The Henson Journals

[125]

Wednesday, April 7th, 1920.

[symbol]

The weather was dull and threatening, but Ella and I were not deterred from carrying out our engagement to visit Hartlebury. We left Hereford at 10.30 a.m., & motored as far as Leominster, where a tyre burst. After procuring a new tyre we continued our journey, and arrived at the castle about 1.30 p.m. Ernest's brother, the Master of Corpus, was there as well as his sister. The garden and grounds were looking very delightful. After tea, we returned to Hereford, where we arrived about 6.30 p.m. Almost at the same time there came the Rev. W. Lawson Forster, the Congregational Minister, who seeks ordination in the Church of England.

He is in his 45th year, a tall man, fairly stout & stooping: he has the conciliating manner & fluent speech of the Dissenting pastor, to whom the approbation of his people is as the breath of life: nevertheless he expressed himself in a reasonable way, & did not "cant" in the customary manner. It was evidently a blow to him that he could not be ordained straight away, and thereupon left free to live where he would. I explained to him that a bishop's jurisdiction was necessarily limited to his own diocese, and that he would have to reside here at least two years after Ordination. This dismayed but did not wholly daunt him. He disclaimed the suggestion that his Ordination in the Church of England implied the belief that his present Ordination was "invalid", though I fear that is the natural interpretation: & professed to be influenced by a desire to fulfil his ministry in a system of greater "authority" than the Congregational.

[126] [symbol]

April 8th, 1920

My dear Sir,

I beg to return your nephew's letter.

He came here last night, and I had some talk with him. You will no doubt hear from him in due course that I shall be prepared to accept him for Ordination next Advent on conditions which I explained & which are indispensable.

Among these was included satisfactory proof of baptism. If such could not be forthcoming I should have to required conditional baptism, as no loophole of dubiety with respect to that matter could rightly be left.

Believe me,

Yours v. faithfully

H. H. Hereford

The Rev. W. D. Lawson

---