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to Staincross Church Home Page History of St John's Church,
Staincross, Barnsley
contributed by Margaret Allott
The villages of Staincross and
Mapplewell were originally part of the parish of Darton. Prior to
1870 any anglicans in these villages would have walked the two
miles to the Parish Church at Darton to attend worship.
Non-conformists however were much better provided for by no less
than five Methodist Chapels.
A century before a church service was held in the village John Wesley preached at Carr Green Lane, Staincross in the open air on 30th June 1786. The stone which he used as a pulpit was later buried under the "muck stack" from the pit.
Anglican worship at Mapplewell was instigated by The Revd.
Charles Sangster who held open air services near Calbeck's old
smithy which used to stand near the Four Lane Ends.
The first curate and missioner was The Revd. S.K.F.Ralph who
lived at Belle Vue House in Darton Lane. His first service in
Staincross was held at the home of Benjamin Ledger in 1870 and later
services in an old cottage belonging to Mr Elihas Gold of Thorpe
Farm, near to the present King's Head Inn. This building was not
in a very good state of repair and did not last long. All traces
of it have now vanished.
Mr Ralph soon got to work to raise funds for the building of a
Mission Church. Thanks to the generous help given by W. B.
Beaumont of Bretton Hall it was soon built on Blacker Road near
the Four Lane Ends. The building is now Bagshaw's Furniture Shop
although there are several clues to its former role. The street
immediately opposite is still known as Church Street and it is
only a few years ago that the bell-cote (whose original position
can still be spotted) was removed from the West gable.
The pulpit of oak was given by W.S.Stanhope, M.P. of Cannon Hall,
Cawthorne, the communion table and cloth by Miss Hall of
Worsboro. The building was opened on 24th November 1870. There
was a great attendance and many people had to be turned away for
want of room to hold them. The sermon was preached by the vicar
of Darton, The Revd. C Sangster and musical selections were given
by a choir. They were accompanied on the harmonium by Mrs
Benjamin Sheldon.
There was a break in Mr Ralph's tenure of office and he finally
retired at the end of 1875.
After he left, several curates came and stayed for short periods.
They were the Revds Williams, Wilkins, Hibbs and Lamb.
In the early days of the church at Staincross it sometimes
happened that there was an interval between the outgoing of one
minister and the incoming of another. These intervals did not
help the new church and the Sunday School especially suffered,
the children becoming scattered; going either to one of the
various chapels or nowhere at all.
Mr Ralph was a kindly gentleman and did a lot of good work in
the young church of Staincross.
In April 1876, The Revd. John Madden, an Irishman, was appointed
curate at a stipend of £135 per year. He was a good preacher and
a great student of the Bible, but many could not master his Irish
brogue.
The Revd. John Moscey Easterling became curate in the year 1880.
He was a single man and until one saw his beard looked very
boyish. His health was delicate and he left to go out to
Australia in the following year.
The next curate was The Revd. William Percy Hains, who came in
1881. He studied at St. Aidan's, was ordained deacon in
1881 and priest in 1883. Staincross was his first curacy. During
his stay a successful Church Institute was opened in what is now
a shop at Four Lane Ends. It was a great boon to the young men of
the village, but an elected committee who took over the
management severed the connection with the church, and not long
afterwards the doors closed. Mr Hains left in 1890.
The Revd. William Henry Illingworth came in 1890 and
stayed until 1893. He had a stipend of £140 per annum. During
his period of office great efforts were made to raise funds to
build a larger church. One very successful event was an open air
sale of work, combined with sports and other forms of
entertainment. This was held in the grounds of the Wentworth
Arms. Many eminent persons helped in the effort. The land on
which the present church and Old Vicarage now stand was bought
shortly after. At this time not a little money was wasted on a
grandiose plan for a new church. An architect, living in the
North of England was employed and many visits were made.
The Revd. Thomas Metcalfe, a married man with a grown up family
became curate in 1894. He, like Mr Hains, had studied at St.
Aidan's and was ordained deacon in 1892 and priest in the
following year. an active, hardworking man, he was instrumental
in raising funds for the building of the present church which
started in July 1896, the foundations being dug by local men.
Some of the names remembered are those of George Ernest Foster,
Ben Ledger, Job Hunter and Sylvester Ledger.
The foundation stone was laid on 15th September 1896. This can be
seen underneath the East window outside the church. The chancel
was dedicated by the first Lord Bishop of Wakefield Dr W. Walsham
How on the 27th April 1897. Only a matter of days later he
retired due to ill health and died later the same year.
