‘I fear that reports of my death
have been greatly exaggerated’
The life and times of the Rev. Edward Shuttleworth Medley
by the Diocesan Archivists
Archbishop John Medley’s name still reverberates in this diocese and his interest in, and talent for, both music and church
architecture are hardly news to anyone. His youngest child, Edward Shuttleworth Medley, followed closely in his father’s footsteps as far as these two areas are concerned.
Edward was born August 27, 1838 to John Medley, Vicar of Exeter, and Christiana Bacon Medley. Like his four siblings, Charles, John Bacon, Spenser and Cana, Edward came to New Brunswick with his father in 1845. Their mother died in May 1842; his father later married Margaret Hudson, but that was not until June 1863.
When Edward was 15, the Bishop sent him to London, England to study architecture for three years with the renowned Gothic architect, William Butterfield (one of the Christ Church Cathedral’s two architects.) London may also have been the source of Edward’s musical training, for F.W. Vroom’s little biography notes that Edward was a “talented composer,” organist and choirmaster. And in the Rev. William Jaffrey’s account of the consecration of Holy Trinity Church in Lower St. Mary’s in 1848, he notes Edward was a gifted singer. He wrote: “Edward and [his sister] Cana Medley possessed voices of rare tone and quality very rarely to be met with.”
When he returned to NB in 1856, Edward studied in Fredericton, first at the Collegiate Grammar School and then at King’s College (now UNB), where he earned a Bachelor’s degree (B.A.) in 1862. On May 31, 1863, he was ordained as deacon and appointed a curate in St. Stephen to help the aging rector, the Rev. Skiffington Thomson. His appointment was timely for on July 22nd, when extensive renovations were nearly complete, the church burned down. Because of his architectural skills, the young deacon submitted architectural plans — which he had “made … with my own hands in order to save expense” — to the St. Stephen Vestry. Although his plans were accepted, the vestry insisted on wood as the building material instead of brick, which Medley preferred.
Christ Church was not the first New Brunswick church designed* by Edward, but it was the “largest and most ambitious” and 
the one with which he is most frequently linked. (*G. Finley lists the churches which Medley designed: i.e. All Saints, McKeen's Corner; St. Mary the Virgin, New Maryland; St. Paul’s, Zealand; All Saints, Maguadavic; and Church of the Ascension, Apohaqui.)
In a letter to Charlotte County MLA A.H. Gillmor, dated May 6, 1865, Edward Medley talks of the “great personal difficulty I have had to contend with in raising the new Church at St. Stephen.” Not only had he drawn the plans, he had also given $2,000 toward construction costs (providing all seats were free) and “imported the stained glass from England at my own expense.” He asks Mr. Gillmor to use his influence to “relieve us of the duties.”
Edward erected the striking five-panel east window in memory of his mother, Christiana Bacon Medley. A window in the chancel’s side wall is in memory of Edward’s first wife.
On Sept. 29, 1864, Bishop Medley consecrated the new church and also ordained Edward Medley as priest. Upon the death of the elderly Mr. Thomson a year later, Edward Medley became rector of St. Stephen.
In 1867, ill health forced Edward Medley back to England to recuperate. Imagine the surprise of his family when the (Saint John) Morning Telegraph of Sept. 19, 1867 announced: “Intelligence has been received of the death in England of Rev. Edward Medley s/o Bishop of Fredericton. He went to England some time ago for his health.” His brother, the Rev. Charles Medley’s response appeared a week later:
“Having noticed in your paper of last week that Rev. Edward Medley, my brother, died in London, I should feel obliged to you if you would kindly contradict this obituary notice as I have heard by the English mail that he is still alive and much improved in health. How the mistake has arisen, I cannot tell.”
Medley returned to serve in the church he built in St. Stephen until early 1872. Problems in the parish led to the creation of a second parish (Trinity Parish) in St. Stephen in 1871 and Edward accepted a position with Norwich Cathedral in England. He left New Brunswick in February of1872. He continued to work until just before his death in May 1910.
Edward Medley was married twice but had no children. In 1863 he married Alice Coster, daughter of Archdeacon Coster. She died in March 1873. In 1879, he married Katherine M. Hansell of Norwich, who survived him.
An architectural gem, and recognized as an historic site in 1999, Edward Medley’s beautiful Christ Church still stands much as he built it — just minus the huge tower which was torn off by the Saxby Gale in 1869. It was not re-constructed.
Sources: W.F. Vroom, Christ Church, St. Stephen, NB with a Biographical Sketch of the Architect (1913);
E.S. Medley’s Notes of Building Christ Church;
G.A. Finley, On Earth As It is In Heaven (1995).
D. Johnson, Vital Statistics from NB Newspapers;
Letter to A. H. Gillmor, May 6, 1865 (PANB, MC243);
Special thanks to archivist Janice Cook (PANB) for pointing out this letter.
Note that Christ Church, St. Stephen is the feature photo for April in the 2010 Canadian Anglican Church Calendar.
The Archives Corner is prepared by Twila Buttimer <twila.buttimer at gnb.ca> and Frank Morehouse <Frankm at nbnet.nb.ca. Feel free to contact them with questions, comments or potential archives donations.
Diocesan Communications
27 October 2009
