by Donald H. Simpson, F.L.A Honorary research librarian, Diocese of Gibraltar 1952
This book was rescued by the Chaplain in manuscript form from the crypt of St John’s in 1995, shortly before the basement was flooded out.
As the fifteenth century advanced, a new factor was introduced into the Mediterranean; British merchants, in quest of new areas, extending their voyages there, and began to trade in the Levant. At that time the Turkish empire extended into Europe as far as Hungary, and embraced the entire area of what is now Greece and the Balkan countries. The major powers of the central Mediterranean, and the chief traders with the east, were the Genoese and Venetians, who bitterly resented the intrusion of a rival; but though their opposition was sometimes expressed by armed action against British merchants, the trade continued.
At first, Smyrna does not seem to have been visited; the nearest point at which British merchants traded was the island of Chios, then a dependency of Venice. There was trade there in the reign of Henry VII, and in 1513 an Italian was appointed as British Consul on the island. Commercial relations continued for another forty years, but in the middle of the century there was an interruption in the Levant trade owing to wars with the Turks and the depredations of pirates.
However, the Turkish power was halted by the Knights of St. John on the unconquered ramparts of Malta in 1565; and six years later the Ottoman naval power was severely crippled at Lepanto. Piracy and war in the Mediterranean were by no means ended, but a period of comparative peace did ensue.
The re-opening of British trade with the Levant was due to two London merchants, Edward Osborne and Richard Staper, who took the first steps in 1575 by sending out agents to the East. In 1580 a grant of capitulations was made by the Sultan by which the English were to come and go by land and sea with their merchandise and not be molested; if they were by any means imprisoned they were immediately to be released; no poll tax was to be exacted and the English were to pay only ‘our lawful toll and custom’; the appointment of consuls, who were to decide disputes between the merchants of their nation, was sanctioned; no one was to be arrested for the crime of another unless he had stood as surety; any English who had been enslaved were to be released provided that, if they had been sold the purchase price should be paid back to the buyer; the wills of dead merchants were to be respected; the Turkish sailors were to help English ships during storms or when shipwrecked; the crews were to be allowed to buy victuals without hindrance. The concessions were generous, but everything depended upon their strict recognition and enforcement by the Turkish authorities, and the English were to learn by long and varied experience that the capitulations could sometimes be stretched or twisted by unscrupulous high official to cover the very kind of offences they were designed to prevent.
In 1581 the Levant Company was granted a Royal Charter, giving to the twelve London merchants who should comprise it a seven year monopoly of the trade with the East, and the next year William Harborne, one of the leading agents, was made Ambassador at Constantinople; he had the royal authority, but his expenses were paid by the Company - no small consideration when one realises the presents which were customary in the east. One of the early appointments he made was of a consul in Chios, which had by then come under Turkish rule.
A new charter was issued in 1592, giving a twelve-year monopoly of English trade with Venice and Turkey to 53 merchants; these men traded separately through their agents, and not as a joint-stock company as before. A further charter was granted in 1600, and after a period of financial difficulty, renewed five years later. A time of expansion followed, though there were also other European powers interested in the Levant trade; in 1612, for example, Cornelius Van Haagen obtained capitulations in favour of the Dutch merchants.
The company was governed by a General Court, which consisted of the officials elected annually (Governor, Deputy-Governor, Treasurer, Husband, Secretary and eighteen assistants) and the freemen; and this body dealt with the more important matters affecting the Company. Items of lesser importance were in the hands of the Deputy-Governor and Assistants.
Early in the 17th century, the interests of European merchants in the Levant became centred on Smyrna, which had the advantage of good harbour, while its position rendered it much safer for the Franks than ports deeper in the Turkish Empire. George Sandys, son of the Archbishop of York, travelled in the Levant in 1610, and after being entertained by the Consul at Chios, passed on to Smyrna, which he described as ‘Frequented...by forreine Merchants’, while William Lithgow, visiting a year later, wrote ‘It is a goodly place, having a fair haven for ships. They have great traffic with all nations.’
Amongst the nationals to settle there were the French, Dutch, Venetian, and English, and by 1620 the Levant Company had moved the Chios Consulate thither. By 1630 a regular Frank quarter had been built along the water’s edge, so that goods could be loaded and unloaded at the back doors. Smyrna was so distant from England - an exchange of letters took four to five months - that the Frank communities developed their own mode of life and built up their own society. During the first half of the century the British outstripped their old rivals, the French and Venetians.
With the establishment of English trade the numbers of the Factory grew. Apprentices entering the company, who were either sons of freemen of it, or members of noble families, served three years in London and four in the Levant before becoming factors, or agents, and free to trade also on their own account. In addition to apprentices and factors there were probably English servants and other employees at Smyrna, and the community requested that a chaplain should be appointed; this post had existed at the other important factories, Aleppo and Constantinople, since before 1600. Accordingly, at a meeting of the General Court of the Company held on October 1st, 1634, the question of ‘entertayning’ a Preacher for Smyrna was considered, and a Mr. Hinde M.A. was suggested; the matter was, however, deferred for lack of a quorum.
