Chapter II: The Priests of the Nineteenth Century

John Briggs, Missioner in Chester, 1816-1833.

A man of boundless energy

After Thomas Penswick's departure for Liverpool, John Ashurst came to Chester. His name appears in the registers during the three years he was in charge of the mission, but nothing more is known about him. In 1818, when he had gone to Manchester, he wrote to his successor, whom he addressed as "Dear Billy". He enclosed £30 for furniture, and asked that the books that he had left at Chester might be sent to him by "Mr. Magennis when he returns from the fair". He also sent his compliments to all his friends at Chester.

Perhaps Thomas Penswick left for Liverpool with less reluctance than he had shown about York, because he had received the assurance that John Briggs would eventually replace him. It was Father Briggs whom he later asked to be his co-adjutor, and who succeeded him as Vicar Apostolic in 1836. The son of William and Sarah Briggs, John Briggs was born on May 20th, 1788, at Barton on Irwell, outside Manchester. His family were farmers, owning land at Barton, Ripton and Woolston in Lancashire. He received his early education at the important Catholic school of Sedgley Park, near Wolverhampton, and it was here that he came to know boys who remained his friends throughout his life. At the age of fifteen, he went to Crook Hall, later transferred to Ushaw, to begin his studies for the priesthood. A number of letters written to him during this period of his life have survived.13

One of the first, written when he had only been at the College just over a year, was to tell him of the death of his father, which took place on November 30th, 1805. It was written by his former parish priest, Father J. Haydock, who had been asked by his family to break the news to him. It is a letter full of kindness and understanding, giving the young boy of fifteen the details of his father's last hours, of his reception of the Last Sacraments, and of his burial at Warrington. He reminds him of "God's adorable Will", even while he "indulges those feelings which nature and filial affection will not suffer you to repress". His mother and brothers, he is told, bear their distress with great fortitude, and he is asked to write to them as soon as he receives the letter. Underneath the stilted nineteenth century language, the priest consoles him, telling him how much he will miss John's father from his small congregation, and he sends him money to pay his fees and to supply his wants.

There are a number of other family letters, especially from his brother Thomas, which John must have treasured. Spelling was not Thomas's strong point, but as the eldest son of the family, he gives all the news. He tells him in 1807 about the gathering in of the hay, and adds, "I should be very happy if you would be so kind as to let me know when you go in to your new Couledg (i.e. Ushaw), in your next letter". He sends his mother's love, and says that "she intends to stay in widowhood". In the following year, Thomas wrote asking his brother to "send the small parcel by the mail coach", and passes on the message from his mother to get a great coat made for himself. John - who would hardly need reminding - is to "Remember father especially at Mass". He must have replied immediately, for there is an answer from Thomas in January, 1809, ending with the words, "remember hous in your prars".

In November, 1809, death struck the family again, when Thomas died intestate. His mother, Sarah Briggs was granted the administration of his property in Barton. This time the news was broken to John by Mr. Brettargh of Trafford House, who promises to help his mother, in her loss. She must have been alarmed about John for he is questioned about his own "precarious state of health". He is also instructed about how to draw up a will, and to settle on his mother the property he had inherited from his father in Ripton and Woolston.

There is only one surviving letter from his mother, written in 1815, when she was married again, to a Mr. Hankinson. She begins by telling him details about his property. Then she continues, "Spare a few moments to let me know how you are going on. You cannot surely have forgot me. Shall we have the pleasure of seeing you this summer, as you will have time to dispose of? Your loving mother, Sarah Hankinson". Had their relations become strained, possibly because of her second marriage? We do not know. In any case, he was already ordained a year by then, and was teaching Rhetoric and Logic in the College.

In addition to the family letters, there are also several others, written in the large round handwriting of a school boy, by his friend, Henry Weedale, who was then at Oscott. The earliest is dated April 9th, 1805, and is addressed to Master John Briggs, Crook Hall, Gatishead, Durham. It is an answer to one of his own to Henry. His friend tells him how glad he is that John is so happy and contented at Crook Hall, and is making such rapid progress in Latin and Greek. They are obviously comparing their experiences at the two seminaries, for Henry continues, "Pray how long do you study the Greek Grammar before you begin to construe? Here there is generally a year's drudgery at that book, or what Mr. Potts calls sharp work, for you must know he is a great advocate for what he styles 'laying a good foundation' ... I grow fonder of Oscott every day". He then tells John how other friends are progressing, and finishes, "Tell me likewise how Platt (i.e. Ralph Platt, later missioner at Puddington), goes on. Bucknall desires to be remembered to you. Have you got your bird safe?"

