Dear All,

At the end of April the Dugard stained glass window in Barney church were removed for conservation.

George Dugard was curate in charge of the church in the 1840s, most notably during the cholera epidemic in the town that struck in 1849 which  killed 143 people in the space of 8 weeks. Alongside the newly appointed head teacher of the church school and a band of parishioners, Revd Dugard tended to the sick and orphaned, provided food for the hungry through a soup kitchen and officiated at all of the funerals in the churchyard. For his work he was made an Honorary canon of the Cathedral and went on to become the first Chair of the newly formed Barnard Castle Urban District Council.

The window has two main panels or pictures. On the left Jesus is seen addressing the apostle Peter: ‘Feed my sheep’ – a reference to Dugard’s calling as a priest. On the right the picture is of the Good Samaritan offering a drink to the man left for dead by robbers on the road to Jericho.

Dugard’s faith drove him to action. He lived before the cause of cholera was known, but once it was known (foul water) he devoted his energies to bringing fresh running water to the town (piping it to Barney from Stainton) and, by so doing, hugely improving the living conditions and health of thousands for generations to come.

We take for granted the fresh water in our taps. There are many without this basic need. Please give generously this Christian Aid Week.

Alec