection of the building*«.
Even before the church was wholly roofed
the chaplain began to hold the regular ann«
day services. The Rev. John Blacket, m
his "History of South Australia," states
that the first Episcopalian service in tim
new provin«?c was ( conduct«*! by Mr«
Howard under a sail, draggtxl by tha
ztialous minister and his lay associate (Mr.
Osmond Gilles) seven males from the Port
to the site of the coming city. Mr. Blacket
describes the first Church of England al
a reed hut. The parish regißtors dip still
farther into the past, and there is omi
nntrv that records a baptism on December"
30, ÍS33, by the Rev. Charles B. Howard
in the chapelry of Boroughbridge, York-
shire. It seems that this register was
brought by Mr. Howard from a previoit'
parish. The first marriage entry records
the wedding of Jonathan Bean and Martha
-Ajrchbold on board H.M-S. Buffalo on July
28, 1836. Tlie fifth entry is concerning tha
marriage of Charles Mann (first Advocate«
General of South. Austialia) and Man»
Josepha Brown.
In 1811 a btone church was erected ti»
place of" the wooden building, the rector
and Mr. Gilles becoming responsible to tin»
contractor for £1,000. In 18*1 Mr. Howv
ard, '"then in a weak-state of health,
was served -with a writ for the repaymenl
of the debt, and the fresh anxiety doubt-
less hastened his death (18431 at tin
early agc of .ÏL'* By the exertions t»l
Mr. Gilles the debt was soon afterward!
paid off. Mr. Howard was a man of un-
tiring energy. It is recorded of him'thal
"often after morning áervicc in Ado
laide he would walk with, bis gown oh hit
arm a distance of seven miles to preach
at the Port in the afternoon, and, rcU.ro
thence to officiate at Adelaide in tin
evening." The old mission hall at the
rear of the church was built about 1844
for use as a schoolroom, the parsonage was
erected in 1830, and during the incum
bency of the Rev. R. Reid the church was
enlarged to its present proportions, and
the schoolroom beside it on North-terrace
was erected.
Holy Trinity Chnrsh was the cathedral
(pro tem.) of Dr. Short (first Bishop o/
Adelaide) "ti h's arriva! in" Sooth Ans
traba in 1847. In the earlv days Trinity
Church was regarda as the chut eh o»
th.-> Colonial Chap'a-n So'.dicrs used to fill
the galleries, and the Governor alw.iva
nas .'-ad <. pew. The trocees arc cn 1er this
control uf the Governor, aud his Excel-
lency has to authorise all their acts. Tim
nomination of the rector has to be an
proved bv the Governor for the time being.
The present rector (the Rev. Frederick:
Webb) toas been incumbent "since 1895.
Previously he W3S curate to the first
Bishop of Bendigo (the late Dr. H. A.
Langley), brother of the present Bishop,
?Dr. J. D. Langley. There arc tablets in
the church in memory of men whose namca
are inde'ably inscribed in the annals of
early South Australian colonisation. It
is proposed to erect an ir¡jn and stone
fence in front of the church in memory of
Mr. W. If. Homes, one of the trustees,
who died last year.
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