Archdeacon Colley was rector of Stockton from 1901-1912 and a splendid eccentric who produced the unique children’s Speak Pipe. Locals mention that Rectory Close used to be called ‘The Radical’ after him and that he founded allotments in the village for the benefit of local residents.
A glass-topped coffin
Archdeacon Colley had a glass topped coffin made; at one Sunday evening service, he startled his congregation by climbing into his coffin in all his robes and was carried around the church. The reason for this was to demonstrate that he was not afraid of dying. The coffin was kept in his study and those who attended confirmation classes had to sit on it.
Another radical Stockton clergyman
There was another rather ‘Radical Parson’ minister at Stockton, Rev. Tuckwell, and a footpath in the village is named after him.
Does anyone know why Archdeacon Colley is carrying a trumpet in the photo?
Comments
What a fantastic character – I would love to hear more of the antics that he got up to and how he was received by the congregation in Stockton.
Thomas Colley had a reputation for eccentricity and is still remembered in Stockton. I wrote an article about him in my book Around Southam In Old Photographs pp20,21 (Feldon Books 1999).
On at least one occasion he is said to have secreted a wind-up gramophone behind his prayer desk on which he would play, without announcement, a negro spiritual or some other sacred song to the utter astonishment of the congregation gathered for the service. He frequently rendered a baritone solo from the pulpit and doubtless also entertained the bemused Stockton worshippers with recitals on the bugle which he is shown carrying in the photograph. Colley was a spiritualist and a ‘high’ churchman and was a friend of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, a fellow spiritualist.
He claimed to have taken many ‘spirit photographs’ during prayer meetings in the Rectory and also claimed to have foreseen the death on the Titanic in 1912 of his close friend the journalist W T Steed. I have several photographs of the Archdeacon and his famous ‘Speak Pipe’ if anyone is interested.
‘If anyone is interested’ 😉 I reckon the answer to that might well be a resounding ‘yes’…
if anyone is interested? certainly are. I’m intrigued and fascinated 🙂
I am afraid that I haven’t got anything new to add to this, but I noticed the comment above by Alan Griffin and I was very interested in the book he mentioned, but alas I cannot find it. I have tried a number of the better known websites but keep getting either unavailable or not in stock, so wondered if Mr. Griffin could please let me know which retailer (online or othrwise) I would be able to please purchase it from.
I am the Great Granddaughter of Archdeacon Colley and spent a lot of my childhood in the company of his son Major C C Colley in the 1950s Gina Curtis
How lovely to hear from you Georgina. Was your grandfather eccentric too?! And do you have any family stories about your great-grandfather?
In response to those who have enquired about Archdeacon Colley and my book ‘Around Southam in Old Photographs’, all copies of this were sold a long time ago and there are no plans to re-publish. Local libraries have loan copies and occasional copies sometimes appear on ebay at three or four times the price when it was published back in 1999. It never occurred to me that local history books would have more investment potential than vintage claret! Great website folks.
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