A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE 



1696 Richard Sugden, M.A. (Clare College, 



Cambridge) 

 1712 John Halliwell, 153 M.A. (Brasenose 



College, Oxford) 

 1730 James Sugden, 15 ' B.A. (St. Catharine's 



Hall, Cambridge) 

 1732 Samuel Towson ls5 

 1773 Thomas Fawcett 1S6 

 1818 John Fallowfi eld 

 1842 Thomas Lowe 

 1861 David Mitchell Alexander, 157 M.A. 



(Brasenose College, Oxford) 

 1864 William Walters, 153 M.A. (Christ 



Church, Oxford) 

 1873 William Francis Wilberforce, 159 M.A. 



(University College, Oxford) 

 1876 Alfred Julius James Cachemaille, 160 



M.A. (Gonville and Caius College, 



Cambridge) 

 1892 George Perry-Gore 161 



In 1548 four priests at Oldham were summoned to 

 the bishop's visitation ; one of them, Lawrence Hall, 

 was attached to the chapel at Shaw in Crompton. 

 In 1563 onwards only one appeared. 1 " The curate 

 at the end of the century (T. Hunt) was a strong 

 Puritan, who refused to wear the surplice and to 

 comply in other respects with the statutory require- 

 ments. His successor was in 1625 presented to the 

 Bishop of Chester for not wearing the surplice ; he 

 said he would do so as soon as the churchwardens 

 should provide one. 163 During the Commonwealth 1M 

 the Presbyterian incumbent appears to have been 

 popular; he was ejected in 1662. From this time 

 there is little to record. 165 In 1778 the church was 

 'regularly served every Sunday and two sermons 

 preached, and prayers read on Wednesdays and 

 Fridays throughout the year ; and the Sacrament of 



the Lord's Supper administered the second Sunday in 

 every month . . . and the younger part of the con- 

 gregation catechised every Wednesday and Friday 

 between Easter and Whitsuntide.' 166 The provision 

 made in the two other Oldham churches was not so 

 liberal. 167 



The growth of the town in modern times has led 

 to a great increase in the number of places of wor- 

 ship. In connexion with the Established Church the 

 two buildings just named, St. Peter's in Chapel 

 Street 168 and St. Margaret's, Hollinwood, 169 were 

 erected in 17658 and 17669 respectively; the 

 rector of Prestwich is patron. The former, after 

 being enlarged, was rebuilt in 1901 and the latter in 

 1879. St. James's, Greenacres Moor, followed in 

 1829;" Christ Church, Glodwick, in i844; 171 

 St. John's, on the border of Chadderton, in the same 

 year ; 17f Holy Trinity, Waterhead, in 1 847 ; 17i 

 Holy Trinity, Coldhurst, 174 was consecrated in the 

 next year ; St. Thomas's, Leesfield, consecrated also 

 in 1 848 ; 175 St. Thomas's, Werneth, 176 which has a 

 mission-room called St. Michael's, was built in 1855 : 

 St. Thomas's, Moorside, 177 in 1872 ; St. Stephen and 

 All Martyrs', Lower Moor, in 1873 ; 178 St. Andrew's, 

 Werneth, in the same year ; 179 St. Mark's, Glod- 

 wick, 180 in 1876; St. Paul's, Ashton Road, in 

 1880 ; 181 and All Saints', Northmoor, in 1891. 

 The patronage of these is in various hands ; the 

 Crown and the Bishop of Manchester present alter- 

 nately to Coldhurst, Leesfield^ Waterhead, Chadderton 

 St. John, Werneth St. Thomas, and Glodwick Christ 

 Church ; the bishop alone to St. Paul's ; the rector 

 of Prestwich to St. James's ; five trustees to Werneth 

 St. Andrew, St. Stephen's, St. Mark's, and North- 

 moor ; Thomas Mellodew and John Lees to Moor- 

 side St. Thomas. Another church St. Matthew's, 

 Roundthorn is a chapel-of-ease to St. Thomas's, 

 Lees. 



158 Previously at Milnrow and Shaw. 

 He was of the Halliwells of Pike House ; 

 Fishwick, Rochdale, 441. His will is given 

 in Shaw, Oldham, 300. He was buried 

 21 July 1730 at Oldham. 



lo4 The church papers at Chest. Dioc. 

 Reg. begin at this time. 



