SALFORD HUNDRED 



ASHTON-UNDER-LYNK 



including St. James's and St. Matthew's at Leesfield, 

 and St. Augustine's at Mossley. 



The Wesleyan Methodists had a chapel in Ashton 

 in 1782 ; 188 now they have churches in Ashton, 

 Mossley, Woodhouses, and Audenshaw. The New 

 Connexion had a chapel as early as 1798 ; they have 

 now four churches in Ashton, 189 and others in Hurst, 

 Lees, Mossley, and Audenshaw. The Primitive 

 Methodists are represented in Ashton, Hurst, Lees, 

 Bardsley, and Mossley. 190 The Independent Metho- 

 dists have a church in Ashton. 191 



There is a Strict Baptist chapel in Ashton ; also a 

 Baptist church. 192 



The Nonconformists of 1662 and later were able 

 to worship at Denton and Dukinfield ; the latter 

 congregation is now Unitarian. In 1816 the Con- 

 gregationalists took the old Methodist chapel in 

 Harrop's Yard, it being difficult for Nonconformists 

 to obtain land from the Earl of Stamford ; and they 

 built and opened a new chapel in 1817. This first 

 Albion Chapel was followed by a second in 1835 ; 

 and has now been replaced by a third, on another 

 site, opened in iSg^.. 193 There are now three Con- 

 gregational churches in Ashton itself, and another in 

 Mossley. 1938 



Albion school, connected with the first-named, had 

 a unique position in the town. 



The Christian Brethren have meeting-places at 

 Lees and Mossley. The following also have churches 

 or meeting- rooms : Unitarians (1897), Catholic 

 Apostolic, Church of Christ, Salvation Army, Welsh 

 Calvinistic Methodists, and Swedenborgians. 



Mass was said in 1823 in a room near the market 

 cross, but ceased on Dukinfield chapel being opened in 

 i825. 194 Of the present Roman Catholic churches, 

 St. Ann's, the oldest, was opened in 1852, and replaced 

 by a new church in 1859;"* St. Mary's, 1870; 

 St. Edward's, Lees, 1874-7 at first served from St. 

 Mary's, Oldham ; and St. Joseph's, Mossley, 1863. 



The adherents of Joanna Southcote were numerous 

 from about 1820 to 1885; they built a place of 

 worship in 1825, and at one time had four temples. 

 The Mormons also had a meeting-place. 



Official inquiries as to the charities 

 CHARITIES of the parish were made in 1826 

 and i899. 196 For distribution to 

 the poor there is available .278 annually, mostly 

 of recent origin, the principal benefactors being 

 John Kenworthy, 197 Benjamin Mellor Kenworthy, 198 

 Edward Brown, 199 and George Heginbottom. 100 The 



188 John Wesley preached there on 

 4 April 1782 5 Wesley's Workt (ed. 1829), 

 iv, 224. 



189 The first chapel was in Harrop's 

 Yard ; a view is given in Nightingale's 

 Lanes. Nonconf. v, 298. A removal was 

 made to that in Stamford Street in 1799 ; 

 Butterworth, op. cit. One chapel at 

 Mossley was built in 1823 and rebuilt in 

 1835; and a second in 1824; Edwin 

 Butterworth, Ashton, 135. A chapel in 

 Stalybridge, opened in 1802, was removed 

 to Dukinfield in 1832 ; ibid. 150. 



l*> 'The Primitive Methodists, com- 

 monly called Ranters, have a place for 

 religious worship in Church Street ' ; 

 Jas. Butterworth, Asbton (1822), 83. 



Ml The Independent Methodists occur 

 as early as 1818 ; a chapel at Charles- 

 town was built in 1838, under the fol- 

 lowing circumstances : ' " The Stephens- 

 ites " originated in the secession of the 

 Rev. J. R. Stephens from the Wesleyan 

 Methodists. The admirers of this singu- 

 larly distinguished personage erected in 

 1837 a large but plain building for wor- 

 ship in Charleston, which is calculated to 

 accommodate 1,100 persons ' ; Edwin 

 Butterworth, Ashton, 68. They had also a 

 chapel at Mossley and another at Ras- 

 bottom, Stalybridge, called Mount Zion. 



193 It originated about 1836 ; E. But- 

 terworth, op. cit. 68. There was formerly 

 another at Mossley ; ibid. 136. The 

 General Baptists had a chapel in Ras- 

 bottom in 1819, removed to Cross Street, 

 Stalybridge, in 1828 ; ibid. 151. 



On the early troubles of the Baptist 

 congregation at Stalybridge, which divided 

 into Arminian and Calvinistic, see A. 

 Taylor, Engl. General Baptists, 394. 



