TABERNACLE CHURCH CEMETERY

 

 The photos in this index were kindly donated by Jean  

 

 

 

   

 

 

 

Surname

Details

Photo

 

barratt

john Herbert 1888 age 2

10

Donnelly

William john ross 1856 age 10 son of Capt. William

11

grosvener

Edward 1805-1853

10

Hargreaves

samuel Grosvenor 1870 age 6

10

hunt

William henry born 1809

elizabeth born   1803-1879, nee toogood, buried Wellington East

 

9

jagger

john  1840 age 10

Mary 1852 age 52 wife of Matthew

note second headstone illegible

12

rumbelow

godfrey david

anne

children of malen & alice

7

storer

j s

Josiah 1856

initials only-possibly josiah storer

12

8

 

 

 

 

commemoration plaque to those persons who have been known to be buried in the cemetery and whose names cannot be traced.

6

barratt

john 1863

 

barton

john 1854

 

Clarke

mr 1856

 

fuller

William 1856

 

gardner

infant 1854

 

Grosvenor

Edward 1853

 

Hargreaves

samuel 1870

 

heigh

Frederick 1852

 

Higgins

Robert 1855

 

hull

charles 1854

 

hyde

Philip 1847

 

jagger

john 1840

 

jagger

mary 1852

 

jagger

William 1865

 

jagger

willie 1935

 

mcdonald

eliza  1941

 

petterman

john 1845

 

pollard

thomas 1855

 

rumbelow

david 1859

 

rumbelow

ann 1861

 

rumbelow

godfrey 1855

 

south

emma 1856

 

storer

Josiah 1856

 

swift

Martha 1920

 

taylor

mrs henry 1853

 

wise

john 1854

 

 

  

 

Further information

 

The Advertiser, Tuesday 9 July 1918

Church Intelligence – New Congregational Church

Opened at Newlandtown

 

Congregationalism in the Encounter Bay district will gain considerably by the opening of a new church at Newlandtown on

Saturday last.The ceremony was performed by Mr Simpson Newland, whose father, the Rev. Ridgeway Newland was

the first minister to labor in that portion of the state. There was a large attendance to whom Mr Newland was introduced by

the Rev. A C Stevens B.A. Mr Newland, in an interesting address said the history of Congregationalism in Encounter Bay

really began in England when Ridgeway William Newland formed his party to proceed to Australia on Independent, or

later known as Congregational lines. For he, and presumably, many or most of his following, were strongly opposed as ever

to the religious disabilities to which they, as nonconformists were subjected. It is doubtless a large sprinkling of the old Puritan

spirit still existing, that in other days took the old Pilgrim Fathers to America and intense love of religious freedom that actuated

them in surrendering all the comforts and ties of home and begin life again in a strange far distant land. In being asked to occupy

that position today, he felt that while paying him a compliment they wished to act in grateful remembrance of his father, the

Rev. R W Newland, the pioneer pastor of the south, so truly named on the memorial on the wall in the church erected to him in

the town of Victor Harbor. He was a man who labored long and did much for the inhabitants of that district in a religious sense,

without any mention of his more material services. The Sir Charles Forbes of 400 tons burden, the vessel in which Mr Newland

and party came to Australia, left Liverpool during Christmas week of 1839 and arrived at Holdfast Bay, now Glenelg, on

June 7, 1839, thus taking nearly six months on the passage. Immediately after landing Mr Newland made his way to Adelaide,

or rather the site and presented his letters of introduction to the Governor (Colonel Gawler), from Lord Glenelg, Secretary of