During the following year the growing status of Smyrna was recognised by the appointment of a Treasurer, and on October 27th 1635, the matter of a chaplain was again brought before the General Court when, to meet the wishes of the Factors and of Mr. Barnard, the Consul, it was agreed to send out a preacher by the next general ship. It was decided that Mr Holdsworth, a celebrated preacher, who later became Master of Emmanuel College, should be consulted in the choice of an ‘able, sober and discreet Minister’.
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Smyrna had a well-established and prosperous Frank community at the opening of the new [18th] century. The frequent plagues and earthquakes had led, at one time, to a suggestion that Tochia Nuova would be a better trading centre, but it was more exposed to Algerian pirates and less accessible to caravans, and the scheme came to nothing.
The British factory was the most flourishing. The latter years of the Seventeenth Century had seen some reverses, partly due to the competition of the East India Company, which had taken the cloth trade with Persia, formerly carried on by caravan from Smyrna, and partly owing to war with France, in the course of which, in 1693, a large convoy was lost; as a result there were only thirty-six merchants there. Nevertheless, the Factory prospered. A good deal of profit was made by factors who acted as agents in barter transactions, on which they took three percent profit without endangering their own capital. The British cloth was of high quality, and thus sold well; and an additional advantage was that duty continued to be levied on it a rate originally fixed for an inferior grade.
The Dutch, whose Factory numbered about thirty, had suffered from the error of sending out inferior cloth. Smyrna was, however, the main Dutch centre in the Levant, and the Consul, M. Hochepied, enjoyed such a status that he was generally known as ‘Monsieur Le Consul’ without qualification of nationality.
The French had a smaller Factory; their cloth trade was in cheap goods sold only to servants. Some of their number were also implicated in the circulation of debased silver currency in the Levant. A number of French subjects worked as artisans. The new century, however, saw the steady rise of French trade, so that it seriously rivalled the British.
The once prosperous Venetian community had diminished until, by 1702, there was only a Consul left, and his status was an inferior one. To compensate for this, he was surely unique amongst consuls in being 118 years old and the father of sixty children, aged between six and eighty-five, by his five wives. At a later period there were a few Swedish residents, with their own consul.
The consular office was accompanied by elaborate ceremonies, some of which related to church-going. The French Deputy Consul had a raised seat in church, near the Consul, while the Dutch had ‘a chaplain with a liberal appointment,...nominated by the directors of the Levant company; but the consul’s recommendation is of very great weight. He preaches only on Sunday-mornings; and a little before service begins the oldest merchant waits upon the consul’s lady, and leads her to her seat in the chapel, and when service is over pays her the same respect back again.’ No doubt the British had similar ceremonies.
An aspect of life at Smyrna which was becoming increasingly important was the building of country houses, particularly for use during the hot season, in the villages near the city. The most important of these villages was Boudjah, where the English, French, and Dutch Consuls lived. Others were Sedecui (nicknamed Hollandsche Huis) with English and Dutch residents, Cavalchidera, Hastar, and Hadjelar.
In these agreeable rural surroundings, one of the favourite pastimes was hunting; it was particularly popular with the British, who usually hunted twice a week from September to March. Each man bought his own dog, and the Consul was the leader. ‘When the sport is over’, wrote one visitor, ‘the hunters take a repast on the ground, under the shade of trees, and healths circulate amidst continual huzzas and flourishes on the horns; and this is three times repeated at drinking that of the consul.’ The welfare of the dogs was a matter of great concern to keen huntsmen.
A more scholarly activity was to visit the site of one or more of the seven ancient churches of Asia Minor, particularly Ephesus, and many visitors did so. Even though the hinterland of Smyrna was than any comparable area elsewhere in the Turkish Empire, it was customary on these expeditions to dress in the native manner. The Hon. J. van Egmont, a Dutch diplomat, noted on one such journey in the early years of the century that one of the party ‘officiated as chaplain, reading prayers to us morning and evening.’
The general character of the Frank population was by this time more settled than in earlier years; but in 1703 when appointing a new Consul, William Sherrard, the Company thought fit to send a warning to certain elements: ‘Wee are now therefore to admonish some of you, who by a notorious & dissoulute course of life as to women are to become a dishonour to our religion, a scandal to our nation and an ill example to others, besides the danger that attends our estates thereby; assuring such as are concerned therein that if this caution and good admonition doth [not] take effect with them to reform their wicked practices wee shall take such further course as will not be pleasing to them & remove such dissolute persons out of our privileges.’
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Those who died in the Hospital at Smyrna were buried in a special Cemetery to the south-west of the city, near the Jewish Cemetery. The ground, which was not completely filled measured about a hundred paces by forty-six, and was surrounded by a wall seven or eight feet high, with an entrance gate. An obelisk of soft stone, about thirty feet high, was placed in the centre; a white marble slab on it was inscribed:
ERECTED BY VOLUNTARY CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE MEMORY OF THE BRITISH SOLDIERS WHO DIED IN THE CIVIL HOSPITAL AT SMYRNA, AND OF CIVILIANS WHO MET THEIR DEATH IN ATTENDANCE UPON THE SICK 1856.
