Transcription of obituary published in the Minutes of Conference
JOHN STANLEY SILCOCK: born in Whittington near Chesterfield on 19th October 1898. After a pre-collegiate year at Hay and training at Hartley College he spent some years on the home stations, being appointed to Cardiff, Risca, Rhondda (LIwynypia) and Shaftesbury and Gillingham. From 1935 to 1948 he served the Barbados District and, while at Trinidad, was appointed a Chaplain to the Forces. At the end of the war he went to St Vincent before moving on to British Guyana where, with his wife Hilda, he had an outstanding ministry from 1948 to 1962. Then he returned to Barbados for four more years before superannuating first in Derbyshire and then in West Sussex.
John Silcock was a man of considerable learning. He had a thorough knowledge of the Bible and the Methodist Hymn Book and a great love of poetry, especially the works of Robert Browning, many of which he could recite by heart. A feature of his ministry was the establishment of schools, and he was awarded an honorary degree by an American university. In all his circuits his aims were to spread the Gospel and to enable others to do this, and to leave the circuit with money in the bank — a no mean feat in those days. Wherever he went he worked for the improvement of the manses and always left the mission cars in good condition.
In recent years John continued to play a significant part in the life of the Church. Apart from personal contacts with people from the places where he served, he was glad to feel part of the local circuit. While his health permitted he would take services in Methodist churches and in All Saints Church of England in Crawley Down, a village where he resided for some time. Most recently, confined to his home, he would pray each day for people and places he knew, and he welcomed visitors who helped his prayers to be informed. He had great strength of character and a strong constitution, and despite periods of illness was able to continue in his own home until earlier this year.
He died in the early hours of Maundy Thursday, 12th April 1990, in the ninety-second year of his age and the sixty-fourth year of his ministry.
Family
John was born on 19 October 1898 near Chesterfield, Derbyshire.
He married Hilda Wilkinson (1898-1971) in the spring of 1930 in the Chesterfield Registration District, Derbyshire.
He married Dorothy Mary Jeffries (1914-1982) in the spring of 1975 in the Horsham Registration District, West Sussex
John died on 12 April 1990 at Crawley, Sussex..
Circuits
- Hartley
- 1926 Hay
- 1928 Cardiff
- 1930 Risca
- 1932 Rhondda
- 1935 Shaftsbury &c
- 1938 Barbados District
- 1948 Br Guiana District
- 1962 Barbados district
- 1966 Redhill (S)
References
Methodist Minutes 1990/42
W Leary, Directory of Primitive Methodist Ministers and their Circuits, 1990
Census Returns and Births, Marriages & Deaths Registers
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