In another letter written three years later, when the students of Crook Hall had moved to Ushaw, Henry talks about "our little seminary in comparison with your stately College". Their correspondence continued as late as 1812, while some of his friends went on writing to him after his appointment to Chester.

John Briggs was a man of boundless energy, who as a bishop took as his motto "Non recuso laborem". He was remarkable for his tall and commanding stature, and in his later years for his patriarchal appearance. A complete extrovert, he acquired a reputation for writing and talking, even as a missionary in Chester. There is still in existence a folder of remains and draft copies of letters to newspapers on the controversial religious topics of the day. One is an answer to a speech made by the Bishop of Chester in the House of Lords, attacking the Church. Another is a draft letter in defence of the Irish, and signed "No Irishman". It is addressed to Father John Hall of Macclesfield, presumably for his comments, and on the back he adds, "The editor of the Man; (? the Manchester Guardian) had not the candour to reply. If it does not appear, I will insert it in a Chester Paper".

During the seventeen years he spent at Chester, from 1816 to 1833, when he returned to Ushaw as its President, there was an enormous growth in the Catholic population. This was mainly due, as will be shown later, to the large immigration of Irish people. The baptismal register for the years when he took charge of the mission shows the rapid increase in numbers. It also illustrates his apostolic work among his people. In 1829, to take a typical year, out of the seventy baptisms, he administered nearly half on the day of the child's birth or within the week, and most of the remainder were within the next two or three weeks. No doubt, this was the result of strong Irish tradition, but it also shows his zealous work as a missioner. It was also he who began the first marriage register.14

The complete trust which the Irish members of his flock had in their pastor is shown by the way in which they entrusted their small savings to his care. A number of scraps of paper have survived, still pinned together, on which he wrote down the sums of money they had given him, and the directions about what to do with them. On one occasion at least, the man was dying, for the note reads:­

Edward McDaniel died in the Infirmary, 29th October 1825, leaving in my hands £13 10s. Gave to Catherine Donnelly £3 10s.

At other times, the man was on the move, possibly as a railway navvy or as a travelling hawker. For instance:­

John Luke Edward Hanley left in my hands £4 5s.0d. September 8 1825. Reverend William Dolan P.P. Strokestown, Roscommon, paid the same Dec. 1825.

or:

Thomas Kelly left £4 in my hands 2 June 1826. If not called in 12 months, to Lord Dillon's office, Mr. Maguire, for John Kelly, Kiltobanks, Loughlin, Roscommon.

or simply:

Martin Mahoney left in my hands 39 sovereigns. 29 August 1827. John Briggs.

It was the custom for Irish immigrants to send back home, to parents or wife and children the money they saved from their earnings. One of them, John O'Donnell, gave explicit instructions to his priest about what he was to do with the money, and these too have survived:

John O'Donnell has in Your Honours hands the sum of five pounds ten shillings on Thursday 10th Day of November 1824 and if the bearer was more than twelve months away I expect Your Honour would send it home to his Mother Mary Dillon in the parrish of Kilbeaugh and Borrorg Ballaughadarien Post Office County Mayo Ireland. Forward to Mary Dillon of Middle Tawnina parish of Kilbeaugh.

The parish priest was sometimes called on to act as executor of the will of his parishioners. Among the papers of John Briggs at this time of his life there is one undated, which possibly Thomas Penswick had asked him to put into execution. It was drawn up by Mrs. Elizabeth Connor, widow. In it, she asked that all her household furniture, wearing apparel, and linen should be sold, and the money from it and all she possessed be given and bequeathed to "Reverend Thomas Penswick of the city of Chester and to Mr. Richard Gorst, cabinet maker, for the use of my two children, Martin Connor and Francis Connor, to enable them to bring up and educate them". Her articles of silver and silver plate were to be in the hands of the executors until the children were twenty one, and then to be distributed to them in equal shares. Father Penswick and Richard Gorst were made the guardians of the children. Elizabeth herself signed the will and made her mark, and it was witnessed by two parishioners, Joseph and Elizabeth Bramwell.

In 1825, Father Briggs was made the executor of the will of Thomasina Fennesly, a maiden lady living in Chester. She left all her estate, real and personal, to her nephew, John Wilkinson, then a student at the English College, Lisbon, and her executor was asked to attend to the sale of her goods and furniture.

