Carden, Percy Samuel (1880-1955)

zoom

Primitive Methodist Magazine 1914

Transcription of obituary published in the Minutes of Conference

PERCY SAMUEL CARDEN: born at Northampton in 1880, son of Rev. Henry Carden, was educated at Deacon’s School, Peterborough, and Bourne College, Birmingham;  he entered the ministry in 1900, after two years in Hartley College, Manchester. His fifty-two years of active ministry were spent at Portsmouth, Whitehaven, Sutton and Kirby, Crook (twice), Stockton-on-Tees, Norwich, Eston, Stanley, Ashington, and Sunderland. He was for seven years the Chairman of the Sunderland and Durham District, and during that period the Durham County Methodist Big Meeting was initiated; it was appropriate that his enthusiastic and wise leadership was recognised by an invitation to preach in Durham Cathedral.

His strong views, especially on pacifism, were put forward boldly, yet always kindly, a fact that accounted for the love in which he was held by so many whose views were opposed to his own. He was an able debater and he knew how to hold the attention of Conference when he spoke from the tribune. he possessed a quiet humour, which in all his dealings enabled him to keep a balanced judgement. he was a good friend, and many younger ministers are in his debt because of his encouragement, wise counsel and faith. As a preacher he was arresting, for he knew what he believed, and he made a special appeal to men. In his pastoral work he was painstaking and diligent, revealing no mean gifts as an administrator.

He was a keen sportsman, having played football, cricket, and golf; on the history of cricket he was an authority. In his short retirement he was happy to spend his time with his books and writing articles for papers and magazines. He died peacefully on 3rd March 1955, in the fifty-fifth year of his ministry and the seventy-fifth of his age.

Family

Percy was born on 10 March 1880 at Northampton, to parents Henry Carden, a PM minister, and Eliza Jane Shadick.

He married Catherine Batson (1883-1964) in the summer of 1905 at Cleator Moor, Whitehaven, Cumberland. Records identify four children.

• Kathleen (b1906) – married John W. Ainsley in 1945
• Constance Isabella (1908-1999) – married Thomas Alfred Cunliffe, a barrister, in 1938
• Barbara A (b1918) – married Frederick Green in 1948
• Mary (b1923) – married Arnold Stephenson in 1953

Percy died on 3 March 1955 at Sunderland, Co. Durham.

Circuits

• Hartley
• 1900 Portsmouth I
• 1902 Whitehaven
• 1904 Sutton & Kirby
• 1907 Crook
• 1911 Stockton
• 1914 Eston
• 1918 Norwich III
• 1928 Stanley
• 1936 Ashington
• 1941 Crook
• 1946 Sunderland N
• 1952 Sunderland N (S)

References

Primitive Methodist Magazine 1914/437; 1917/179

Methodist Minutes 1955/136

W Leary, Directory of Primitive Methodist Ministers and their Circuits, 1990

Census Returns and Births, Marriages & Deaths Registers