A biography of Revd. G. Bruce Rhind - Vicar 1898-1926

George Bruce Rhind was born in 1845 in Liverpool, the second son of the principal teacher in a school for the deaf and dumb.

His brother James was 3 years older and his parents were to have two further children, Harriet and Charlotte over the next few years. The family moved to Paddington, London sometime during the 1850s with George's father then working as a clerk in the India Office – the government department responsible for the administration of British rule in India. George attended Kings School, London and It seems that he was destined for the priesthood since, after taking an M.A. at Christ's College Cambridge with first class honours in theology and winning both the Scholefield and Evans Prizes in the same year, he was ordained priest to the Diocese of Rochester in 1871.  His first curacy as a 24 year old was in the parish of Boxmoor, Hemel Hempstead. This was followed by a year at St. Paul's Manningham, Yorkshire.  For the next four years George worked as Deputation Secretary for the Church of England Sunday School Institute returning to Boxmoor to marry Emma Elizabeth Gale in 1874. Tragedy struck the young couple just two years later when Emma died a year after the birth of their only daughter Marion. In 1878 George moved to become curate at St. John the Baptist, Margate while his young daughter was raised by her paternal grand-parents.

 

After another brief curacy from 1888 to 1890 at Christ Church, Ealing, George moved to Deptford to become senior curate at the parish of St. Paul's (also working for the Church of England Temperance Society) before accepting the post of vicar of Haddenham in 1898. His daughter, Marion accompanied him to Haddenham and it is clear from the magazines that, in lieu of a wife, she was his main assistant in his work. George's sister Henrietta subsequently moved to Haddenham also to assist him in the ministry – she appears in the 1901 census as a lady visitor paid by the church to minister to the needy in the parish. George was active in the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel and locally in the League of Nations Union.   He served the people of Haddenham faithfully remaining in post until his death aged 79 in 1926 after a long illness.

It is not known what became of Henrietta following his death but we do know that she died in London in 1934 aged 83.   George's daughter Marion remained in the area until she died in 1932 aged 57 having never married.  Along with her father she was buried in the churchyard at St. Mary's.

We would be delighted to hear from any distant relatives of George Bruce Rhind who can add anything to our story. Please contact us through our web form
 
References

'The Bucks Herald' April 10th & 17th 1926

GRO indexes and National Censuses 1841-1901

Haddenham Parish Curch burial records 1915-1979

 

 

 
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