Lives in Cricket No 51 - Rev ES Carter

time it was the annual parochial gathering at which 300 sat down for tea. Seemingly the organ fund had nearly reached its target for Mr Carter in making the introductions said he still needed a school room and a parish room. “As soon as the organ is paid for, I shall ask my friends to help me procure the parish room.” He then being suffering from a cold was unable to sing his usual repertoire but added to his skills by accompanying on the pianoforte those who did sing. This time the guest of honour was the Dean of York who in his response hoped that ‘Revd Mr Carter would be spared many years to meet his parishioners.’ What did he mean by that – was Mr Carter neglecting to knock on sufficient doors? Perhaps he meant that there might be many more annual tea parties within the parish. In 1886 the Archbishop was back at St Michael-le-Belfrey confirming 373 candidates from 25 York churches. The Reverend Carter was thereafter an active participant in confirmation services at his church. A clue to his attitude to other churches comes from his being present in 1889 at a meeting to form the York branch of the Protestant Churchmen’s alliance opposed to practices of the Catholic Church being imposed upon the Anglican Church. Today Carter’s activity in York with young people and in particular with schools, to be noted later in this chapter, would have been a forerunner of the current congregation’s interest in York Schools and Youth Trust, and the Riding Lights Theatre Company. With his own dramatic and outward personality Carter would have approved of all of that, and indeed Carter himself liked to dress in clerical clothing in colourful style. Though some distinguished Yorkshire cricket writers have said that Carter followed his father as Vicar of Malton, this writer has found no evidence to confirm such assertion, and indeed though the Reverend William Carter was at one time Curate of Malton, he was not vicar. Edmund Carter did preach in St Michael’s at Malton (for example, at harvest festivals) but clerical directories never gave him a formal position there, or at Slingsby where his father had been the vicar. William Carter died in office at Slingsby in 1882, the same year that his son was appointed to St Michael-le-Belfry. York 49