St. Peter's Church, St. George's
Encyclopedia
'St. Peter's Church', in St. George's
, Bermuda
, is the oldest surviving Anglican
church in continuous use outside the British Isles
. It is also reportedly the oldest continuously used Protestant church in the New World
. A UNESCO World Heritage Site (together with related forticications), St. George's Town is the oldest surviving English
settlement in the New World, having been settled by the Virginia Company
in 1612 (in the aftermath of the wrecking of its flagship, the Sea Venture
, in Bermuda in 1609).
. The oldest parts of the current structure date to 1620, though the building has been much expanded and improved since.
The grave yard which surrounds the church has been filled for decades, all new burials taking place in the municipal graveyard on the far shore to the North of the town. Notable exceptions were Governor Sir Richard Sharples
and his Aide-de-Camp, Captain Hugh Sayers, who were buried side-by-side in the East of the church yard after their 1973 murders. An area of the yard to the West of the church was reserved for burying slaves, prior to the 1834 emancipation of slaves throughout the British Empire
.
As originally constructed, the church had no belfry, the bell being hung from an old-growth cedar directly behind the church. Although to all appearances dead, this tree was still standing until felled by Hurricane Fabian
in 2003.
The South-facing church and its yard sit well back, and somewhat higher than Duke of York Street, the main road that passes through St. George's in front of it. A high, wide flight of steps descend from the church to a small yard, or square on the North side of the road. At this East side of this yard is the church hall, a small building which was increased in size by the addition of a second floor in the 1980s.
, the Church of England
. A system of parish
es was established throughout Bermuda, the parishes being both religious divisions, each centred on a parish church, and political
ones. The January, 1620, reconstruction of St. Peter's was overseen by Governor
Nathaniel Butler
. When the Parliament of Bermuda
was created in 1620, it first met in St. Peter's, on 1 August, pending completion of its own dedicated home, the State House
. The Church of England in Bermuda became grouped with that of Newfoundland, in the 19th Century, as a common bishopric
. With the building of the Hamilton Cathedral in 1894 (the year it was consecrated as such - it would not be completed 'til 1905), Bermuda attained its own bishophric. Had the capital not relocated to Hamilton from St. George's (which it did in 1815), St. Peter's might have become the cathedral. There had been an attempt to replace St. Peter's in the 19th. Century with a larger building at a new location. Begun in 1874, this building was for various reasons never completed. Today, the magnificent ruin of the Unfinished Church, on Church Folly Lane, is a popular visitor attraction in St. George's.
In 1978, the Church of England in Bermuda became the Anglican Church of Bermuda.
St. George's, Bermuda
St. George's , located on the island and within the parish of the same names, was the first permanent settlement on the islands of Bermuda, and is often described as the third successful English settlement in the Americas, after St. John's, Newfoundland, and Jamestown, Virginia. However, St...
, Bermuda
Bermuda
Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, its nearest landmass is Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. It is about south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and northeast of Miami, Florida...
, is the oldest surviving Anglican
Anglican Communion
The Anglican Communion is an international association of national and regional Anglican churches in full communion with the Church of England and specifically with its principal primate, the Archbishop of Canterbury...
church in continuous use outside the British Isles
British Isles
The British Isles are a group of islands off the northwest coast of continental Europe that include the islands of Great Britain and Ireland and over six thousand smaller isles. There are two sovereign states located on the islands: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and...
. It is also reportedly the oldest continuously used Protestant church in the New World
New World
The New World is one of the names used for the Western Hemisphere, specifically America and sometimes Oceania . The term originated in the late 15th century, when America had been recently discovered by European explorers, expanding the geographical horizon of the people of the European middle...
. A UNESCO World Heritage Site (together with related forticications), St. George's Town is the oldest surviving English
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...
settlement in the New World, having been settled by the Virginia Company
London Company
The London Company was an English joint stock company established by royal charter by James I of England on April 10, 1606 with the purpose of establishing colonial settlements in North America.The territory granted to the London Company included the coast of North America from the 34th parallel ...
in 1612 (in the aftermath of the wrecking of its flagship, the Sea Venture
Sea Venture
The Sea Venture was a 17th-century English sailing ship, the wrecking of which in Bermuda is widely thought to have been the inspiration for Shakespeare's The Tempest...
, in Bermuda in 1609).
