George St Clair
| Revd. George St Clair FGS | |||||||||||||||
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| File:St Clair, George.jpg | |||||||||||||||
| Born | 1836 | ||||||||||||||
| Died | 1908 | ||||||||||||||
| Residence |
Holford House Regents Park [1863] Banbury [1865, 67, 69] 104 Sussex Rd Seven Sisters Rd Holloway N; [1872] 108 Wheeley's-road, Edgbaston, Birmingham [1879] 70 Wheeley's Road, Edgbaston, Birmingham [1881] 127 Bristol Road, Birmingham [1883] 225 Castle Road, Cardiff [1894] 245 Pershore Road, Birmingham [1899] | ||||||||||||||
| Occupation | church | ||||||||||||||
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Contents
Notes
Office Notes
House Notes
LAS - takes part in discussion in 1874, not clear whether fellow or not
not Rev. in 14th list 1865.03.06 (though he is FGS FES), plus the name is also added by hand
Notes From Elsewhere
As it is extremely difficult to obtain any biographical information on George St. Clair I have chosen to go into some detail here. Mainly because most authors who currently mention him completely misunderstand who he was. He was neither an Archaeologist or Egyptologist as some persons popularly maintain. George St. Clair (1836-1908) was born (according to Kathryn Crawford (a relative)) in Spirtalfields (= correctly Spitalfields) (London). (It has been stated that he was an orphan.) He appears to have originally been a Baptist (= non-conformist) minister who later in life, circa 1890 or earlier (perhaps by the 1870s), became a Unitarian minister. (See: The Forward Movement in Religious Thought as Interpreted by the Unitarians by Brooke Herford (1895).) According to the South London Chronicle: "In 1854 he had become a member of the Baptist Church." The Transactions of the Unitarian Historical Society (Volume 4, 1927, Page 206) indicated that he was a Unitarian minister from June 1891 to December 1897. He attended the Baptist College, Regent's Park and appears to have completed his studies there to become an ordained minister. Alan Betteridge (Deep Roots, Living Branches (2010, Page 195)) states that George St Clair was trained at Regent's Park College, 1860-1864. The Quarterly Statement - Palestine Exploration Fund 1869 lists him as "Rev. Geo. St. Clair." His article "Rational Views of Heaven and Hell" in Arena, Volume 5, 1892, has him designated as Rev. George St. Clair D.D. In an article in The Unitarian, Volume 7, 1892, Page 238(?), he is also referred to as "George St. Clair, DD." (In Victorian times the Doctor of Divinity was an advanced academic degree in divinity.) (Neil Silberman, in his book Digging for God and Country (1990, Page 153) describes George St Clair as "an Anglican priest and amateur antiquarian." There is no reason to believe he was an Anglican priest.)
In 1863, whilst still attending Regent's Park College, he married (at St. Philip's, Dalston) Emma Boden, the youngest daughter of (the then late) John Boden (a Protestant nonconformist) of Salop in Shropshire. (One announcement of the marriage mentioned him as: Rev. George St. Clair.) In January, 1864, when he was elected a Fellow of the Geological Society of London, his address was given as Holford House, Regent's Park, N.W. (Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society of London, Volume 20, 1864, Page 121). Holford House was his address from 1860 to 1864. (According to one source his wife Emma was also born in 1836(37?) (in Islington (London). However, other sources indicate this is not a correct identification.) The Boden name is prolific in Shropshire, near Birmingham. (The name Emma Boden, born 1838, occupation Paintress, appears in a Census for that region. Using the 1841 English Census and the 1851 English Census results in some slightly confusing information. It appears that Emma Boden was the daughter of John Boden (a Potter) and his wife Mary Ann. There were several other children. Both John Boden and Mary Ann are stated to be 20 years old and their daughter Emma 3 years old. The address given is Saithouse Avenue (?). The 1841 English Census records Borough of Henlock [?], Parish of Broseley. The 1851 English Census (taken on the night of 30th March 1851) has: John Boden (head of family), 31 years old, born Salop Madeley, Mary Ann (wife), 33 years old, Emma (daughter), 13 years old, Paintress. Also, for 'Where born': Salop Madeley, 'Parish': Madeley, 'Town of': Madeley. This would indicate that Emma was born circa 1838 (The Census information states: 'abt 1838.' Interestingly, The Musical Times, Volume 14, 1870, October 1, Page 614, carries the advertisement: "Mrs St. Clair (late Miss Emma Boden) CONTRALTO begs to inform her friends that she is again residing in London, and is open to a few Engagements for Oratories in the coming season. Address 104, Sussex-road, Finsbury-park, N." An earlier advertisement (The Musical Times, Volume 8, 1858, November 1, Page 330, "Miss Emma Boden (Contralto) 18, Bartholomew-close, City. - Wishes to re-engage a Choir." The Musical Standard, Volume 2, 1864, Page 104 records that (that year) Emma Boden assisted The Concordia Choir with their performance at the Large Room, Bay Street, adjoining Middleton road, Kingsland.) It is perhaps worth noting that Salop is an ancient name for Shropshire. Shropshire (also abbreviated as Salop) is a county in the West Midlands of England. The spelling Stropshire sometimes appears i.e., area of "Salop" Stropshire. (Construction of the very large Holford House, for the wealthy wine merchant James Holford, began/was completed in 1823(1832?). Following Holford's death it became Regent's Park Baptist College between 1854 and World War II. (The College had effectively moved to Oxford in 1927?) In 1944 the building was mostly destroyed when a bomb was dropped on it and it was subsequently demolished in 1948.)
