Reverend William Bristow – A Champion of the Poor of Belfast
Introduction
One of the most well-known and respected men in 18th century Belfast, was William Bristow. Both as Vicar and Sovereign of the town, he had an immense impact on the development of the city we know today. A stalwart of the Established church and political system, he also had a genuine concern for the poor and needy of his adopted home.
Bristow’s career spanned two centuries, two aspects of society and two Belfast churches.
William Bristow – Background
William was born on 24th October 1736 in Wiltshire, in south-east England. He was the second son of the Rev Skeffington Bristow, Vicar-General of Connor, and Prebendary of Rasharkin. His mother, Elizabeth Grattan, too came from a clerical background. The family had links with Ireland; Elizabeth was a cousin of Henry Grattan, the famous Dublin-born politician.
Education
Bristow attended the local Colerne School in England before entering Trinity College Dublin on 26th June 1751. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1756. After his ordination he was appointed curate of Aghadowey, a rural parish in the north of Ireland. Subsequently, he was vicar of Donagh and rector of Balteagh in the diocese of Derry.
Vicar of Belfast
In 1772 the Rev Bristow was elevated to the Vicar of Belfast. He was to remain in this position for 33 years. At this time the Anglican church in the town was the old Corporation Church on High Street. However, the building was in a bad state of repair and it was decided to replace it with a new church on Donegall Street. The Rev Bristow preached the last sermon in the old church on 1st May 1774.
St Anne’s Parish Church opened on 27th October 1776. It was built on the site of the old Linen Hall. The cost of construction, £10,000, was paid by Arthur, 5th Earl of Donegall. The church was originally due to be called St Mary’s but this was changed to St Anne’s after the Earl’s wife Anne, daughter of the Duke of Hamilton. The Rev Bristow gave the first sermon in this new place of worship. The present St George’s Chapel of Ease was constructed on the site of the old Corporation Church (see post From Capello de Vado….)
William Bristow, Sovereign of Belfast
William Bristow also held a political role, as he was Sovereign of Belfast for several years. This title was subsequently changed to Mayor in 1842 and Lord Mayor in 1892. Bristow was elected Sovereign in 1786-88, 1790-96 and in 1798. In-between he served as one of the 12 burgesses of Belfast Corporation.
“His vicariate continued for thirty-three years, and his chief magistracy of the town for eleven, extending though the disquieting times preceding the rebellion, and through the whole of that calamitous time. In his capacity as Sovereign, he acted with the most perfect firmness and discretion, and in that of a clergyman, with liberality, zeal and ability”
George Benn, A History of the Town of Belfast Vol 2 1880
The Belfast Charitable Society
The Rev Bristow is perhaps best known for his work with Belfast’s Charitable Society. This body was responsible for establishing the Poor House on the (then) outskirts of the town.
The aim of the institution was to provide a place of refuge for the needy of Belfast. It allowed families to stay together and provided food and clothing for the poor. It also sought to teach children a skill or trade so that they could provide for themselves and break the cycle of poverty. Positions of employment were found for the young people, and these were regularly inspected.
This worthy philanthropic enterprise was dependant on donations from the citizens of Belfast. Bristow was on the board of the Charitable Society and took a great interest in the daily running of the establishment as well as the important fund-raising element.
Poor House Events
One popular method of raising cash, was the holding of balls and concerts. These were often held in the Poor House itself.
“Resolved, that there shall be a Ball in the Poor-House for the benefit of the House, on Wednesday next, being the 17th inst, and that the tickets be two and two pence… The Ball will be held in the new large Committee Room, now elegantly furnished. Tickets to be had from the Rev Mr Bristow and at the printers thereof”
Belfast Charitable Society Minutes March 1775
It is interesting to note that these monthly entertainments were mostly held when there was a full moon. As there was no lighting, this helped the party-goers make their way safely.
The Bell and the Grandfather Clock.
On 1st April 1775, Bristow wrote to the Vestry asking for the loan of a bell and a grandfather clock. These had belonged to the Corporation Church, and William had them installed in the Poor House. He paid a Mr Dean 6 shillings and 6d to repair the clock so that it would strike once more.
The bell, dated 1751, was originally placed in the spire of the House. It was rung every day to signal rising, meal times and ‘lights out’. Both these ‘on loan’ artefacts can still be viewed in the foyer of Clifton House (the old Poor House).
Charity Sermons
Another way Bristow managed to acquire money for the charitable institution was by the delivery of Charity Sermons. These normally took place quarterly, when renowned orators, usually clergymen, would preach on the subject of generosity to those less fortunate.
