Nugent Wade i Helsingør. En engelsk præsts møde med Grundtvig og Mynster

Abstract

Nugent Wade in Elsinore. By Helge Toldberg.

When visiting England in the summer of 1947, with a scholarship from the Hjelmstjerne-Rosencrone Institution, in order to study Grundtvig’s English journeys and connections, I made contact with the daughter of a son of the Rev. Nugent Wade, who lent me his diaries from the years when he was English chaplain in Elsinore, and letters to him from Danish and Norwegian clergymen, some written while he was in Elsinore and some in the years immediately following his return home. On examining them, I realised that his notes on Danish Church life in the 1830’s are of the greatest importance for students of Danish Church history. Wade was born on Jan. 1st, 1809, in Dublin, where he had a brilliant University career (classical gold medallist in 1828, B. A. in 1829, and M. A. in 1832). He was ordained in September, 1832, and, after a short period as deacon at Templeport in Ireland, became chaplain to the consulate in Elsinore (1833—39), curate at St. Paul’s, Finsbury, London (1839—46), and rector of St. Ann’s Soho — one of the most important parishes in London — (1846—90), as well as holding a canonry at Bristol from 1872 onwards. He died at Llandrindod Wells in Wales on July 6th, 1893, and was buried in Bristol. He left a large family, and such of his papers as have been preserved belong to the daughter of his youngest son, Miss Elmira Wade, O. B. E., who lives in Bath. Wade’s diary goes back to his student days and ends at the end of 1837, but is supplemented by the letters, which begin in 1838. Much af his diary is purely personal, and from this personal material I shall only cite some facts which throw light on his character. Already while at Templeport Wade showed signs of the weak health which hampered him throughout his life. He was also handicapped in his parochial work by his great learning, although he is very modest about his scholastic attainments, describing himself as “ shamefully ignorant” of Hebrew; by others he was considered especially good at it. He had to learn Danish from the beginning when he came to Elsinore. At one time he was much interested in natural science, but regarded both it & literature as handmaids

of theology. On Jan. 14th, 1834, he noted that history was his weakest subject, and expressed his resolve to study it more thoroughly, especially Church history, with God’s help. The inner conflict between his scholarly am bitions and his Christian humility, which taught him that all ambition was sinful, probably accounts for many of his difficulties throughout his clerical career, and for the fact that he never published anything, except a sermon in 1850. Wade’s friends seem to have been more ambitious for him than he was himself; and it was they (especially C. Otway, editor of “ The Christian Examiner” ) who secured him the chaplaincy at Elsinore. Wade’s kinsmand or close friend Peter Browne was already Secretary of the English Legation in Copenhagen, and, on landing there on July 7th, 1833, Wade spent some days with Browne’s family before proceeding to Elsinore. Until Nov., 1834, and again after his engagement and marriage to Luiza Fenwick in 1836, Wade’s diary refers chiefly to matters concerning his congregation, his sermons, and such personal matters as his health. From the Danish point of view its chief interest lies in its full account of his meetings with Grundtvig, and its comments on his two interviews with Mynster and on C. J. Boye, who became Rector of Elsinore in 1835. The interviews with Mynster in Feb., 1835 (P. 47—48) were of a purely professional character, but for that very reason throw much light on Mynster’s outlook; they may have been conducted in Danish. As regards the conversations with Grundtvig, the case is very different. He and his young followers, who were about the same age as Wade, had a decisive influence on the latter, as he found himself brought into a circle of men who could help him in his temptations

or at any rate give another direction to his thoughts. His account of his first meeting with Grundtvig, at Browne’s on Nov. 7th, 1834 (quoted on P. 48) helps us to understand Grundtvig during his writing of “ History of the World” . Their subsequent conversations were evidently longer, and Wade disagreed with Grundtvig on many points, e. g., on foreign missions (see P. 49—50).

Later entries show how fascinated Wade was by Grundtvig, though he regarded his constant emphasis on the “ living word” as an obsession (see the account of their third conversation, at Copenhagen on Feb. 26th, 1835). The reason that Wade was able to derive so much profit from their intercourse was that he could distinguish between the total impression of Grundtvig’s personality and the particular ideas which were basic in Grundtvig’s thought, but which Wade and many others found unacceptable. We see this in the account (P. 51) of their next meeting on March 26th. The following meeting on Oct. 2nd, when a missionary, Mr. Stallybrass, was present and Grundtvig spoke again about the “ living word” , is only briefly reported; but Wade derived more pleasure from their conversation on prayer on Oct. 30th (P. 52). The last two meetings which Wade reports took place on Jan. 14th and Feb. 2nd, 1836 (P. 53). When the diary ends, the letters begin, and show that Wade stood in a close and fruitful relationship to several of the Salland clergy — F. Fenger, T. V. Oldenburg and K. E. Mohl. The letters include one from Grundtvig, which from internal evidence can be dated July 23rd, 1838, and refers to his “Mands Minde”

lectures. Most of the letters are from Oldenburg (who, though a disciple of Grundtvig, shared Wade’s zeal for missions), e. g., one in 1840, which says that the Church situation in Denmark had altered little since Wade’s departure. It was to Wade that Grundtvig dedicated his “Aabent Vennebrev til en engelsk Prast” , and when he left Denmark Grundtvig gave him a letter of introduction to his chief contact at the British Museum, Sir Frederick Madden (P. 55) ; but here as often Grundtvig showed greater confidence in Madden than he deserved, for he seems to have done little about the matter. Grundtvig’s enjoyment of his visit to England in 1843 was largely due to Wade, but afterwards their friendship seems to have faded out. Wade became much involved in the English High Church movement, though his only published work (P. 56) was a sermon preached against “ Romish Aggression” in 1850. Wade was a man of sincere character, ill-fitted to deal with coarser & more brutal types, but more at home with noble-minded men; and we owe him much for the glimpses he has given us of the champion of the “ living word” expressing himself in his own element.