St John's Chapel: The resting place of Edward Brennan

 

Thalassery in North Kerala has many distinctions in regards to heritage. Apart from the beautiful monuments & structures one can find here, there are also many stories related to important individuals who have played an important role in not only molding the cultural fabric of Kannur but also have contributed to the social betterment of people in the whole of Malabar. The Thalassery fort is a must visit site when in the town but as you walk to the back towards baby beach you will find a small structure quietly looking towards the sea. This rustic gothic style church is the St John’s Anglican chapel. 

For many it may look a simple structure with the interiors quite simple as compared to other churches around but it is not the reverence of the place but the importance of the person who is remembered on a visit here. The person of importance is Edward Brennan, who according to most people in Thalassery is still remembered due to many of his philanthropic initiatives. The church is said to have been built in its current style in 1869 after the death of Mr Brennan or Brennan Saip as he was fondly called. The church earlier was a small prayer hall next to the Dutch cemetery which is still present here. The tomb of Edward Brennan along with many others can still be found here. On the tomb of Brennan Saip one can find the inscription “A sterling upright Englishman ''. This description of the man is appropriate as was never destined to what history made him do. Born in England, Edward Brennan joined the East India Company & worked as a cabin boy on one of their ships. As a young boy, Brennan was liked by all on the ship due to his polite mannerisms. On one of the voyages along the peninsula of India, the ship he was in got stuck in heavy storms & it hit the rocks near the shores of Kannur. Brennan holding on to his dear life is said to have swam to the port of Thalassery, where local fishermen found him & took care. This incident made him fear the ocean & he decided to stay back in Thalassery. His decision of not going back to the sea made the East India Company appoint him as the Master Assistant at Thalassery Port in 1824. Brennan believed in charity & was an avid philanthropist who gave a big part of his earnings back to the people of Thalassery. This is why people all around Thalassery called him Saip, as they had not found a British Foreigner as humble as him before. It was only after many years that another European Herman Gundert landed at these shores making a name for himself. 

Edward Brennan over the years learnt the local language & took time to engage with the local members of the town, spending his time along the port alleys engaging in conversations with the seamen. It was during the conversations that he realized that there was a need to build a better intellectual society here & so started saving money from his earnings. In 1846 around 20 years in Thalassery, Brennan founded a small trust by the name of Tellecherry Poor Fund with an initial deposit of three thousand rupees from his own earnings. The fund as per him was to help the needy who wanted a support to live. He continued to look after the fund till his death in 1859. All along the years, Brennan wanted to start a school for the people who could study without paying a fee, but he was unable to do so when he was alive. To make his dream a reality, Brennan bequeathed all his savings to the fund & as per his will entrusted the trust to start a free school in Thalassery. The final amount received by the fund for this was over a lakh rupees & members of trust religiously worked to fulfill his request. The dream was finally made a reality when the members using the money from the trust constructed a small school in the center of the town in 1861. The arrival of the Basel missionaries helped the trust in developing the small school & in 1868 it was upgraded to the high school. The Brennan High school was a place of good quality education & attracted students from all parts who willingly studied in the school without paying fees as was imagined by Edward Brennan. Over a decade later the Basel mission withdrew support to the school due to financial difficulties & the school started going into neglect. It was only in 1894 that the local Thalassery municipality & British viceroy decided to convert the school to a college which functioned here for over 50 years. The Brennan college had earned so much distinction that students came to study here in large numbers & the old building was unable to provide the facilities to students. After Independence, the government decided to shift the college to Dharmadam where a large campus was built & still functions as the Govt Brennan college. The Brennan college thus upholds his legacy in the way he wanted & the St John’s church along the sea is where he rests in content.

St John’s church went into neglect for some years but today it is renovated to its old glory. The architecture of the church has a resemblance to the English church in Kozhikode which was also designed around the same time. The Nadakkavu English church was a much more elaborate design as compared to the St John’s chapel but their uncanny resemblance was the reason why it was also called an English church. The church is not to be missed by anyone who comes to Thalassery as it is the place where you can understand the history of the place better & about the man who was an integral part of this town.