A collection would be taken up and donated to various worthy causes in turn. For example, on 3rd November 1776, a Charity Sermon was preached in the new St Anne’s. It raised the sum of £44 4s 4d for the Poor House.
Bristow Family
On 9th March 1762, William married Rose Cary. Her father was George Cary of Redcastle in County Donegal, and her mother was Elizabeth Benson. The couple had 7 children, 3 sons and 4 daughters. According to one source the boys were Skeffington, William and Hamilton; however, another source names them as William, James and Samuel.
Skeffington seems to have been a bit too ‘sociable’. He is described as
“….of an exceedingly jovial temperament, and indulged pretty freely in fun and merriment”
Belfast Telegraph 27th May 1939
In desperation his parents elicited from him a solemn promise that he would only drink one glass of wine or spirits a day. The lad kept his promise, but had a large quart goblet manufactured for his own personal use.
The girls names too are a bit uncertain, but probably Anne, Ruby, Wilhelmina and Rose.
The Bristow’s lived on the corner of Talbot Street. The hall window overlooked the churchyard at St Anne’s. We are told by the historian John M Marshall, that this proved advantageous for the Bristow girls. At one point, temporary accommodation was set up in the churchyard for the Royal Irish Artillery under the command of Colonel Barber. Apparently, the daughters of the manse would observe the soldiers exercising
“The Misses Bristow were by no means prudish. When the drill of the men was over, they had no hesitation in opening the window and escaping into the churchyard, when they joined the officers for a promenade”
Indeed, Ruby married Captain Coulson and Rose wed Captain John Armstrong. The other two sisters married clergymen – Anne to the Rev William Holmes Lyons and Wilhelmina to the Rev Robert Conway Dobbs.
‘Pomposo’
While the Rev Bristow was certainly respected by many Belfast inhabitants, he was not universally liked. One particular critic was the prodigious letter-writer Mrs Martha McTier. She described Bristow as being pompous and self-important. Her nickname for him was ‘Pomposo’, as he often wore his mayoral chains on non-state occasions.
Assistance for Beggars
However, from the minutes of the Poor House we see that the reverend gentleman was not averse to getting ‘his hands dirty’. One of the aims of the Society was to remove ‘sturdy beggars’ off the streets of Belfast. That is, those ‘wandering vagrants’ who, while fit to work, made a living by begging in the towns and cities of Ireland. William Bristow, among others, patrolled the streets and brought such persons to the Poor House where they could earn their bread through work.
31st August 1782
Resolved, that the following persons, vizt Messrs Bristow, Mr Ed. Patterson, Mr Jn Carson, Mr Crombie, &c, be appointed to go through the streets, for a few weeks, & on such days as they judge most proper, for the purpose of taking strolling beggars into custody….”
Belfast Charitable Society Minutes
It would be hard to imagine any of our ‘first citizens’ going to such trouble today!
“The public are much endebted to the Rev Mr Bristow and the other gentlemen of the Committee of the Belfast Charitable Society for their exertions to free them from the host of beggars who daily besiege their doors. Several of these gentlemen perambulated the streets on Saturday last attended by the Black Cart, when a number of mendicants were seized and taken to the Poor House”
Belfast Newsletter 27th July 1804
The same article praises the sight of the Poor House cart as having miraculous curative powers!
“….we hesitate not to say that the Black Cart of Belfast is a more powerful agent for the cure of diseases than all the tractors that ever were invented. The very sight of it gave vigour to the infirm, and the lame became so fleet that their most ardent pursuers were completely outdistanced”
The House of Industry
The Rev Bristow was also involved in the founding of the House of Industry at Smithfield (see post ‘The Rise and Fall of the House of Industry’).
On 30th April 1801 he was chairman of the meeting held to propose this establishment as a means of providing the poor with employment as well as the necessities of life.
Anyone who had opinions or experience in this area was asked to consult directly with William.
The Public Dispensary
William Bristow was also a member of the original committee set up to found a Public Dispensary in 1792, to provide outpatient medical assistance for the poor and infirm of the town.
“We are informed that there is an idea of forming a public DISPENSARY in the Town, for the purpose of supplying with Medicine and Attendance in their own houses, Labourers and Artists, reduced to poverty by sickness – It is said that an annual subscription of 100 guineas applied in this manner, would relieve 600 individuals. The Scheme is likewise intended to embrace a HUMANE SOCIETY”
Belfast Newsletter 6th April 1792
At a meeting in the Donegall Arms on Castle Place, with Bristow in the Chair, the regulations of the new philanthropic society were drawn up.
