Commemorating Evelyn Underhill
15th June 2021 was the 80th anniversary of the death of Evelyn Underhill a writer, poet, spiritual guide and retreat leader, whose writing still speaks powerfully to us today.
She is one of 18 modern women commemorated in the Church of England’s calendar of Holy Days and she is is buried in our Additional Burial Ground. Until now her grave has simply described her as ‘Evelyn,’ the wife of H Stuart Moore and the ‘daughter of Sir Arthur Underhill’. There has been no reference to her achievements. With the support of 31 generous donors from the United Kingdom and the United States we have been able to commission a new ledger stone for her grave, designed by the artist Lois Anderson. Around the edge are the words “Evelyn Underhill 1875 –1941 – Christian – Scholar – Spiritual Guide – A Christianity which is only active is not a complete Christianity”.
Sheena Ginnings writes
“Sunday 13th June was special. We were celebrating the life of Evelyn Underhill. At the 11.00 am Holy Communion service we were privileged to have as a guest preacher The Right Reverend the Lord Harries of Pentregarth (a former curate) who preached on the life and work of Evelyn Underhill and the influence she had on so many people, including T S Eliot. Apparently they both liked cats! Among her many achievements Evelyn Underhill was the first woman to be made a fellow at Kings College, London and their present Dean, The Revd Dr Ellen Clark-King (see photo below of her at the grave) did a reading from Evelyn Underhill’s book ‘The School of Charity: Meditations on the Christian Creed’ (a book that Derek Spottiswoode recommended in his sermon on the 50th anniversary of her death).
One of Evelyn Underhill’s most important books was on Mysticism. Evensong started with a haunting Introit by Hildegard of Bingen, a twelfth century German mystic, sung from the gallery at the back of church by Jess Dandy. The beautiful anthem based on the Wisdom of Solomon 5.15,16 was by the female composer Oliveria Prescott (1842 -1919). And then another former curate, Ayla Lepine, preached on what we might learn from Evelyn Underhill on the importance of a spiritual life and the impact Evelyn Underhill has had on her.
(The sermons and the music have all been uploaded to the Hampstead Parish Church site on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/c/hampsteadparishchurch )
Judy East writes
“It rained on 15th June 1991. I remember because on that day we commemorated the life of Evelyn Underhill and the 50th anniversary of her death by planting an ‘Iceberg’ rose at the head of her grave. A few of us gathered round under umbrellas while Philip Buckler did the honours – with the spade and the prayers.
15th June this year was fortunately much nicer as a far greater number gathered for the dedication of the new ledger stone. Now she’s not “wife of and daughter of” but a person in her own right fittingly commemorated in her owns words.
Thanks were expressed to Barry Orford, Ayla Lepine and Jeremy who started the project off and to Sheena for running with it and making sure we had the money! It’s taken a while but it was worth it!
Then it was lunch outside the church – in the sun. I don’t recall what we did after the rose planting all those years ago – rushed off to get dry I expect.”