Similar tablets on the other three sides recorded the names of 148 officers and men of the British Army, 30 of the British Swiss Legion (which was stationed in the area in the winter of 1855-1856), and seven of the hospital staff, including two nurses.
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The first baptism in the new Church [Boudjah] (Rosalind Blackler) was held before the end of the year [1866].
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During these years, new cemeteries were obtained for the residents of Smyrna and Bournabat. Smyrna itself had three cemeteries, but the St. Veneranda ground was long since disused, and in 1866 the Turkish authorities, in pursuance of their policy against intra-mural burials, informed the Consul that the Hospital Cemetery, which had about 140 graves, marked and unmarked, and room for others, could not be used any more. Some ground situated near the Caravan Bridge, bordered by the German Protestant Cemetery, the railway, the road to Boudjah, and the public road, was granted in its place, but was not formally transferred to the Consul until 1873. It was intended for all British Protestants, though eventually consecrated by a Bishop of the Church of England.
The third cemetery was the Crimean War Cemetery; this was in a bad state, and though attempts were made to repair it, its situation exposed to desecration and abuse. General Adye, visiting on behalf of the War Office in November 1872, found the walls in ruins, while all trace of graves had gone. The obelisk, though weathered, still stood, but it bore evidence of being used as a target for musketry. The General, after consultation with Mr. Cumberbatch, the Consul, recommended the abandonment of the ground and the removal of the obelisk to the proposed new cemetery. This was done in 1874-1875, and 28 coffins containing remains were re-interred there on 5th June, 1875, at a service conducted by Mr. D’Ombrain, assisted by Mr. Eppstein and Mr. Spence.
The proposed sale of the old Hospital Cemetery to the adjoining Austrian Hospital for £250 was strongly opposed by local residents, though the Consul declared that the ground was waterlogged and “worse than a rubbish heap”. As, however those concerned would not accept the conditions under which the Government offered to allow the retention of the ground, the bodies were transferred to the new cemetery in May-June 1877.
Bournabat had had a small plot in the corner of the cemetery used for Roman Catholics since at least 1793, but it was inadequate, and at a vestry meeting of St. Mary Magdalene Church held on June 27th, 1871, under the chairmanship of the Rev. James D’Ombrain, it was unanimously resolved that a new piece of ground, in a different part of the town, should be obtained, and that the cemetery placed thereon should be consecrated by the Bishop of Gibraltar, and administered by trustees on behalf of the Church. Messrs. Turrell and F.C. Whittall were chosen as a sub-committee to look for a site. At a meeting on July 12th it was reported that Mr. Whittall had given a piece of ground, about half a mile to the south-west of the village, for use as a cemetery.
During the next two years, money for the necessary work was raised, and on November 9th, 1873, a building committee (the incumbent, with Messrs. Turrell and C. Whittall) and Trustees (the incumbent and churchwardens, Messrs. J.B. Paterson and G.F. Whittall) were appointed. Though the money collected was some £40 short of the £125 estimated as the cost of enclosing the ground and erecting a tool house, it was agreed early in 1874 to proceed with the work, and Mr. George Perrin volunteered to supervise it. Though the cemetery was intented for the British community, Protestants of other nationalities have, as a matter of courtesy, been allowed burial therein; and in September, 1874, permission was given for a portion to be consecrated according to the usage of the Roman Catholic Church for the burial of the members of the Perkins family.
Note: In the summer of 2006, additional information was received from a descendant of the Perrin family, Bayne MacDougal: ‘Thomas Perrin went to Turkey in 1864 from Sevenoaks, UK. I presume he was working on Edward Purser’s [chief engineer of the British run Ottoman Railway Company] tunnels. I am not sure whether there are any direct descendants of this Thomas Perrin. George Perrin, mentioned above, is most likely a first cousin of Thomas Perrin. They were both born in Shipbourne Kent in the 1830s and both moved to Poplar London in the 1850s. They are mentioned on the Shipbourne section of my website.’
On completion of the cemetery, rules for its management were drawn up on January 3rd, 1875; and in May of the same year it was consecrated by Bishop Sandford, recently appointed to the See of Gibraltar in place of Bishop Harris, in due course of his first visit to Smyrna.
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The villages of Boudjah and Bournabat were by now the permanent and not merely the seasonal homes of their residents; those of Bournabat, 130 in number, had normally paid for the services of the Consular Chaplain, but in 1890 they appointed the Rev. C.F. Bellot solely for themselves. There were about thirty at Boudjah, mostly non-Anglicans, and services had been taken by the Rev. W. Charteris until his death in 1885, and afterwards by the Rev. L. Le Bouvier, the Dutch Consular Chaplain, baptised in the Church of England but ordained in the French Reformed Church. Holy Communion had, however, been administered by Mr Eppstein or, subsequently, Mr Smith.
