The sermon was delivered to Canon Thomas Nisbett by his newly ordained son as a birthday present for the Canon's 90th birthday. See the news item, originally published in Bermuda's Royal Gazette, below.
The cornerstone for the cathedral, built on the site of a previous Anglican Church, was laid on October 15, 1845 by then Lieutenant Governor Sir William Colebrooke. The consecration service, however, did not take place for another eight years, occurring on August 11, 1853. The date which the church bears, in Roman Numerals, is MDCCCXLIX, or 1849.
The spire we see atop the multi-spired tower is not the original. After a lightning caused fire in 1911, a restoration, designed by architect J. deLancey Robinson, included a lengthening of the spire by 20 feet, leaving the spire at 198 feet in height. Originally, there were 8 bells in the tower but, after the fire, Sir James Dunn replaced the 8 melted bells and donated 7 more for a total of 15. They are played on the bell manual, and they also chime as part of the clock on the quarter hour. The Cathedral was declared a National Historic Site in 1983.