The Master of Ceremony, Mr JA Clarke, gave a speech in which he hailed what he described as: “The Union of the Howells of Nigeria and the Liverpool family of West Indies; East and West have been united together as it were. It is hoped that the good example set will be followed by others and that so many of our kith and kin in America and the West Indies will by this, be brought to join us in West Africa.”

On 7 January 1931, a society wedding that attracted the attention of the press took place in Aba, Eastern Nigeria. Two years earlier, the region had been in the news due to the turn of events that shook the country, but on this day, all roads led to the town.

The Lagos-based Nigerian Pioneer newspaper described the event as “a society and popular wedding of an unprecedented character and importance.”

The celebrated marital union which took place at St Michael’s Church was between Irene Victoria Liverpool, the daughter of Mr JB Liverpool, a retired Jamaican school master, and Charles Adebayo Howells, the son of Rt Reverend Adelakun Howells.

The bride’s father had worked as a teacher in Nigeria, while the groom’s father was a well-known member of the Anglican Communion, who often lent his voice to national issues. When Reverend Howells was installed as Bishop of the Niger Delta Church at St Stephen’s Cathedral, Bonny, in March 1921, a poem by Sam Fombo was specially dedicated to him and published in the Nigerian Pioneer. The poem goes, in part: “Unfold it meekly and not with pride, on the undulating fields of the Delta, that he’s installed in the Cathedral to-day, the third African Bishop.”

Indeed, Reverend Howell was a public figure in his own right. Back in June 1916, from his office at the St John’s Parsonage in Lagos, he penned a letter to the Lagos Weekly Record, in which he offered his opinion on a debate about private and church schools in Nigeria. In 1930, he was called upon to deliver the thanksgiving sermon to mark the Centenary of the Egbas. Such was his popularity, that in 1918, a report in the Lagos Weekly Record, under the headline ‘Rumoured changes in the Anglican Communion’ observed: “It is rumoured that the Reverend AW Howells will be transferred to Christ Church.”

His popularity was sufficient reason for the wedding ceremony of his son to attract news headlines in 1931.

The reception was held at Bishop’s Court and it was attended by a host of Nigerians, as well as some British colonial administrators. District Officer, Captain EJG Kelly and his wife, were amongst a group of guests who signed the marriage register in the vestry. Others who participated in the signing ceremony were the ‘Iya Iyawo’, (Mother of the Day), Mrs E Pepple, Dr and Mrs TB Barber, and the groom’s parents.

There are no details of what the bride wore. But it was said that she was dressed in the “latest bridal fashion.” The service commenced at 2.15 p.m. with the groom’s younger brother, Mr AW Howells Jnr, as the best man, while Stella Liverpool, Modupe Macaulay, Olubunmi Adewakun and Tina Olumide were the bridesmaids.

The clergy of the Delta Pastorate were in full attendance. They included Bishop Reverend SS Williams, of St Cyprian’s Church, Port Harcourt; Reverend MD Showers, pastor of St Peter’s Church, Okrika, and Reverend VE Boyles, pastor of St Michael’s Church, Aba.

Of the crowd, the report said:

By the time the service was actually over, the church yard was crowded with eager spectators and visitors and Bishop’s court was seething with a large and good humoured crowd who had come to do honour to the occasion. Amidst various groups of drummers and dancers, the Yorubas were particularly conspicuous with their uniforms and peculiar headgears.

The reception was held at Bishop’s Court and it was attended by a host of Nigerians, as well as some British colonial administrators. District Officer, Captain EJG Kelly and his wife, were amongst a group of guests who signed the marriage register in the vestry. Others who participated in the signing ceremony were the ‘Iya Iyawo’, (Mother of the Day), Mrs E Pepple, Dr and Mrs TB Barber, and the groom’s parents.

The Nigerian Pioneer said the “punctual” attendance of Mr Kelley:

Gave great satisfaction and was much appreciated and indeed they have won the goodwill and affection of the people of Aba. They have in every way endured themselves to the people and it will be a day of weeping and lamentation when (by promotion alone we hope), they will be removed from the Division.

It is likely that this comment was said in the context of the Aba Women’s War, which had occurred in the Eastern Province of Nigeria in December 1929. The incident which saw the loss of lives, injuries and sexual violence against the women protestors, elicited animosity towards the colonial administration over its taxation policies, collective punishment ordinance, native judicial systems etc.

According to the report, there was plenty of entertainment: “Drumming and dancing were carried out till late in the evening after the happy pair had left by train, amidst the cheers and applause of the people and throwing of the proverbial rice to spend their honeymoon at Mbawi, the beautiful country residence of Mr Chamberlain Jumbo.”

After the incident, the government set up a “Commission of Inquiry into the Eastern Disturbances.” The testimonies given at the Inquiry formed the basis of global attention of the region and all the proceedings were published in the Nigerian Daily Times. The presence of the Kelleys at the wedding may have been part of a process to repair relations and rebuild trust with the communities.

Amongst the guests were several lawyers who were well-known in the region, not least for their participation in the Commission of Inquiry. They were Barrister Steven B. Rhodes (who represented the women of Nguru, Aba, Umuaro and Opobo Station etc.), Sigismund Macaulay (the leader of the practising Bar of the Eastern Division of the Supreme Court of Nigeria, who represented women of Egwanga and Opobo Town etc.), and Stanley J Benjamin (who represented women in Ahoada District). Other guests were Mr TKE Phillips, a well-known organist, Mr and Mrs LC Briggs, Mr and Mrs JC Mammah and Mr LR Alali.

The Master of Ceremony, Mr JA Clarke, gave a speech in which he hailed what he described as: “The Union of the Howells of Nigeria and the Liverpool family of West Indies; East and West have been united together as it were. It is hoped that the good example set will be followed by others and that so many of our kith and kin in America and the West Indies will by this, be brought to join us in West Africa.”

According to the report, there was plenty of entertainment: “Drumming and dancing were carried out till late in the evening after the happy pair had left by train, amidst the cheers and applause of the people and throwing of the proverbial rice to spend their honeymoon at Mbawi, the beautiful country residence of Mr Chamberlain Jumbo.”

A wide range of gifts were given to the couple. They included a toilet set from Lady Lucretia Ajasa; a hand bag from Mrs Steve B Rhodes; a custard set from the Aba Athletics Club; wall pictures from Messrs L Thomas and TA Adedeji; a cheese dish, custard and sugar bowl from Mr and Mrs H Bowari Brown; a blanc-mange cup and salad bowl from Reverend and Mrs VE Boyle. Other items given to the couple were dressing table sets, cash and cheques, trays, as well as water, tea and liquor sets.

Tayo Agunbiade is the author of Untold Histories of Nigerian Women: Emerging from the Margins.