On Mr Smith’s departure in August Mr Le Bouvier was engaged by a committee of local residents at £55 per annum to hold services for them; he was allowed the use of the Consular Chapel pending demolition, and it was agreed that services should be held in the Dutch Chapel afterwards. This arrangement was not considered a suitable permanent one by either the Bishop or the Consul-General.
The Consul-General suggested that the Foreign Office might grant £1000 and the old fittings for a new chapel, and an allowance of £50 per annum for a clergyman to visit the seamen in hospital, but this was rejected; so were the Bishop’s appeals and the claim of the Smyrna residents that there was a moral obligation on the Government to maintain the Levant Company’s foundation. In November 1890, a local committee was set up to pursue the matter; strong support came from Bournabat residents, many of them members of the Levant Company families. The Smyrna residents, 90 in number, could not possibly raise money for both church and stipend.
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…He [the Bishop during his visit in 1895] also went to Boudjah, and found the congregation anxious for their own chaplain. They wished to have a clergyman of the Church of England, and eventually, in 1898, obtained Rev. R.P. Ashe.
Mr Ashe had spent several years as a C.M.S. missionary in Africa. He left England in May, 1882, in company with the Rev. James Hannington (later Bishop of Eastern Equatorial Africa) and proceeded to Uganda, where he joined Alexander Mackay, and undertook teaching and missionary work. The death of King Mtesa of Uganda was followed by an outbreak of persecution; Mr Ashe’s native boy and two others were burned alive in January, 1885, the Bishop was murdered in October, and other converts were tortured and killed. Mr Ashe remained at his post until the persecutions had died down, and returned to England in 1886 to make conditions in Uganda more widely known. He spent another year in Africa in 1887-1888, and did further fine work there between 1891 and 1894, when he returned to England. He arrived in Smyrna with his sister, Miss Florence Ashe, at the end of 1898.
The appointment of a chaplain made the Boudjah congregation desirous of having a constitution, and at a general meeting held on November 8th, 1899, attended by the Chaplain and fourteen members of the congregation, rules were drawn up (Appendix VIII)…
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…On April 10th he [Bishop Sandford] held a confirmation at Boudjah, and afterwards admitted Mr Francis Blackler to the office of Lay Reader.
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The period was one of steady pastoral work at Boudjah. On first coming there, Mr Ashe had lived in a house rented from Mr Bliss. This, though very pleasant, was later sold, and he moved into a charming old Dutch house next door. The members of the congregation were anxious to obtain a permanent parsonage, and in October, 1905, a house was purchased for this purpose by Mr James D. Langdon, a member of the Church Committee, on behalf of that body, from Mrs Condoleon. For summer residence Mr Ashe purchased an old mill outside the village, and an attractive dwelling was built on to the tower.
Mr Ashe, like his colleague Mr Hichens, was a delegate to the Gibraltar Diocesan Conference of 1905, and contributed a thoughtful and valuable paper on relations with the Eastern Churches; he was unfortunately, not able to be present himself, but it was read for him by the Rev. R.W. Goodall.
…Throughout this time Mr Ashe, “a most earnest Christian, & interesting preacher,” as Mr Hichens described him, continued his work for the residents of Boudjah, the merchant seamen, and the people living along the railway line; he held services for the latter at Sokia and other isolated stations. He also undertook coaching in Latin and other subjects for the boys in the locality who were preparing to go to school in England. He was prominent in charitable activities; in 1905, for example, his congregation gave him a large Easter offering, and he insisted on diverting a major portion of it to the poor of the neighbourhood.
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In 1901 a school for girls was set up under Miss Florence Ashe, who also assisted the Mission in other ways, and Miss Baker-Munton; it reached a total of 145 pupils.
…Miss Ashe also retired from teaching, but continued to visit Jewish homes until her return to England in 1912.
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Largely owing to the policy of Rahmi Bey, the vali of Smyrna, who was well disposed towards the English, the European residents of the area were accorded better treatment than their compatriots in other parts of Turkey; they were allowed to move freely within a radius of five miles, and the chaplains were accorded permission to make pastoral visits outside – Mr Brett went to Magnesia to visit crews of two interned ships, and Mr Ashe travelled to the interior.
Nevertheless, there were some very unpleasant episodes. Early in the war the British bombed Smyrna, and the Turkish authorities decided that if the British residents were placed in the bombed areas it might prevent further attacks. Accordingly those living in Smyrna were forced to sleep in the danger area, though allowed to go to their work by day. Mrs Ashe’s brother-in-law had a narrow escape when, immediately after he left in the morning, the house in which he had slept was destroyed by a bomb.
On March 6th, 1915, all English men of Boudjah were put into police quarters. No notice was given, and Mr Ashe was summoned just as he was about to have tea, so Mrs Ashe collected the tea things and took them along with him. The English club near the station was selected for sleeping quarters, and bedding, blankets, and food had to be sent by the families of those kept there. Mrs Ashe applied for the release of her husband on the grounds that the community needed his ministry; an order was issued allowing all men over sixty to return home. As Mr. Ashe was fifty-seven, this excluded him, but a further request was successful in obtaining his release within a few hours, after three days imprisonment, made more wretched by an attack of malaria. Little by little, over a period of two weeks, the British were released.
