Now, as we all know the next few weeks will be a slow news time, unless you want to know more about Victor Virus.
So instead, here is what passed for breaking news in the March of 1865 across our own township.
“Last evening a meeting of the vestry was held in St Clements School room, Chorlton-cum Hardy.
Before the proceedings commenced Mr. Charles Clark walked up to the table and took the chair. He said that the meeting was one adjourned from the vestry at which he had been elected chairman. He was soon followed by the Rev. J.E. Booth, the rector of the parish , who taking a seat next to that of Mr. Clark, said he took the chair ex-offico”.
At which point one of the churchwardens got up and insisted that the Reverend take the chair, which was followed by competing shouts supporting and objecting to the suggestion, which in turn was followed by both Mr. Clark and the Rev. Booth attempting to speak at the same time.
Mr. Clarke asserting, he would “not relinquish the chair , if he had to remain in the room till the next morning”, while the Reverend Booth replied that he “would take the chair legally or not”.
In the subsequent shouting and heckling from the meeting Mr. Clark could not be heard.
Happily order was restored and the meeting progressed, with an attempt at a resolution to the dispute which sought to end the great Church division, between those who wanted a new parish church and those who wanted to retain the old place of worship beside the village green.
This older church had begun as a chapel of rest, dating from the 1500, and was rebuilt in 1800 as the parish church.
But by the 1860s despite extension it had become too small, and there was a move a new one, on a site very close by.
All looked to be going well until Lord Egerton offered an alternative site on Edge Lane, which divided the congregation between the traditionalist and those who not only favoured Egerton’s offer but proceeded to raise money and begin building a new church.
That church was completed in stages but while it could only carry out “divine worship”, leaving the task of baptisms, marriages and burial services to the much smaller and older church on the green.
A state of affairs which lasted until 1940 when it was closed because of frost damage, and all services passed to the new church.
But that was way into the future, when Mr. Clark and the Reverend Booth clashed in the old school hall.
The upshot of that tussle was that the meeting resolved to maintain the primacy of the old church, but it had been a fight to the end.
The modernists tabled a resolution calling on the bishop to side with them and transfer the funding from the Church of England to the new church, but an amendment which recognized the new church but asserted that service should be retained in the old, and more importantly that the official funding should also remain with the old church was carried, “on a large majority in favour which was carried amid cheers and groans”.
Location; Chorlton-cum-Hardy
Pictures; the old parish church circa 1870, from the collection of Tony Walker, and circa 1890 from the Lloyd Collection, and 1933, by F. Blyth, from A Short history of Chorlton-cum-Hardy by J.D. Blyth, 1933
Leaving me just to say that the full story can be found in The Story of Chorlton-cum-Hardy, and Chorlton-cum-Hardy Churches, Chapels, Temples, A Synagogue and a Mosque.**
* Chorlton-cum-Hardy Vestry …… Disgraceful Proceedings, Manchester Guardian, March 9, 1865
** The Story of Chorlton-cum-Hardy, Andrew Simpson, 2012, and Chorlton-cum-Hardy Churches, Chapels, Temples, A Synagogue and a Mosque, Andrew Simpson & Peter Topping, 2018**
 |
| The old Parish Church, circa 187o |
“Last evening a meeting of the vestry was held in St Clements School room, Chorlton-cum Hardy.
Before the proceedings commenced Mr. Charles Clark walked up to the table and took the chair. He said that the meeting was one adjourned from the vestry at which he had been elected chairman. He was soon followed by the Rev. J.E. Booth, the rector of the parish , who taking a seat next to that of Mr. Clark, said he took the chair ex-offico”.
At which point one of the churchwardens got up and insisted that the Reverend take the chair, which was followed by competing shouts supporting and objecting to the suggestion, which in turn was followed by both Mr. Clark and the Rev. Booth attempting to speak at the same time.
 |
| Circa 1890 |
In the subsequent shouting and heckling from the meeting Mr. Clark could not be heard.
Happily order was restored and the meeting progressed, with an attempt at a resolution to the dispute which sought to end the great Church division, between those who wanted a new parish church and those who wanted to retain the old place of worship beside the village green.
This older church had begun as a chapel of rest, dating from the 1500, and was rebuilt in 1800 as the parish church.
But by the 1860s despite extension it had become too small, and there was a move a new one, on a site very close by.
All looked to be going well until Lord Egerton offered an alternative site on Edge Lane, which divided the congregation between the traditionalist and those who not only favoured Egerton’s offer but proceeded to raise money and begin building a new church.
 |
| 1933 |
A state of affairs which lasted until 1940 when it was closed because of frost damage, and all services passed to the new church.
But that was way into the future, when Mr. Clark and the Reverend Booth clashed in the old school hall.
The upshot of that tussle was that the meeting resolved to maintain the primacy of the old church, but it had been a fight to the end.
The modernists tabled a resolution calling on the bishop to side with them and transfer the funding from the Church of England to the new church, but an amendment which recognized the new church but asserted that service should be retained in the old, and more importantly that the official funding should also remain with the old church was carried, “on a large majority in favour which was carried amid cheers and groans”.
Location; Chorlton-cum-Hardy
Pictures; the old parish church circa 1870, from the collection of Tony Walker, and circa 1890 from the Lloyd Collection, and 1933, by F. Blyth, from A Short history of Chorlton-cum-Hardy by J.D. Blyth, 1933
Leaving me just to say that the full story can be found in The Story of Chorlton-cum-Hardy, and Chorlton-cum-Hardy Churches, Chapels, Temples, A Synagogue and a Mosque.**
* Chorlton-cum-Hardy Vestry …… Disgraceful Proceedings, Manchester Guardian, March 9, 1865
** The Story of Chorlton-cum-Hardy, Andrew Simpson, 2012, and Chorlton-cum-Hardy Churches, Chapels, Temples, A Synagogue and a Mosque, Andrew Simpson & Peter Topping, 2018**
No comments:
Post a Comment