Talbot Settlement
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St. Peter's Church

Tyrconnell, Ontario, Canada


St. Peter's Tyrconnell
St. Peter's Anglican Church was built in the autumn of 1827 on 10 acres of land donated by Mary Storey for a church yard, burial ground and rectory. It was built by Colonel Talbot's first colonists that did not come as part of the original Talbot landing party.

White or blue oak was used in building the frame, and the outside was finished in rough cast. Shingles and lath were made from pine and split by hand. The present siding was put on seven years later by Stephen Backus. John Pearce finished the inside by lathing and plastering the walls and ceiling, making the seats, reading desk and pulpit.

In 1844 a communion service, a Bible and a Missal were given as a gift from Charlotte, daughter of the late Governor Simcoe. The bell was given by the Earl of Galloway in memory of his uncle, Charles James Stewart (1775-1837), second Bishop of Quebec.

The present belfry and spire were built in 1845. In 1865 the chancel window was installed. The present chancel was built in the 1880s and the choir moved from the gallery to the new chancel.
Anna BerwickIn 1891 the tablets of the Ten Commandments were donated, with the Lord's Prayer and the Creed a year or two later. A new altar was purchased in 1903 with special funds collected during the Talbot Centennial.   Colonel Talbot and many members of the original Talbot settlement are buried in St. Peter's cemetery.

St Peter's is now part of the 4-point Parish of Tyrconnell along with Grace Church, West Lorne; Church of the Nativity, Dutton and St. Stephen's Church, Burwell Park.

The Rev'd Anna Berwick died suddenly on Monday February 19th, 2007. On her ordination in 2002, Rev'd Berwick was appointed the rector of the Parish of Tyrconnell. A memorial service was held on March 1, 2007 at St. Peter's Tyrconnell with Bishop Howe presiding.

An Archaeological and Historic Sites Board of Ontario plaque was erected at the church. It reads:

St Peter's Church 1827

A fine example of early Gothic Revival architecture, this Anglican church lies in the midst of the original "Talbot Settlement." The nave was erected by the congregation in 1827. The belfry and tower, added in 1845 to accommodate a bell donated by the Earl of Galloway, adhered to the original style. In 1849 Bishop John Strachan consecrated the church, and two years later the Reverend James Stewart became first resident priest of the parish. Charlotte Simcoe, a daughter of the province's first lieutenant-governor, gave St. Peter's a silver communion service in 1844. The nearby burying ground contains the graves of some of the area's earliest settlers, including that of Col. Thomas Talbot, founder of the "Talbot Settlement"