Description:'Sedgley Vicarage Garden, June 30th, 1837.' The vicar, Mr. Girdlestone, appears to be blessing a school treat tea-party. The vicarage is to the left, and the church (with a tower and spire) are visible behind the garden wall. 'Sketched and drawn on Zinc by Miss C.G.' (Girdlestone?).
The event was to celebrate Charles Girdlestone's departure from Sedgley, to the parish of Alderley in Cheshire. It was within a week of the date of his last sermon in Sedgley. He does, however, seem to have held such garden parties for school children on several occasions. During his 11 years in the parish, he'd collaborated in the establishment of a number of schools - Statistics published in an appendix to one of his collections of sermons the number of children receiving a basic education by 1837 is reasonably well reflected in the picture.