The Church of England in Lindsay, Victoria County, Ontario Canada

Fourth in order of seniority in Lindsay comes the Church of England.

The first service was held in 1855 in the old town hall by the Rev. John Hickey, who had driven in as a missionary from Fenelon Falls. In 1858 the Rev. John Vicars was appointed incumbent, and a 99-year lease secured from the government on the lot on the south side of Kent Street, now occupied by the Post Office. Here in 1859 a large frame church, in service for the next twenty-six years, was erected.

Prominent among the church members at this time were William Stoughton, T. C. Patrick, W. D. Russell, G., M. Roche, Wm. Bell, Dr. Joshua Fidler, Wm. Grace, Robt. Lang, John Thirkell, Hartley Dunsford, and John Bryans. Messrs. Stoughton, Fidler, Grace and Dunsford were among the early church wardens. In early times Mr. T. C. Patrick took a prominent part in the music of the church and his mantle fell later on Inspector J. H. Knight, who was long organist and choirmaster.

The Rev. W. T. Smithett succeeded Mr. Vicars in 1872. In 1881 the Rev. Vincent Clementi was appointed rector with the Rev. S. Weston Jones as curate-in-charge. The latter succeeded to the rectorship in 1883.

In 1884 preparations were made to build a new church. A Building Committee, consisting of Wm. Grace, D. Brown, Thomas Walters, Rev. Weston Jones, Adam Hudspeth, and R. L. Bryans, and a Finance Committee, consisting of J. H. Knight, C. D. Barr, Dr. Burrows, J. H. Sootheran and G. H. Hopkins, were duly formed. Mr. Adam Hudspeth donated a church site of half an acre on the south side of Russell Street between William and Cambridge streets and the Finance Committee purchased a quarter acre of adjoining land with a view to putting up a school house and a parsonage at some later time. The plans adopted were prepared by Messrs. Stewart and Denison, Toronto. The contract for constructing the church was awarded to Messrs. McNeely and Walters, of Lindsay. The corner stone was laid with Masonic honors on Dominion Day, 1885. Most Worshipful Brother Hugh Murray, of Hamilton, Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Canada, officiated. The completed church was dedicated on November 25, 1885, by the Lord Bishop of Toronto and eleven assisting clergymen.

The new church was built of white brick on foundations of Bobcaygeon limestone, 110 feet long by 59 feet wide. Ohio bluestone was used for the facings. On the northeast corner was a tower fifty feet high surmounted by a spire sixty feet high. The latter was finished off with a finial of hammered iron. The front of the church was lighted by. a large triplet window, 14 feet wide and 22 feet high. There were seven windows in the main walls on each side and five claire storey windows in the upper walls supporting the roof. The rear of the church was built in a half octagon shape and was lighted by three windows. The seating capacity of the church was reckoned at 550. The price paid to the contractors was $14,659.27. As all the expenses bore very heavily on the congregation, it was not until February 24, 1921, that the mortgage covering the church's debt was formally burnt.

The Rev. C. H. Marsh became the rector of this new St. Paul's church in 1887 and today, in 1921, is still the incumbent. The following curates have assisted him during his thirty-three years or service in Lindsay:
Rev. Wilson McCann, B.A., now deceased
Rev. Carl Smith, of Brooklyn, N.Y.
Rev. Archdeacon Perry, of Hamilton
Rev. Dr. Hallam, Lecturer at Wycliffe College and Editor of "The Canadian Churchman"
Rev. Major McIlmara, of St. John's Church, Toronto
Rev. Kingstone
Rev. Bilkey, of Brantford
Rev. G. R. Maconachie, who is still with him.

During the first year of Canon Marsh's sojourn in Lindsay a school house was built on the church lot and in 1905 a building uniting the school house and church was put up at a cost of $1500. In the same year a new pipe organ, costing $2450,1 was installed. A rectory was built on the church property in 1914 at a cost of $7,000.

According to the last census, there are 1394 Anglicans in Lindsay.

Victoria County

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