State for the Colonies. His Excellency strongly advised him to proceed to Encounter Bay, form a settlement there and take up a

number of sections of excellent land then being surveyed. The Governor was of opinion that it would ultimately be the second

port in the colony, as the great river Murray entered the bay. Acting upon this advise, the Newland party, of about 30 souls were

transferred to the Lord Hobart and on or about June 20 arrived in Victor Harbor. A camp was formed at Encounter Bay-he

could call it to mind now. A space was cleared on a wooded rise, in which the tents for the shelter of the party for a year or

more were pitched. In the midst of them the first place of worship-a bough shed, principally made of wattles, with probably a canvas

roof was situated. There the pastor preached until the house for the family was built some yards distant. It was a five roomed building,

consisting of a large centre room, which served as the second place of worship until the Tabernacle Chapel was available. The house

was without claim to any architectural beauty or much comfort. In fact, speed in erection was of primary importance and a rude building

of stone obtained near by, with a stringybark paling roof and a rough stone floor was the result. Later it was extended and improved.

It was however, in some respects set off by the doors, windows and furniture brought from London. Doubtless, the large room was a

considerable improvement on the bough shed for both pastor and people. His memory carried him back to many services held there.

He felt sure that the preacher felt that the Divine promise “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the

midst of them” held as good in bough shed and rough room as in church or palatial cathedral. The Tabernacle Chapel, so named after

the church at Hanley, in Staffordshire, in which the pastor preached for many years, before he left England, was erected on the

Encounter Bay old historic burial ground, on an acre set apart for the purpose when the township was surveyed. It was built of limestone,

a low, nearly square building, with two windows on each side. Within, at the upper end, a desk made of roughly  polished red gum wood

on a raised platform, about a foot high, was placed for the preacher. he had often thought he would like to know what became of the two

pillars supporting it on the front. They would be objects of interest. For a time there was no bell. Then one was obtained somewhere,

probably from among the numerous miscellaneous collection of articles brought from England. This was added to the front of the building

and solemnly toiled to call a very scattered congregation to prayer. From 1839 to March 1864, Ridgeway William Newland preached the

gospel week by week with only the shortest intervals up to the day of his tragic death. Including his ministrations in the earlier primitive

erections, the whole service made a period of 25 years, mostly gratuitous without hope or desire for fee or reward. In addition he was

instrumental in the building of other chapels in remoter parts of the extensive district in which he frequently preached. He was buried

under the desk from which he preached and prayed so often, but later the remains were removed to the Victor Harbor Cemetery. the old

chapel had disappeared but he hoped to live to see some pillar, some modest memorial, placed on a spot of so much historic interest,

where the first church built in the district stood.

“Ay call it holy ground, The soil where first they trod, they left unstained what there they found.” Freedom to worship God.

Since the time the Victor Harbor church was built and the Old Tabernacle Chapel unused, they could perhaps judge better than he how

Congregationalism, the cause for which he labored had prospered. He was told that the Victor Harbor church sadly required enlarging.

The necessity for the erection of the building they had opened that day was evidence of that which appeared convincing. They had his

most cordial wishes that under the blessing of Divine Providence it might be in every sense a comfort and blessing to all of them.

A silver key having been presented to Mr Newland, on behalf of the contractor (Mr Bartel) the new building was formally declared

open. The speakers who conveyed fraternal greetings were Mr C W Rutt (vice president of the Congregational Union), the

Rev. E Slade, Mr E R Bolger (who has heard every preacher since the church was established), Mr  F Bailey and a representative of the

Salvation Army. At a sacred concert in the evening the programme was given by misses I and E Holliday and E Evens, the Rev. A C Stevens,

Messrs. H & L Smith, N Wellington, W T Martin and the Victor Harbor  choir, with Mr Howard Grosvenor at the organ.

 

In another article published in the Advertiser on 6 October 1910, part of which it stated

“Mr Newland had with him four daughters, his wife’s mother, and two sisters in law, Dr. Mathew Moorhouse, and his sister and the

gentleman she subsequently married . He also bought with him 19 immigrants, including Messrs. Michael Wardle (blacksmith and

wheelwright), William Peacock (stonemason), Mathew Jagger (shepherd), Ambrose Taylor (labourer), John Pollard , Abraham Salt and

Thomas Murray (ploughman)

 

 

 

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