STOCKTON WARD 



STRANTON 



There is a ring of eight bells. The fourth and 

 sixth are old, but the rest were cast by Mcars and 

 Stainbank in 1908. Before this date there ucre 

 three bells, but the third, which bore the inscription 

 'Clangore dulci sono psallam tibi Deus 1699,' had 

 been recast in 1898. It was again recast ten years 

 later, when the ring was increased to eight, and 

 retains the old inscription. It is now the seventh. 

 The fourth, probably by Samuel Smith of York, bears 

 the inscription ' V'enite exvltcmvs Domino. S.S. 1664,' 

 and the sixth is of pre-Reformation date, with the 

 inscription in Gothic characters ' + Sea Maria era pro 

 nobs.' '» 



The plate includes a chalice of 1639 with the 

 maker's mark C C with a column between the letters, 

 and a pewter flagon inscribed ' Rich'' Conder A.B. 



Vicar. Mr. George.^ l\Tu^' Ch-Wens.' " 

 ° ( Elstob 



The registers begin in 1 580. 



The churchyard lies on the north, east and south 

 sides of the building, the chief entrance being from 

 the south, opposite the porch. The gates ' with 

 pillars and steps' were erected in 1730, but the gate 

 piers were renewed in 1844, when the burial ground 

 was enlarged. 



The church of the HOL}' TRIMTV, SEJTOX 

 CJREIf, was built in 1831 and altered in 1864 

 and 189!. It is a stone building in the 13th-century 

 style, consisting of a chancel, nave, south porch and 

 west tower. The township of Seaton Carew became 

 a district chapelry in 1 842.'- The living is a vicarage 

 in the gift of the Bishop of Durham. 



CHRIST CHURCH, WEST HARTLEPOOL, 

 was built in 1854. It is a building of stone in a 

 Gothic style, consisting of an apsidal chancel, nave, 

 north and south aisles, north and south transepts, 

 south porch, north-east vestry and tower. The parish 

 was formed from Stranton in 1859.'^ T\\s living is 

 a vicarage in the gift of the Bishop of Durham. 



The church of ST. JAMES, in Musgrave Street, 

 was built in 1868. It is a stone building in the style 

 of the early 14th century, consisting of a chancel, 

 nave with north and south aisles, south porch and bell- 

 turret. The parish was formed from Christ Church 

 in 1870.'^ The living is a vicarage in the same gift. 



The church of ST. PAUL, in Grange Road, was 

 built in 1886. It is a building of red brick with 

 stone dressings in the 13th-century style, and consists 

 of a chancel, nave with north and south aisles, and a 

 tower with spire at the north-west angle. The parish 

 was formed in 1886. The living is a vicarage in the 

 same gift. 



The church of ST. AIDAN, at the junction of 

 Stockton Road and Oxford Street, was built in 1890. 

 It is a building of brick with freestone dressings in the 

 13th-century style, and consists of a chancel, nave 



with north and south aisles, and north porch. The 

 parish, which includes the districts of Belle V'ue and 

 Longhill, was formed in 1891. The living is a 

 vicarage in the same gift. 



The church of Sr. OSWALD, in Brougham Terrace, 

 was completed in 1904. It is a stone building in the 

 15th-century style, and consists of a continuous 

 chancel and nave, north and south aisles, south chapel, 

 north and south porches at the west end of the aisles, 

 and west tower. The parish was formed in 1904. 

 The living is a vicarage in the gift of the vicar of 

 Christ Church for the next turn, after that the Bishop 

 of Durham. 



The church of ST. MATTHEW, opened in 1902, 

 is a building of pressed red brick with stone facings in 

 the 15th-century style. It is a mission church served 

 by the clergy of All Saints. 



