Reverend John Vane
- [see also Archive pages - Ed]

It is over a year since the Journal printed two pieces based on the report in the Bristol Times on the visit of the Bristol Churchgoer, who came to attend morning service at All Saints' on 10 May, 1845.

What I didn't appreciate then was that this had been the subject of two articles by Hugh Smith in some of the earliest issues of the Journal. Fortunately, only a small amount of the material has been repeated. I promised (threatened?) a third note on the Churchgoer's comments about the Reverend John Vane, who was Rector from 1828 to 1870. This led into much deeper waters than I expected and I am very grateful to Joyce Smith for providing many details on the man who succeeded William Leeves as Rector. 'Old parson Leeves' was incumbent from 1779 to 1828, so these two men influenced the life of the parish for almost a century.

John Vane was born in County Durham in 1792, and is thought to have been the natural son of William Harry Vane, who became the first Duke of Cleveland and who inherited the Manor of Wrington through his first wife, Katherine Powlett. From 1831 until he died on 29 December, 1870, John Vane was also Vicar of Burrington.

He was instrumental in the founding of Wrington School and also of St. Katharine's School at Lulsgate which, until it moves to a new site in Felton village, remains within Wrington parish. He lived in some style in what is now Burrington House with, according to the census return of March 30th, 1851, a butler, coachman, footman, and three female servants. He is buried in Burrington churchyard.

On the day that the founder, owner and editor of the Bristol Times, Joseph Leech, rode out from Clifton to Congresbury and walked along the river to arrive at All Saints' in good time for morning service, the Rector was absent from the parish. The article recounting the author's visit reflects his superior and depreciative attitude towards his rural neighbours. It ends with this revealing portrait of John Vane.

'(He) has two or three good country parishes, a London living, and is, or was, one of the chaplains of the House of Commons'

And then:

'He is a great favourite with all his farming friends, and seemingly believes the first object of study for a country clergyman should be composts; he appears to be as well acquainted with Liebig* as with Jeremy Taylor**; is an authority on the succession of crops, and great on the subsoil plough.

Mr Vane makes a smart speech at an agricultural dinner, but I never heard him in the pulpit. He is, however, esteemed as a very liberal and kind-hearted friend in the country, and devoted much time and money to advance at least the mundane prosperity of his own and neighbouring parishes. Though a courtier, too, he manages with much tact and instinctive cleverness the clods committed to his care; and if he is lucky in having so many parishes, the parishes tell you they are lucky in having him.'

Let us hope that the parishioners of Wrington are no longer regarded as 'clods' by editors of Bristol newspapers!

The Bristol Churchgoer's Calls at Country Churches were reprinted in 1982, in a volume edited by Alan Sutton.

* A German chemist of the time.

** A seventeenth century divine, royalist and writer who became Bishop of Down & Connor.

John Gowar