Scots Church | Ferguson and Urie

The Scots Church ‘Leaflet’ magazine for June 2019 is now available online and it has some interesting content in relation to the history of the Ferguson & Urie stained-glass company of North Melbourne.

Page eighteen of the Leaflet includes an article by Rosalie Strother, the magazine editor, titled;

“Ray Brown – A Descendant of James Ferguson and his work in Historical Preservation”.[1]

The front cover includes a portion of the Ferguson & Urie companies magnificent four-light stained-glass window that faces iconic Collins Street. This historic window depicting eight episodes from the Gospels was granted its own Heritage Classification in 1992[2] and was donated by the wealthy squatter Sir Samuel Wilson in 1876[3] at the cost of £450[4].

I recall that back in about 2009 this window was one the first specimens of Ferguson & Urie stained glass I had ventured to see based on my fledgling research notes. I didn’t know exactly what I was looking for at the time as my only clues mentioned something to do with the “Parables”, also referred to as the “Episodes from the Gospels or the “Teachings of Jesus”.

I wandered up and down the nave of Scots Church randomly looking at the stained-glass windows with no specific clue on the biblical scenes that it may contain and there was also no mention of anyone named Wilson in the dedication border on the windows or the brass plaques below them. Eventually I asked a lady who was collecting the bibles from the pews if she knew of a window depicting something to do with the ‘Parables’. Suffice to say that the look on her face was priceless. It was duly pointed out to me that the window I was looking for was the huge four- light window in the liturgical west wall of the church facing the Collins Street end. You would have to be blind not to notice it. I was dumbfounded and astounded! My immediate thoughts were that if Ferguson & Urie had created a stained-glass window of this magnitude then there must certainly be more of their work to be found as well as much more to the history of the company than I had only found briefly mentioned in a handful of publications.

The Eight Episodes from the Gospels, Scots Church 1876.

Eight Episodes from the Gospels, Scots Church, Melbourne 1876.

My original post about the two largest Ferguson & Urie stained glass windows in Scots Church can be seen here: http://wp.me/p28nLD-pW

Fast forward to 2019 and I’ve managed to compile a significant dossier about the company, most of which I have published here on this web site.

Page eighteen of Scots Church’s magazine ‘The Leaflet, No.1076, June 2019’ is probably the most unusual in relation to the history of Ferguson & Urie. Rosalie Strother is the Editor of ‘The Leaflet’ and in this edition of the magazine Rosalie has included a biography of me and my research of the company between their inception in 1853 and their demise in 1899.

Rosalie’s article is an interesting read to see how the Ferguson & Urie company history became my research obsession as a result of a simple family history project that spawned a whole new previously unwritten history about Ferguson & Urie and their stained glass windows.

Footnotes:

[1] Rosalie Strother, Scots Church Melbourne, The Leaflet, No,1079, June 2019, “Ray Brown – A Descendant of James Ferguson and his work in Historical Preservation”.

[2] Public Art: Ferguson & Urie Stained Glass West Window – ‘Eight Episodes from the Gospels’ Stained Glass Classified: 18/11/1992; https://vhd.heritagecouncil.vic.gov.au/places/64601

[3] Ray Brown, Ferguson & Urie, Scots Church Melbourne 1876. http://wp.me/p28nLD-pW

[4] Scots Church minute Books 1870’s: Email from Mrs Kilmartin, Scots Church, 4^th Feb 2011

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This article covers the two largest stained glass windows in Scots Church, Collins Street, Melbourne. Both windows were made by the North Melbourne stained glass firm, Ferguson & Urie.

The window facing Collins Street depicts the “The Eight Episodes from the Gospels” and was donated by Sir Samuel Wilson in 1876. The window in the liturgical south transept, facing Russell street, depicts “The Last Supper” and was donated by John Wilson (brother of Sir Samuel) in 1879.

The Argus, Melbourne, 6^th December 1876, page 5.

“The large window in front of Scots’ Church, Collins-street, has just been filled in with stained glass. The window is in four compartments, with Gothic tracery over each of them. Each compartment is filled in with two Scripture illustrations, with canopies and ornaments in accordance with the style of architecture. The subjects in the first compartment are “Christ Preaching to the Multitude from the Ship”, and the parable of “The Sower”. In the second compartment “Christ Rebuking the Pharisees”, and “The Pharisee and the Publican in the Temple”; in the third “Christ at Meat in the Pharisee’s House”, and the parable of “The Lost Sheep”; and in the fourth, “Christ Weeping over Jerusalem”, and the parable of “The Un-just Steward”, The tracery is filled in with angels bearing scrolls. The subjects illustrated were suggested by the Rev. C. Strong, the minister of the church and in the style of decoration was under the superintendence of Messrs. Reed and Barnes, architects. The work was executed by Messrs Ferguson and Urie, Collins-street, at the cost of £500, to the order of Sir Samuel Wilson, and bears the following inscription at the bottom of the window:- “Presented to Scots’ Church by the Hon. Sir Samuel Wilson, A D, 1876”

Riverine Herald, Echuca, Vic, Tuesday 19^th December 1876, page 3.

