The Moore the merrier

I refer to the Moore Edes, distinguished forebears of Kimberley Ann Moore Ede from Ottawa, to whom I chatted fleetingly while she was on a short holiday break in Worcester.

Thanks to Evening News and Berrow's Journal archives, I am able to trace the Moore Ede family tree back a further six generations from Kim, who told me she was "so happy to have stopped off in Worcester - everyone was so friendly."

Her great-great-great-great grandfather, John Ede of Liskeard, Cornwall, served in the Royal Marines under Lord Nelson at the Battle of St Vincent, where the illustrious admiral lost his arm.

His son, Edward Ede became a leading official in the Victualling Department of the Royal Navy and married Elizabeth Moore whose maiden name was partly retained as the dynasty became, from then on, the Moore Edes.

The family history was eventually to encompass Worcester, through Edward and Elizabeth's son, William Moore Ede. From Cambridge University, he entered the Church of England priesthood in 1873, and was to remain in active ministry for no fewer than 61 years.

He was based in the North East for the first 30 years or so being, in turn, Rector of Gateshead, Vicar of Whitburn near Sunderland, a rural dean and, from 1898, a Canon of Durham Cathedral. He had a strong community spirit and reforming zeal and devoted considerable energies to relieving the plight of the poor and needy and to helping secure better housing and schooling.

He was to miners and their families "a real guide, philosopher and friend" and was a pioneer in setting up homes for elderly miners and in organising "penny dinners" for poor school children.

He became a Doctor of Divinity and was acknowledged as being one of the most conspicuous figures in the church life of the North East for more than three decades, justly earning his elevation to Dean of Worcester in 1908, when he was 59. He was to remain as Dean for 26 years, retiring only seven months before his death in 1935 at the age of 85!

Not long after coming to Worcester, he made some innovations which perhaps raised the eyebrows of the orthodox.

He invited an eminent actress to recite scripture in the Cathedral and took steps towards church unity by asking Non-conformists and a Salvationist to take part in thanksgiving services.

He also had "loud speakers" installed in the Cathedral for the first time so that congregations could better hear the sermons and readings.

He had stained glass windows introduced around the Cathedral Cloisters and set up the Friends of the Cathedral, a voluntary organisation which still today contributes vital funds and expertise to the running of the ancient building.

During the First World War, Dr Moore Ede was active in war work in the city and county and was instrumental in getting a YMCA clubroom built for soldiers at Norton Barracks.

He was also a great friend of the Rev Geoffrey Studdert Kennedy, who was Vicar of Worcester's poorest parish, St Paul's from 1914 until 1922 and who earned national renown as the legendary World War One padre Woodbine Willie.

Dr Moore Ede invited Geoffrey Studdert Kennedy to preach the sermons in Worcester Cathedral when soldiers from Norton Barracks were regularly marched there on church parade.

"Each time he went into the pulpit and spoke to those 2,000 unwilling listeners, he held them spellbound - not a cough and no shuffling of feet," recalled Dr Moore Ede.

He later wrote of Woodbine Willie: "Worcester knew Geoffrey as a model parish priest, beloved of his people and with a St Francis-like generosity to the poor."

But the Dean also wrote of the dramatic effect of the First World War on Woodbine Willie: "He went to the war as to a Holy crusade which, by victory, would vindicate righteousness, but he returned hating the wickedness and folly of war. He became an apostle for peace and a tireless fighter in the economic war."

Dr Moore Ede gave the glowing address at the packed funeral service in Worcester Cathedral for Geoffrey Studdert Kennedy, who died suddenly in 1929, at the age of only 45.

Like Woodbine Willie, Dr Moore Ede became a leading figure in the Peace Movement and attended a conference in The Hague organised by the Federation of Trade Unions.

An extremely proud moment for Dr Moore Ede came in 1934, when the Freedom of Worcester was conferred upon him at the Guildhall. He and his family moved in the same year to live at The Priory in London Road, Worcester.

Dr Moore Ede's obituary in Berrow's Worcester Journal said of him: "His death will be felt as a personal loss by many thousands in the city and county, by people of low degree no less than by those in high office, for he was a man of catholic interests and sympathies, of unflagging energy which he devoted to any work he conceived to be in the interest of the community."

He and his first wife, who died at Worcester in 1910, had six children, and, it is understood, all of them became doctors of medicine.

From the Worcester standpoint, the most significant of the six was the eldest son, Dr W.E Moore Ede, who qualified as a doctor in 1901, and came to the Faithful City a few years afterwards to join in partnership with Dr H.F Seymour and then Dr Norman Duggan, their surgery being at the corner of High Street and Deansway.

He was family doctor to Worcester's most famous son, Sir Edward Elgar and attended the composer during his final months of suffering from cancer at his home, Marlbank, Rainbow Hill and in South Bank Nursing Home.

Dr WE Moore Ede retired from practice in 1934, just a few months after being elected to Worcester City Council at the start of what was to be a distinguished period of public service. He was chairman of the city health committee for several years and was elected to serve three terms as Mayor of Worcester - from 1937 until 1940.

During the Second World War he was at the helm of the city's emergency committee, co-ordinating local defence and air raid precautions, and also chaired the city food and fuel committees. He was made an Alderman in 1945 and his public service brought him the award of the OBE from George VI in 1950.

At that point, the Evening News praised Dr W.E Moore Ede's "brilliant capacity for leadership, undying sense of humour, and generosity of mind and heart."

He died in 1961, at the age of 86, but the Moore Ede family's considerable contribution to Worcester's community life certainly didn't stop there, continuing vigorously through his second wife, Mrs Margaret Moore Ede.

She was a headmistress in Dorset, before coming to Worcester in 1929, as general secretary of the city's YWCA. She married Dr Moore Ede and was Mayoress during his three years as Worcester's First Citizen.

With him, she ran the Worcester Welcome Club at the Public Hall through the war years and until 1950. It was a meeting place for local youth and was attended by 600 to 700 young people each evening.

But, more importantly, Mrs Moore Ede was founder of the Worcester Women's Voluntary Service (today, the WRVS) and was co-organiser of the organisation in the city and county for about 40 years. She also founded the local Meals-on-Wheels service, several Darby and Joan clubs, the Over-60s Club in Worcester and was the architect of a Home Help scheme which became a model for the nationwide service.

She was awarded the MBE in 1946, for her services to the community.

Mrs Moore Ede was a city JP for more than 30 years and was deputy chairman of the Worcester Magistrates Bench for 14 years and chairman of the Juvenile Court Panel. She died in 1981, aged 81, and at the Thanksgiving Service for her life in Worcester Cathedral, she was described as "a woman of remarkable vitality, energy and sense of purpose".

Her husband, Dr W.E Moore Ede had three sons by his first marriage, and it is through his off-spring that the dynasty now has a strong North American contingent.

His son Oswald followed him into medicine and was an anaesthetist, but became disenchanted with Britain's health care system and left England for Canada with his family.

Oswald's son, William (Bill) Moore Ede is Kim's father and is a consultant on train control and safety systems with the Canadian rail network CANAC. Kim is an administrative assistant in the Communications Branch of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.

Dr Martin Moore Ede, son of another of Dr W.E Moore Ede' sons, held senior posts at Guys Hospital, London, before leaving for America to follow a research career. He was a professor at Havard University's Medical School for more than 15 years.

In 1988, Prof Moore Ede visited Worcester with his family, and two of his young children were christened in the Cathedral during the stay.