The Dispensary opened three days a week – Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 9am till 3pm, though emergencies were treated at any time.
For a time, the Dispensary operated from the premises of the Poor House before renting a property on Berry Street. Subsequently, thanks to the money raised from a Charity sermon delivered by the Rev William Bristow, they acquired three houses on West Street at the corner of Smithfield. The benefits of this charitable body, funded again by donations, cannot be underestimated.
The United Irishmen
However, William Bristow was a man of his time; he believed in the ‘status quo’. As such, he was very much against the United Irishmen and their aims.
The United Irishmen, founded in Belfast in 1791, sought to reform society by granting equal rights to all men regardless of creed. As much as they were inspired by the French Revolution, the upper classes were equally horrified by the prospect of rebellion in Ireland.
Presbyterian Henry Joy McCracken, one of the leaders of the United Irishmen, set up the first Sunday School in Belfast in a room in the Market House. Possibly seeing this as an affront to the State religion or as a means of furthering republican ideals, Bristow had the school closed down.
“Then Mr Bristow (the Sovereign) came to the place of meeting with a number of Ladies, with rods in their hands as badges of authority, which put to flight the humble pioneers”
Mary Ann McCracken Narratives
On the other hand, Bristow donated a pulpit from the demolished Corporation church to St Marys, the first Catholic church permitted in Belfast in 1784 (see post St Mary’s Belfast –an inspirational story).
Opposition to ‘Combinations’
Another perceived threat to society was what was known as ‘combinations’ i.e. working men combining or joining together in unions to try to force employers to raise wages.
“Conspiring to raise wages was a serious offence in those days. A working man could just about make enough for himself and his family in a cheap or even an average year, but at times such as those under consideration there was no general acceptance of the principle that earnings should bear some relationship to the cost of living”
R W M Strain, Belfast and its Charitable Society 1961
The Rev Bristow, like his peers, believed working men attempting to influence their employers to increase pay would bring about catastrophic social upheaval and economic decline.
The Death of William Bristow
William Bristow died on 22nd December 1808. His funeral took place on 26th with great pomp and ceremony
“…with a display the equal of which had never been seen before in Belfast and fully expressive of the respect and esteem in which he is held”
George Benn, A History of the Town of Belfast, Vol 2 1880
The service took place at 1pm in St Anne’s and was conducted by the Rev Mr Holmes and the Rev Dr Cupples of Lisburn. We are told the Church bells tolled and the ships in the harbour had their flags at half-mast. Then the cortege made its way through the town to Newtownbreda and the family burial plot.
While we would expect the higher ranks of society to attend the funeral of such a well-known personage, newspaper reports also describe an outpouring of grief that shows Bristow’s popularity among the general inhabitants of Belfast.
“The universal feeling of unfeigned sorrow, upon the death of a gentleman so long resident here, and so highly respected, was depicted on every countenance, and the last mark of respect to his memory was evinced by a general attendance at his funeral….an immense concourse of people”
Belfast Newsletter 27th December 1808
William Bristow Legacy
William Bristow seems to have been a man with enormous energy and Christian zeal for his name appears frequently in the records of the Charitable Society, the House of Industry, the Fever Hospital and so many more philanthropic endeavours to help the poor. He was also a devoted family man, a believer in law and justice and as this quote from a ‘Gentleman in County Derry’ shows, a good friend
“Long have I loved and admired him, being his fellow student at University. He had a most comprehensive mind; he was classically and universally well-informed, without ostentation… Being long a partaker of juvenile sport, a companion of his manly pleasures, and of many, very many of his convivial hours, I, with a weeping eye, beg leave to pay this just tribute to the memory of a man whose many admirable qualities and rare endowments, made him the delight of all who ever sat in his company”
Belfast Newsletter 30th December 1808
As renowned as he was in 18th century Belfast, the Rev William Bristow is largely forgotten today but his efforts to improve the lives of the needy deserve to be remembered.
“…..benevolently attentive to the wants of the poor. His private charities were limited only by his ability to bestow. To his preserving and indefatigable exertions the charitable institutions of this town, and particularly the Poor House, are much indebted”
Belfast Commercial Chronicle 28th February 1808
Related Posts
From Capello de Vado 1306AD to St George’s Church, Belfast
Saint Mary’s Church, Belfast – An inspirational story
The Rise & Fall of the ‘House of Industry’ – Belfast in the 1800s
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