Transcript

of

Rev. John Guenett [Obituary]

Trans. Devon. Assoc., 1889, Vol XXI, pp.69-70.

by

Rev. W. Harpley

Prepared by Michael Steer

The obituary was presented at the Association’s July 1889 Tavistock meeting. Mr J.F. Guenett was a Devonshire man who received his training for the ministry at Western College, Plymouth. This gave him a university level education at the time denied to Non-Conformists and Roman Catholics. He first served at Newent, Gloucestershire. Fleetwood was his second pastorate. The Fleetwood church at the time was struggling to survive: numbers were low; growth was miniscule; money was tight. Perhaps, because of all three factors, Mr Guenett stayed only two years. He was called then called first to Bury St Edmunds and then to Point of View, Lympstone. Mr Farnham Guenett’s son, known only by his initials T.H. was born in Devon. In 1874, aged about 24, T.H. Guenett emigrated to Melbourne, Australia. And for nearly 30 years was music critic of “The [Melbourne] Argus and “The Australasian”. He introduced the famous Nellie Melba to audiences in Melbourne through a series of concerts he arranged. His biography states that the concerts were “to educate the musical taste of the city.” It seems from T.H. Guenett’s obituary that he made a European concert tour with Miss Melba. A renowned church organist, T.H. Guenett had held the position at the Toorak Presbyterian Church, Melbourne, and at the time of his death he was organist at the West Melbourne Presbyterian Church. On his death in September 1902 at the comparatively young age of 52 he left a widow, one son, and three daughters. The article, from a copy of a rare and much sought-after journal can be downloaded from the Internet Archive. Google has sponsored the digitisation of books from several libraries. These books, on which copyright has expired, are available for free educational and research use, both as individual books and as full collections to aid researchers.

Rev. John Guenett entered the ministry of the Congregationalists from the Western College in 1836. He was appointed to the charge of the congregation at Point-in-View, Lympstone, in 1858, and occupied it till his death. The nature of the charge is unique, and deserves notice. About a mile and a half fiom Exmouth, on a hill standing a little off the Exeter road, in the middle of a field, is a square one-storied, flat-roofed structure, an ingenious combination of chapel and dwelling-house, and bearing the singular name of Point-in-View. The centre of the building is a single chamber not much bigger than an ordinary living-room; this is the chapel, and the roof has spread itself out so as to shelter four little almshouses, in which live four maiden ladies.

About the beginning of the present century some maiden ladies of the name of Parmenter built for themselves a residence a little further down the hill. Having no Congregational place of worship near, they built also a manse, chapel, and almshouses, endowed both charity and ministry, and left money for the education of six children. Miss Jane Parmenter did not live to see the completion of her scheme, and lies buried under the chapel. The others lived to worship there for many years, but there are none of the family name in the neighbourhood now.

Mr. Guenett was a skilled mechanician as well as musician, and since an instrument of any sort would trespass upon the already limited space within the chapel - capable of accommodating forty worshippers at the most - he made with his own hands an organ, the level top of which serves for a desk.

The pedal is within easy reach from the chair, and by raising the lid the keyboard is discovered just in front When the hymn is over, the lid, once more shut down, becomes a rest on which to place Bible, hymn-book, and manuscript.

Mr. Guenett became a member of the Association in 1876, and attended several of the Annual Meetings. He died at his residence, Point-in-Yiew, on June 12th, 1889, at the age of 84 years.