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Rev H Nosworthy
Horace Nosworthy was born in 1896 at Horrabridge near Tavistock, Devon. At the age of 8, he was admitted to Tavistock Grammar School. By 1915 he was an undergraduate at Keble College, Oxford. He enlisted in the King's Royal Rifle Corps at Plymouth at the beginning of 1916, just a month before his twentieth birthday. At the end of .1917 he received a medical discharge: "No longer physically fit for War Service".
After training at Cuddesdon College he was appointed Deacon and began a curacy at St Stephen's in Upton Park, East London. Once priested, he moved to St John's at Sutton-on-Plym in Plymouth from 1921 to 1036. For the next three years, he continued as a curate at St David's Exeter, in charge of the church of St Michael and All Angels.
The September 28th 1929 edition of the Torbay Herald & Express carried a front-page article:
'VERTED TO ROME
Ritualistic Practices at Exeter
"Father" Nosworthy
In view of the extreme ritualistic practices which have caused so much trouble at the Church of St. Michael and All Angels, Exeter, recently, the news to-day that "Father" H. Nosworthy, who has been priest-in-charge, had 'verted to the Church of Rome will cause little public surprise.
It will be remembered that a short time ago, the attention of the Bishop of the Diocese was called by a resident of the parish of St. David's to certain practices which were being carried on at St. Michael's, and which formed part of the ritual of the Roman Catholic Church. As a result, the Bishop ordered the removal of the effigy of the Madonna, which was in the transept. This was complied with to the extent that it was merely placed in the porch of the Church, where, it is understood, it has since remained.
CEASED TO ATTEND.
Unable to countenance the Romish practices, a large number of local residents of the neighbourhood, who had been previously regular worshippers at the Church, ceased to attend the services.
Of late, the bulk of the congregation has consisted of people from other districts who are in sympathy with the extreme ritualistic ceremonial which has been introduced since "Father" Nosworthy has been in charge.
Since the Bishop's intervention trouble has been increasing, and it was expected that sooner or later "Father" Nosworthy would find his position impossible.
His secession, however, has come with dramatic suddenness. The first intimation to the frequenters of the church of what has happened occurred yesterday, when they were informed that "Father" Nosworthy was unable to hear confession that day.
HIS SECESSION.
It is understood that this morning the announcement of his secession was publicly made by the Vicar of St. David's (the Rev. Esdaile Burkitt), who found himself faced with the difficulty of being suddenly obliged to make arrangements for observance of the Church's Patronal Festival to-morrow.
Father Nosworthy, who came from the Plymouth district, and who is unmarried, was appointed priest-in-charge of St. Michael's in succession to the Rev. J. Bradford, who resigned owing to ill-health.
St. Michael's is a chapel-of-ease of St. David's, and was erected mainly for the convenience of the dwellers in the three cottages on a site given by John Dinham, whose statue on Northernhay looks down upon it. The cost of the edifice, which has 400 sittings, was defrayed by the late William Gibbs, of Tyntesfield, near Bristol.
The Western Morning News, Exeter & Plymouth Gazette, Sheffield Daily Telegraph, and the Frontier Sentinel (Northern Ireland) on covering the event also noted "About twelve members of his congregation ... have also been received into the church."
Rev Nosworthy's response to the reports appeared in the Western Morning News of October 1s 1929:
A CONVERT TO ROME
REV. H. NOSWORTHY EXPLAINS HIS ACTION
The Editor of The Western Morning News and Mercury has received the following letter from the Rev. H. Nosworthy, a minister of the Church of England, and formerly curate of St. James's, Exeter:-
"Sir,- Would you kindly allow me the courtesy of your columns to correct a misstatement made in your issue of the 20th inst. The Bishop of Exeter and the clergy of the diocese have nothing whatever to do with my leaving the Church of England. I am not in the least dissatisfied with the Church of England, nor have I ever had any serious trouble with any of the Bishops under whom I have served. I have joined the Roman Catholic Church because I believe it to be the one true Church of Christ, and for no other reason whatever.
Sincerely yours, H. NOSWORTHY."
Many people will regret the retirement of Mr. Nosworthy from the ministry of the English Church, as he was a popular preacher, and his services were much appreciated.
Tucked away on the back page of the Devon & Exeter Gazette for February 7th 1930 was an announcement:
CHANGED HIS MIND.
EXETER CURATE AND ROME.
The Rev. H. Nosworthy, formerly Priest-in-charge of St. Michael and All Angels, Exeter, who a few months ago, announced his intention of going over to the Church of Rome, has found himself unable to renounce his orders, and has accepted a curacy in another diocese.
The Bath Chronicle & Herald of April 26th 1930 reported on the welcoming of Holy Trinity, Bath's new Rector (Rev Dr J McIntyre) and his wife, along with the Rector's colleague, Rev H Nosworthy. After almost three years at Bath, Rev Nosworthy came to the Parish of Basingstoke in the Spring of 1933 and would be the priest-in-charge for All Saints'.
According to research by John Pearce, the new priest-in-charge launched what he called “Home Notes” in the Basingstoke Parish Magazine in April 1933. In his introduction, he said what many people still feel today - “Under this heading, we will write jottings of our home life. All Saints is our home - please God it is the homeliest of homes, for it is the Father’s house and we are the children of the household. Let a consecrated naturalness, which is another name for reverence pervade our home.”
He was probably responsible for another All Saints' tradition as his first note was “It is a very great deal to have a good choir to lead the praises of our Divine Lord, but we must not become despondent. Always sing when you can, especially in the responses at Mass and the hymns. If the stranger in front looks around to see if anything is wrong, well, let him. I daresay it sounds beautiful enough in Heaven if you do your bit and mean what you sing, and that is all that matters.” The congregation at All Saints still sings out today - except when there is an unfamiliar hymn!
The priest-in-charge went on holiday in July 1933 and was married in Wandsworth to Elsie Laura Bicknell. Elsie (born 1895) was one of the 8 daughters of George S S Bicknell, an Inspector of Schools in Exeter. Rev Boustead, the Parish Vicar, after saying he was sure parishioners would give Mrs Nosworthy a warm welcome added, after mentioning the ministrations of her husband that “... she has come to help forward those ministrations by giving that support and loving sympathy which has helped and is helping so many Clergy in their work for souls.”
At Christmas 1933 a Christmas tree was put up in the church and the congregation was invited to hang gifts on it. Early in 1934 people were asking why there were not more “socials” which were very popular at that time.
Rev Horace Nosworthy left Basingstoke in 1934 when he was appointed Rector of Berwick in Sussex. From 1937 to 1938 he was Rector of Boxwell with Leighterton in Gloucestershire. He then moved back to the Bath and Wells Diocese to take on the role of Vicar of Otterford. Then, in November 1940, it was announced that Rev Nosworthy was to become the Rector of Charlcombe (just south of Bath). In 1943 he exchanged benefices with the Vicar of All Saints', Southend-on-Sea, Essex.
After following Rev Horace's history before his time in Basingstoke and his movements after, it may be surprising that the Western Morning News of January 6th 1947 reported that a Devon native and former Somerset rector, Rev H Nosworthy, and Mrs Nosworthy, had been received into the Roman Catholic Church, at a ceremony performed at the Church of the Sacred Heart, Burnham-on-Sea, Somerset.
No further references have been found to Rev Horace Nosworthy until his death in Ashburton, Devon in 1953.
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