Ralph Creed Meredith
Encyclopedia
The Ven. Ralph Creed Meredith, M.A., (7 October 1887 – 10 January 1970) was an Anglican Cleric who succeeded Edward Keble Talbot
as Chaplain
to His Majesty, King George VI and afterwards Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. In New Zealand
he was president of the New Zealand Badminton
Association and the New Zealand Croquet
Association.
The son of Sir James Creed Meredith, and a brother of Judge James Creed Meredith
, Meredith was born in Dublin, Ireland
. He was educated at Rhos College in North Wales
and afterwards at Trinity College, Dublin
, and Dublin University, receiving his B.A. in Ethics
& Logic
with Honors after the Michaelmas
Term in 1909. Meredith earned his M.A. at Trinity in 1912. He married Sylvia Aynsley (1894–1987) on 21 April 1915, daughter of Joseph Aynsley of Blythe House, near Stoke-on-Trent
, Staffordshire.
According to the 1932 Crockford's Clerical Directory
, in succession became a curate
at Caverswall
, Meir, Staffordshire (1912–1914), curate at St. Bartholomew's Church, Armley
, Leeds
(1914–1917), served the Diocese of Lichfield
(1917–1918), was curate of St. Peter's Church, Harborne
, Birmingham
(1919–1920), and eventually took charge of the Conventional District of Bournville
, a village
south of Birmingham diocese
from 1920-1924. His successes at Bournville led the Bishop
of Wellington
to appoint Meredith Vicar
of Whanganui
, New Zealand
in 1924, where he remained until 1932. He eventually became Archdeacon
of Waitotara
(1925–1932) as well, despite using addresses in both New Zealand and Hertfordshire
, England
during that time.
Meredith was a Freemason and an athlete of some note. After arriving in New Zealand in 1924, he was the winner of several New Zealand National Badminton Championships
in 1927 and 1928, and was a world class croquet
player, having performed for the New Zealand team competing for the 1930 MacRobertson International Croquet Shield
, which fell to Australia
, 3-0. Meredith also competed in numerous croquet tournaments in southern England and Ireland after relocating from The Vicarage in Windsor to Parkstone
, Dorset
. Meredith had a club foot and wore a surgical boot during competition, as well as his clerical "dog collar."
Meredith is credited with being the "prime mover" in the 1927 formation of Badminton New Zealand
(then known as the New Zealand Badminton Association), of which he was president for two years. He was also president of the New Zealand Croquet Association and the Manawatu Association.
Meredith required surgery in April 1931 and had travelled to England for the procedure. On his return voyage, emergency surgery was required during a stopover in Port Said
, Egypt
. Subsequently in poor health, he accepted an offer from the Marquess of Salisbury
to take over the Parish
of Cheshunt
, St. Albans, in Hertfordshire in 1932. According to Kelly's 1933 and 1937 Directories of Hertfordshire, Meredith served as Vicar at St. Mary the Virgin and was rural dean
of Ware, Hertfordshire, residing at The Vicarage, Churchgate. He also served as Vicar of Windsor, 1940-1958.
In 1946, Meredith was appointed Chaplain
to His Majesty, King George VI and retained a place in the College of Chaplains of the Ecclesiastical Household
of Elizabeth II on 5 August 1952. Meredith died in Poole
, Dorset
, England, where he had served as Rural Dean
since 1962.
Edward Keble Talbot
Edward Keble Talbot MC was an English Anglican priest, who was the Superior of the Community of the Resurrection, a religious community for men in Mirfield, West Yorkshire....
as Chaplain
Chaplain
Traditionally, a chaplain is a minister in a specialized setting such as a priest, pastor, rabbi, or imam or lay representative of a religion attached to a secular institution such as a hospital, prison, military unit, police department, university, or private chapel...
to His Majesty, King George VI and afterwards Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. In New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
he was president of the New Zealand Badminton
Badminton
Badminton is a racquet sport played by either two opposing players or two opposing pairs , who take positions on opposite halves of a rectangular court that is divided by a net. Players score points by striking a shuttlecock with their racquet so that it passes over the net and lands in their...
Association and the New Zealand Croquet
Croquet
Croquet is a lawn game, played both as a recreational pastime and as a competitive sport. It involves hitting plastic or wooden balls with a mallet through hoops embedded into the grass playing court.-History:...
Association.
The son of Sir James Creed Meredith, and a brother of Judge James Creed Meredith
James Creed Meredith
James Creed Meredith K.C., LL.D. was an Irish nationalist of the early 20th century, who upheld Brehon Law. He was President of the Supreme Court of the Irish Republic, Chief Judicial Commissioner of Ireland and a Judge of the High Court and the Supreme Court of Ireland...
