Frederick Hibberd (1835 - 1908)

Frederick Hibberd was born on 13 July 1836 in Salisbury, Wiltshire, England; the son of Mary Pavy and Elijah Hibberd.  He was baptised on 31 July 1836 in the Salisbury Parish Church – he was actually baptised as ‘Frederic’.  He was the couple’s second youngest of eight children.  Elijah Hibberd died in 1840 and Mary in 1841 – so Frederick was an orphan at the age of five.  It appears that the older siblings raised the younger children, including Frederick.  In the 1851 and 1861 Census he was living with his brother, Elijah – firstly in Salisbury and then in Winchester.  Elijah was an umbrella maker and it appears that, for at least some time, Frederick joined his brother in this occupation.  In 1857 Frederick commenced lay preaching and recalled that his first sermon “lies buried in forgetfulness”.  In the 1861 Census his occupations was listed as a shoemaker / lay preacher. He was student number 33 at Spurgeons College (then Pastor's College), London - one of the very first people to have trained with Reverend Charles Spurgeon for the Baptist Ministry.  Frederick attended the College in 1862 and 1863 until Rev. Spurgeon sent him to Australia to help supplement the meagre number of Baptist Ministers in the Colony.  Generally the training was a little longer than two years unless Spurgeon had a particular ‘assignment’ for the student.  Obviously Spurgeon did in Frederick Hibberd’s case.  Spurgeon heavily influenced Frederick’s style.

Frederick Hibberd arrived in Sydney on the brig ‘La Hogue’ on 29 October 1863 – the journey had taken 90 days from Plymouth. The Baptist Church was in its infancy and no doubt Baptists in Sydney would have been thrilled to have a new Minister in the Colony.  Upon his arrival a tea and public meeting was held to welcome him to Sydney.  According to the Sydney Morning Herald’s report of the meeting, about 300 people attended the tea and a much larger number attended the meeting.  Captain Williams, of the La Hogue spoke and talked about Frederick’s exemplary activities while on the La Hogue – Frederick had conducted all services and performed other ministry activities.  Rev Kent also spoke about how important it was to get a gentleman who was endorsed by Rev Spurgeon.  He said Ministers were like warriors in the field of battle who were delighted to receive reinforcements.   Frederick said that he trusted there would be a good bond between himself and his church.  He said that a Minister should have the freedom to work wherever he could do good work and should be hampered by poor conditions.  He said that he needed the support of his Church.  He finished by quoting some lines by Wesley describing the Christian’s future blessedness. 

The Sydney Morning Herald reported on sermons to be preached by Frederick in 1864, although there is no record about what the sermons were actually about:

10 January – The Mischievous Penknife

17 January – A Question for the Times

24 January – An Eye to Business

31 January – Spiritual Anatomy

7 February – The Four Portraits

14 February – Which of the Two

21 February  - How are you

28 February – Travail and Triumph

6 March – Black but Beautiful

13 March – World’s Contemplated Condition

20 March – Crossing the Line

5 June – Here is the form, but where is the force?

12 June – What do you preach?

19 June – Good cheer for the famishing

26 June – Do you remember?

3 July – Will you come?

10 July – Too late!  Too late!

On 11 January 1866 Frederick married Isabella Dixson at 198 York Street in Sydney.  It was Isabella’s 21^st Birthday.  Isabella and Frederick had eight children; of which only one was male.  The sixth child died as an infant.

After marriage, Frederick continued to work in Sydney, but increasingly had issues with two deacons of the Church. In 1867 he decided to accept a ministry at Launceston, Tasmania. When Frederick, Isabella and one year old Helen were moving to Launceston, the steamer they were on collided with another ship and sank in Hobson Bay, near Williamstown. Fortunately, due to the proximity of other ships in the Bay, there was no loss of life – except for some of the sheep – and the Hibberd’s possessions happened to be on a different ship. It must have still been quite a shock to Isabella and Frederick!

They didn’t stay in Launceston for a long time.  Frederick resigned in July 1867 in protest of “impurity and corruption in the church”. The young family then went to Sandhurst, Victoria. He resigned from this position to recover from injuries received in a serious carriage accident.  He was riding along the street that the hospital was located on (that was handy) when his horse stumbled and he fell into an area that had been excavated.  He suffered severe concussion.  The family returned to Sydney.

Frederick Hibberd appears to be quite ‘accident prone’!  Besides the sinking in Hobson Bay, he was also lucky to escape the sinking of the Jason in 1875 when he spent a year travelling to England – a trip which was undertaken in part to have a rest after nearly dying in the above carriage accident in Sandhurst! There were at least two other reported carriage accidents that Frederick was in – one with his infant granddaughter.

Upon his return to Australia in 1875, he went to Bourke Street Baptist Church in Woolloomooloo; before moving to Ashfield in 1880.  The family lived in Holden Street – near the newly built Ashfield Baptist Church, and Frederick worked free of charge in the new church. The family were supported by Hugh Dixson, Frederick's brother-in-law.

Frederick Hibberd was highly respected as a minister and preacher.  He was involved in the NSW Baptist Union for over 45 years, specifically: the president four times; editor of The Baptist for nine years; and the secretary of the Baptist Foreign Missionary Society for 23 years.  Besides assisting in the establishment of the Ashfield and Goulburn Baptist Churches, Frederick also started new work at Bourke Street, Sydney and at Parramatta. After finishing his work at Ashfield, Frederick worked extensively for the Baptist Church in NSW, including preaching wherever invited. He was also involved with the establishment of the East Carlingford Presbyterian Church (now Epping). It was unusual that a Baptist Minister would be involved in the Presbyterian Church.

On 27 October 1908 Frederick Hibberd died suddenly at his home “Sarum” in Carlingford in Sydney.  He was 73. It was reported that he woke in the morning and didn’t feel particularly well.  He decided to go back to his bed, he asked his wife Isabella to get him “a glass of brandy” (as reported in The Baptist edition of 2 November 1908) before he fell back on the bed and died.  Presumably the brandy was considered medicinal as Frederick had lectured on the importance of abstaining from alcohol!

The funeral was held on 28 October. Arthur Waldock organised the funeral arrangements and conducted a short service at Frederick Hibberd’s home with relatives.  Rev W.M. Cartwright, president of the Baptist Union, conducted the service at Rookwood and Thomas Porter delivered the eulogy. Arthur Waldock also assisted in the service along with other ministers. The service included the singing of one of Frederick Hibberd’s favourite hymns, “Rock of Ages” (This hymn was also a favourite of Prince Albert, who had it played to him on his deathbed).

When Rev Arthur Waldock was establishing the Canberra Baptist Church he ensured that a stained glass window was included in Frederick Hibberd's honour.  A plaque was also put in the Bathurst Street Baptist Church in recognition of his work.

Relationship to SNR = Great-great-great grandfather