Sunday September 3, 1865. His Lordship Bishop Strachan arrived at St. George’s at 11 o’clock this morning in his hemispherical coach and four, complete with verger and coachman. Some lads of the parish were tardy in entering for the service preferring to linger in the churchyard and admire this spectacular vehicle. Inside the edifice was filled with a large and attentive congregation assembled to witness not only the Rite of Confirmation but also the dedication of our first memorial – a baptismal font. The Bishop, now in his 88th year, was not accompanied by a Chaplain and despite his increasing deafness and blindness, appeared quite equal to the duties of the occasion. The words of ghostly counsel and admonition from the lips of this venerable Prelate, combined to invest the service with a peculiar solemnity and appeared to make a deep impression on the minds of all present.
– reprinted from the 1980 Lent Issue of The Lance
The Font is our oldest memorial, and was given by Mrs. Alexander Campbell . . . The cover to the font was given in 1913 in memory of William Richard and Alice Leona Martin. Originally placed at the western end of the nave, it was moved in 1950 to where the Book of Remembrance is now. In the early 1980s it was placed near the chancel steps to permit the congregation to witness the ritual of baptism more easily. In 2014 the font was moved into the middle of the chancel, in front of the altar, giving it a more central and prominent location, as baptism and holy communion are at the heart of our faith.
– excerpt from the St. George’s Tour Guide, published by The Archives and Heritage Committee, May 2019.