Mr. Brett was twice imprisoned, and suffered considerable hardship, but did excellent work at Smyrna, Bournabat and Cordelio, holding regular services and maintaining a choir. He took Government aid to the interred crews regularly, and at Bournabat £80 was collected for the poor, who suffered considerably during the war owing to shortage of food and necessities and steeply rising prices.
At Boudjah, too, much was done by the Ashe family for the relief of those in need, many of whom came to the old mill, and though supplies were very short, they were not turned away. In addition to the hungry, there were those who had fled from the city because of fear of bombs, and even, on occasion, unwilling conscripts who had deserted from the Turkish army.
In April 1917 the Rev. John Muhlenbruch died of typhus. Towards the end, he had declared his sympathy with the Central Powers – he was, though long ordained an Anglican priest, a German by birth – and requested burial by a German chaplain, which was accorded to him. This ended the work of the Mission to the Jews, and it was not resumed after the war, though the Lay Reader, Mr. Sadik, remained in Smyrna, a devout member of the Church, until his death in 1929.
The air raids continued at intervals. On one occasion two British planes were shot down by the German pilot Buddecke. The crew of one were killed, and at first the Turkish soldiers treated the bodies disgracefully; this was stopped by the intervention of the Germans, and a military funeral was held. This was conducted at St John’s Church by Mr Brett; Turkish marines carried the coffins, and the victor sent a wreath “Buddecke to his brave opponent”.
In the summer of 1917 the British bombarded the fortified position on Mount Pagus from the sea, and three hundred British householders were sent there as prisoners. The bombardment was not resumed, and they were eventually released.
After another year of war, with prices still rising and scarcity everywhere, more British subjects arrived in Smyrna. They were unfit prisoners of war, mostly captured in 1916 at Kut, who were to be exchanged and repatriated under the Berne convention. The British and Indian prisoners were stationed at Paradise; Dr MacLachlan, a Scotch-Canadian President of the International College, put the College buildings and campus at their disposal during the long summer vacation, and Mr Ashe was able to visit them there.
At the end of September news came that Bulgaria had signed an armistice. For the next few weeks rumours as to the future action of Turkey were heard on all sides, but on November 6th the entry of the British Monitor 29 into the harbour made it clear that, for Smyrna at least, the war was at an end. More British prisoners came to the city from the interior, and soon crowded troopships were on their way home. The civilians too could once more move freely to and from the city and its surroundings.
Mr Brett returned to England early in 1919, and was later awarded the O.B.E. for his work during the war years. He did not return to Smyrna, but became Chaplain of Holy Trinity Church, Rome. Mr. Ashe remained at Boudjah; but it was not until nearly the end of the year that a Chaplain, the Rev. L.G.P. Fry, was appointed to Smyrna, Cordelio, and Bournabat.
Meanwhile there were developments of far-reaching importance in the international sphere. After a period of uneasy neutrality the Greeks had deposed their King, Constantine, and entered the war on the side of the allies. At the Peace Conference at Paris, their spokesman, Prime Minister Venizelos, urged that Greece should be given Smyrna and, pending the conclusion of a Treaty, he obtained allied approval for the occupation of the city, which was carried out by Greek troops in May, 1919. There were some unfortunate anti-Turkish outbreaks at the time of the landing, but by the end of the year the administration of the city was comparatively stable, under a Greek High Commissioner and staff.
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On 7th [Sept 1922] the residents of Boudjah were ordered to evacuate the village at very short notice; they left, under the impression that it was to be a very temporary departure, until the position was more normal. Mr Ashe, not yet fully recovered from his illness, had to be carried on board ship.
p.106
Mr Ashe was given the task of serving the spiritual needs of the small British community of Cartagena, and he received a warm welcome when he arrived there in November, 1922.
p.108
Gradually the foreign communities began to return to Smyrna, amongst them a few British subjects. Mr R.W. Urquhart was appointed acting Consul-General in November 1922, and did valuable work for the restoration of the churches. In particular, he had a personal interview with Mustapha Kemal, and secured some improvements in the state of Bournabat Church. The filth was removed from the floor, the flooring and memorial tablets replaced, and the windows partly repaired, while the return of the organ and other stolen articles was promised. Several hundred pounds were spent on this work, but the result was not very satisfactory - the windows were not properly restored, and the seats were covered only with American cloth. However, the building was usuable again, and an armed guard was placed upon it to prevent further damage by irresponsible elements.
In October 1922, Mr Le Bouvier, who had been on leave, returned to the city where he had ministered for so long as Chaplain to the Dutch community, and recommenced services for them; these were also attended by some of the British . Mr Urquhart requested him to hold services in St. John’s Church, since “I thought them highly desirable for the moral of the community, and necessary vis-à-vis the Turks.” This was done, and the services were attended, not only by the few British residents, but by parties of men from the light cruiser squadron in the harbour. Mr Le Bouvier moved to the parsonage at Mr Urquhart’s request, to safeguard the building at a time when the changes in population in Asia Minor made the requisitioning of houses a very real danger; and as more people returned, he held services at Bournabat and Boudjah.