Like his predecessors, John Briggs had to travel considerable distances to cover the wide area of his mission. During the early years of the nineteenth century, there were only seven missionaries, serving some three thousand Catholics, in the whole of Cheshire. Four of them were stationed in the extreme east of the county, at Dunkinfield, Stockport, Macclesfield and Congleton. The other three were at Hooton, where Mass was still said in the domestic chapel belonging to the Stanley family, at Puddington where Ralph Platt was stationed, and at Chester. The whole of south Cheshire, therefore, lay within the field of labour of John Briggs. This meant travelling as far south east as Crewe and Nantwich as well as to Wrexham. The railway to Crewe was built only in 1837, so the journey would have been made on horseback, or in a horse and gig, and in 1825, we find him spending £19 13s. 4d. on the purchase of a horse and gig. At Crewe, he said Mass either in a stable behind the Royal Hotel in Nantwich Road, or in an outhouse at the back of the Red Bull in Market Street. Once a month, he rode further south to Nantwich, to say Mass for five Catholic families, in an old farmhouse at Beam Heath, two miles outside the town.15

One of the greatest sacrifices for the missionaries must have been their isolation from one another and from their Vicar Apostolic, at a time when Catholic Emancipation and the very growth of the Church was creating new problems. Part of the problem was overcome, almost certainly through the initiative of John Briggs, by regular meetings, which were held at Chester, thus foreshadowing the Deanery meetings of later days. The first took place on April 19th, 1825.16 Two months later, the priests met again at Chester, and drafted "a letter which was published in 1826 in the Catholic Directory and circulated to all the important Catholics in the county. It was an appeal for financial help, "the wants of religion being very urgent". It asked each one to subscribe a penny a week, so that the priests would be able "to raise up (the church's) fallen altars and rebuild her demolished temples; give support to her ministers who may break the bread of salvation to languishing souls, who may be vigilant shepherds to reconduct many sheep that have strayed from the fold of Christ". Their first meeting had made the priests realise that between them, they possessed £110 10s. 2½d. A weekly collection, they calculated, would bring them £600. This was probably the origin of the weekly outdoor collection to which frequent reference is made by later priests in their parish notices, and on which they had to rely so heavily in their financial needs.

John Briggs must have been put in charge of the money, for several small cash books have survived, headed "Cash Book, Cheshire Mission Fund". The highest sum it realised from Chester was £42 1s. 6d. This was made up largely of donations for instance, from the Tatlock family, for the chapel box brought in only small sums, like 3/- or 6/4d. Other methods had to be resorted to, like a "charity sermon" which in 1829 brought in £32, or a Christmas Fair which added another £2 4s.

From his own student days, Father Briggs was accustomed to keeping his own money affairs in order. He was careful to keep the bills sent to him for purchases he had made. For instance, in 1812, he spent £1 0s. 9d. at George Andrews, Bookseller and Stationer, on stationery, sheets of paper and History Questions. That same year, he drew up a statement of his expenses, which came to £189, and of his income, which was £206 9s. 9½d. Occasionally, we get a glimpse of his personal expenses as missioner at Chester. Just before his departure for Ushaw, he entered into his little account book:­

Paid to Mr. Walsh for books, shoes, etc.	... ... ... ...	9s.6d.
Sundries for going to Ushaw	... ... ... ...	11s 6d.
Shoes etc.	... ... ... ...	7s.6d.

In 1832, he seems to have opened an account for Nantwich. The income from the chapel there came to £31 17s. 9d., £20 of which was accounted for by a legacy received from a Mr. Linford. At the same time, he purchased a number of articles for Nantwich, which look as though he was making arrangements to stay the night there when he went to say Mass. He bought two tables, one of which cost him 18s. and the other 4s. 6d., a mattress for £1 10s., a bedstead for £1, and an armchair for 12s. At the same time, he purchased the requisites for saying Mass, candlesticks for 18s., a purple vestment for 6s. (? possibly being mended), a new alb for 17s., a new surplice for 13s. as well as a Missal stand, books, and in addition a mat for 1s. 6d.

In 1836, John Briggs succeeded Thomas Penswick as Vicar Apostolic of the Northern District. When the Hierarchy was restored in 1850, he became Bishop of Beverley. The esteem in which he was held by the other bishops made them regard him as the most likely successor to Wiseman at Westminster, if the latter's promotion to the Cardinalate had required his recall to Rome.17 This, however, did not happen, and he remained at Beverley. Finally, broken down in health, he had to resign his see in 1860, and he died the following year.

Laying the foundations	Contents	Growth and diversification
From Catholicism in Chester: A Double Centenary 1875-1975
© 1975 Sister Mary Winefride Sturman, OSU