The Life And Legacy Of John Gowring
Earthen Vessel 1880:
Death Of The Rev. John William Gowring, B. A.
[We quote the following from The City Press, of Sept. 4]
The Rev. John William Gowring, B.A., died at his residence in the Stockwell-road on Tuesday. The late rev. gentleman (who was afflicted with loss of sight) was one of the most faithful ministers of the Church of England of the present century. He was a Cambridge man, and was eleventh wrangler. He was for a long term of years one of the curates of Kennington parish. During the later part of his time he held regular services in the large school-rooms in Bolton-street. In fact, it was a kind of district church. It was here that the late Rev. George Doudney (of Charles chapel, Plymouth), when officiating for Mr. Gowring, said, when speaking some great truths in a humble manner. “You will think me a strange kind of Churchman.” It was here too that the same Mr. Doudney “crowded the sanctuary with churchmen and dissenters, where he spoke to them goodly words,” while Mr. Gowring, the “blind preacher” was taking duty at Plymouth. While Mr. Gowring was at Bolton-street a gentleman wrote to him, offering, in consideration of his blindness, to read prayers for him, thinking it would be a relief. Mr. Gowring wrote back, “I thank you very much for your kind offer, but I can assure you that reading prayers I count one of the most precious privileges of my life; and those who knew Mr. Gowring can testify to the very distinct and emphatic way in which he read the beautiful services of the Church of England, and by means of the blessed Bible read the lessons. After leaving Bolton-street Mr. Gowring was elected Sunday afternoon lecturer at St. John’s, Horselydown. Here he had good congregations for a considerable time. While preaching Mr. Gowring would take out his watch, and by the light touch of his finger—an incident that strangers would not notice—he “felt” the time. While Mr. Gowring was at St. John’s the pulpit was sometimes occupied in the afternoon by the Rev. Dr. Doudney (vicar of St. Luke’s, Bristol, and editor of the Gospel Magazine) and the Rev. George Doudney of Plymouth. At this time there was a large congregation of Baptists in the neighbourhood, under the ministrations of Charles Waters Banks, and many of Mr. Banks’s people went to St. John’s on Sunday afternoons. Mr. Gowring’s last appointment was that of Sunday evening lecturer at St. Giles, Cripplegate. The death of his wife, which occurred some four or five years ago, was such a shock, that after the sad event he scarcely ever again officiated. Mrs. Gowring not only acted as amanuensis to her husband, but he was seldom seen without her. Mr. Gowring edited “The Bible for the Blind,” and many years ago was a contributor to the Gospel Magazine, a monthly originally edited by the “immortal Augustus Montagueu Toplady,” and ea favourite with evangelical churchmen for the last century or more. Mr. Gowring has passed away amidst the esteem and regret of all who knew him, and the Church of which he was an earnest minister has lost another of the faithful army of Gospel preachers.
John Gowring (?-1880) was a High-Calvinist Anglican preacher. He came out as eleventh wrangler at Cambridge; appointed afternoon lecturer at St. John's, Bermondsey; as evening lecturer at St. Giles's, Cripplegate; for twenty years one of the curates at Kennington. Having lost his sight, he became known as the “blind preacher” and was appointed the monumental work of prepare and revise the proof-sheets of the Bible for the blind, along with the Prayer-book.
