Effingham Eye: A Bible, A ‘Pirate’ and Ritual Cannibalism

Published on: 3 Sep, 2016
Updated on: 6 Sep, 2016

By Chris Dick

We have all read gravestone inscriptions at some time in our lives. If they are not those of our own predecessors we might consider the lives of those whose remains lie beneath for a few seconds, but rarely more.

If I say that the gravestone I am thinking of as I write is in the churchyard of St Lawrence’s in Effingham, some, more knowledgeable, might immediately jump to the conclusion that it is the most famous grave we have, that of the bouncing bomb man, Sir Barnes Wallis. But it is not.

A year ago while I was running the Effingham Residents Association website (or writing what my wife told me to write) I reported on Vivien White and Bryan Sherwood  who had volunteered to document the burial grounds at St Lawrence Church and All Saints.

Bryan Sherwood and Vivien White pictured last year in St Lawrence burial ground

No one imagined that one grave they listed would trigger such interest. Frankly nobody had heard of the former rector at St Lawrence, Rev John Miller. But there was his grave from over 300 years ago.

Captain William Kidd

That should have been an end to the matter. A simple entry in the records and move on. But instead a real life Tomb Raider story began. Bryan researched Miller further finding his links to the legendary pirate Captain William Kidd.

Back in the 1690s Miller was one of the founders of New York. He attempted to stamp out ritual cannibalism and put an end to the execution of witches in Salem Massachusetts by casting doubt on the theory of “Spectral Evidence”.

Then later, after time spent as a prisoner-of-war in France, he returned to England and became Effingham’s vicar until his death. (Surely there is a film in the making here?)

But that is not the whole story. Bryan researched further into this character and incredibly found Miller‘s own 300 year old bible for sale on eBay. So then, with the aid of Barbara Henry, the bible was saved for Effingham.

Barbara Henry with the Miller Bible

Bryan commented; “Once I had got through to the right people in America I found that Rev Miller is much better known in the US. It’s just here in the UK that he’s unknown.”

You can see Miller‘s Bible now beautifully restored by Laurenson-Stuart of Guildford. On Heritage Day, Saturday, September 10 between 9am to 5pm, it will be on display at St Lawrence’s Church.

Miller’s Bible – now beautifully restored (click to enlarge)

You will also be able to walk round Effingham’s past using the free leaflets covering a history trail and the “Bishops Walk”. The leaflets will be available at all the open buildings including Sibleys a local newsagent, the Methodist Chapel, St Lawrence and All Saints churches as well as Guildford Tourist Office and in Little Bookham at the Tithe Barn and Manor House School.

St Lawrence’s, Effingham

Effingham Residents Association is sponsoring the day and Effingham Parish Council is supporting it through its community fund.

And by the way, perhaps we have got the history of Captain Kidd all wrong. Was he actually a pirate at all? He was, for a time the richest man in New York. A city that is known to have been built from the profits of privateering.

Some historians now believe that Kidd was actually just a privateer falsely tried for piracy. I must say that having learnt that Kidd funded the building of Miller‘s first Anglican Church in New York I am left in no doubt on that score.

Finally, how could I write this article without mentioning Sir Barnes Wallis. He was the World War 2 inventor of the “bouncing bomb” and is buried in the same churchyard. He is buried here, out of the way in a modest part of the burial ground with a grave stone well worth visiting.

The gravestone of Barnes Wallis

Links – click here to read more about: Rev John Miller; Sir Barnes Wallis; Heritage Day in Effingham and Bookham.

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