The Dedication of Hooe Church - St. James or St. Oswald?

In Wills of the mid-sixteenth century, the church is referred to as the "Church of All Saints", but, later, at some, as yet, unknown date and for a reason that doesn′t seem to have been recorded, the dedication was changed to that of St. James. The earliest record that I have found of the use of this name, is dated 1781 but it could be much earlier.

It remained St. James until, about, 1852 when it became St. Oswald. But why? Why St. Oswald, and who was he? I couldn′t let this go unanswered, so did some research, which wasn′t easy and is on-going but the story seems to be this.

There were two men, who lived three centuries apart, and are, to-day, referred to as "St. Oswald". The first was born and died in the seventh century and became King of Northumbria - there is no known connection between him and Hooe though it is said that he, at least, stopped a plague in Sussex. Which plague, when, and how I′ve not been able to discover.

The second man lived in the tenth century, was Archbishop of York from 972 ADE until his death in 992, and known as "Saint Oswald of Worcester". There is no connection between him and Sussex that I have found.

On balance, of these two, the former seems most likely to have been the Saint to which the church was dedicated but it is a very vague connection – a small East Sussex village church and a Northumbrian King! But it seems that, indirectly, that is a distinct possibility!

Well the story starts in Yorkshire, of all places and with an Oswald Routh. There is a long history of Rouths in Yorkshire and "Oswald", in that part of the country, had been a common Christian name for centuries, probably because of St. Oswald and that′s the start of the connection with Hooe.

Oswald Routh was the son of a John Routh (his mother′s name was not recorded in the registers); he was born in Hawes, Yorkshire, and christened, on 30th May, 1741, at the local church, where, on 20th of July, 1766, he would marry an Isabel Forster. Two years later, John and his wife would have another son, christened Thomas, on 2 April 1743, again in the village of Hawes.

Yet a third son, who is, I′m afraid, rather necessary to the story, was born in Hawes, Yorkshire and christened John Oswald, on 20th March, 1767.

The Routh family were rather wealthy landowners, so in 1784-1785, Oswald and Thomas built a Cotton Factory, and, at Gayle in Yorkshire, a water mill. (recently restored). In 1788, John Oswald Routh, by this time the Rev. Routh, leased the mill to another Yorkshire gentleman.

Going back to Oswald and Isobel, they had several children, four of whom died young, but one, Cuthbert Routh, christened on 11th June 1776, at Hawes. survived into adulthood.

Later in life, Cuthbert moved to London where he married a Louisa Smith, at Saint Leonards Church, Shoreditch on 29th August 1810. The following year, on 20th June, they had a son, who was christened, Oswald Forster Routh, on 27th December. At that time it was not unusual, especially among the wealthier, for a child to be given, as a middle name, the surname of his grandmother, in this case, "Forster".

The family moved back to Yorkshire where Oswald Forster Routh married Phoebe Whaley, on the 25th may 1837, at Hawes, Yorkshire.

In 1840, Hooe church was still dedicated to Saint James, and the vicar, a George Haygarth (probably from Yorkshire) had recently died; the patron was a J. O. Routh, esq. – obviously John Oswald Routh,

That same year, the patronage was taken over by Sir Godfrey Webster and J. O. Routh, became the vicar.

In the "Religious Census of Sussex", taken in 1851, the Church is still dedicated to St. James, Sir Godfrey Webster died, and the Vicar was confirmed as being the Rev. John Oswald Routh.

The patronage then seems to have been taken over by John Oswald Routh, who died in 1853.

In 1855, the Post Office Directory, in its description of Hooe, reported, "The church, said to be dedicated to St Oswald, is an antique stone edifice,". So, by 1855, the church seems to have been re-dedicated to St. Oswald.

With the renaming of the church so close to the death of John Oswald Routh, it does seem to be too much of a coincidence so, perhaps, the rededication came about because the parish wanted to honour the patron.

A book, "Hastings, Past and Present" written by Mary Matilda Howard, and published by John Russel Smith, of 36, Soho Square, London was published in 1855, and gave the dedication of the church as being to St. James (see below) but the book must have been written before the change of name and, in all probability, published before it was known.

The book is nearly 400 pages thick so it must have taken Mary Howard some time to research, but how long? One year two years, three, more? I don't think that the time, from research to publication, can be estimated so doesn't help with the dilemma of when the rededication took place.

The following is the extract from the book.

"Page 130"

"Hooe - is a small secluded village, distant from Bexhill the about four miles, in a North-West direction."

"It has a church dedicated to St James, consisting of a low and massive embattled tower, the name of and Chancel, with a small chapel on the north side. The style is chiefly Perpendicular. In the east window are the figures of a keen and Queen, supposed to represent Edward the third and Queen Philippa. The font is supported on the shaft with octagonal columns and the angles. The benefits formerly belonged to the College of St Mary, Hastings."

"Tanner mentions that here was an Alien Priory of Benedictine Monks."

JWN's Note – In the Appendix is the following acknowledgement:

TANNER. J. – Notitia Monastica. Fol. Cambs., 1787, Sussex, xviii. Alien Priory of Benedictine Monks.

Jwn′s Note – In the Appendix there are also the following notes:

Note 37 – P.130. Hooe Omitted. - "The present Vicar of Hooe is the Rev Thomas Robert Jones, B. A."

Note 72 – P.130. Hooe. – "The largest key that ever fell in my way was at a place called Hoo, in Sussex, where, standing upright, I could all but touch the ground with it". - J. M. Neale, M. A., Hierologus; a Church Tour Through England and Wales, 12 mo., Lond., n. ed., p. 48. "

Unfortunately, Mr Neale failed to mention what the key was for! From the title of the book it would seem that it had something to do with the church - but what? "all but touch the ground with it", he said. It seems that it may have been about 20 inches (about 50 cms) - depending on the length of his legs and arms, and on his height, of course, but who would want, what would need, a key of that length?

Finally, as though to prove the relationship between the Routh landowners of Yorkshire, the Middlesex Rouths, and the village of Hooe, the following is an extract from the 1891 census of Hooe.

1891 Census of Hooe, (RG 12/776 folio 140 page 2), 1891 Census of Hooe - Piece: RG12/776 Ecclesiastical Parish: St. Oswald, Folio: 140 Page: 2 Address: The Lodge Address: The Lodge.

I couldn′t have had it better – all three together in one household, in Hooe.