The choir was robed for the first time on 25th March 1895, in the old church.
Mr Metcalfe left Staincross in 1901 to go out to Prince Albert in
Saskatchewan, North West Canada.
The church suffered many vicissitudes arising from frequent
changes of curates and occasional vacancies. With Mr Metcalfe's
retirement there came a depression which brought it low.
On 1 September 1901 The Revd R.B.S. Watson, a married man, came
to be the next curate at Staincross. Mr Watson was a kind-hearted
man but very eccentric. Those who did not know him well
appreciated him most but he was strangely shy and retiring. His
church officials had much difficulty in balancing the accounts
because of the smallness of the congregation. He stayed in the
parish helping the old vicar at Darton and Barugh until
1904.
From the beginning of the mission until the coming of Mr Howard
all curates at Staincross were officially curates of Darton and
spent some of their time helping in other parts of Darton parish.
The first priest to be designated "curate-in-charge" at
Staincross was The Revd Charles Wilfred Howard, a native of
Chesterfield who received this title on 24th September 1904. He
was a bachelor who had studied at St Bee's, ordained deacon in
1895 and priest in 1897. With the coming of Mr Howard the stipend
was raised to £160 p.a. with a free house. He was very popular
among all classes in the village and before long the church was
found to be too small for the congregation. Money was soon raised
for its enlargement and it was extended by two bays, from where
the door is now, to and including the West window. Gas lighting
was also installed. The extended church was rededicated on 20th
January 1906.
A very popular Bible Class was started on a weeknight which many
men attended. a meeting was also started for the women and this
was highly appreciated. This became the Mother's Union in 1907.
Among other activities a Young Helpers League was organised to
raise funds yearly for the Dr. Barnardo's Homes. This was started
and was run on non-sectarian lines and is still at work in the
village today under the name of Dr. Barnardo's.
Mr Howard left the parish at the end of 1907.
Probably because of a shortage of clergymen, a layman was sent
for a short time to take charge of the church at Staincross. This
was Mr Luce, a native of Jersey in the Channel Islands. He had
recently come to England from America, and at Liverpool had been
connected with the Kensit Movement against High Church Practices.
Being a fluent preacher of the old Methodist type he was popular
for a while, until he took to slating the congregation and
preaching long wearisome sermons. One Sunday morning besides the
ordinary service of Mattins he read the Litany and the Athanasian
Creed and delivered a sermon that lasted forty minutes.
The Revd. Albert John Eley came in 1908. His stipend was
£175 p.a. None of these curates were overpaid but it will be
seen that there was an upward tendency in their salaries. Mr Eley
had studied at London University and was ordained deacon in 1900 and priest the following year. Mr Eley was a good
business man. He had the disadvantage of following a very popular
man in Mr Howard but it is certain that both he and his wife were
also very popular.
During the year 1911-1912 the parsonage house was built and paid
for, partly from money in hand and partly by a loan from the
diocese the repayment of which was guaranteed by the vicar (of
Darton) and certain members of the congregation. It was not long
before it was repaid.
In June 1908 a splendid gift of £1,000 for the curacy fund was
made by Mrs Catherine Fountain of Birthwaite Hall, the mother of
Lady Sutherland.
Mr Eley was curate when the Great War broke out. Both he and his
wife worked hard in arranging parties for soldiers comforts. He
was untiring in his efforts to look after soldiers affairs, such
as separation allowances and other things connected with those
who had gone to war. His church was almost emptied of its young
men, who had gone away to join the services, and it was a great
sorrow to many of them when they returned after the war, to find
that he had already left during the year 1916.
The next curate was the Revd. Robert Ernest Sheaf, who came in 1917. He had studied at University College, Durham, and
was ordained deacon in 1895 and priest in 1897.
In 1920 an army hut, a gift of the diocese, was erected behind
the church at Staincross. This was a much needed building to be
used as a Sunday School and for parochial and social purposes. It
was opened on 13th July of that year.
The electric lighting was installed in the church on 23 Sep paid
for by members of the Pleasant Hour.
