200 History of the 



The Rev. John C. Mussely, the present Incumbent, who had 

 been at Raddiffe for several years, was sent by the Bishop to 

 continue the work. During his Incumbency the church has been 

 repaired and extended in 1881 ; the Infant school built in 1883, 

 and a Club Room in 1886. A School Chapel at Newchurch 

 (originally built for the Methodist Association) has been purchased, 

 dedicated to St. Peter, and has lately been attached to the new 

 mission at Stacksteads. The present congregation at Rawtenstall 

 consists of about 1,200 persons; the number of children in the day 

 school is 280, with about 200 Sunday scholars. 



The CathoUc mission at Bacup was opened in 1852, in a room 

 in Market Street, by the Rev. Henry Mulvaney. This room sen-ed 

 the purposes of Church and School till 1857, when the nave of the 

 present Church at Bankside, dedicated to St. Mary, was opened, 

 and at a cost of ^^2, 000. 



On the retirement of Father Mulvaney in 1880, he was succeeded 

 by the Rev. Thomas Steele, who held the charge till his death on 

 February 29th, 1884. One result of Mr. Steele's labours was the 

 purchase of the site, and the preliminary arrangements for the 

 building of the Huttock End School. 



The Rev. John Lane, the present rector, took charge on March 

 23rd, 1884. Since that time the chancel, side chapel, sacristy 

 and gallery have been added to St. Mary's Church, at a cost of 



^IIOO. 



St. Mary's School was built in 187 1-2, and St. Joseph's School, 

 Huttock End, Stacksteads, in 1884-5, having cost respectively 

 _;^i2oo and £,100. On the ist November, 1892, the district around 

 St. Joseph's School, with part of Newchurch from the mission of 

 St. James-the-Less, Rawtenstall, was erected into a separate mission, 

 and the Rev. George Sparks took charge. 



The congregation of St. Mary's number about 1000. There are 

 200 children in the Day, and 150 in the Sunday School. 



