Person    | Male  Born 1827  Died 1920

Reverend Canon John Erskine Clarke

Categories: Journalism / Publishing, Religion

Countries: India, Scotland

Clergyman. He issued the first parish magazine and established several other religious publications. Responsible for founding churches, schools and hospitals in Battersea.

Born in India to an official of the East India Company. His father died in 1835 and the family returned to Edinburgh. As a young man he was a successful rower, competing at Henley Royal Regatta. After university he took holy orders and served as a curate in a number of non-London parishes, at one of which he started the world's first commercial parish magazine.

In 1872 he became Vicar of St Mary's Church, Battersea and remained there until 1909. There, he founded the "Provident Dispensary" (later Bolingbroke Hospital, founded 1880) and established "The Vicarage School for Girls" at the vicarage house near the river (this 1866 map shows a vicarage just south-east of Battersea Square). The school later moved to Clapham Common. Instrumental in establishing Battersea Grammar School. 

On 27 July 1895, Clarke was made Honorary Chaplain to Queen Victoria, and after her death in 1901 continued in the same role to King Edward VII and then to King George V.

Died at St Luke's Vicarage, 192 Ramsden Road (beside St Luke's church), now (2025) Broomwood School.

This image comes from The History of Wandsworth Common where it is dated 1912.

Sources: Wikipedia, History of Wandsworth Common, UCL Bartlett.

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Reverend Canon John Erskine Clarke

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