Mr Sheaf left Staincross under painful circumstances in 1924. The
Reverend John Winston was the next curate in charge. He had
studied at St.David's College, Lampeter, was ordained Deacon in
1918 and priest in the following year. During his ministry
several improvements were made in the church by members of the
congregation. The east window was the gift of Miss Dransfield of
"The Views". The communion rails and litany desk were
the gift of Mr Earl Earnshaw. The floor of the sanctuary, the
reredos and the oak panelling were given by Miss Nutt. All these
were dedicated by the Rural Dean, the Revd. Canon H. E. Hone on
the 12th July 1927. This was the year in which Mr Winston left
Staincross. The Revd Austin Brayshaw, a native of Silkstone, was
the next and last curate in charge at Staincross. He had studied
at the Victoria University, Manchester and at the Leeds Clerical
School. He was ordained Deacon in 1923 and priest in the year
1924. His high Church practices made him unpopular at Staincross
and he left after only ten months in office and moved to Thurgoland. From June to
December 1928, there was no resident priest and it was during
that time that two important events in the life of the Church at
Staincross took place. The first was the consecration of the
Church as a parish church by the then Lord Bishop of Wakefield on
the 23rd June; and the second was on the first day of November
when H. M. King George V signed the Order in Council, making
Staincross a separate parish. This was described "The
assignment of a Consolidated Chapelry to the consecrated Church
of St. John the Evangelist, Staincross, situated within the
parish of Darton, in the County of York and in the Diocese of
Wakefield". Besides part of Darton, the new parish had taken
in a considerable portion of the parish of Royston.
On the 12th December 1928, the
Revd. E. S. Owen was instituted and inducted to the living by the
Venerable Archdeacon R. Phipps as the first vicar of Staincross.
During the first six months as a parish several gifts were made
to the Church. An altar book and a white altar frontal were given
by the mothers, a purple altar frontal and pulpit falls
given by the Sunday School, white and green pulpit falls, white,
green and purple burses and veils, prayer book for the clergy
desk, book markers, chest for altar frontals and fair linen altar and credence cloths.
The first annual parochial church meeting was held on 8th January 1928.
when the following were elected to serve on the first Parochial Church Council: Messrs. W. Bennett, W.C.Brown, E.Earnshaw, W.Finch, W.Lockwood, M.Marris, E.Peckett, W.Shaw, F.Varey; Mesdames Finch and Turner; Misses Dransfield, Hirst and Nutt. Mr G.Richards was the first Vicar's Warden and Mr H.Barton the first peoples warden.
The visit of the then Lord Bishop of Wakefield was
made on the first anniversary of the consecration of the church
becoming a parish church. Forty six candidates were presented.
By this time the scheme for the provision of a church burial ground was in hand, negotiations were afoot to secure the ground. The first effort to raise funds was a garden party on the 13th July 1929, which realised £35. Other efforts were made from time to time but all were eclipsed by the successful bazaar held on the 1st May 1930 which realised £376.7s.0d. The purchase of the burial ground and its transfer were left in the hands of Mr W. H. Coles of Wakefield, the purchase price being £646.0s.5d. Possession of the ground was taken on Easter Monday in 1930 when an army of men and boys worked at clearing the part that had been used as allotments. The portion of land to be used for burial purposes was consecrated by the Lord Bishop of Wakefield on the 23rd June 1930. The boundary wall was built by Mr J.Parker and completed in the Spring of 1930 at a cost of £114.13s.0d. The wall and gates at the front of the ground by Mr C.K.Taylor and Mr Holderness and Messrs Abbey and Hanson Architects were completed in August 1952 at a cost of £408.12s.0d. and dedicated on the 22nd September 1952 by the Bishop of Pontefract. The total cost was £1,475.15s.8d. and was finally paid for by various efforts to raise the funds in the ensuing four years.
Mr Owen was a very dedicated man and was well liked. He made some changes within the church due to it having been a mission church up to a few months before he arrived. There were also many social events to help raise money. The Church Hall was let quite often on various occasions to different local associations and for private functions, besides the Church's own activities.
One regular event, remembered was the 'Tanner Hop', the Saturday night whist drive and dance. These were always well attended and an enjoyable night out for the family. These carried on all through the second world war and for some time after.
When preaching his last sermon Mr Owen mentioned that he had been asked to come back to officiate at a funeral and on 24th July 1948 to officiate at the wedding of Irene Foster and Albert Asquith. By this time the Revd T V Briggs was the vicar and they both officiated. Mr Owen returned again to baptise their first-born son, Robert, in 1950. He again came as a guest to open the annual garden fete. The Revd E S Owen left on 18th October 1947.