History
The church was established immediately after the founding of the settlement, although the original building, fashioned from wood with a thatched roof, was quickly destroyed. Bermuda is famously stormy, and it was necessary to rebuild the church more than once over the following century, the final structure being of limestone walls, with a limestone slate roof lain on a framework of Bermuda cedarJuniperus bermudiana
Juniperus bermudiana is a species of juniper endemic to Bermuda. This species is most commonly known as Bermuda cedar although, like most "cedars" it is not a true cedar ; a more botanically accurate name would be Bermuda juniper, but this term is extremely rare.It is an evergreen tree growing up...
. The oldest parts of the current structure date to 1620, though the building has been much expanded and improved since.
The interior
The church's interior is simple, but beautiful, with exposed cedar beams (prior to the blight which virtually annihilated Bermuda's cedars in the 1940s and '50s, the wood was considered inexpensive and those who could afford to favoured more expensive, imported woods. Today, the endemic wood is scarce, priceless, and proudly displayed in those homes which have it). The font of the church is 500 years old, older than the settlement of Bermuda. The walls of the church have commemorative plaques on the inside, and there are gravestones set in the outsides, those of the notables who were considered worthy enough to be buried under the church floor, such as the printer of Bermuda's first newspaper (the Bermuda Gazette), Joseph Stockdale.The exterior
Richard Sharples
Major Sir Richard Christopher Sharples KCMG OBE MC , St. George, Bermuda) was a British politician and Governor of Bermuda from late 1972 to 10 March 1973 when he was shot dead by assassins linked to the militant Black Beret Cadre, a small Bermudian Black Power group.-Career:Sharples passed out...
and his Aide-de-Camp, Captain Hugh Sayers, who were buried side-by-side in the East of the church yard after their 1973 murders. An area of the yard to the West of the church was reserved for burying slaves, prior to the 1834 emancipation of slaves throughout the British Empire
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
.
Hurricane Fabian
Hurricane Fabian was a powerful Cape Verde-type hurricane that hit Bermuda in early September during the 2003 Atlantic hurricane season. Fabian, the sixth named storm, fourth hurricane, and first major hurricane of the season, developed from a tropical wave in the tropical Atlantic Ocean on August 25...
in 2003.
The South-facing church and its yard sit well back, and somewhat higher than Duke of York Street, the main road that passes through St. George's in front of it. A high, wide flight of steps descend from the church to a small yard, or square on the North side of the road. At this East side of this yard is the church hall, a small building which was increased in size by the addition of a second floor in the 1980s.
Parish
The Church was established as the parish (for the town and the surrounding area) of the state churchState church
State churches are organizational bodies within a Christian denomination which are given official status or operated by a state.State churches are not necessarily national churches in the ethnic sense of the term, but the two concepts may overlap in the case of a nation state where the state...
, the Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
. A system of 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...
es was established throughout Bermuda, the parishes being both religious divisions, each centred on a parish church, and political
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
ones. The January, 1620, reconstruction of St. Peter's was overseen by Governor
Governor of Bermuda
The Governor of Bermuda is the representative of the British monarch in the British overseas territory of Bermuda. The Governor is appointed by the monarch on the advice of the British government...
Nathaniel Butler
Nathaniel Butler
Nathaniel Butler was an English privateer who later served as the colonial governor of Bermuda during the early 17th century. He had built many structures still seen in Bermuda today including many of the island's coastal fortresses and the State House, in St...
. When the Parliament of Bermuda
Parliament of Bermuda
Parliament has two chambers. Originally, there was only one, the House of Assembly, which held its first session in 1620, making Bermuda's Parliament amongst the World's oldest legislatures. An appointed Privy Council originally performed roles similar to that of an upper house, and of a cabinet...
was created in 1620, it first met in St. Peter's, on 1 August, pending completion of its own dedicated home, the State House
State House, Bermuda
The State House in St. George's was the first purpose-built home of the House of Assembly, which then constituted the only chamber of the Parliament of Bermuda. Other than fortifications, it was Bermuda's first stone building...
. The Church of England in Bermuda became grouped with that of Newfoundland, in the 19th Century, as a common bishopric
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...
. With the building of the Hamilton Cathedral in 1894 (the year it was consecrated as such - it would not be completed 'til 1905), Bermuda attained its own bishophric. Had the capital not relocated to Hamilton from St. George's (which it did in 1815), St. Peter's might have become the cathedral. There had been an attempt to replace St. Peter's in the 19th. Century with a larger building at a new location. Begun in 1874, this building was for various reasons never completed. Today, the magnificent ruin of the Unfinished Church, on Church Folly Lane, is a popular visitor attraction in St. George's.
In 1978, the Church of England in Bermuda became the Anglican Church of Bermuda.
External links
- Official site
- Bermuda Online Bermuda's Town of St. George: St. Peter's Church.