Rev E. F. Synnott - Who will rid us of this turbulent priest perhaps ?

Those well known words of King Henry 11 referring to St. Thomas A’ Becket in the 12th century might well have been echoed in the thoughts of some in the congregation of Rusper in the 20th century. Certainly the venom in the minds of some of the parishioners would match Henry’s ire. In the case of this village the end result was a Consistory Court trial at Westminster in 1919 that ended in a “not guilty” result rather than a murder in the church. Ouch, did I hear someone say more’s the pity?

Allegations against the new parish priest Rev Edward Fitzgerald Synnott who arrived (or barged his way in like an urban invader) as the new parish vicar in 1914 were virulent. Anonymous letters soon claimed all manner of “crimes” from marrying the wrong people, putting the wedding ring on a bride’s thumb to rushing through services and not giving the bearers enough time to lower the coffin; in addition he was accused of being a gambler who owned racehorses and dressed in loud colours. What was it that caused these rumours to spread to such an extent that he was summoned to the Highest Ecclesiastical Court to defend himself?

Bryan Slyfield’s synopsis of Synnott’s book “ Five Years of Hell in a Village Parish” gives an excellent view of the man and some of the opinions that he had of some parishioners. He was a tall and powerful man who in his youth in Ireland (where he was born) won the Constabulary boxing championship. His rhetoric was equal to his sporting ability and I suspect few would dare to fall asleep during his homilies. Well educated and travelled, this was not his first parish but it was his first small and rural one and he was definitely out of place as far as many in the community were concerned. Compromise and decisions by vote were not for him; he was right and you had better believe it, was more his philosophy especially about those who thought too much of their own importance.

He believed in hard work, and perhaps some felt guilty when they saw his workload; but, probably it was his “Muscular Christianity” that upset them the most. No turning the other cheek for this priest, he positively preached that self-defence was essential for an average “Britisher” who should learn to take care of himself by the use of physical force. More shocking even was that he was prepared to lead by example. Apparently when two local horse dealers sold him a bad mount, he chased and caught up with them and proceeded to give them a five-minute lecture on their business methods after which “ I took off my coat and gave those two the soundest drubbing they had ever had”

He inferred that the nuns in the Old Rusper Priory 700 years before had set a precedent for the endless backbiting and “endemic” gossip in the village. He goes on to chide the parishioners saying that the nuns had taken to speaking out and did not obey their vow of silence but the Bishop, through ‘a lost art’ succeeded in enforcing these vows. He (Synnott) opined that if that lost art could be found again ‘ it would be very valuable for Rusper’.

His book chides both men and women equally. “ the men of the village carry on the great gossiping craze daily. Gossip may go from house to house, wrapped in a case of whiskey or packed in a packet of tea. It is taken to the doctor, the baker the candlestick maker and undertaker’. “The women’s love of scandal is written plainly on their faces everywhere. Moreover if any modern artist is in need of a model to express the voice of the calumniator, he could do no better than a stroll down our village street.

Having permission from the Bishop to farm 400acres, in 1916 he boasts, “ I established a record for hard work. With only three men and two horses I cut 100 acres of hay, 30 acres of harvest, and milked 25 cows twice daily. Sundays were particularly onerous, the recollection of which makes me look round for a chair”.

Despite an incredibly hard time on the Sabbath when his duties started at 4am and finished at 8pm he exclaimed, “I enjoyed my life and I felt I was doing my bit” This was a time of war and he rather bitterly notes “ as was to be expected, my efforts aroused more criticism than appreciation”.

At the trial he was found ‘not guilty’ of all charges however the chancellor noted that “ he was an excitable Irishman who was not likely to be attractive to all his parishioners” and went on to note that Rusper was ‘ a hotbed of scandal’.

One lady sent him a compliment when she wrote “ I think I would die of shame if I lived in Rusper. May I tell you that there are dozens in Crawley who think you are a brick”. After the trial this determined and dedicated priest went back to the village and continued as before and if this action inflamed the tempers of some in the village they were in for far more chagrin later when he wrote his little but highly explosive book.

Having gate crashed the small-minded rural parish one would think that now having exposed the goings on in the village he would move on. Not on you life, this uncompromising priest was not for turning and continued just as he had done before and as I am sure he would have said - you’d better believe it!