Vicars of Wantage

The following is information on past Vicars of Wantage and some of their curates. Our recently deceased parishioner and friend, John Burgiss, compiled the following list of Vicars. He also made notes on some of the many curates.

(No Complete Record Extant Before 1547)

C 1339 Richard de Burmyngham

C 1354 William White

C 1377 John Cauches

C 1409 John Walkynton

1504 – 1512 William Gedding

C 1540 Sir John Steyle

1547 – 1552 Simon Haynes

1552 Oliver Stoning

1554 Thomas Rowe

1557 Richard Somer (Died)

1557 – 1582 Richard Shepper

1582 – 1583 George Boston

1583 – 1594 John Wythens

1594 Robert Wilson

1620 – 1621 Edward Wilson

1621 – 1622 Richard Potman

1622 – 1668 Francis Slade

1668 – 1685 William Hardwick

1686 – 1692 John Wickart

1692 – 1728 John Birch

1728 – 1755 Thomas Brewer

1755 – 1756 Erasmus Saunders D.D.

1756 – 1778 Rt. Hon. Lord Francis Seymore

1778 – 1784 Thomas Hurdis D.D.

1784 – 1828 Edward Shaw

1828 – 1846 Hon. Henry Lewis Holbart D.D.

1846 - 1881 William John Butler

1881 – 1903 Thomas Henry Archer-Houblon D.D.

1903 – 1919 Hon. Maurice John George Ponsonby

1919 – 1931 Augustus Gossage Robinson

1931 – 1952 + Roscow George Shedden D.D. (Bishop)

1952 – 1961 Arthur Charles Ashton Chetwynd-Talbot

1961 – 1984 Johan Henry Schaufelberger

1984 – 1992 Anthony Robert Wright

1992 - 1993 Interregnum

1993 – 2018 John Leslie Salter

2018 - 2019 Interregnum

2019 - 2021 Philip Anthony Wells

2021 - 2022 Interregnum

2022 - Katherine Price

John spent many hours working on a list of Priests and Curates who served Wantage Parish Church down the ages by delving into old records and available parish registers. This resulted in more than 150 names of Perpetual Curates, Vicars, Curates in Charge and Assistant Curates from 1504 to the present day.

Some of the prominent men often mentioned and well documented include

William John Butler, Alexander Heriot Mackonochie, curate 1852 - 1858 and Henry Parry Liddon.

In more recent times there was that colourful character Bishop Roscow Shedden, who was Bishop of Nassau for twenty years before becoming Vicar of Wantage in 1931, where he remained until 1952.

There have been many curates over the years - the census of 1851 shows the Vicar of Wantage, William John Butler, presided over a team of six curates! Of the many lesser known curates, the following are worthy of a mention.

Records indicate that John Button, curate, was running the parish from 1843 until the arrival of William John Butler in 1846.

George Cosby White, 1848 - 1849, was ordained in the Parish Church and later became Vicar of St Barnabas' Pimlico. He was also the moving spirit in the committee of "Hymns Ancient and Modern" when it was first published.

Simeon Wilberforce O'Neill, Curate 1863 - 1865, became one of the Cowley Fathers and a missionary.

Montague Noel, Curate 1865 - 69, became Vicar of St Barnabas', Oxford

William C.E. Newbolt, Curate 1868 - 70, became Canon and Chancellor of St Paul's Cathedral.

Herbert H. Woodward composer of church music (not to be confused with C.R. Woodward) was Curate 1870 - 81. He was designated, while at Wantage, as Precentor of the Parish Church and he became Precentor of Worcester Cathedral.

Thomas Henry Archer Houblon, Curate 1873—75 and later Vicar of Wantage 1881—1903, became Archdeacon of Oxford. More recent still, Paul Britton, Curate 1957 - 61 become a Canon of Winchester Cathedral.

These names are but a few from the very long list of Priests who have staffed Wantage Church down the ages. There are many who have quietly served the Church so well in both high and low positions and whose history has not been recorded.