Reverend Robert Rutland

 

York House which was Christ Church Vicarage, 2019

Geoff Cordingley

 

The vicarage is in the top right with the church towards the bottom left between the railway and Port Vale

1897 OS Map

 

Robert Rutland's resignation letter to parish

The Reverend Robert Rutland was Vicar of Christ Church Bengeo for 36 years.  He lived in the vicarage then number 3, Warren Park, now known as York House, Warren Park Road.

Robert was born in 1825, being christened on 25th May.  He lived with Joseph, his father, and Mary, his mother in Borough High Street, Southwark which was then in the County of Surrey.

In 1857 Robert married Mary Ann Keen in Guildford.   They had four children, Robert, Katherine, Herbert and Charles.  All the children were born before they came to Bengeo.

In 1861 Robert was curate of St Mary’s Church, Marylebone.  The family lived at 4, Melbury Terrace.

The Reverend Rutland was the vicar of Christ Church from 1869 until his resignation in December 1905, see his resignation letter to the right.  Something seems to have upset him whether the continuing sorrow of his wife’s death or something within the parish is not known.

As can be imagined, Robert was heavily involved in both the Bengeo and Hertford communities.  In November 1878, he helped to form a Bengeo parish branch of The Church of England Temperance Society and in 1882 one in Christ Church parish. He presided over ‘entertainments’ at Christ Church Schoolroom with the aim of raising money for the school as well as entertaining the audience. He sometimes gave readings at these evenings. He was a governor and subscriber to the Hertford General Infirmary; a manager of the Hertfordshire Savings Bank and a member of the British and Foreign Bible Society.

As well as singing at the entertainments, Mary organised sales of ready-made clothing ‘suitable for the poor’ with the object of enabling Mrs. Rutland ‘to purchase fresh material, and supply a larger number of poor Women with Needlework during the Winter months.’

Robert died in 1907 and he was buried on 7th March in the churchyard of Holy Trinity, Bengeo.

Mary who had predeceased Robert was buried on Thursday, 21st January, 1897 after a ceremony in the same churchyard.  For some reason Mary was not listed as living at the vicarage in the censuses of 1881 and 1891 and she died in Brentford.  Her last visit to the Infant School as recorded in the logbook was on 30th May (Ascension day) 1877.

Robert was correspondent (i.e. secretary) for the managers of Christ Church Infant School, Port Vale, Bengeo.  He was also mentioned as Treasurer of the school in the HMI report of September, 1871.  The vicar was only an occasional visitor to the school and then usually either with his wife or daughter Katherine or to record the yearly HMI or Diocesan reports in the logbook.

On two occasions in the logbook it is recorded that the rector was directly involved in the work of the school:

• On February 25^th 1877 “Rev. R. Rutland visited the school this morning.  Examined the Second Class in Arithmetic, Reading and Dictation, found that they had improved the two first named subjects.
• On 19th October 1894 “Rev. R. Rutland has visited the school & on Friday morning gave away some books for Regular Attendance.”

On a couple of other occasions he took a decision to close the school under exceptional circumstances, e.g. the Prince of Wales visit to Hertford.

Katherine was a frequent visitor at the school and sometimes heard children read.  She died on 14th October, 1942,  At the time she was living at Bengeo Nursing Home.