, Meredith was born in Dublin, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
. He was educated at Rhos College in North Wales
North Wales
North Wales is the northernmost unofficial region of Wales. It is bordered to the south by the counties of Ceredigion and Powys in Mid Wales and to the east by the counties of Shropshire in the West Midlands and Cheshire in North West England...
and afterwards at Trinity College, Dublin
Trinity College, Dublin
Trinity College, Dublin , formally known as the College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, was founded in 1592 by letters patent from Queen Elizabeth I as the "mother of a university", Extracts from Letters Patent of Elizabeth I, 1592: "...we...found and...
, and Dublin University, receiving his B.A. in Ethics
Ethics
Ethics, also known as moral philosophy, is a branch of philosophy that addresses questions about morality—that is, concepts such as good and evil, right and wrong, virtue and vice, justice and crime, etc.Major branches of ethics include:...
& Logic
Logic
In philosophy, Logic is the formal systematic study of the principles of valid inference and correct reasoning. Logic is used in most intellectual activities, but is studied primarily in the disciplines of philosophy, mathematics, semantics, and computer science...
with Honors after the Michaelmas
Michaelmas
Michaelmas, the feast of Saint Michael the Archangel is a day in the Western Christian calendar which occurs on 29 September...
Term in 1909. Meredith earned his M.A. at Trinity in 1912. He married Sylvia Aynsley (1894–1987) on 21 April 1915, daughter of Joseph Aynsley of Blythe House, near Stoke-on-Trent
Stoke-on-Trent
Stoke-on-Trent , also called The Potteries is a city in Staffordshire, England, which forms a linear conurbation almost 12 miles long, with an area of . Together with the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme Stoke forms The Potteries Urban Area...
, Staffordshire.
According to the 1932 Crockford's Clerical Directory
Crockford's Clerical Directory
Crockford's Clerical Directory is the authoritative directory of the Anglican Communion in the UK, containing details of English, Welsh and Irish benefices and churches, and biographies of around 26,000 clergy...
, in succession became a curate
Curate
A curate is a person who is invested with the care or cure of souls of a parish. In this sense "curate" correctly means a parish priest but in English-speaking countries a curate is an assistant to the parish priest...
at Caverswall
Caverswall
Caverswall is a village and parish in Staffordshire, to the south west of Staffordshire Moorlands.- Etymology :The name Caverswall is thought to have its origins in the Saxon words Cafhere, a personal noun, and Waelle, which meant spring or well.By the time of the Domesday Book the village was...
, Meir, Staffordshire (1912–1914), curate at St. Bartholomew's Church, Armley
St. Bartholomew's Church, Armley
St Bartholomew’s Church, Armley is a parish church in the Church of England located in Armley, West Yorkshire-History:The first chapel at Armley was built in 1630 but not consecrated by Richard Sterne the Archbishop of York until 1674...
, Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
(1914–1917), served the Diocese of Lichfield
Diocese of Lichfield
The Diocese of Lichfield is a Church of England diocese in the Province of Canterbury, England. The bishop's seat is located in the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Saint Chad in the city of Lichfield. The diocese covers 4,516 km² The Diocese of Lichfield is a Church of England...
(1917–1918), was curate of St. Peter's Church, Harborne
St. Peter's Church, Harborne
-Background:There has been a church on the site since Saxon times and St Chad is even thought to have preached there. The base of an early preaching cross was found in the mid-1980s during work at the back of the church...
, Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
(1919–1920), and eventually took charge of the Conventional District of Bournville
Bournville
Bournville is a model village on the south side of Birmingham, England, best known for its connections with the Cadbury family and chocolate – including a dark chocolate bar branded "Bournville". It is also a ward within the council constituency of Selly Oak and home to the Bournville Centre...
, a village
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
south of Birmingham diocese
Diocese
A diocese is the district or see under the supervision of a bishop. It is divided into parishes.An archdiocese is more significant than a diocese. An archdiocese is presided over by an archbishop whose see may have or had importance due to size or historical significance...
from 1920-1924. His successes at Bournville led the Bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
of Wellington
Wellington
Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...
to appoint Meredith Vicar
Vicar
In the broadest sense, a vicar is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior . In this sense, the title is comparable to lieutenant...
of Whanganui
Whanganui
Various places in New Zealand are called Whanganui:*Whanganui, a city at the mouth of the Whanganui River, also often spelled "Wanganui", Manawatu-Wanganui Region*Whanganui District, Manawatu-Wanganui Region*Whanganui Island, Waikato Region...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
in 1924, where he remained until 1932. He eventually became Archdeacon
Archdeacon
An archdeacon is a senior clergy position in Anglicanism, Syrian Malabar Nasrani, Chaldean Catholic, and some other Christian denominations, above that of most clergy and below a bishop. In the High Middle Ages it was the most senior diocesan position below a bishop in the Roman Catholic Church...
of Waitotara
Waitotara
Waitotara is a town in South Taranaki, New Zealand. Waverley is 10 km to the north-west, and Wanganui is 34 km to the south-east. State Highway 3 passes through it. The Waitotara River flows past the east side of the town....