The Revd T V Briggs was the second vicar of Staincross and was inducted on 20th January 1948. He was a married man with three young children. During his service in the parish he made further changes in the Church. In addition to his very active life in the Church he participated in the social life of the community and is especially known for the production of a number of pantomimes performed in the hall. The Revd T V Briggs left on 1st October 1953.
On 10th March 1954 the Revd P Slater was inducted as vicar of St John's. During his time at St John's he formed the Altar Guild. His brother who lived with him played the organ during the time they were in Staincross. Mr Slater left on 15 April 1958.
A younger married man arrived on 2nd October 1958. He was the Reverend Francis Irwin, married with one child. He also made changes within the Church, as had previous vicars. Mr Irwin left on twentieth May 1966. He died suddenly during the year 1996.
Father James Holdroyd was the next vicar to arrive in the parish on 14th September 1966. He was a young unmarried man. The changes made by previous clergy suited his form of worship and he again added to the changes already made. He enjoyed cooking and baking in his spare time. He was fondly known by the village children as 'Batman', because of the long flowing black cloak he wore. He left on 14th September 1972 and later became vicar of the parish church in Brighton.
Father John Hall was inducted as vicar on 15th January 1973. Again he was a single man and also continued to build on the changes that been made gradually over the years. He left on 13th December 1977 to go to Athersley, a short distance from Staincross. He later left Athersley and joined a team ministry in Sheffield finally going to Thurnscoe as vicar. He returned to Staincross to be married in St John's to local girl Valerie Street, who had been a member of the congregation of St. John's for many years. Sadly he died while still in service at Thurnscoe. The chalice that had been a leaving gift to Father John was returned to St. John's by his widow Valerie at his request.
Father Arthur arrived as parish priest on 12 January 1978 with his wife Hetty. Father Wilson was older than the previous vicars and had joined the ministry later in life. Shortly after his arrival here he had a severe heart attack that curtailed his parish duties, followed by a second one, which eventually led to his early retirement. He was instrumental in the alterations made in the chancel. Father Wilson retired on 31st August 1984. He left the beautiful statue of our Lady.
Father David Caton came from London to be the next parish priest and was inducted on 18 October 1918 for. He was married to Gwyneth and had a grown-up family. During his time at St. John's he also made quite a number of changes in the church. He visited the local schools and took assemblies. The sick and elderly were visited by him both at home and in hospital. Father David instigated the Sunday afternoon services held in the local residential homes, with an evening midweek communion service. The monthly afternoon tea parties began for the elderly, sick and lonely.
Gwyneth too was very active both in church and social life. A member of the Mother's Union, she was also the diocesan officer for overseas work. She formed the 'Four Ways' ladies group. This was open to any lady in the village whatever her faith.
Father David and Gwyneth organised the first Christian holiday to Thwing, but sadly they were unable to go as Gwyneth was very ill and actually died on the Sunday the coach left for Thwing in August 1988. She was a lovely lady and is sadly missed. A statue of St. Mark, presented to the church by Father David and his family, was erected near the pulpit as a memorial to her. Father David retired on 30th April 1995.
The present vicar, Father Jim Butterworth was inducted on 13 November 1995. He is married to Valerie and has three children.
Shortly after his arrival Father Jim discovered that the church which had been known for many years as St. John the Divine was really St. John the Evangelist. At some time in the past the name had been changed verbally but not legally. After discussion at an Annual Church Meeting it was decided to revert to the name on the Deed of Consecration and so the church is once again known as St. John the Evangelist.
During the past few years quite a number of young people from the parish have answered a call to full-time ministry into church. These include The Revds Bernard Bennett, Hugh Gallagher, Stephen Pickering, Stephen Walton, Glyn Holland, David Hutton, and Sister Wendy Rhodes
Vicars of Staincross
12 December 1928 to 18 October 1947 - The Revd E S Owen
20 January 1948 to 1 October 1953 - The Revd T V Briggs
10 March 1954 - 15 April 1958 - The Revd P Slater
2 October 1958 to 19 May 1966 - The Revd F W Irwin
14 September 1966 to 14 September 1972 - The Revd J Holdroyd
15 January 1973 to 12 December 1977 - The Revd J S Hall
12 January 1978 to 31 August 1984 - The Revd A Wilson
18 October 1984 to 30 April 1995 - The Revd D A Caton
13 November 1995 to present - The Revd J K Butterworth
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