198 Nightingale, op. cit. v, 299-303. 



ima Ryecroft was founded in 1848, the 

 chapel being built in 1853 ; from this 

 the school-chapel at Hooley Hill has 

 sprung ; ibid, v, 306-8. Work at Moss- 

 ley originated in 1838, but Abney Church 

 there was not built till 1854-5 : ibid, v, 



3"- 



194 Edwin Butterworth, op. cit 67 ; 

 the room was the old Methodist chapel 

 in Harrop's Yard. 



19 'In 1868 (Aug.), the "poor chapel" 

 of the place was nearly destroyed by an 

 anti-Catholic mob incited by one Murphy, 

 a notorious Protestant lecturer. The 

 large crucifix was injured by pistol shots, 

 and windows and pews broken. The 

 priest, Fr. J. Beesly, endeavoured to ob- 

 tain compensation, but after a trial of the 

 case before the Salford Hundred Court, 

 was non-suited on the ground that " the 

 mob did not intend entirely to demolish " ' ; 

 Kelly, Engl. Cath. Missions, 58. 



i6 The report of the 1899 inquiry was 

 printed in 1901 ; it contains a reprint of 

 the previous one. 



19 7 By his will of 1861, proved in 1869, 

 he left two sums of 2,000 each, the 

 interest to be distributed yearly among 

 thirty-six poor men and thirty-six poor 

 women, all over sixty years old, men em- 

 ployed in and about the collieries in 

 Ashton and Dukinfield to have prefer- 

 ence. The income of each bequest, in- 

 vested in the name of the official trustees, 

 amounts to 59 js. $d. The mayor and 

 churchwardens of Ashton distribute the 

 money. 



198 In 1892 he bequeathed 2,000 for 

 warm underclothing for the aged poor, 

 cleanliness being insisted on. The capital 

 is invested in mortgages, and produces an 

 income of 82 101., distributed by the 

 trustees. 



199 He gave a sum of 1,000, now 

 held by the official trustees, to provide a 

 weekly distribution of sixpenny loaves at 

 the parish church. The churchwardens 

 distribute the income, 32 10*., as 

 directed, but there is a difficulty in pro- 

 curing suitable recipients poor aged per- 

 sons attending the church. 



300 By his will of 1877 he bequeathed 

 five sums of 100 each, now producing 

 2 \js. 4</. a year, for clothing for poor 

 persons in the five parishes of Holy 

 Trinity, St. Peter's, Christ Church, and 

 St. James's, Ashton, and St. Stephen's, 

 Audenshaw, the vicar and churchwardens 

 of each being responsible for the distribu- 

 tion. No distinction is made on account 

 of religious opinions. 



351 



The other benefactions for the poor 

 are as follows : , 



Dame Elizabeth Booth in 1620 gave 

 2 ioj. a year for penny loaves to be 

 given to twelve aged poor people afj^ir 

 morning prayer every Sabbath day. The 

 bread is still given by the rector and 

 churchwardens of the parish church. 



Priscilla Pickford in 1720 gave 20*. 

 yearly for a Christmas gift to the poor. 

 The benefaction is charged on lands at 

 Greenacres Moor, Oldham, and is distri- 

 buted to twenty poor persons by the 

 churchwardens. Religious denomination 

 is not regarded. 



Miles Hilton in 1 740 bequeathed 130 

 for gowns for the poor. The money, 

 with an additional 30 from other 

 sources, is invested in mortgages, and 

 produces 7 izs. for this charity. Cloth 

 gowns are given to ten women who attend 

 the parish church, the rector and church- 

 wardens selecting the recipients. 



Mrs. Heywood bequeathed 15 to the 

 poor ; this is invested with the last 

 charity, and the interest, 151., is distri- 

 buted in sixpences among thirty old 

 women who have attended the church 

 service on Christmas Day. 



James Walker in 1749 left 250 for 

 the provision of cloth coats for twelve or 

 more poor old men of the parish, regard 

 being had to attendance at church and 

 the Lord's Supper. The capital is now 

 in the hands of the official trustees, and 

 the income, 7 js. %d., is distributed in 

 coats at Christmas to seven or eight poor 

 men. 



Ellen wife of the Rev. Thomas Baker 

 Dixon in 1872 bequeathed 100 to poor 

 communicants of St. James's, Ashton ; 

 the income to be distributed in flannel by 

 the incumbent. The capital is in the 

 hands of the official trustees, and the 

 income, 2 17*. 4<f., is distributed at 

 directed. 



John McQuinn of Lees in 1881 left 

 200 for the poor of Leesfield. The net 

 income is 5 i6s., and is paid by the 

 churchwarden to the church poor fund. 



Alexander James Bulkeley, vicar of 

 Audenshaw, in 1898 bequeathed 



