Some accounts and descriptions of this memorial use the spelling Elms rather than Elmes as it is in my photographs. Also I have seen this church described as St. John's and as St. John The Baptist.

In 1837 the Rev. John Elmes was inducted to the vicarage of St. John’s and for 31 years worked for the parish. Despite on-going renovations and additions, the church fell into disrepair and the current building was erected in June 1852. It was handed over to the Corporation in 1975 in pristine condition but quickly fell into a derelict condition.

Currently, renovating this church is an ongoing City Council project but I have not really noticed any real improvements exterior to the church building.

Inscription:

Sacred to the memory of Rev. John Elmes, the beloved Minister of this Parish for 31 years under whom the present Church was rebuilt who died Jan 5 1869, aged 63 years and of Marian, his wife, who died July 7 1877, aged 65 years. Also their two sons.

Erected by Thomas and Mary Vail, Robert Knotty, Elizabeth, Michael and Susan Elmes.

My understanding is that the two sons died young: Charles Frederick drowned Oct 24 1868, aged 20 years and his brother
Jonathan died in Melbourne Aug 23 1872, aged 18 years.

January 1857 – William B Nesbie of the County Limerick Militia was accused of having a wife and nine children in Yarmouth and then marrying a young woman in Limerick she being a Catholic but the Rev Elmes of St John’s protestant Church marrying the pair. The crime was discovered when a letter from his first wife containing the names of his 9 children was found attached to the back of a picture which hung in his room.