Perkins, James Edward

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Watercolour portrait by John Sowden of Reverend Edward Perkins, M.A., vicar of St. Michael's Church, City Road, Bradford.

From John Sowden's notes:

Mr Perkins was not a Yorkshireman, but the whole of his ministerial life has been spent in Yorkshire. His father the Reverend Worton Perkins was a member of an old Warwickshire family, was the rector of Stockton in the Midland county. Mr Perkins received his education, first at Rossall School, and having decided upon a career in the Church, he proceeded to Saint Aidan's Theological College at Birkenhead in 1857. Whilst at Saint Aidan's he twice carried off the first prize of the college. He graduated at the University of Durham where he took his degrees.
He was ordained in 1860 and began his office as a curate at Holmfirth near Huddersfield. Here he stayed two years. In 1862 he came to Bradford as the curate in connection with Saint Andrew’s Church at Listerhills so that he has passed no fewer than 48½ years of clerical life in Bradford. In 1867 he was appointed to the vicarage of Saint Michaels in City Road by the Bishop of Ripon.
When he was not busy amongst his parishioners, the vicar was a good booksman and had many objects of interest associated with his family to entertain him at home. His library was one of the largest collections in the neighbourhood. His family pictures and articles of Vesta(?) were very fine. Mr Perkins never had the luxury of a curate. Sunday after Sunday he preached, morning and evening & conducted a young woman’s class in the afternoon, keeping in close touch with the various parochial organisations and acted as one of the honorary secretaries for the Bradford Rural Deanery of the Ripon Diocesan fund, position he held for many years. He was especially interested in the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. He was a vice chairman of the Bradford Church Institute and was a trustee of the East Morley Savings Bank. He married in 1869 Anne Maria, daughter of Mr Thomas Ivil of Dunmore East, County of Waterford. He died in 1911.

Creator

John Sowden

Image filename

sowden-275