Rev. Fitzwilliam Carter , 1905 - 1909

Fitzwilliam Carter was born at Shelton, Stoke-on-Trent, England in 1873. His father Conway R.D. Carter was, according to the 1881 British Census, a “clerk in holy orders” and the “district organizing secretary of Additional Curates Society, Witho”. His mother was Georgina M. Carter [nee Shorland]. He was the second of 8 children – in order: Kathleen; Fitzwilliam; Herbert; Norah; Bryan; Ina; Noel; and ? He was educated at Magdalen College School and thereafter at Oxford University. He obtained his B.A. degree in 1898 and his M.A in 1908. He was ordained deacon in 1890 and priest in 1901, by the Bishop of Salisbury. From 1899 to1902 he held the curacy of Bennerton, Wiltshire, the native parish of George Herbert, the poet.

In May 1902 Fitzwilliam had been on the point of sailing for South Africa as an army chaplain. With the end of the Anglo-Boer War he was invited to join the clergy attached to St Mary’s Church, as it then was, in Johannesburg. In that capacity he was to serve on the staff of St. John’s College, about to re-open after having been closed for two and a half years. The College, catering for about 180 day-boys was headed by the Rev. J. L. Hodgson.

As a result of the educational policies instituted by Lord Milner, the number of students declined to approximately 70. Mr. Hodgson fell ill, and was recalled to England, and Mr. Carter was asked to take over as Headmaster in January 1904. He held the reins until the Community of the Resurrection took over at the end of 1905. It has been suggested that without Mr Carter’s faith and dedication St John’s might have closed before then.

A note in the Diocesan Newspaper , ‘Thou art the King’, says simply “Mr Carter is giving up S. John’s College at the end of this term, after steering the school bravely through stormy seas. He is arranging to take parochial work in the diocese and we are glad to keep him. He will be able to remember that he has scored a real good record for S. John’s. He sent in seven for the Cape Matriculation, and got seven through.”

Writing to his daughter Hilda on 9 November 1948 he said, Many thanks for the latest snap of P.J. He seems to be getting on famously and I am proud of my grandson. Also many thanks for the cutting about St Johns. Yes they have missed out the effort of yours truly without which there would have been no St John’sCollege today. At the request of various people I have twice written the story of those days and presumably the authorities have the story in their records. Unless I and some of the staff had put a huge foot in the door at the end of ’03 [1903], the school would have been closed when Mr. Hodgson resigned. I took over then and carried on until the beginning of 1906 when the C.R. was ready to take over. It is a long story and I cannot write it again here but it was quite an exciting time for us and the present School is our justification and reward. At the same time I was developing the work round Norwood and when St John’s closed we went down and lived in Victoria – close to Orange Grove – and there Elfrida [?] was born. By Oct.’07 we had built St Luke’s – early in ’08 the first Vicarage was up and in ’09 we moved to Pietersburg where you were born in ’10. We spent the summer of ’08 in England so we got through quite a lot in the time available. By 1911 we had secured a Rectory for P’burg and in ’12 came home to England for good. Looking back it seems to me almost incredible, but Mum and I were young and things moved fast in S.A in those days. I am sure one could not have done it in England……………….

He married Elfrida and they had two daughters:

• Joanna Frances Magdalen born on 21 October 1904 in Johannesburg.
  She was baptized by Revd J.T. Darragh C.R. on 15 November 1904.
  Her god-parents were Charles Lane Samson, Edith Kamble and Kathleen S. Peacock.

• Hilda Madeleine born on 6 December 1910 in Pietersberg.
  She was baptized on 9 January 1911 by Archdeacon Latimer Fuller C.R.
  Her god-parents were Kate Pope, Maude Evelyn Baldwin and Robert Lees Evan

Fitzwilliam was appointed by the Bishop of Pretoria, Bishop Carter, to take charge of a new district called the northern suburbs of Johannesburg. Mr Carter lived, initially, in Victoria, just south of Norwood. He planned to develop church work in 30 suburbs from 3 centres. Services were held in the original Norwood School building, and then in the Dutch Reformed Church in what is now their Hall. Other services were held in areas to the east and west of the present parish of Orchards. Mr Carter very quickly identified the need for a church building of its own for the parish. Plans were drawn by Herbert Baker of the firm Baker and Massey. The cost of the new building was estimated at £1350. Of this amount, £500 was raised through appeals. The balance of £850 was provided as a loan by the Rector’s wife, Elfrida Carter. This loan was only finally repaid to her some 20 years later.

The first Confirmation service at St Luke’s was held in December 1907.
When Mr Carter left the parish in 1909, having been transferred to Christ Church, Pietersberg, he left it firmly established, although still in debt to his wife.

He returned to England in 1912. In the first year of the First World War he served as a chaplain aboard the Naval Artificers Training Ship, Fisgard, at Portsmouth. He moved to Withleigh, near Tiverton, Devon, as vicar, in 1915. He held the living of Calverleigh, as rector, from 1917. Interested in the welfare of young people, Mr Carter did much to establish youth movements in the area. At Withleigh he was the prime mover in the founding of the Young Farmers Club, one of the first in the country, and was also a scoutmaster of the Calverleigh troop. As honorary Chaplain to Ingleside School while it was at Calverleigh, he trained a team of bell ringers at the school. This was probably the first team of girl ringers in the country. He was appointed as Rural Dean from 1925 to 1929. He continued to serve the area until his retirement in 1944. After his retirement he served as one of the Bishop of Exeter’s special service clergy.

He died on Saturday, 23 October 1954 at Tiverton at the age of 81. He had been seriously ill for three weeks. His funeral service was held at Withleigh Church on Wednesday, 27 October 1954.