FROM THE ARCHIVE
CONFIRMATION
each other, we left each night
elated and enlightened.
There were so many
special moments – from the
gourmet pancakes prepared
personally by Fr Gillean to
the evenings at the Church
which felt so intimate, from
getting to meet Mary and
being a guest at her amazing
house to the very emotional
moment of hearing the
children’s reasons
for being confirmed
at the Ceremony.
A great spiritual journey,
feeling blessed to be part of such wonderful
community and share it with its very
special people. Something very unique
in our lives, that we are keen to continue
exploring, living and being part of.
Jenny, Julia and Fr Gillean’s voices
appear every so often in my mind – ‘May
God’s light always shine upon you’ – I
pray it will and look forward to it.
by
I
Alison Steele
ncreasingly as I organised the annual
after Confirmation Service celebration
a surprising sense of something missing
has been occurring, soon to be dismissed
in the hurly burly of more urgent everyday
lay life. Last year I had had enough of
this picking up an illuminating truth here
and there from various candidates, and
20 | 2014 Spring
resolved to ask if I
might sit in on this
year’s confirmation
explanatory course.
It proved to be one
of my life’s most
important decisions.
For decades I have
enjoyed Church of
England Services
and have striven to
keep the promises of
my own Laying on of
Hands way back when I was
a troubled seventeen year old. But asked
specific questions about church fabric,
biblical stories, service order and rotation
of formalities there was too often only a
dismaying blankness. (Think quiz night.)
The weekly meetings were built, like a
sermon, around a Bible reading. Great
freedom of discussion was provided. During
Lent we were asked to read a modern
language gospel between meetings. To my
enormous surprise, a diligent reading of this
rewarded me with an instant, unlooked for
and unforgettable, spiritual peace ‘beyond
understanding’. Consequently, reading
unfamiliar parts of the Bible has become
an interesting and enjoyable foray for me.
Length of life affords time; time to hone in on
unseen help forever at hand and ever ready to
help change fear to love. The confirmation
course is a tangible tool toward enhanced
clarity for Christians who remember little of
their own preparation period.
SET ME AS A SEAL
St Mary Abbots’ archivist Jane MacAllan
investigates the origins of William Walton’s
famous anthem
T
he anthem, ‘Set me as a seal upon thine
heart’, composed by William Walton
(1902-1983), is a popular choice for
weddings but perhaps less well-known is its
connection with St Mary Abbots Church.
Walton composed the piece in 1938 for
unaccompanied four-part choir using
harmonies to accentuate the allegorical
meanings of the words, which were taken
from The Song of Solomon (8:6-7):
‘Set me as a seal upon thine heart,
as a seal upon thy arm:
For love is as strong as death;
Many waters cannot quench love;
neither can the floods drown it.’
The rich imagery and sensuous language
express a passionate and devout love, one that
is inviolable. Moreover, it affirms the blessed
union of the bridegroom and his bride, which
is celebrated during the marriage ceremony.
Ilchester and the bridegroom was the only
son of Viscount and Viscountess Wimborne.
Giles Stephen Holland Fox-Strangways,
6th Earl of Ilchester (1874-1959) succeeded
to the title and estates, including Holland
House, Kensington, in 1905. With its 54
acres of park, Holland House was one of
the last great country estates in London.
Lord Ilchester was fascinated with the
history of his family and published several
works, in particular, in 1937, The Home of
the Hollands, 1605-1820 and Chronicles
of Holland House, 1820-1900, which drew
largely on the extensive family archives.
His father, Henry Edward Fox-Strangways
(1847-1905), had renovated Holland House
and added the Swannery ballroom as well
William Walton
Walton composed this anthem as a wedding
present for The Hon. Ivor Grosvenor Guest
and Lady Mabel Edith Fox-Strangways.
From the parish service registers, we know
that the couple were married at St Mary
Abbots Church at 2.30pm on November
22nd, 1938. The bride was the younger
daughter of the Earl and Countess of
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