The church of Stranton was 

 ADrOWSON granted by Robert de Brus to the 

 priory of Guisborough between i 1 19 

 and 1 1 29." It was appropriated to the priory and 

 a vicarage was ordained before 1 234.'* After the 

 Dissolution the advowson seems to have remained in 

 the Crown till the grant of the rectory in 1607 to 

 Philip Chewte and Richard Moore.'' They sold it 

 two years later to John Dodsworth of Thornton Wat- 

 lass Yorkshire." No grant of the advowson to the 

 Dodsworths has been found, but John's descendant, 

 John Dodsworth, presented in 1 67 1," and his cousin 

 and heir John -" conveyed the advowson with the 

 rectory to Godfrey Lawson in 1678.^1 There was a 

 presentation by the Crown in 168 I, -^ but the Dods- 

 worth family retained its interest, and John Dods- 

 worth, son of the last John, presented in 1727." 

 Eleven years later the patron was Matthew White,-* 

 whose daughter and ultimate heir Elizabeth married 

 Matthew Ridley.^^ Her son Sir Matthew White 

 Ridley presented in 1 796. He was succeeded by a 

 son, grandson and great-grandson of the same name. 2'' 

 The advowson was purchased in 1 885 by Thomas 

 Robinson of Glaisdale, Yorkshire, and passed to his 

 son Mr. Thomas Robinson of North Ferriby, York- 

 shire. It now belongs to the trustees of St. John's 

 College, Durham. 



The descent of the rectory after the conveyance by 

 John Dodsworth to Godfrey Lawson is confused. In 

 '769-71 certain farmers in Stranton and Seaton 

 Carew from whom agistment tithe was claimed stated 

 that Lawson and Dodsworth had sold the tithes to 

 various persons." On the other hand Thomas 

 Wharton of Old Park claimed the impropriation 

 under a conveyance of 1729 by John Dodsworth to 

 Robert Wharton. =* Part of the tithes of Stranton 

 township still belonged to his descendant, Robert 

 Wharton Middleton, of Old Park, about 1823. »» 

 Another part had recently been alienated.'" The 



^^ Proc. Soc. Antfj. Nrwcaslle, iii, 6 \ 

 Gent, Mag. Sept. 1865, and information 

 from Rev. J. Bennclt, vicar. 



" Proc. Soc. Anriij. Newcastle, iii, 

 292. 



" LonJ. Gaz. 4 Jan. 1 842, p. 5 . 



" Ibid. 18 Jan. i8;9, p. 170. 



" Ibid. 12 Apr. 1870, p. 2140. 



'^ Guhhro Charrnl. (Surt. Soc.), i, 3, 

 5, 6, 12, 14, 114. 



'* Willi.im Vicar of Stranton was con- 

 temporary with Prior Mich.icl 1218-34 

 (ibid, ii, 327). 



'' Bf!. Barnes Injunc. (Surt. Soc), 4 ; 

 Pat. 5 Jas. I, pt. XX, m. 24. 



"• Decrees and Ordera (Exch. K..R.) 

 (Ser. 4), XXX, Mich. 1 77 1, no. 15. 



" Inst. Bks. (P.R.O.). 



»» Gen. (New Ser.), xxiv, 37-8. 



" Feet of F. Dur. East. 30 Chas. II. 



" Inst. Bks. (P.R.O.). 



" Ibid. ; Gen. (New Ser.), loc. cit. 



" Inst. Bks. (P.R.O.). 



'-' Mackenzie, I'lCM of Noilkumh. ii, 

 39" ; G.E.C. Baronetage, v, 106. 



* G.E.C. op. cit. 107. 



375 



" Decrees and Orders (Exch. K.R.) 

 (Ser. 4), XXI, Mich. 1771, no. 5. 



-* Ibid. In Februiry 1731-2 Robert 

 Wharton, with Joseph Hall and Catherine 

 his wife, John Weares and Susanna his 

 wife, and James Potts and Marj- his wife, 

 made a conveyance of the rectorv to 

 Francis Middleton (Feet of F. Dur. Hil. 

 5 Geo. II). Probably John Dodsworth 

 conveyed the advowson to Matthew 

 White at about the same date. 



" Surtees, op. cit. iii, 122. 



»» Ibid. 



