Churches of Sutton-in-Ashfield
St Mary Magdalene
"The original Norman building seems to have been a plain aisleless church, and certainly occupied the site of the present building. During the general restoration which took place in 1868, an arch stone (now built into the west wall) was found. It was surmounted by the typical Norman chevron or zig-zag ornamentation, and may have come from the chancel arch of the Norman building. The pillar piscine now serving as a standard for the floral decorations was unearthed in the churchyard, and had been dated by experts as early as 1115."
[From The story of our Parish Church, St. Mary Magdalene, Sutton in Ashfield, by W. Clay-Dove]
The Parish Church of St Mary Magdalene has been altered and repaired on a number of occasions. At the beginning of the 13th century, the building was lengthened by the addition of a new western bay. The tower and spire was added in the 14th century, and a new spire was built in 1819 when the former was destroyed in a gale. In 1854, the chancel was restored by the Duke of Portland, and in 1867-8 the Vicar at the time - the Rev. Charles Bellairs - raised £2,000 for further much needed restoration work.
The rear of St Mary Magdalene
In 1878, St Michael's Mission was opened in a cottage on Eastfield Side. In 1887, a Chancel, organ chamber and vestry were built on a piece of land on Outram Street, bought from Mr Walter Straw for £2,000, and was dedicated on St Michael and All Angels day. An Iron Nave was added in 1890, and replaced by a stone Nave; the foundation stone being laid by the 6th Duke of Portland in July 1909. St Michaels was formed into its own parish in February 1910, prior to this date the register entries formed part of St Mary's registers. The Church is currently under threat of demolition, due to its unsafe condition.
St Michael & All Angels
In 1879 St Modwen's Mission was opened in the Hardwick Street Infant School. In
1881 the Curate, Rev. F. T. Marsh, acquired the tenancy of the Ebenezer Meeting House and
altered the structure to form a Mission Church. In September 1881 the Mission was
dedicated to Saint Modwenna, Abbess of Burton-on-Trent. In 1886 it was necessary to
increase the accommodation of the church, so an Iron Church - previously used at St
Albans, Sneinton - was brought to Sutton and erected on a strip of land on Hardwick
Street.
The Iron Church continued in use until a new St Modwen's Church was built on Station Road.
It was consecrated by the Assistant Bishop of Southwell, the Rt. Rev. Neville Stuart
Talbot in July 1937. on Station Road in 1937. The last service in this church took place
on 12th July 1987, and the building has since been demolished.
Parish Records
"The Parish Registers commence with the year 1577. Between the years 1836 and 1847 there appears to be no authentic register of burials. There were a few loose leaves of burials which the late Rev. C Bellairs copied into a book as a reference. The registers contain nothing of perculiar interest, and on the whole have been badly kept."
[From History of Sutton-in-Ashfield, published by L. Lindley, 1907)
An interesting point was made by the Rev. Frederick Brodhurst, vicar at Sutton from 1875 to 1893 -
"..it may be mentioned that when my predecessor (the Rev. Charles Bellairs) came to the parish some seven years before, he found the parishioners practically unbaptised. The church records show that he and his fellow workers baptised 1,608 the first year, over 800 the second year, and over 600 the third year."
[From The Story of our Parish Church, by W. Clay-Dove, 1982]
Therefore, anyone searching for a baptism in the parish between about 1840 and 1867 should also search the period between 1867 and 1870, when they will find the baptisms of adults and children of all ages.
I have produced a chart showing the number
of baptisms per year between 1820-1875, to give you an idea of the number of
baptisms which might be missing from the register. This does not include the
register for Hucknall Huthwaite, which had its own register of baptisms from
1868.
See further details
in the Reference Section
The Churchyard
St. Mary's churchyard covers over four acres, and is one of the largest in the Diocese. The oldest portion is that within the immediate area of the church. The oldest recorded (legible) gravestone is that of Anthony Langford who died in 1672 aged 79 years.
