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of the Free Methodist Church,
preaching on the Wadebridge
and Bodmin circuit. It seems
likely that Richard was drawn
to the Methodist Church
during his teenage years in
Camborne, almost certainly
influenced by his father who
was ‘deeply read in Biblical
literature’. Shortly after his
marriage to Abigail Santo,
Richard was appointed the
Minister of a struggling innercity
Church in Plymouth, the
‘Hope United Methodist Free
Church’, which was to become
his lifetime’s work. An able
administrator he quickly took
on the Presidency of the Free
Church Council in Plymouth,
and for ten successive years
was elected Chairman of the
Methodist District of Free
Churches in Cornwall. A wholly
inadequate building with
barely one hundred members
became transformed, largely
by his drive, into a handsome
chapel seating seven hundred,
a large schoolroom, nine
classrooms, vestries and other
related accommodation.
Sadly this splendid structure
was completely destroyed in
an air-raid in 1941. It is the
emphasis on Education that
is particularly significant.
Without any formal education
himself he made considerable
sacrifices to ensure that his
two sons were educated at the
Hoe Grammar School, and that
they were supported in the
early stages of their careers.
The oldest of the trio is John
Santo of Lostwithiel, who was
born near Camborne in 1852,
and whose sisters married
John Crowle of Charlestown,
and Richard Waters. John
Santo is an exception in
that he spent all his life in
Lostwithiel, initially working
in his father’s butchery.
Elected Mayor five times,
he successfully lobbied for
a new Charter for the town
permitting membership of the
Council to Non-Conformists,
was made a J.P. and became
President of the Working Men’s
Institute. Deeply interested
in education he was one of
the managers of the Council
Schools and represented the
town on the District Education
Committee. His was a life of
which Santo descendants
should be very proud.
John Crowle’s career was a
sharp contrast although he,
too, started work in his father’s
butchery in Charlestown. He
remained in that business on
his move to London, where he
can be subsequently described
as a successful entrepreneur.
An opportunity to acquire
a neighbouring business
enabled him to secure Royal
Warrants, and his activities
greatly expanded. He later
managed to purchase land
near Felixstowe, subsequently
expanded into a flourishing
Estate. His children benefited
from excellent education, one
son gaining a Law degree at
Cambridge. He retained his
deep Methodist faith and
contributed generously
to the Wesleyan Methodist
Conference for the formation
of ‘The John Crowle Band of
Hope’ for the promotion of
Christian Temperance work
in the East-end of London. So
successful was his commercial
career that it is calculated that
on his death his estate was
worth £35m in 2019 money.
It is invidious to comment
on just one descendant
of these three towering
Victorian families but the
heroism of Arnold Waters
VC, younger son of Rev,
Richard Waters, deserves a
mention. The printed copy
of the citation describing
his extraordinary bravery in
the 1914-18 War is riveting,
accompanied later in the book
by fascinating photographs of
commemorative events held in
Plymouth.
The book is extensively
illustrated with copious
photographs, family trees,
copies of letters, and is most
attractively designed. It will
have a limited appeal, but it
might well be of interest to
members of similar families
in North Cornwall interested
in pursuing a similar project.
It is available in all the Record
Offices in Cornwall for all
readers interested in Cornish
Family History, and the author
has kindly agreed to be
contacted at Jeremy.waters5@
btinternet.com to respond to
relevant enquiries.
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