George St. Clair is indicated as being a Unitarian Minister at least by 1893 (see the brief mention of him in The Wellesley Index to Victorian Periodicals). (His small book The Problem of Evil (1893) expounded the Unitarian position.) (In becoming a Unitarian he was possibly influenced by Charles Dawson who, though he founded his Birmingham church on Evangelical lines, had considerable sympathy for the Unitarian position. It is also indicated that it may also have originated from a doctrinal squabble with Baptist Church authorities. One of his (Baptist) Ministerial appointments was certainly the subject of controversy (Bridge Street Chapel, Banbury) and though he obtained it through the unanimous support of the congregation he only remained several years. The Baptist Magazine, 1868, reports he resigned the pastorate of the Baptist Church, Banbury, in that year.) At least 2 of his sermons at Banbury were printed (perhaps) by order of the Oxfordshire Association. (The Church, September 1, 1864, Pages 252 reported: "The Rev. Georg St. Clair of Regent's Park College, has accepted the cordial and unanimous invitation of the church at Banbury and will enter ... the duties of the pastorate ... in September.") The Church, February 1, 1865, Page 55, records that in January, 1865, the Rev. George St. Clair was publicly recognised as pastor of the church, Bridge-street Chapel, Banbury. In the Census of United Kingdom 1881 he is listed as a Free Church Minister, Edward Street Chapel. (This would be close to a "Unitarian Baptist" position.) It would appear he derived his basic income from his role as a minister and also from public lectures. It would appear that circa 1857 he began to deliver public lectures. The earliest address indicated for him is Banbury. In 1864 he was established as the pastor of the (Baptist) Bridge Street Chapel, Banbury, in Oxfordshire (Oxon) until his resignation in 1868 (1869?). It is likely he was there until 1869 simply because in a 2-part article in The Baptist Magazine for 1869 ("The Method of Creation") he states his location as Banbury. (This may mark the period of his break with the Baptist Church. He seems to have moved to the Free Church and then, in the early 1870s, to the Unitarian Church.) While at Banbury he wrote "The Pursuit of Literature in Connection With the Work of The Christian Ministry." (The Baptist Magazine, 1866, Pages 401-408). In it he expressed a number of views. On page 401 he wrote: "I should feel pleasure in discoursing of our principal work, which I take to be the conversion of sinners, the instruction and comfort of Christians, the glorifying of God, and the justifying of his ways to men." On page 404 he wrote: "I venture to think that it is both the privilege and the duty of everyone to cling to old beliefs, not simply till they are suspected to be erroneous, but till they are proved to be so." On page 407 he wrote: "Of course, as leaders of the people, we must never give and uncertain sound; nor is it worthwhile, where matters admit of doubt, to disturb people from their old views."