The churchyard was enlarged by two and a half acres in July 1859, using land purchased from the Duke of Portland at a cost of £104 per acre. It was consecrated by the Bishop of Lincoln.
After the opening of the Cemetery the majority of burials were interred in there, however, the occasional burial still took place in the churchyard; particularly in family plots. In 1907, following the death of Mr Daniel Revill Betts, the parish sexton, it was decided not to appoint a new sexton on account of the churchyard "being practically full of the dead".
In 1937 the details from the gravestones were recorded by Mr W. Clay-Dove in the book "Survey of Gravestones in St Mary's Churchyard, Sutton-in-Ashfield". A copy of this book is held in the Reference section of Sutton-in-Ashfield library, and another copy has been deposited at the Society of Genealogists in London.
The small green gate in the centre of the picture leads to the Cemetery
Much of the church yard is now covered with brambles, and difficult to access. The area around the front of the church has been kept clear, and a path runs from the front of the church to a gate in the side wall of the church yard, which leads to the cemetery. Unfortunately, the path has been made out of old flat gravestones, many of which are now almost illegible.
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The rear of the church, with many hidden memorials Part of the path which surrounds the church
Join me on a Churchyard Walk to see a small number of the
gravestones which can be seen in the churchyard.
The Independent Congregational Church was founded in 1651, with its first place of worship being Mr Allwood's meeting house, on the corner of Market Street and Church Street. A new chapel was built in King Street in 1743 and enlarged in 1815. A new church was built on High Pavement in 1905 after the council acquired the King Street chapel site for improvements to the Market Place. The new church cost £5,460 and was opened in April 1906 by Mrs Alliott.
United Reform Church, High Pavement
This new church is now known as the United Reform Church. A portion of the Registers of
the Independent Congregation of Sutton-in-Ashfield, covering 1773-1837 has been published
by Nottinghamshire FHS in their Miscellany No 2 (Vol. 88)
The Particular Baptists built a chapel with burial ground in Parliament Street in 1771. This Society was founded in Sutton by Abraham Booth, and the group first met in 'Bowers Hall' in a room used as a Hosiers Warehouse. In 1832, a branch chapel was built at Eastfield Side. Over time, the congregation of the 'Mother Chapel' fell, until there were none left. At that time, the Eastfield Side Chapel took over as the 'Mother Chapel' of this particular sect.
The General Baptists also built a chapel on Parliament Street in 1811; previous to that date services were conducted by friends from the early Baptist Church in Kirkby Woodhouse. The chapel was enlarged in 1862.
A Baptist Chapel on Victoria Street was opened in April 1914 by a Mrs Fisk. It was demolished in 1995.
The Wesleyan Methodists worshipped in private houses, until the building of
their chapel in 1812. They replaced it with a new chapel, whose foundation stone was laid
in November 1882 on a site on Outram Street. The chapel was opened by Rev. R. Morton in
May 1883.
The Methodist New Connection established a chapel on Low Street, around 1837. The Primitive
Methodists' first meeting house was in a dwelling off Bedlam Court in 1837. Their
Reform Street Chapel was built in 1840, and extended in 1876 to include a separate
schoolroom. Branch Chapels were also erected at Porter's Buildings (1856), Forest Side
(1866) and New Cross (1895). The Methodist Free Church erected an Iron Chapel on
Priestsic Road in 1903.
A Methodist Chapel dedicated to St John was built on Brook Street in November 1929. It was extended and modernised in 1973.
St John's Methodist Chapel, Brook Street
In 1898, the Providence Hall was built on the corner of High Pavement and Mount Street. It was called a Free Church Meeting House, and its first pastor was Mr T. C. Barratt.
The Roman Catholic Church of St Joseph the Worker was built on Oates' Hill my Messrs. J. Searson Ltd. at a cost of £54,000. It was opened in October 1961 by the Rt. Rev. Edward Ellis.
St Joseph the Worker, Catholic Church
Created 27th January 1998 by Heather Faulkes - updated 3rd October 2003
