Designed by American architect Charles Coolidge Haight and completed in 1884, the Chapel of the Holy Cross is the school’s only registered building in the National Register of Historic Places. Architecturally, it reflects the Gothic Revival style popular in the US during the 19th century.

We pass by this building we call ‘Chapel’ almost every day, we admire its beauty, its stained-glass windows, and the beautiful trees that surround it, but we are missing what (I think) can be considered one of the most important parts of the building, its voice. The building has heard the cry of newborns being christened, the laughter of weddings, laments of the families of the war dead of WWII, and numerous confirmations throughout its life.

The First Sermon and Early Beginnings

In our school archives, we have in our collections past sermons, photographs, and materials detailing the architectural history of the building (including the different musical organs), going back to its founding. Holderness School’s first sermon took place not in this chapel, but at Trinity Church located across the street (the small church in the cemetery). Titled “The Strong Reliance,” the sermon was delivered by Reverend Howard Hill on September 11, 1879. It asked for God’s blessing on the founding of our school and referenced scripture throughout, as was typical of sermons of the time:

“We bend the knee (no matter who looks on) to ask God's gifts on this our small beginning; that what is but a mustard-grain to-day, may grow, and be a tree with spreading branches.” (Hill 6)

Consecration of the Chapel of the Holy Cross. October 29, 1884

It was not until 1884 that services were held in the Chapel of the Holy Cross. The latter’s cornerstone was laid on June 16, 1884, and its consecration happened on October 29 of the same year. The Chapel of the Holy Cross was a community one until 1924, when the people of Plymouth stopped attending services here once they had their own building.

Stories in Stained Glass: Commemorating Legacy and Loss

One of the most notable characteristics of the Chapel is its stained-glass windows. The larger one behind the altar was designed by the famous Charles Jay Connick, whose studio was in Boston, MA, and was placed there in 1939. It commemorates Edward Morgan Mackey, father of Gertrude Weld (née Mackey), who worked in the underwater cable business between the US and Europe. Gertrude Weld was an instrumental person in the early development of our school and was the wife of the past Head of School, Rev. Edric Weld (head of school between 1931-1951).

Stained glass window in the Chapel of the Holy Cross commemorating Philip Henry Vinall, class of 1941, David Willis Brown, class of 1941.

The window on the opposite end, however, is one of the earliest in the church, as it commemorates Emily Balch, daughter of Rev. Lewis P. Balch and Emily Wiggin. The Balchs were one of the early families whose land held the Livermore Estate, which later became Holderness School.

Stained glass window in the Chapel of the Holy Cross commemorating Homer Sewall Jr., class of 1942 and Richard Hartwell Sewal, class of 1939.

Some of the other windows in the Chapel commemorate alumni who perished in WWII. Early students like Robert Selden McDuffie, class of 1944, Homer Sewall Jr., class of 1942, Richard Hartwell Sewall, class of 1939, Philip Henry Vinall, class of 1941, David Willis Brown, class of 1941, and Hedley Young, class of 1941, are all remembered throughout with beautiful stained-glass scenes of saints and scripture that reflect their courage in the war (McDuffie’s memorial window, for instance, has his war ribbons at the bottom corner). They continue to be a reminder that for most of the wartime classes at Holderness, the conflict scattered them throughout the world immediately after graduation.

About the Author

Dr. Jennifer Martinez
Archivist and History Faculty

Dr. Jennifer Martinez received her PhD and MA from the University of Liverpool in the United Kingdom. With a focus on classics and ancient history, Jennifer’s expertise is in gender and sexuality, art and archaeology, and museum collections. Her doctoral research investigated the wartime experiences of ordinary women in Classical Greece. Her MA dissertation focused on whether it is possible to identify soldiers as individuals as represented through the archaeological record of Classical Athens. She graduated magna cum laude from the University of Puerto Rico earning her Bachelor’s in Anthropology.

Jennifer reveals that she has a passion for travel literature, especially by women travelers from the 18th to early 20th centuries. She admits that she may be biased, but loves Greece, its culture, language and history (both ancient and modern.)