Mr Le Bouvier’s work was extremely valuable at a very difficult time. Mr W.S. Edmonds, Mr Urquhart’s successor wrote of his assistance, not only in holding services, but in helping to trace British property and to devise means to secure it. “There is one other thing”, he added. “From all I have heard and seen, I think that with the common sense and cheerful disposition he showed in facing difficulties, he did a great deal to keep people’s spirits up during a trying time.” On November 16th 1923, Lord Curzon, the British Foreign Secretary, wrote to him: “The unremitting energy which you have shown in looking after the welfare of all British subjects and the help which you have afforded to Mr Urquhart are highly appreciated by His Majesty’s Government, and I desire to take this opportunity of conveying to you also an expression of my sincere thanks for the great devotion which you have shown to British interests throughout this last critical year.”
Valuble work was also done at this difficult time by Dr Cass A. Reed, the Principal of the International College, who also held services and ministered to those in need.
Meanwhile, the Bishop of Gibraltar was making efforts to discover the situation in Smyrna so that he could take active steps to provide ministrations for the British there. He had no direct contact with the city, and had to obtain his information through Canon Whitehouse of Constantinople (who had married into the Whittall family) or from the Foreign Office. There were about thirty British subjects on Mytilene and a few on Samos and Chios, and Dr Greig considered sending a chaplain to them if Smyrna itself was impossible. When he approached the Foreign Office in June, 1923, however, he was very strongly discouraged from sending anyone.
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The Bishop’s [Greig] attempts to obtain enlightenment on this point from Smyrna were not successful, and he was anxious that someone should go out to the city and investigate the situation on the spot. He chose Mr Ashe for this task, and though there was further opposition from the Foreign Office, he finally secured the Prime Minister’s approval. On May 2nd, 1924, Mr Ashe was issued with a licence to minister in any of the churches in the Smyrna area.
He arrived on July 5th, and was met by Mr R.A. Pengelley, a leading member of the Boudjah congregation. The village itself was in a sad state. Only the house of Mr Barff, who had remained behind, had escaped some degree of looting; the chaplain’s house had suffered damage to its roof, doors, and windows, and his books had been scattered over the ground. Many of the smaller houses were roofless and derelict, and were being used to shelter the growing seeds, since they were no longer fit for habitation.
The first service in the Church was held on July 6th, an intensely hot day, with a temperature of 95º. There were a dozen in the congregation. A week later, morning prayer, with sermon, was followed by Holy Communion, at which 18 were present. Though the Greeks had been driven from Smyrna, there were still a number of Greek-speaking people of rayah or Italian nationality, and seven of these attended the 8.30 Communion service on July 20th. Mr Ashe administered the elements to them in their own way, mingled and on a spoon, and later in the day he gave Holy Communion to a paralysed Greek lady.
While Mr Ashe was cordially welcomed at Boudjah, his position in relation to Smyrna and Bournabat was less certain, and as this, and the question of finance, had to be considered, a meeting of the congregations of Boudjah and Smyrna was held at the Smyrna Parsonage on July 18th. On this occasion he read a statement “The position of the Smyrna Chaplaincies,” paying tribute to the work of Dr Reed and Mr Bouvier, while emphasizing that permanent ministrations in consecrated churches must be by clergy holding the Bishop licence. He himself was charged with a mission of enquiry, as the Bishop’s representative.
…At a meeting at Boudjah on July 30th, the financial position was discussed. Mr Ashe made it clear that he did not wish to impose any monetary conditions on his ministry; he would endeavour to obtain Diocesan supplementation of whatever could be raised locally. The Church Council, after due discussion, formally invited him to resume his position as their Chaplain, and this he accepted. His visit to Bournabat on July 27th, to take a service, had been a happy one, but the future there was uncertain, particularly as the local financial resources had, for the moment, been exhausted by the cost of repairs to the Church.
A new Church Council was elected at Smyrna in August, and this body wrote to the Bishop on 6th requesting that Mr Le Bouvier should be approved as their Chaplain, and undertaking to raise a contribution towards a stipend for him. The Bishop decided that the best plan would be to issue Mr Le Bouvier with a licence authorising him to take services, though not to celebrate Holy Communion or to solemnise marriages, and to allow him to occupy the Parsonage for a year, during which time the future of the chaplaincies might be more clearly defined. He explained this course of action to the Archbishop of Canterbury, who agreed that, under the very exceptional circumstances of Smyrna, it was a wise one. Mr Ashe had, in the meantime, offered to resign that portion of his licence relating to Smyrna and Bournabat.
The position had not been finally clarified when, early in the morning on August 23rd, Mr Le Bouvier had a stroke; he died at noon and was buried the following day by Dr Reed. Mr Ashe was taking a service at Boudjah at the time of the funeral, but was represented at the ceremony by Mr Pengelley.
The Bishop felt it very desirable that he should himself visit Smyrna and see what could be arranged for the future; pending this, he was anxious that Mr Ashe should minister at Boudjah, and take services at the other churches as and when possible. On September 28th the Chaplain’s family arrived at Smyrna...
