St Stephen's Church, Astley
| St Stephen's Church, Astley | |
|---|---|
 The third St Stephen's Church | |
 | |
| 53°30′04″N 2°27′22″W / 53.501°N 2.456°W | |
| Location | Astley, Greater Manchester. |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Anglican |
| Website | http://www.astleyststephen.org.uk/ |
| History | |
| Founded | 1631 |
| Consecrated | 1968 |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active |
| Specifications | |
| Materials | Brick |
St Stephen's Church is a church in Astley, Greater Manchester, England. It is an active Anglican church built in 1968 and part of Leigh deanery in the archdeaconry of Salford, diocese of Manchester. The church, together with St George and St. John, is part of the united benefice of Astley, Tyldesley and Mosley Common.[1] Its origins are in Astley Chapel, a chapel of ease of Leigh Parish Church built in 1631 and its successor which was burned in an arson attack in 1961.
History
The first chapel, built and paid for by Adam Mort the wealthy owner of Damhouse who died in early 1631, was consectrated on 3 August in the same year by the Bishop of Chester. It was the first daughter chapel of the mother church of Leigh,and was dedicated in honour of St Stephen, the first Christian martyr. The chapel was built of local brick on part of the common. The Reverend Thomas Crompton, appointed by Thomas Mort, was the first minister of the chapel in 1632.[2]
The chapel stood for nearly 130 years when it was rebuilt after becoming delapidated. The second, slightly larger chapel was built on the same site in 1760. Thomas Froggatt of Damhouse gave a contribution towards the cost of reconstruction. It was built of handmade brick and measured 54 ft 6 in (16.61 m) in length and 36 ft (11 m) in width. It had a capacity of 170 people and included a nave with four side and two end windows, and a small chancel. It was enlarged in 1834, 1842, and 1847, and had an embattled western tower containing a single bell.[3]
The second chapel on Church Road was destroyed by fire on 18 June 1961 and it was decided not to rebuild it but relocate to a site on Manchester Road. The third St Stephen's Church was consecrated on 26 October 1968.
Clergy
The first minister was the son of William Crompton of Bedford and his successor was from Shakerley. They were both educated at Brasenose College, Oxford.[4]
1632 Thomas Crompton, B.A.
1683 John Battersby
1702 Roger Seddon, died 1716
1716 James Marsh, died 1728
1732 Thomas Mawdesley, died 1769
1769 Robert Barker
1822 Thomas Birkett
1838 John Wilkinson Edwards, B.A. died 1840
1840 Alfred Hewlett, D.D. died 1885
1885 James Alexander Maxwell Johnstone, M.A
See also
References
- Notes
- ^ St Stephen, Astley, St Stephen's Church, retrieved 2011-05-23
- ^ Lunn 1968, p. 24
- ^ St Stephens Astley, Lancashire Online Parish Clerks, retrieved 2011-05-23
- ^ "Astley", A History of the County of Lancaster: Volume 3, Victoria County History, British History Online, pp. 445–449, 1907, retrieved 2009-07-28
- Bibliography
- Lunn, John (1968), A short history of the township of Astley, Lunn