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The Seamen’s Friendly Society of St. Paul

The photos on this page show some of the work of the SFS over many decades.

The Seamen’s Friendly Society of St. Paul (SFS) has a long history of supporting merchant seamen. From its origins in 1893, it provided essential aid and services to seafarers in need. Although the SFS was wound up in 2024, its legacy continues through Stella Maris, ensuring ongoing support for seafarers and fishers.

History and Mission

The Seamen’s Friendly Society of St. Paul (SFS) has origins dating back to 1893. It was set up by the Anglican Order of Saint Benedict at Alton Abbey, Hampshire, to provide support to merchant seamen.

By 1900, the monastic community had gathered around them a group of elderly men who could no longer go to sea and ran a retirement home for them alongside the monastery.

For many years, the community provided accommodation and financial aid for destitute or distressed merchant seafarers and their chaplains. The Pensionary closed in 1989.

Community Support for Merchant Seafarers

Later on, the work of SFS was exercised principally through charitable grants, and its affairs were administered by members of the community.

A member of the community also participated in the business of the Merchant Navy Welfare Board, so as to ensure that SFS’ beneficiaries derived maximum benefit from available funds.

Masses for merchant seafarers have been offered and celebrated by the Community, including Requiem Masses for all deceased seafarers. The graves of over 200 deceased seamen are located in the Abbey Cemetery.

The community also offered an educational bursary at a Merchant Navy training establishment, as a memorial to Father Hopkins, the founder of Alton Abbey.

In 2024, as members of the monastic community were getting older and becoming fewer in number, SFS was wound up as a charity, and its reserves were transferred to Stella Maris. The SFS funds will be used by Stella Maris to support seafarers’ centres in Southampton and elsewhere and to provide grants to seafarers and fishers in emergency need. In this way, the strong legacy and impact of the SFS will live on through Stella Maris’ work.

Founder members of The Seamen’s Friendly Society in 1884.

In Rangoon, the work had been primarily that of sustaining moral and recreational welfare. In Britain it was found there was a great deal of work to be done among those seamen who were out of work, or too old to go to sea.
The Revd Charles Plomer Hopkins, whose religious name was Father Michael, was appointed as River Port Chaplain of Rangoon in Burma in 1884 and subsequently became Port Chaplain to Calcutta in 1889.
The first monastic inhabitants of Kingswood Copse lived in tents and wattle huts, until a corrugated iron monastery could be built.
The Seamen Pensioners Common Room, completed in 1928.
Wooden huts by the Abbey Church.
Pensioners taking their ease under the laundry line.
A Pensioner tending to livestock on agricultural land attached to The Abbey.
A Pensioner and his dhobey bucket.
A rotating cabin.  In the days before antibiotics one of the favoured cures was fresh air and sunshine.  The cabin rotated to follow the sun.
Sailmakers turn their hands to making a marquee.
A harsh life. Burial of a seaman at sea.
Preparing for the burial of a seaman at sea.
A merchant seaman pensioner amputee.
A badly stowed cargo – a dangerous life for seamen.
Stella Maris chaplains Charles Stuart and Gregory Hogan visited The Abbey in May 2024, and are seen here with Fr Andrew, Prior of Alton Abbey.
At the graves of Fr Michael Hopkins, the founder, and Seamen Pensioners.
Fr Andrew, Prior of Alton Abbey, presented our chaplains with statues of Our Lady. One of the statues will be placed in the Seafarers Centre in Southampton, forming a tangible link between Stella Maris and Alton Abbey.
A recent photo of The Abbey Church.

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