On December 27th Mr Ashe wrote to Mr Pengelley, Church-warden and Secretary of Boudjah, resigning as from the end of July, 1925. “I shall leave a place full of happy associations and pleasant memories, a place where I have found not a few most valued, dear, a kindly friends”, he concluded.
During the last months of his ministry he served all three churches, and also ministered at Cordelio, where people from Bariakle and Trianda also attended. His congregations included a number of Orthodox Greeks who, having no priest of their own, were “as sheep without a shepherd”. His work was not without its dangers; on one occasion, while travelling on foot from Boudjah to Bournabat across rough country, he was attacked by half-wild shepherd’s dogs, and had to ward them off by swinging the case containing his clerical vestments. In the spring of 1925 he met his successor, the Rev. W.H. Edgell, and left at the end of July; one his last actions was to hold, on May 8th, a memorial service to Mr and Mrs De Jongh.
After his return to England, Mr Ashe did not hold any regular clerical post, but he often preached for the C.M.S. or the British and Foreign Bible Society, and took Sunday services for clergy on holiday. For several years before the outbreak of war in 1939 he and Mrs Ashe spent the winters in Granada and in Tangier with their married daughters. During the war his health began to fail, and he lived quietly at his home in Croydon. He kept up his reading and study in classics, took a daily walk, had a large correspondence, and was always happy to meet his friends. He died peacefully in his sleep on May 25th, 1944, at the age of 86.
p.121
On January 25th [1945] the Smyrna community suffered a great loss by the death of Sister Grace Williamson, a trained nurse who had for many years run a nursing home in the city, “She was the kind of middle-aged Englishwoman who would create a nice, antiseptic hospital in a desert swamp, and who would walk deliberately through a riot or a revolution with an unrolled umbrella, trying to restore order with a series of sharp raps”, wrote H.V. Morton, who visited Smyrna in the 1930s. “No other nation in the world breeds this type”. Sister Grace was a most devout Christian, and for many years a regular worshipper at St. John’s, where she did much to care for the Church and garden. “Precious in the Sight of the Lord is the death of His Saints”, wrote the Bishop.
p.128
To the north-east is the vestry [of the Church of St. John the Evangelist in Smyrna]; an inscription in Greek in the marble over the door maybe translated: ‘When thou comes in the Kingdom, Lord, remembers thy servant Edwin Freshfield and Zoe his wife and Edwin their son’. Dr Edwin Freshfield (1833-1918) was born in London within the sound of Bow Bells, and thus claimed to be “a real cockney”. As a young man, he was a midshipman in the Royal Navy, and as coming ashore at Smyrna to cash a cheque for the frigate on which he served at the banking house of Hanson, met Miss Hanson at the combined office and dwelling house. They fell in love and were later married. Dr Freshfield later practiced as a solicitor, and as a member of the firm of Williams and Freshfield, held the important and lucrative posts of solicitor to the House of Lords and to the Bank of England. Mrs Freshfield inherited the Hanson fortune, and he often visited Smyrna to see to his business interests. He was a student of archaeology of the area, and a supporter of the Church of St John, for which he drafted the constitution. Another of his interests was the Order of St John, of which he was librarian (1878-1884) and Receiver-General (1884-1917). He died on September 1st 1918. His son, Edwin Hanson Freshfield (1864-1948) was also a member of the Order of St John, and was its Registrar for twelve years.
p. 130-132 (Churches of Smyrna - section ‘The Church of All Saints, Boudjah’)
The Church and Churchyard of All Saints, Boudjah, are surrounded by a wall, through which access is obtained by a door with the British Arms carved on it, [no longer]. A long avenue of cypress trees, planted by Mr Langdon almost a hundred years ago, leads to the church. Most of the graves lie to the right [front portion removed], behind the trees, but there are a few more on the left, in a cluster near the church.
The original church, a converted house, was described as ‘a beautiful and commodious building’ soon after its opening in 1838, but the congregation generally found it unsuitable for permanent use. No description has survived, but it is known that the inscription ‘Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life’ was placed over the pulpit. The present building was erected on the same site in the 1860s and consecrated in 1868; it was enlarged in 1907. It is cruciform in shape, with a small steeple in the centre, and is built of greenish-grey stone. The entrance is on the west side; there is a bell [no longer] to the right of it.
The interior is light and spacious; there are thirteen windows. The east window and two others are of stained glass; the remainder plain (all transferred to St John’s in 1964 and replaced with plainer local students’ work). The pulpit, lectern, choir stalls and fourteen pews [all no longer] are of dark wood. A large organ is placed in the recess forming the arm of the cross on the south side, the gift of Mr and Mrs Rees in thanksgiving for the safety of their family 1914-18 (no longer working; the manufacturer J.W. Walker of Suffolk is still in existence).To the left is a memorial tablet to 2nd Lt. Rowland Pengelley, killed in action on the night of August 19th, 1917 (now in St John’s). He was the son of Mr Rowland Pengelley, a Lay Reader and a leading member of the congregation in 1933. There is a tablet to the veteran missionary John T. Wolters in the south aisle above the pulpit [no longer].
