Sheffield Silversmiths Remembered in Service at Sheffield Cathedral
Published: 14th January 2021
Chairman and Trustee Ashley Carson and Brett Payne beneath the plaque in Sheffield Cathedral dedicated to John and the Mary Parsons. Image kindly taken and supplied by Katherine Payne.
In 1817, a lady called Mary Parsons left a bequest in her will for the amount of £1,500 - in those days a considerable amount - to benefit old, infirm and poor Sheffield silversmiths. This generous gesture was made in memory of her brother John, who was one of the earliest Sheffield platers and silversmiths in Sheffield.
It was with regret that the annual Mary Parsons Charity service had to be cancelled in 2020, however the Acting Dean, Canon Geoffrey Harbord kindly offered to remember Mary and John Parsons and the Silversmiths of the City of Sheffield in his sermon and in prayers at The Feast of St John the Evangelist service on December 27th.
Chairman and Assay Master, Mr Ashley Carson and Trustee, Brett Payne attended the service and Ashley Carson also read The Liturgy of the Word, The New Testament Reading: 1 John 1. 1.
Assay Master, Ashley Carson who has been the Chairman of the Mary Parsons Charity since 1993 comments:
“I am really grateful to Sheffield Cathedral for giving profile of this unique Charity, remembering John and Mary Parsons and the Silversmiths of the City of Sheffield in the The Feast of St John the Evangelist service. I especially want to thank the Acting Dean, Cannon Geoffrey Harbord for his excellent sermon”
If you were unable to attend or would like to watch the service it is available from the Cathedral website available on Facebook and YouTube.
Beneficiaries of the Mary Parsons Charity received their cheques via post, the charity hope to resume normality in 2021 and have booked the date in the Cathedral calendar for St John’s Day. In the meantime, anyone wishing to make a donation for 2021, cheques should be made payable to 'Mary Parsons Charity' and sent to:
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