Saturday, August 25, 2018

Inquiry. The Vicar and the Trainer's Wife.

Coverham Church (Holy Trinity)
In 1880, fresh from Cambridge, the young Rev. Frederick Wade Dalton returned to his native North Yorkshire to be the vicar of the small parishes of Coverham and Horsehouses. The latter Coverdale village was aptly named. This "curious and beautiful" place was near famous Middleham, home to a number of outstanding racing stables, drawn by the breezy grounds and exhilarating air. Coverham churchyard was "the last resting place of so many of those who were associated with the past history of the Turf." 

Only a short canter from the church was Tupgill Park, home of the celebrated trainer Fred Bates, a former jockey whose horses had become a fixture at Ascot and the other great courses of England.
Newcastle Shops Museum
Bates was married to Jane, daughter of the late Tom Dawson, another legendary trainer. They had four children. (see comments below.)

In 1884, "no little interested was excited in sporting circles" by the news that Mr. and Mrs. Bates had counter-sued each other for divorce. According to the husband's petition, his wife had been guilty of adultery with the young and unmarried Rev. Mr. Dalton of Coverham. The suits were combined and heard in London where - due to the “nature of the evidence” - the matter was heard in private, a request not often granted. 

According to Mr. Bates, his wife and the vicar had committed adultery at Tupgill Park and divers other places over several months, especially around the new year, 1883. Both Rev. Dalton and Mrs. Bates denied the charge. For her part, Mrs. Bates claimed that her husband had slept with the governess, and probably a few more of the female servants at Tupgill. In her petition, Mrs. Bates stated her husband was frequently drunk and often abusive to her, at one time, "seizing her by the hair of her private parts." The President of the Divorce Court, Lord Hannen, considered the evidence for some time. He granted Mrs. Bates a judicial separation and custody of the children. He also declared there was “no foundation whatever” for the allegations involving the Rev. Dalton.

Bates remained at Tupgill Park; employed by several prominent patrons but never won the Derby. The Rev. Mr. Dalton left Coverham, eventually spending forty years as rector of Hauxwell, near Richmond, where his family was lord of the manor.

Clerical Errors - A Victorian Series, Volume 2 contains full-length accounts of five sensational stories involving clergyman in Nineteenth Century England. For U.S. readers, see.  

Tuesday, August 7, 2018

Seduction in the Bluebells? A Vicar's Denial

The Rev. Jeremiah Woolsey of Norwich was just thirty when he was named the vicar of Brightwell, a small Suffolk village, midway between Ipswich and Woodbridge. The 14th century church, St. John the Baptist, although "little and rarely visited" was especially beautiful, having been painted by the great Constable himself in 1815. 

But soon after Woolsey had settled in to his parish of sixty souls, he was called to the Bishop's palace in Norwich. Bishop John Sheepshanks had received a troubling letter, stating, "One day last summer, the Rev. Jeremiah Woolsey took me for a cycle ride and, taking advantage of me, seduced me." Miss Evelyn Hoare of Shrubland Lodge, Eaton, had since had a child. "Inasmuch as Mr. Woolsey has declined to make any offer and to see me personally, I must beg your Lordship to institute inquiry into the truth of the allegations brought by me." 

In January 1899, the case of Woolsey v Hoare was heard at the Norwich Assizes. The clergyman (the plaintiff) admitted meeting Evelyn at a dance, and they had cycled and lunched together many times. He had thought she was "the one" but owing to some issues within the Hoare family, he stopped seeing her. He was astounded when he then learned of the accusation she had made. On the day in question, he had ridden with her but he had never misconducted himself. Under a searching cross-examination, Woolsey adhered to his denials.


Bluebell Marsh (Norfolk Wildlfe Trust)

Evelyn was 21 and a "smart-looking young woman." She was from a prominent family and her father was a local factory inspector. She told the court that on 7 July 1897, she met Mr. Woolsey in Norwich and they went cycling along the Yare. It was a bit late for the famous bluebells but they stopped at a place called Bluebell Hole near Eaton, where, in a copse, he seduced her. Under cross-examination, she admitted she was very angry when Woolsey stopped seeing her. She even wanted to "wring his neck," On the stand, Evelyn admitted also keeping company with a local constable, P.C. George Rollitt. She hadn't told her parents about George because he was below their station. He had given her gifts. She also admitted going to him first with news of her "condition." The manager of the Norwich Castle Museum testified that Evelyn and Rollitt had to be asked to leave one day because their "courtship" was offending the other guests. 


All of this led Mr. Woolsey's barrister to heights of eloquence with the all male jury: "She is not believable. She is a confessed, unchaste, impure woman. Do not condemn upon her uncorroborated and contradictory statements a man whose character had hitherto been beyond reproach." The jury very quickly found for the Rev. Woolsey and awarded him £500 in damages. 

The little congregation in Brightwell welcomed Woolsey back and he remained their vicar well into the 20th century. In 1900, he married the daughter of the rector of March (Cambridgeshire). 

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