“A magnificent new stained glass window has been completed to the order of Sir Samuel Wilson, and fitted in the front of Scots’ Church Collins street. It is a beautiful work of art, the design being appropriate, and the execution exquisite.”

The second largest window in Scots church, “The Last Supper”, in the south transept, was also the work of Ferguson & Urie and was donated by Samuel Wilson’s elder brother, John Wilson, in 1879.

Photos taken 12th December 2010;

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THE EIGHT EPISODES FROM THE GOSPELS:

The west window is known as “The Eight Episodes from the Gospels” and has its own individual National Trust Classification granted in November 1992. It was donated by Sir Samuel Wilson and installed in 1876 at a cost of £450 (this differs from the newspaper articles reported cost of £500).

At the very top of the tracery is a trefoil with the cross and crown depicted. On the lower left and right off that are floating angels with ribbons of text that read:

‘HOSANNA | HALLALUIAH’

Further down are two quatrefoils depicting angels with ribbons of text that read:

‘THY KINGDOM COME | THY WILL BE DONE’

The text at the bottom of the window reads:

‘THIS WINDOW WAS PRESENTED | TO THE SCOTS CHURCH BY THE | HONBLE SIR SAMUEL WILSON | ANNO DOMINI 1876.’

The scenes, chapters, and verses displayed on the window are; from top left to right and bottom left to right are:

1: (Matt 13-2) Jesus teaching the people from a boat.
2: (Luke 11-37) Jesus teaching the people.
3: (Luke 7–37) A woman wiping Jesus’ feet with her hair.
4: (Luke 19-41) Jesus weeping over the City of Jerusalem.
5: (Matthew 13–3) The parable of the Sower.
6: (Luke 18–10) The parable of the Pharisee and the Publican.
7: (Luke 15 -3) The parable of the Shepherd with Lost Sheep.
8: (Luke 19-20) The parable of the Talents (or Minas).

THE LAST SUPPER WINDOW:

The Last Supper window is the second largest window in the church and was gifted by John Wilson. Esq, J. P of Woodlands (brother of Sir Samuel), it cost of £350 and was installed in the South Transept in 1879.

There were some reservations about who should be commissioned to create the window. Mrs Judith Kilmartin from Scots Church kindly provided this information 7th February 2011:

An excerpt from the Scots’ Church Board of Management Minutes of 9th August 1878 reads:-“The subject of the gift of a stained glass window for the East (South) Transept promised by Mr John Wilson came up for discussion and fear was expressed lest its execution should be trusted to inferior makers. Eventually, Mr B?? moved that the Board convey to the Trustees the expression that the manufacture of this window should be entrusted to some leading English firm”.

Obviously the trustees ignored the advice of the board and the work was subsequently entrusted to the local Melbourne firm Ferguson & Urie who had previously done the magnificent eight episodes from the gospels window in 1876. Why the board were considering an English firm to create the window will probably remain a mystery forever!

Text on the Last Supper window reads:

In the upper three trefoils. above the main five lights, are three trefoils with emblems representing Faith, Hope and Charity. Below that are two quatrefoils with an angel in each holding a ribbon banner with the text:

‘THIS IS MY COMMANDMENT | THAT WE LOVE ONE ANOTHER’

The main three lights read:

‘THIS IS MY BODY | WHICH IS GIVEN FOR YOU | THIS DO IN | REMEMBRANCE OF ME’

‘THIS WINDOW WAS PRESENTED | TO THE SCOTS CHURCH | BY JOHN WILSON ESQ J.P | OF WOODLANDS’

Sir Samuel Wilson’s mansion “Longerenong” (Crouch & Wilson 1862), and John Wilson’s mansion “Woodlands” (Crouch & Wilson 1867), both also contain magnificent secular stained glass windows created by Ferguson & Urie.

1868: John Wilson’s ‘Woodlands’ at Ararat

External links:

Biography: Sir Samuel Wilson (1832-1895)

Death Notice: John Wilson (1813-1888)

Wikipedia: Scots’ Church Melbourne

National Trust: Scots’ Church Melbourne

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