Rev. John Frederick Rounthwaite was the son of a
Liverpool, England, shipping magnate friend of former British Prime
Minister William Gladstone. His achievements at St. John's College,
Cam¬bridge University, included a Master of Arts degree in mathematics
and a rowing trophy. He was an accomplished pianist and violinist,
besides having a splendid tenor voice. Before ordination in the Church
of England in 1867, he was tutored on the continent.
Humanitarian concern marked his parish work in Lancashire and Chester.
Later he served with distinction as headmaster of Witton Grammar School
in Norwich. Prior to leaving England he also was school inspector for
Manchester and grand master of the Masonic Order for the province of
Chester.
Rev. Rounthwaite's health had begun to slip; but rather than retire, he
decided his Christian duty lay on the Canadian frontier. He arrived at
the postal settlement of Rounthwaite (named after his brother, Samuel)
in 1882. The St. John's Church of England building, which he finished,
had been started there that year; and he brought with him gifts of
money, a stained glass window, and other items for the church. The
conscientious cleric threw himself into pastoral and educational work
in the community, and his sudden death in 1883 was much lamented.
Adapted from The Prairie WASP, page 190
Rev. Rounthwaite’s church in its second location in the village of
Rounthwaite
Brandon Sun, July 17, 1884
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