ST JUDE’S ANGLICAN CHURCH

According to Col C.P. Nel’s notes, the following information was supplied by Archdeacon Thornley-Jones and Miss Florrie Morris, daughter of the Rev. Alfred Morris.

For ten years, from 1850 to 1860 Oudtshoorn was part of the Schoonberg Anglican parish in the Langkloof. The Rev. Herman Hirsch, of Schoonberg parish, realised that Oudtshoorn – then a little village of about 30 houses – would become an important town, destined for rapid expansion and came here to work among the English speaking people for six months – apparently in 1857. In that time he decided to build a church here.

The foundation stone of the church was laid in January 1860 by Mr W. Walters, who became the first chairman of the Oudtshoorn Village Management Board in 1863 – in effect the first mayor of Oudtshoorn.

The Rev. Alfred Morris was appointed Rector in July 1860. When he came here the church was still being built – by four Scottish stone masons who had to be paid every fortnight. It was quite often hard to find the money to pay them. Once one of the warders, Mr Cahill, sold his gold watch to Dr O’Hare for £10 so that the masons could be paid. The building was finished by the end of 1861. It is interesting to note that the heirs of C.P. Rademeyer donated two plots (erven) to the new English church. They were thankfully accepted and sold for the building fund.

The St Jude’s Anglican Church is the oldest existing church building, built of stone in Oudtshoorn. Various additions were made to the building in the early years: the chancel in 1880, a new wing in 1887 (for which the Edmeades family donated the stained glass windows), an extension to the back and a new vestry in 1897. Florrie Morris, the daughter of Rev. Alfred Morris, served as organist at St Jude’s for seventy years.

Surnames the crop up in the baptism and marriage records of that time are the following: Edmeades, Ross, Hayward, Penton, Smuts, Johnson, Middleton, Brand, Davies, Lee, Burn, Tullis, Wilson, Cahill, Essenhigh and Stretch.