By 1875 he was living in Birmingham. (In one publication he gave his address as Bristol Komi, Birmingham. However, his address was correctly 127 Bristol Road, Birmingham. However, in a publication dated 1883 his address is given as 61 Bristol Road.) When exactly and why he went to live in Birmingham, and eventually chose to leave there, is unclear. Following the death of his close friend George Dawson in 1876 he succeeded him as minister (his title was the Reverend George St. Clair, Minister of the Church of the Saviour, Edward Street, Parade, Birmingham) and regularly delivered weekly sermons at the Church of the Saviour throughout 1877. (See: The Unitarian, Volume 2, 1887, Page 125.) (His views at this period had agreement with those of Unitarians but Church of the Saviour was not formally Unitarian.) The Church of the Saviour in Edward Street, was, however, considered to be Unitarian. Kelly's The Post Office directory of Birmingham with its Suburbs, for 1878 lists Rev. George St. Clair, Church of the Saviour, Edward Street. His sermons there continued through to (at least) 1883. Another source confirms his presence there until at least this date. (It is usually stated the Edward Street Church was closed "some years" after Dawson's death but actually the Church of the Saviour closed at the end of 1895. It was certainly still open in 1882.) St. Clair's obituary in the The (London) Inquirer states he was the Minister at Birmingham (Church of the Saviour) from 1875 to 1885. It is certain that in Birmingham he became the assistant to George Dawson in his ministry at the Church of the Saviour from 1875 to 1885. "Another assistant [Dawson had a series of assistant ministers], George St Clair (born 1836) was trained at Regent's Park College, 1860-64, and after being at Banbury Baptist Church he came as Dawson's colleague in 1875. He stayed on after Dawson's death as sole minister until 1886, but the great days were over. The Church of the Saviour closed at the end of 1895 with little on-going influence … . (Deep Roots, Living Branches: A History of Baptists in the English Western Midlands by Alan Betteridge (2010, Page 195))" (In a 1881 publication and again in a 1886 publication he gave his address as 127 Bristol Road, Birmingham. his appears as his address from 1881 to 1887, and also 1890.) Circa 1880 he resided in the Birmingham suburb of Edgbaston, Warwick(shire). (In the 1881 Census of the United Kingdom his Dwelling is given as: 61 Bristol Road; and his Census Place is given as: Edgbaston, Warwick, England. Jean Kelly has pointed out to me that Edgbaston is not connected with the town of Warwick which is some 40 kilometres away. It seems then that the census entry Warwick intends to mean Warwickshire County. I am also currently unable to identify what his 1880 resignation concerned.) Until leaving Birmingham, circa 1895 or earlier, he appears to have retained his close connection with the cross-denominational Church of the Saviour in Edward Street, Birmingham, which was founded in 1847 by the charismatic Baptist pastor George Dawson (1821-1876).
After leaving Birmingham he seems to have moved frequently. Apart from 2 sons he also had a daughter Ruth who was born in Bishopham, Norfolk, 1879; and it is indicated he had a second daughter Florence who was born in 1884. In 1895 at least he was the minister at the Unitarian Free Christian Church, West Grove, Tredegarville, South East Wales (see: Kelley's Directory, South Wales, 1895). This church seated 150 persons. Interestingly, he appears in the membership list of the Astronomical Society of Wales, for 1898 (but not for any other year). In the Society's renamed publication, the "Cambrian Natural Observer" (Volume 1, Number 4, November, 1898, Pages 117-120) his membership details are "St. Clair, Rev. G., F.G.S., Birmingham. (The Society held its meetings in Cardiff.) It appears he was a member of the Astronomical Society of Wales whilst still residing in Birmingham. However, it is hard to believe he was still in Birmingham in 1898. (In becoming a Unitarian he was possibly influenced by Charles Dawson who had considerable sympathy for the Unitarian position. It is also indicated that it may also have originated from a doctrinal squabble with Baptist Church authorities. One of his (Baptist) Ministerial appointments was certainly the subject of controversy (Bridge Street Chapel, Banbury) and though he obtained it through the support of the congregation - through the process of election (and had the support of associated ministers) - he only remained several years (somewhere between 3 and 4 years). A meeting in connection with the public recognition of George St Clair as pastor of the church was held in January, 1865 (see: The Church, February 1, 1865, Page 55). The Baptist Magazine, 1868, reports he resigned the pastorate of the Baptist Church, Banbury, in that year.)
While at Banbury he became a lecturer for the Palestine Exploration Fund. The Baptist Magazine (1869, Page 394) states: "The Rev. George St. Clair, of Banbury, has become [official/accredited] Lecturer to the Palestine Exploration Fund; and, though not relinquishing the ministry, will devote his principal attention to the work of the Society during the winter of 1869-70. He intends to commence a tour of England in September, visiting the principal Churches of the various Nonconformist denominations, to explain the Society's work, past and contemplated." Some of the towns he lectured in were Chipping North, Banbury, Abingdon, Bristol, Clifton, Swansea, Paddington, Mile End, Canonbury, and Nottingham. Often there were only 2-5 days between lectures in different towns. (After 10 years he began lecturing independently.) From 1891 to circa 1900 he was in Cardiff, south east Wales. (His Cardiff address is given as 225 Castle Road.) (He served as a church minister in Cardiff from 1891 to 1897.) (After leaving Cardiff (and the active ministry?) in 1897 he again became an lecturer for The Palestine Exploration Fund. He was an intermittent lecturer for 10 years for The Palestine Exploration Fund.)
