The Henson Journals

[219]

Thursday, April 10th, 1924.

The papers announce the sudden death of Dr Morrison of Sunderland. I had some friendly talk with him on Wednesday last about the appointment at Hartlepool, where his "Boys Brigade" is a factor which no incumbent can rightfully ignore or neglect. He was a good, keen man, very useful & unselfish.

In the course of the day another death was reported. Gray, the Vicar of Eldon, collapsed quite suddenly, and died. Here is another parish vacated, and that at the most inconvenient moment. Gray was ordained three years after me, in 1890, and was my contemporary. He might have been counted upon for another decade of work. This is the 4th incumbent whose death has happened in within a few weeks, all of whom were relatively young – Bury of Stillington was ordained in 1894: Geeson, of Witton Park in 1911: Elder of Kimblesworth in 1907: and Gray of Eldon in 1890. I went in to Durham, & presided at a meeting of the Board of Training and Maintenance. Then I went to my room in the Castle, and had interviews, first, with Hoyle, the curate of Monkheselden, who is leaving the diocese on account of his wife's health, and then with the young man, Arthur Frederick de Burton, who came to see me in the vestry at Venerable Bede, Monkwearmouth. Then I motored to Herrington and confirmed 139 persons. We returned to Auckland after service in a furious snowstorm.

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