(1925–1932) as well, despite using addresses in both New Zealand and Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
during that time.
Meredith was a Freemason and an athlete of some note. After arriving in New Zealand in 1924, he was the winner of several New Zealand National Badminton Championships
New Zealand National Badminton Championships
New Zealand National Badminton Championships are officially held since the year 1927.-Past winners:-References:*...
in 1927 and 1928, and was a world class croquet
Croquet
Croquet is a lawn game, played both as a recreational pastime and as a competitive sport. It involves hitting plastic or wooden balls with a mallet through hoops embedded into the grass playing court.-History:...
player, having performed for the New Zealand team competing for the 1930 MacRobertson International Croquet Shield
MacRobertson International Croquet Shield
The MacRobertson International Croquet Shield is the premier croquet teams event in the world. It is currently competed for by Australia, Great Britain, New Zealand and the United States...
, which fell to Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, 3-0. Meredith also competed in numerous croquet tournaments in southern England and Ireland after relocating from The Vicarage in Windsor to Parkstone
Parkstone
Parkstone is an area of Poole, Dorset. It is divided into 'Lower' and 'Upper' Parkstone. Upper Parkstone - "Up-on-'ill" as it used to be known in local parlance - is so-called because it is largely on higher ground slightly to the north of the lower-lying area of Lower Parkstone - "The Village" -...
, Dorset
Dorset
Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...
. Meredith had a club foot and wore a surgical boot during competition, as well as his clerical "dog collar."
Meredith is credited with being the "prime mover" in the 1927 formation of Badminton New Zealand
Badminton New Zealand
Badminton New Zealand is the badminton organisation in New Zealand which was established in 1927 under the stewardship of Archdeacon Ralph Creed Meredith of Whanganui, one of its first champions. , and became a founding member of Badminton World Federation in 1934...
(then known as the New Zealand Badminton Association), of which he was president for two years. He was also president of the New Zealand Croquet Association and the Manawatu Association.
Meredith required surgery in April 1931 and had travelled to England for the procedure. On his return voyage, emergency surgery was required during a stopover in Port Said
Port Said
Port Said is a city that lies in north east Egypt extending about 30 km along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, north of the Suez Canal, with an approximate population of 603,787...
, Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
. Subsequently in poor health, he accepted an offer from the Marquess of Salisbury
Marquess of Salisbury
Marquess of Salisbury is a title in the Peerage of Great Britain. It was created in 1789 for the 7th Earl of Salisbury. Most of the holders of the title have been prominent in British political life over the last two centuries, particularly the 3rd Marquess, who served three times as Prime Minister...
to take over the Parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
of Cheshunt
Cheshunt
Cheshunt is a town in Hertfordshire, England with a population of around 52,000 according to the United Kingdom's 2001 Census. It is a dormitory town and part of the Greater London Urban Area and London commuter belt served by Cheshunt railway station...
, St. Albans, in Hertfordshire in 1932. According to Kelly's 1933 and 1937 Directories of Hertfordshire, Meredith served as Vicar at St. Mary the Virgin and was rural dean
Rural Dean
In the Anglican Communion and the Roman Catholic Church, a Rural Dean presides over a Rural Deanery .-Origins and usage:...
of Ware, Hertfordshire, residing at The Vicarage, Churchgate. He also served as Vicar of Windsor, 1940-1958.
In 1946, Meredith was appointed Chaplain
Chaplain
Traditionally, a chaplain is a minister in a specialized setting such as a priest, pastor, rabbi, or imam or lay representative of a religion attached to a secular institution such as a hospital, prison, military unit, police department, university, or private chapel...
to His Majesty, King George VI and retained a place in the College of Chaplains of the Ecclesiastical Household
Ecclesiastical Household
The Ecclesiastical Household is a part of the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom. Reflecting the different constitutions of the Churches of England and of Scotland, there are separate Ecclesiastical Households in each nation.-England:...
of Elizabeth II on 5 August 1952. Meredith died in Poole
Poole
Poole is a large coastal town and seaport in the county of Dorset, on the south coast of England. The town is east of Dorchester, and Bournemouth adjoins Poole to the east. The Borough of Poole was made a unitary authority in 1997, gaining administrative independence from Dorset County Council...
, Dorset
Dorset
Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...
, England, where he had served as Rural Dean
Rural Dean
In the Anglican Communion and the Roman Catholic Church, a Rural Dean presides over a Rural Deanery .-Origins and usage:...
since 1962.