Death of Canon H.T. Eddershaw – Vicar of Conisbrough for Five Years (picture)

January 1942

Mexborough & Swinton Times – Saturday 24 January 1942

Death of Canon H.T. Eddershaw

Vicar of Conisbrough for Five Years

We regret to record the death, which occurred on Saturday in Sheffield Royal Infirmary, of Canon Harold Trevor Eddershaw, Vicar of Conisbrough. He was instituted to the living of Conisbrough in February, 1937.

His death will be a great loss to the district for he had done much good work in the parish. He had been seriously ill for some two months, and was operated on several weeks ago.

Canon Eddershaw was a native of Swansea, and was 52 years of age. He attended Christ College, Brecon and Jesus College, Oxford, where he graduated. He was also a Meyrick Exhibitioner in Classics. While at Oxford he was secretary of the University Wesley Society. He was a public schoolmaster for six years at St. Peter’s, York, and at Bromsgrove School, Worcestershire, and took his first assistant curacy at Doncaster Parish Church under Archdeacon Sandford, remaining there from 1919 to 1923. He was appointed Vicar of St. Augustino’s, Sheffield, in 1923.

Canon Eddershaw had taken a great interest in the work of the Sheffield Diocese. He had been honorary secretary to the Diocesan Committee for training candidates for Holy Orders of the Deanery Secretary for the Propagation of the Gospel, of the Diocesan Jerusalem Fellowship of Prayer, and also Chaplain to the Actors’ Church Union in Doncaster and Sheffield.

Throughout his training and incumbency, Canon Eddershaw had taken a keen and active interest in many phases of sport. He was a Rugby Union referee, and played at one time for Oxford University, both for the freshmen and later for the seniors. He was captain of the hockey and cricket elevens at Christ College, Brecon, and at Oxford, and also held the fives championship at Brecon. He played at one time for Doncaster Badminton Club.

Canon Eddershaw was popular at Conisbrough and much pleasure was felt when his canonry was conferred upon him last year.

After officiating in the Parish Church on Sunday, November 30th, at a service of thanks for the success of the previous day’s gift day, during which he sat in church all day. Canon Eddershaw was too ill to take the other services.

In December 1939 he was appointed to an honorary canonry of Sheffield Cathedral.

He was a member of Conisbrough Education Sub-Committee, and had also served as an air raid warden since the early days of the war.

His first wife was a daughter of Archdeacon Sandford of Doncaster, and a memorial to her stands in St. Augustine’s, his former church. In 1932 he married Miss K. T. Rodgers, of Sheffield, who survives him. He leaves five children, a daughter, and four sons.

Cathedral Ceremony.

On Sunday morning, at Sheffield Cathedral, there was a short commemoration of his life and service. and on Sunday evening his body was taken to the Cathedral.

It was received at the West Door by the Provost (Dr. A. C. E. Jarvis), and as the procession passed up the aisle the organist (Dr R. Tustin Baker) played “O Rest in the Lord ”

The body was placed in the High Chancel — where the Provost conducted a short service—and remained there until the funeral on Wednesday.

There were also memorial services at St. Augustine’s, Sheffield, conducted by the Vicar, the Rev. T. M. Garaway.

The Funeral.     

The funeral took place on Wednesday at Sheffield, the Bishop of Sheffield (Dr. L. S. Hunter) paying an earnest tribute at a service at the Cathedral which preceded cremation at City Road Crematorium.

Bishop’s Tribute.

The Bishop of Sheffield speaking at the funeral service at the Cathedral said:

“A few of us have enough Christian faith and gratitude not to feel wholly sad at the passing of Canon Eddershaw for we can ill afford In lose at a comparatively early age the work and example of a man distinguished by the faithful, utterly devoted way in which he carried through his duties towards God and man. There was a fine seriousness in all that he did in Church and in the parish and as secretary for many years to the Diocesan Committee for the training of the ministry.

Many of the younger clergy will remember with gratitude his friendliness and the example he gave of a man dedicated to service. He brought to these as to all, the service of the Church, not only meticulous care and thoughtfulness for others but also intelligence of no mean order. For his own interests and about them he was given grace to care very little; for his family and folk be was given grace to care very much.

It was, I believe, his affection and a sense of responsibility which made him fight so strongly for life to the very end. Such an illness is a certain test that strips and lays bare the inmost nature of a man. What I saw thus revealed in Trevor Eddershaw was pure gold. Discipline and the spirit of such a thought h not easily won and held. It speaks for a source of faith beyond ourselves, continually thought and found.

To Canon Eddershaw the book of Common Prayer was also intimately the book of private prayer, and you and I, who are oft careless to God as the Holy fire in the sanctuary of the soul, let us heed the example. A saint is one who living and dying declares that God lives, and so we give thanks for this priest of God now taken from us. Why one much needed is taken and others left we cannot tell. The function of disease in human life we cannot fully understand now but we know that God’s Son experienced all pains and sufferings of body and mind, and by His faithfulness wrested victory from defeat and won life through death.”