A Plea for Justice and Toleration - A Letter - To the Right Hon. W.E. Gladstone, M.P., D.C.L., L.L.D., Chancellor of His Majesty's Exchequer

Sep 29, 2026

A public letter requesting justice and tolerance regarding riots at St. George's in the East. The author, Rev. Frederick George Lee, argues that Mr. King has been treated as an outlaw for virtually ten months, and counters claims about the church’s supposed lack of congregation by citing attendance figures. The letter also disputes allegations of religious “eccentricities,” asserting the services followed established church practice and that persecution stems from vigorous pastoral work affecting entrenched interests.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryReligion & Spirituality

FormatPDF

Pages16

Reading Time40 min

AccessFree to download

A Plea for Justice and Toleration

A Letter

Address to W.E. Gladstone

Apology and purpose

Congregation size and services

Defense of the Rector’s practices

Schoolof Theology at Claremont10017019632BX5107L8L441860 The Libraryof theCLAREMONT SCHOOL OF THEOLOGY 1325 North College AvenueClaremont,CA91711-31991/800-626-7820 h bugh Tbe多.eorge's Biiots, # A PLEA FOR JUSTICE AND TOLERATION. 0L8441860 # A LETTER TO THE RIGHT HON.W.E.GLADSTONE, M.P.,D.C.L,LL.D., CHANCELLOR OF HEB MAJESTY's EXCHEQUER, AND ONE OF THE BURGESSES OF THE UNIVEBSITY OF OXFORD,ETC.,ETC.,ETC. FBOM THE REV.FREDERICK GEORGE LEE,F.S.A., INCUMBENT OF s.JOHN THE EVANGELIST’s,ABERDEEN;DOMEST1C CHAPLAIN TO THE EARL OF MORTON; AND FORMERLY ASSISTANT MINISTEE OF BEBKELEY CEAPEL,s.GEORGE's,HANOVER sQUABE, # LiBRARY CLAREMONT SCHOOLOF THEOLOGY1325 N.COLLEGE AVE.CLAREMONT,CA31711-3199 LONDON: JOSEPH MASTERS,ALDERSGATE STREET,AND NEW BOND STREET. MDCCCLX. 1 LONDON: PRIXTED BY JOSEPH MASTERS AND co.,ALDERSGATE STEEET。 # A LETTER. SIR, I beg very respectfully to apologise for the liberty I takein bringing the subject of the riots at S.George's in the Eastbefore your attention.But,as I am assured that many membersof Parliament—yourself possibly amongst the number—have beenaltogether deterred from asking for ordinary justice and fair playfor the Rector of that parish from the powers that be;and as thispolicy is said to have been adopted from a perusal of the reportswhich have appeared from time to time in the public prints as tothe peculiar character of the services at that church,I trust youwill kindly pardon me for venturing to address you on the subject;as I do so in order to place before you a few facts—writing from apersonal knowledge of them—in the hope of obtaining your power-ful advocacy on behalf of Mr.King,who,for the past ten months,has been virtually treated as an outlaw. It has been so continually asserted that the church of S.Georgewas almost entirely devoid of a congregation before the riots com-menced,that the great majority of people who speak on the sub-ject—people who have never once been present at the services,orknow anything of the plan and capacities of the building—takethis for granted as an undoubted and sterling truth.But in realityit was not so.I first became acquainted with the church six yearsago,and have from time to time been permitted to minister there;and I have no hesitation in affirming that the congregation,as arule,has numbered from three to four hundred persons at theprincipal Sunday services.Then it should be carefully remem-bered that in lieu of four services a week,as was the case in theparish under the former Rector,there are now between fifty andsixty.And that the above congregation is beyond the average ofmany other parish churches in the East of London may be knownfrom an application to the various Rectors of those adjacent pa-rishes,who I am confident would bear willing and ample testimonyto a fact which is well known to those who are acquainted withthat locality.At Shadwell,Poplar,and Wapping—notwithstand-ing services of remarkable simplicity,in fact,the old conversa-tional duet between the clergyman and the clerk,which appears tobe so very popular at the present time—the number of worshippersB 2 4 at the eleven o'clock Sunday service did not and do not exceedthose at S.George's in the East. It has been also asserted that the“eccentricities”and“innova-tions,"as they are termed,of the Rector of S.George's have beenthe main cause of these anti-Christian outrages.Now,Sir,I begto assure you,in the most distinct and solemn manner,that theservices at S.George's—with the sole exception of the use of theEucharistic vestments—were identical in kind with those at S.Paul's and Westminster Abbey,and almost identical in degree anddetail with those of S.Paul’s,Knightsbridge,All Saints’,Marga-ret-street,Christ Church,S.Pancras,and S.Andrew's,Wells-street.At the present time they are far below those rendered atthese churches,on account of the changes which,at the sugges-tion of the vestry and the rioters,the Bishop of London has for-cibly co

FAQs

Who is the letter addressed to and what is the purpose?

The letter is addressed to the Right Hon. W.E. Gladstone, asking for his advocacy regarding riots at St. George's in the East and for justice for the Rector, Mr. King.

What does the author say about the congregation before the riots?

The author states that, as a rule, the church congregation at principal Sunday services numbered from three to four hundred persons.

How does the author respond to claims that the Rector’s “eccentricities” caused the violence?

The author asserts the services were largely identical in kind and close in detail to those at other well-known churches, and that Mr. King aimed to follow the Prayer Book without alteration.

Sep 29, 2026

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