144 ' He was one of those clergymen 

 who distinguished themselves in the last 

 [i8th] century by the diminished interest 

 they manifested in the political affairs of 

 their localities. Not deficient in intel- 

 lectual acquirements, he was tolerant in 

 his views and refined and pacific in his 

 conduct. He exerted himself, in conjunc- 

 tion with the wealthy of the parish, in 

 doing all the good he could to the deserv- 

 ing poor in an unobtrusive way. For 

 want of practising the art of speaking 

 "with the proper ornaments of voice and 

 gesture," many of his hearers were at- 

 tracted to dissenting congregations, " for 

 no other reason in the world but because 

 the sermons were spoken extempore ; " ' 

 E. Butterworth'i Oldham (ed. 1856), 

 78. 



158 He had been curate of St. Peter's, 

 Oldham. 



"7 Incumbent of Hanover Chapel, 1864 

 to 1870. 



us Vicar of Pershore, 1873 to 1894 ; 

 Archdeacon of Worcester, 1889 ; rector 

 of Alvechurch, 1894. 



159 Previously vicar of Royston, Yorks. 

 1862 to 1873 5 afterwards vicar of St. 

 John, Micklegate, York, 1876 to 1882 ; 



of Fulford, York, 1882 to 1889; and of 

 Brodsworth, 1889. 



160 Rector of Cheriton, Hants, 1892 to 

 1894 ; vicar of All Saints', Forest Gate, 

 1894. 



lei Previously vicar of St. Matthias', 

 Sneinton, 1890 to 1892. 



163 Visitation Lists at Chester. 

 168 Ibid. 



164 A ' monthly exercise ' was arranged 

 for Oldham in 1653, an arrangement 

 modified two years later ; Shaw, op. cit. 

 145, 148. 



165 Presentments for ecclesiastical of- 

 fences made in 1684 are printed ibid. 191. 

 Two men were charged ' for sitting in the 

 church, with their hats on, in sermon 

 time.' 



166 Booker, Prest-wich, 85. 



16 ' At St. Peter's, where the curate's 

 salary was wholly derived from seat-rents, 

 there were two Sunday services with ser- 

 mon, and the Lord's Supper was adminis- 

 tered once a quarter. At St. Margaret's, 

 which had received a grant from Queen 

 Anne's Bounty, only the Sunday services 

 are mentioned ; ibid. 85, 86. 



168 Consecrated 2 June 1768, see Old- 

 ham Notes and Gleanings, i, 85. It became 

 head of a district chapelry in 1835 ; Lond. 

 Gaz. 5 May. 



It was erected by voluntary contribu- 

 tions, and enlarged in 1804. About 1817 

 the congregation subscribed for a Thursday 

 evening sermon in the summer months ; 

 Butterworth, Oldham, 38. 



106 



169 Consecrated 8 July 1769. It became 

 a district chapel at the same time as the last. 



1 7 Consecrated 19 Sept. 1829. There is 

 a full account of the church in Oldham Notes 

 and Gleanings, ii, 97, &c. ; the Million 

 Fund of 1818 made grants towards the 

 building. It also became a district chapel 

 in 1835. A chancel has been added. 



V 1 Consecrated 20 Nov. 1 844 ; for the 

 district see Lond. Gaz. 22 Oct. 1844. 



172 Consecrated 27 Nov. 1845. A dis- 

 trict was assigned to it at the same time 

 as to the last. 



W Consecrated 5 July 1847. Services 

 had been begun in 1845 in two rooms in 

 the Grove, off Sidebottom Street ; see the 

 full history of the church in Oldham Notes 

 and Gleanings, 5, 195, 210, &c. A district 

 vras assigned in 1 844 ; Lond. Gaz. 3 Dec. 



V* Consecrated 12 Feb. 1848. The 

 district was formed in 1 844 ; Lond. Gaz. 



22 Oct. 



175 For district, ibid. 14 July 1846. 



l ' 6 Consecrated 21 Nov. 1855. The 

 district had been assigned at the same 

 time as Coldhurst. 



*77 Consecrated 20 Apr. 1872. For 

 district see Lond. Gaz. 29 Nov. 1870. 



V* Consecrated 9 May 1873. For dis- 

 trict see Lond. Gaz. 8 Aug. 1873. 



179 Consecrated 14 May 1873. For dis- 

 trict see Lond. Gaz. 16 Dec. 1873. 



180 Consecrated 14 June 1876. For 

 district see Lond. Gaz. 30 May 1876. 



181 Consecrated 26 May 1880. For 

 district see Lond. Gaz. 3 Aug. 1880. 



