198 History of the 



on the descendants of their daughters, Alice and Sarah, who had 

 married two brothers, Rockliff, of Liverpool. 



At the beginning of this century periodical visits were paid to 

 Rossendale by the priest who acted as chaplain to the Townleys, 

 and looked after the few remaining Catholics in the neighbourhood; 

 and Mass was said, and sometimes even sung, in an up-stairs room 

 at Hareholme, for the benefit of the Booth family and one or two 

 other families who had followed them. 



About 182S, after a prolonged strike at Sunnyside Works, 

 several Catholic families came to Rossendale from Manchester. 

 Finding that there was no Church for them nearer than Townley, 

 seven or eight miles distant, and neither wishing to give up their 

 faith, nor desiring to undertake such a journey every Sunday, they 

 laid their case before Mr. John Brooks, who offered them the use of 

 a room in his works at Crawshawbooth, if the priest from Townley 

 could be brought to give his services. From this time, 1828, till 

 1836, visits more or less regular were paid to the Valley either 

 from Townley, or occasionally from Bury, where the Rev. Mr. 

 Peacock had built the present St. Maries. 



The first resident priest was the Rev. James Carr, sent by Dr. 

 Penswick, Vicar Apostolic of the Lancashire district. .He had a 

 small chapel at Sunnyside behind the present Irwell-terrace. The 

 first regular entry in the Baptismal register is dated 26th Sept., 

 1836, though the names of several children baptised by the Rev. 

 Mr. Peacock before 1830, are entered, having been copied from 

 loose scraps. A good percentage of the names of parents and god- 

 parents are of unmistakeable Irish origin, even at that time. The 

 great famine in 1847-8 sent over to Rossendale several hundred 

 families, who readily found work in the fast-spreading cotton industry. 



In May, 1839, the Rev. Henry Sharpies succeeded to the office, 

 but stayed only one year. After him came the Rev. ^Villiam Fayer, 

 whose last entry in the Baptism book is dated Nov. 14th, 1842. 

 The Rev. James Rylands, who began his incumbency about 

 Christmas of 1842, finding his congregation increasing rapidly, 

 obtained land from Mrs. Ashworth for the erection of a church in a 



