St. Anne is the name traditionally given to the Mother of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and the Feast of the Title falls on July 26th.
No other church in Bermuda stands so near a magnificent stretch of shore, within smell, sight and sound of the broad Atlantic as does this parish church of Southampton, St. Anne’s. Sitting in their pews, worshippers are aware of the murmur of the sea as a constant accompaniment to the strains of praise and prayer, – can even watch a panorama of sparkling water beyond the southern windows. The parish itself, named for Henry Wriothesley, 3rd Earl of Southampton, friend and patron of Shakespeare, owner of shares in the original Somers Island Company, was early given a simpler name as a proud substitute of the settlers’ own choice: Port Royal. Even today, St. Anne’s is often referred to as Port Royal Church.
The present church stands on the site of one built of cedar in 1616; some of the old wood is said to be incorporated into the succeeding structures, of which there have been several. That date is fixed for us by a Petition to the Legislature dated November 17th., 1826, which runs in part:
“That the Church in Southampton is perhaps the most ancient Church now standing in these Islands having been erected, as appears from the Parish Records, so long ago as the year 1616”.
Records show that in May 1623 the Council ordered a church to be built in every parish or tribe, the inhabitants of which were to get together and decide on a site. Evidently this new or restored church did not go ahead very rapidly, for in July 1626 the Council ordered that of every hundred pounds of tobacco grown, not only in this parish but in the neighbouring parishes of Warwick and Sandys, a levy of two pounds was to be made towards the completion of Port Royal Church.
These early buildings were naturally of extremely simple design, most likeliy of cedar, and certainly thatched strongly with palmetto in the then prevailing style; and had no tower.
An inventory dated 1639 recorded by Bermuda’s historian-governor, Sir John Henry Lefroy (Governor 1871-1877) lists the complete furnishings of Port Royal Church as:— “Two silver cups with a cover, three pewter flaggon potts. Three plate dishes. One carpet Cloak for the Communion Table, One Table Cloath, Two napkins of Holland. One case of bottles, one basin. One cushion for the Pulpitt with a hanging for it. Two other cushions to sit on. One Pickax, one chest in the vestry. One Great Bible, a Book of Common Prayer.”
Another 17th century record is even earlier — that of a Baptism in 1619 – and is the earliest extant church record in Bermuda. Some pages are, unfortunately, missing.
That early wooden building was replaced later by one of stone. Architecturally it was a replica of Harris’ Bay Church, Smith’s Parish. The Nave and Chancel of the present building were erected 1716-17. In 1812 the North Transept was added, and the South Transept fourteen years later when Bishop Inglis consecrated the Church and Churchyard. The cemetery addition was consecrated by Bishop Feild in 1866.
Until April 13th., 1826, when John Inglis, who the previous year had been appointed Lord Bishop of Nova Scotia with Bermuda included in his ecclesiastical jurisdiction, visited these islands, no bishop had ever officially come here. So that not only did the new bishop consecrate St. Anne’s during his first short visit of less than four weeks, but the eight other Bermuda churches and ten burial grounds; and confirmed two thousand people who had never before been able to receive the rite but had, till now, merely been admitted as communicants by their rectors.
In 1905, the tower was added to the west end of the church, and the new bell therein was said to be clearly audible as far away as Hamilton!
This bell took the place of one dated 1780 which had hung in a wooden belfry north-east of the church and which was the oldest bell in the colony. It can still be seen in the vestry.
By 1925 the parishioners were alarmed to find that the whole building was falling into disrepair; a thorough job of restoration was undertaken. Tie beams were inserted above the curved ceiling, new floors were laid, an organ chamber built, and additional vestry accommodation provided. Some of the old cedar beams from the first structure were uncovered, and Dr. Dunbar Bell provided an interesting link with the past by fashioning a Faldstool from some of those original timbers of the church of 1616.
The restored church was reopened by His Lordship the Bishop of the Diocese, the Right Reverend Arthur Heber Browne, at a service held on December 13th., 1925, and attended by His Excellency the Governor and Lady Asser.
This church is still a plain structure since, fortunately, those responsible for the reconstruction were most anxious to adhere strictly to the old measurements and plans. So that today it remains one of the best examples of old Bermuda ecclesiastical architecture; its position is unrivalled.
The interior presents a picture of harmonious simplicity with its dignified pulpit and reading desk, old silver candlesticks and shades. The stained-glass window on the south side of the Sanctuary is of St. Peter holding two keys in his right hand, a Bible in his left, with three sheep nearby, and the inscription: “Feed My Lambs.” It was erected by the daughter of the Rev. Robert Hoare in memory of his forty-eight years as rector of Southampton and Sandys Parishes; he died in the rectory of the latter in 1856.
There is some very old church plate. One chalice bears the hallmark of 1625-1626, while another bears the date 1637. Both are mentioned in that Inventory of 1639 which is preserved in the ancient records of the church.
The old graveyard, with its backdrop of the ocean, is a fascinating place; the ancient tombstones lean at crazy angles as if they were a fleet of ships at sea. One of these grave-stones carries the figures 1668 — the oldest still-decipherable date in any Bermuda grave-yard. Large numbers of sand-crabs, burrowing through the sandy soil, have probably undermined the stones. Many of the inscriptions are worn away by the steady corrosion of time, but the ones left are well worth reading with their repetition of old Bermuda family names still outstanding in the island’s history.
