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A view of the factories from the river |
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It was to Barnard Castle, with its many social problems that Rev. Dugard came in 1847.
George Dugard was born in Radnor in 1798, the son of Thomas and Mary Dugard of Doverdale near Worcester. His decision to take Holy Orders was opposed by his family who wanted him to pursue a career which would bring him “worldly prosperity”, and although he initially resisted the Call, he had to eventually respond. He was educated at Ombersley and graduated from St. John’s College Cambridge, being ordained deacon in Chester in 1828, and priest in 1829. He later went on to gain an MA in 1835. Whilst he was at Cambridge he was known for his reading in Chapel and won first prize for this in his year. This gift of reading was commented upon by his curate in Barnard Castle, who said that his reading of the liturgy and Scriptures could scarcely be surpassed. Before coming to Barnard Castle he had been librarian at Chethams Hospital 1834-37, and then perpetual curate of Birch Rusholme and Holt in Lancashire. Whilst in Lancashire he married Mary Lyon the third and youngest daughter of Rev. James Lyon.
Dugard suffered from periods of ill health throughout his life, and it was while he was resting in the Welsh countryside, after his time in Ancoats, that he was approached about the vacancy in Barnard Castle. He took up the post only out of duty, although this was in no way reflected in his work in the parish.
Throughout his ministry he was extremely conscientious. While he was incumbent of Ancoats cholera struck the town, and instead of leaving to escape the disease, there are reports of him visiting the sick and relieving them “…in their dire distress and anger.” So in Barnard Castle, he was very much aware of his responsibility of looking after what he considered to be a “…large and spiritually destitute population.”
Upon his arrival in the parish in September 1847, one of his primary tasks was to be involved in the work of the schools. He believed that education was most important and necessary if young people were to understand and perhaps more importantly for Dugard, to respond to the Gospel. He was often disheartened in his work, but was encouraged by the schoolmaster who was a former parishioner of Dugard’s from Ancoats. During his time in the town he oversaw the building of a new vicarage. The house reflects his French heritage with the family motto, “Ce que Dieu garde est bien garde.” (“That which God keeps is well kept”), inscribed above a doorway.
Cholera
struck Barnard Castle in 1849, and once again Dugard proved himself to be a
caring pastor as he went among the cholera victims doing all he could to
alleviate their suffering. He tended the sick and dying, not only looking
after their spiritual needs, but also carrying out practical tasks as well,
including the laying out of the dead, and the setting up of a soup kitchen
at his own expense.
For the duration of the outbreak a black
flag was flown from the church tower. At funerals the bell was not to be
tolled, nor were funerals to enter the church in an attempt to prevent the
spread of the disease. Burials of three or four people were held at a time,
with services taking place two or three times a day at the height of the
epidemic. Dugard and his curate worked throughout the outbreak, and it was
this paradox of faith in action that seemed to sustain him. He was
overwhelmed by the tasks he had to do, but at the same time he was empowered
and enabled to carry out his ministry to the full.
During the Public Health Inquiry held in the town following the cholera epidemic, Dugard was commended for all that he had done in his capacity as Chairman of the Local Board Of Health. During the Inquiry he commented on what he had found as he went about his work, and said that there was a very low tone both morally and physically, to be found amongst the lower classes, and a total indifference to any religious responsibility. Because he had brought the appalling living conditions of those who lived in the poorest parts of the town to public attention, he was accused of being personally responsible for the poor having to pay more to the Board of Health, in order to improve local sanitary conditions.
Dugard found himself being increasingly involved in the secular life of the town, which went against what he believed was his primary calling to be a priest, and all the extra duties he was having to do gradually took a toll on his health. He also encountered a large amount of opposition and prejudice in his work, and because of this he was forced to retire from the parish, leaving many of the tasks he believed he had to do, undone.
In
1859 he moved to Colwall, near Great Malvern, where he died on July 13th
1865.
A constant reminder of Dugard’s ministry in the parish is a stained glass window in the church. This depicts the Parable of the Good Samaritan, with what appear to be the Mayor and the Bishop walking by on the other side. Although the window is said to be one of the best in the church, it is partially obscured by the organ, and it is therefore difficult to see in its entirety.
© Beverley Pilcher 2002