A tablet on the right wall of the chancel records the fact that this portion of the building was erected in memory of Zoe Sarah Glory Rees, who died in 1906, aged one year. The large stained glass window above the altar, representing the Crucifixion, is in memory of Ida Josephine Rees, who died in 1895; it was originally erected at the west end, and was moved when the chancel was extended in 1907. In the north wall of the sanctuary is a small stained glass window in memory of Thomas Gordon, while Stephen Gordon, who died in 1913 at the age of 62, is commemorated by a memorial tablet in the north aisle [all no longer].
The beautiful altar of carved olive wood was presented by Miss Bella Wolters, youngest daughter of the Rev. J.T.Wolters, and the cross was given by Mr Edward Webber in memory of his mother [both no longer; E. Webber is possibly the son of the German archaeologist George W. who is buried in the cemetery with his wife Eugenie W., tomb stones no longer].
The vestry [now highly altered] fills the recess facing the organ. Over the entrance are tablets with the Apostles’ Creed, the Lord’s Prayer and the Ten Commandments, which were formerly placed over the altar. The font, of plain design, is near the north wall, facing the entrance. Near it is a small stained glass window to Ethel Gout [all no longer], and two tablets. One reads:
TO THE MEMORY OF WILLIAM LAUGHTEN, ENGINE DRIVER IN THE SERVICE OF THE OTTOMAN RAILWAY COMPANY, WHO LOST HIS LIFE ON THE MORNING OF THE 18TH OF JANUARY 1871 WITH HIS FIREMAN, WHILE DRIVING THE EARLY TRAIN TO AIDIN THROUGH THE FAILURE OF THE BRIDGE AT LITTLE PARADISE, ENGINE AND TRAIN BEING PRECIPITATED INTO THE STREAM. HIS BODY NOT HAVING BEEN RECOVERED, THIS TABLET IS PLACED HERE BY HIS COMPANIONS AND FRIENDS TO COMMEMORATE THE EVENT AND AS A MARK OF THEIR ESTEEM AND REMEMBERANCE.
[This brass tablet is now displayed just within the porch of St John’s.]
The other, in memory of Rev. W.B. Lewis, states:
THIS TABLET WAS ERECTED BY MEMBERS OF THE BRITISH COMMUNITY AT SMYRNA AS A TOKEN OF AFFECTIONATE REMEMBERANCE TO THEIR LATE MINISTER AND AS A TRIBUTE TO HIS INDEFATIGABLE ZEAL IN FURTHERING THE BUILDING OF THIS CHURCH. “BE THOU FAITHFUL UNTO DEATH AND I WILL GIVE THEE A CROWN OF LIFE.” REV. II 10. DIED AT OLD BROMPTON 3RD JANUARY 1870 AGED 72. HIS MORTAL REMAINS REST IN BROMPTON CEMETERY.
[This marble tablet is still hanging on the wall across the entrance.]
The Rev. William Buchner Lewis was born on April 1st, 1798, the son of the Rev. William Lewis. Soon after taking order, he entered the service of the L.J.S. and worked in southern Europe and the Levant. His first visit to Smyrna was in 1825, when proceeding on leave; he was posted there the following year, but disturbed conditions caused him to remain in the Mediterranean area until 1829, when he was able to go to Smyrna with Mrs Lewis. In 1833 he became acting Consular Chaplain, and was formally appointed in 1840.
Though ceasing to be officially connected with the L.J.S., he continued to aid its work, particularly when no ordained missionary was stationed at Smyrna. His hospitality was warmly commended by delegates of the Church of Scotland in 1839 – “Never did any in our circumstances meet with more unremitting attention and true Christian kindness, than we did during our stay under the roof of Mr and Mrs Lewis.” He was active in the efforts to build a church at Boudjah, and took a leading part in ministering there for thirty years; he was also Chaplain at Bournabat from 1863 to 1868. He paid a long visit to England and Ireland (where he saw his father at Kileely Glebe, Limerick) in 1852-53, and in 1855 spent a fortnight in Crimea during the war with Russia. His health deteriorated in the 1860s and he did not long survive his retirement in 1868.
His daughter Mary married Mr Richard Barker, and their son Oswald was churchwarden of Boudjah. His [William Buchner Lewis’s] son William married Miss L. [Leila] Williamson (sister of Sister Grace (the pension) and Mrs Hichens [Louisa]) and their son William (‘Bill’) was verger of St John’s for many years.
Mr T. Bowen Rees bequeathed £3,000 for the upkeep of the Church and Churchyard. The parsonage purchased in 1905 has been let since the Church ceased to have a separate chaplain.
Notes: 1- Since Christmas 2001 the All Saints church has been under the control of the Independent Baptist Church congregation - web site:
2- The above passage is a brief section of a well researched book available for public viewing at the Guildhall library, Ms 32616/1.
3- The author, born 1920, is currently (2003) in poor health and the permission to use his book for this study was granted by his daughter. Physical changes to building elements are highlighted in italics.
