Percy G Ward vicar 26/09/1927 - 08/06/1945

Rev Ward & the new bells 1937
N Jones)
Percy Ward grave, Harston
(Roadley)

Percy Ward attended Kings College, London, and obtained his BD from London University. He came to Cambridge from Seaford and was appointed assistant priest at St Luke’s church, Chesterton, in September 1915. In June 1927 he was offered the post at Harston but as the extracts from his diary show, he was hardly over the moon!

15/6/27       Letter from bishop offering Harston post – ‘I am not jubilant’

16/6/27       ‘I wish really & truly that the bishop’s letter had never come. Friends keep telling me to go but I would far rather remain at St Lukes. Visited vicarage – it was all most disappointing; house was in good order but garden was appalling & has been neglected for 12 months. It was an absolute waste & unrecognisable as a garden. I came away thinking it was hopeless.‘ Canon Baldwin offered to put the garden right at his expense for half year of fruit – it had 2 orchards. ‘It will be a fearful job for me to pull Harston together. I suppose I shall accept it. Of course, Aunt Jennie is anxious to go, most unfortunately.’

18/6/27       ‘Morning musing about Harston; don’t want to go yet seem to be driven to it’

20/6/27       ‘Wrote to Bishop accepting post’

He was the vicar when the Benefices of Harston & Hauxton combined and was a driving force behind money raising for both churches, particularly for the  new and repaired bells at Harston. Although single, he lived in the Vicarage where his aunt was housekeeper for many years. After her death, sets of his  friends temporarily shared the Vicarage. His farewell presentation was held at The Studio at Harston House. In a letter to his parishioners, he explained that the breakdown of my domestic arrangements when my aunt died and the difficulties that war-time has added to a place such as Harston Vicarage – difficulties which are not solved by having guests to share the house – have led me to seek work under more suitable conditions. At the same time, it has seemed to me that I should seve the Church better elsewher.’

He left Harston in June 1945 to take up the post of Canon St Barnabas, Peterborough.

He died on 5 April 1954 and is buried in Harston churchyard with his aunt.

 

 

 

 

 

 

This page was added on 10/04/2019.

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