Circa 1900, or earlier, he resided in Eastbourne, (East) Sussex. Eastbourne is located at the foot of the South Downs on the South Coast of England. (A 1901 publication gives his address as Vicarage Drive, Eastbourne. Oddly, a 1864 publication gives his address also as 11 Vicarage Drive, Eastbourne.) In the Census of United Kingdom 1901 he is listed as a Clergyman. I cannot find him in any listing of 19th-century English Unitarian ministers (but at least one source (see above) specifically identifies him as a Unitarian minister). It would seem he only very rarely used his title (Reverend). He is mentioned in The Unitarian, Volume 7, 1892.) It is indicated that from June, 1891 to December 1897 (at least) he was a Unitarian.
From circa 1885 onwards George St. Clair directed much of his effort to his belief that ancient religions had an astronomical basis. (However, he was still presenting and writing on theological topics into circa the mid-1890s.) He believed that all myths are related to each other and are astronomical in origin. Possibly his last published article, "Adam's Two Wives." (The Theosophical Review, Volume 37, 1906) set out a calendrical interpretation. He was possibly influenced by the appearance of Gerald Massey's two early books: A Book of the Beginnings (1881, 2 Volumes), and The Natural Genesis (1883, 2 Volumes). He became a close friend of Gerald Massey, who was a Poet, Spiritualist, and amateur Egyptologist. (See his "Gerald Massey as Egyptologist (I)" in The Theosophical Review (London), Volume 41, 1908, Page 511; and "Gerald Massey as Egyptologist (II)" in The Theosophical Review (London), Volume 42, 1908, Page 43.) George St. Clair helped Gerald Massey receive sufficient funding to enable the publication of Massey's final book Ancient Egypt (1907, 2 Volumes). As much as St. Clair disliked receiving bad reviews for his own books he critically reviewed Massey's Ancient Egypt (Literary Guide, 1 February, 1908, Pages 21-22) and complained about Massey's incompetence with philological renderings, particularly Massey's interpretation of Hebrew proper names. George St. Clair could basically be classed as a precessional mythologist. His later books on the origin of mythology are based on fundamentally mistaken ideas about calendars and the antiquity of the zodiac and have little value. He believed that the first calendars were invented circa 4,500 BCE and that the zodiac of 12 equal divisions also originated at the same time. His methodology, or lack of it, is mentioned in the article "Presidential Address: The Methods of Magic and of Science." by John Myers (Folklore, Volume 36, Number 1, March 31, 1925, Pages 15-47). (George St. Clair was a Fellow of the Geological Society (FGS), a Fellow of the Anthropological Society of London (FASL), a Fellow of the Ethnological Society (FES), a Member of the Society for Biblical Archaeology, a Member of the Anthropological Institute, for nearly 6 years to August 1875 (then intermittently for another 4 years) an authorised Lecturer for The Palestine Exploration Fund, and a Member of the Society of Authors. He also had an M.A.) His book Buried Cities and Bible Countries was based on lecture material during his association with The Palestine Exploration Fund. (He first resigned his appointment as an authorised lecturer for The Palestine Exploration Fund in August, 1875, and began lecturing independently. Financial issues may have played a part. He was an active lecturer and most of the funds raised went to The Palestine Exploration Fund. The Quarterly Statement - Palestine Exploration Fund 1869, Pages 268 mentions the proceeds of a lecture by the "Rev. Geo. St. Clair" on February 3, 1870 raised "Collection at doors ₤4.00 [and] Sale of Publications 8 schillings, 4 pence.") He was a popular writer on the archaeology of the Bible. Between 1890 and 1907 he frequently contributed short articles to the Palestine Exploration Fund Quarterly Statement.) The Palestine Exploration Fund, Quarterly Statement, 1888, page 4 (also page 53) mentions: "Mr George St. Clair, F.G.S., who has lately returned from his Eastern tour, and is giving Lectures for the Society in all parts of Great Britain. His subjects are - (1) The Buried City of Jerusalem, and General Exploration of the Holy Land. Numerous diagrams. (2) Buried Cities of the East. Numerous diagrams. (3) Sight-seeing in Palestine. Lantern views, where local help can be obtained." St. Clair's address is given as Bristol Road, Birmingham. His book Cyclopædia of Nature Teachings (1891) is almost forgotten. (He contributed articles on (non-telescopic) astronomical observations and geological observations to various scientific publications.)
George St. Clair died at Balham, London, in 1908. The England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations), 1858-1966 states: "Name: George St Clair, Death: 13 Jun 1908 - Surrey - England, Other: 3 Jul 1908 - London - England." (Several publications (one published 1907) give his address as 16 Ryde Vale Road, Balham, (S.W. Salisbury) London. One publication indicates this was his address at least since 1905.) At this time his wife Emma was possibly deceased and he was probably living in retirement in Oswald's house. However, the England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations), 1858-1966 states: "Name: Emma St Clair, Death: 1 Oct 1909 - Surrey - England, Other: 30 Nov 1909 - London - England." At this time his son Oswald, who authored several books on economic issues, was residing (in Balham) and working in London as an Insurance Clerk. Oswald (born 1869 in Banbury, (Oxford[shire]) Oxon) later, after the death of his father in 1908, emigrated to South Africa. (He is possibly to be identified as the retired businessman who published the book A Key to Ricardo (1957).) Between 1881 and 1889 his other son Norman (1863?/1865?-1912, born in Birmingham (or Banbury (this seems correct), Oxford?, Warwick(shire); likely Oxfordshire, November 24, 1865)), who had studied architecture and worked as a Draughtsman in England, emigrated to the United States of America, and worked first as an Architect (in Boston, Denver, Salt Lake City, and San Francisco) and later as a water colour Artist (primarily self-taught) after moving to Pasadena circa 1900. Norman St Clair married Ann Fleetwood, a Christian Scientist. They had 4 sons, Malcolm, Bernard, Eric, and Aubrey.) George St. Clair made at least one trip to the United States of America (probably to visit Norman). A collection of his letters is held by the Southwest Museum (presumably in the Braun Research Library) in Pasadena, USA.
George St. Clair is briefly mentioned on Page 587 (Volume 3 (sometimes stated as volume 2)) of Old and New Birmingham by Robert Dent (2nd Edition, 3 Volumes, 1880) regarding his role at Church of the Saviour in Edward Street, Birmingham. In his small publication "Rational Views of Heaven and Hell" (1892) he shows he was no supporter of the old ideas of heaven and hell - he very much combated the old ideas of heaven and hell. In his earlier book Darwinism and Design (1873) he was an informed supporter of evolution and a proponent of the doctrine that design was executed through evolution. However, in his book The Secret of Genesis (1907) he upheld the literal historical accuracy of the narratives of Genesis and Exodus. An obituary for him appeared in the Inquirer (London) (a Unitarian newspaper) 1908, Page 389. A biographical sketch of him (including details of his scholastic career) appeared in The Biograph and Review, Volume 3/Part 13, January, 1880. This later (along with press notices and reviews) formed part of a small (8-page) pamphlet titled George St. Clair, F.G.S.: Minister of the Church of the Saviour, Edward Street, Parade, Birmingham. I do not know the publication date. See also the record in the Essex Hall Year Book for 1909. (The Essex Hall Year Book (previously The Essex Hall Year Book and Unitarian Almanac) (issued by the British and Foreign Unitarian Association) contains a list (register) of Unitarian, Free Christian, Presbyterian, and other Non-subscribing Churches, with names and addresses of Minister. Essex Hall was a Unitarian Academy. It was destroyed in 1944. The site was, circa 1980, occupied by Unitarian Headquarters.) Some documents and letters relating to George St. Clair (and his lectures for some years) are mentioned in A Guide to Manuscripts and Documents in the British Isles Relating to the Middle East and North Africa by Nöel Matthews et al., 1980, Page 150. (Interestingly, he is mentioned in, Christian Metzger: founder of an American family by Ella Milligan (1942).) It seems he was generally highly regarded. In March, 1884, in a school room in Bristol Street, Birmingham, he presided over a debate described as "Spiritualism versus Materialism." The spiritualist periodical The Medium and Daybreak, 1884, page 173, wrote "Both the contestants are fortunate in securing the services of the latter gentleman [George St. Clair], who occupies a prominent position among the advanced clergy of the town." Regarding the notion of love and marriage in Victorian times, in 1880 he stated his view "A young woman now is free to accept or reject any offer which is made to her." For his book review of The Legend of Perseus by Edwin Hartland see Science, New Series, Volume 4, Number 87, August 28, 1896, Page 297. The ideas of George St. Clair on mythology were similar to, but preceded, the Panbabylonian school.
Publications
External Publications
Creation Records Discovered in Egypt.
The Myths of Greece. (2 Volumes).
The Secret of Genesis: An Astro-religious Record.
Buried Cities and Bible Countries
Darwinism and design
