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HistoryofSt.Cuthbert’sChurchHighEtherley
St.Cuthbert’sChurchHighEtherley
1. BriefDescriptionAbriefdescriptionofSt.Cuthbert’sChurchatHighEtherleyfrominformationgainedduringresearchintoDurhamCathedralLibrary,localhistorybookletsandextractsfrompreviouswritingsabouttheEtherleyarea.In 1832 St. Cuthbert’s“Anglican” churchwas built under the patronageof theBishopofDurham,WilliamVanMildert,costingameagre£700andwaslaterrestoredin1867and1901.Evidence of the importance of support given by the Stobart family, the principal landowners andcollieryownersatthetime,canbefoundinthechurchintheformofastainedglasswindowplacedin memory of John Henry Stobart and the church clock presented in memory of William CulleyStobart.
2. WilliamVanMildert–(extractfromtheDurhamCathedralLibraryVanMildertLetters)
BiographyWilliamVanMildert (1765-1836),bishopofDurham(1826-1836),wasborn6thNovember1765 inSouthwark,thesonofCorneliusVanMildert(1722-1799),gindistiller,andhiswife,Martha,néeHill(1732-1804). VanMildert studied at the Merchant Taylors' School, and Queen's College, Oxford,1784-90.Ordainedpriest in1789, in1790hebecamecurateofWitham,EssexwherehemetJane(1760-1837),daughterofGeneralDouglas,whomhemarriedin1795.In1795VanMildertwasgiventhe livingofBradden,Northamptonshire,byCornelius Ives,hiscousinandbrother-in-law; in1796,hebecamechaplaintotheGrocers'CompanyandrectorofStMary-le-Bow,Cheapside,London.InLondonhe joined thehighchurchcampaigninggrouptheHackneyPhalanx, servedas treasureroftheSPCK1812-15,gavetheBoylelecturesof1802-5,waspreacherofLincoln'sInn,1812-9,Bamptonlecturer in1814,and in1823publishedaten-volumeeditionof theworksofDanielWaterland. In1813 he became regius professor of divinity at Oxford and a canon of Christ Church, bishop ofLlandaffMay1819,declinedthearchbishopricofDublinin1820,insteadbecomingdeanofStPaul'sin commendam with Llandaff, and in 1826 Van Mildert became Bishop of Durham.
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TheUniversityofDurhamwasfounded in1832,primarily throughthevisionanddeterminationofVanMildert,andCharlesThorp,archdeaconofDurhamandprebendaryofDurhamCathedral.VanMildert and Thorp saw the foundation of a university in Durham as a way of deflecting popularcriticismofchurchwealth,andavertingthedangerthat,unlessthechurchitselfredeployedsomeofitssurplus,areforminggovernmentwouldwieldthescytheforit.Theywereeventuallysuccessfulinpersuading the dean and chapter of Durham to support the scheme and redeploy some of theirpropertytoprovideanendowment.Thestruggletowinrecognitionandadequateendowmentforthe fledgling institution had to continue after VanMildert's death in 1836 under his successor asbishop,EdwardMaltby.
TheWilliamVanMildertCoatofArms
3. LocalHistoryofHighEtherley
ThisdescriptionofEtherleyParishwaswrittenintheshorthistoricalbookbyBrigadier-GeneralConyersSurteesin1923.‘EtherleyParishisanecclesiasticalparishsomethreemileswestfromBishopAuckland,whichincludesthescatteredvillageofEtherleyandtheagriculturalHamletofMorley’1923‘EtherleyParishisahamletofscatteredhouses,havingacolliery,school,threepublichousesandafewtradesmen……’Thebookfurtherdescribestheareaasbeing‘richincoals,freestoneandotherminerals,withcoalfieldschieflyworkedbydriftsfromEscombandWittonParkandissparselypopulated……’.Furtherconfirmationofthisbroadpictureofourparishcanalsotobefoundinthe‘HistoryofDurham’byMackenzieandRosspublishedin1834whereitstates:‘EtherleyParishisahamletofscatteredhouses,havingacolliery,school,threepublichousesandafewtradesmen……’Earlystatisticstakenfromthe1851censuslistthepopulationascomprisingof482malesand479femalesinhabiting214dwellings.Atthattime,surprisingly,therewereatotalof30uninhabiteddwellingswithintheParish.TodaythepopulationofEtherleyParishstandsat2431inhabitantswithalldwellingshavingpipedwater,bathroomsandinsidetoilets.Notsoveryalongago,fiftyyearsinfact,thepicturewasverydifferentwithaparishpopulationof1835-over40dwellingswithoutpipedwater,365dwellingsusingoutsidetoiletsandastaggering405dwellingswithnobathroom.
4. Etherleyinthe1800'sAtthetimeofthe1851censusthemajorityoftheworkingpopulationwasemployedlocally,primarilyincoalminingandagriculturalwork.Beforethistimefewtracesofcoalminingactivitywereevident,althoughthereisevidencecoalextractiongoingasfarbackasthe1600’s.Scatteredfarmswerecharacteristicofthepredominantoccupationinthearea.Earlyinthe19thcenturytherewerethreelocalpitsinoperation,ownedby
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theStobartfamily,thesebeingtheMaryAnnPit,theJanePitandtheGeorgePit.TheMaryAnnissaidtobetheoldestofthethreecollieries.Atthattimetransportationofcoalwasexpensiveandinefficientandin1821anactofparliamentwasauthorisedtobeginconstructionofwhatwastobecometheWorld’sFirstPassengerRailway:TheDarlington/StocktonRailway.In1825theJanePitwasusedastheterminusforthelinewhichstartedatWittonParkColliery,followedtheinclinesatEtherleyandBrusstleton,continuedviaShildonandDarlingtonandendedonthebanksoftheRiverTeesatStockton.TodayEnglishHeritagehascategorisedEtherleyInclineasanancientmonumentandassuchisprotected.TheInclineisdesignatedasapublicfootpathandfromLowEtherleytoGreenfieldsmakesapleasantareaforwalking.Itis,however,fascinatingtorememberthatEtherleywaslinkedtoamomentousandhistoricaleventinthedevelopmentofrailtravelinthecountry.
5. TheMiningYearsWiththebirthoftherailwaycamecheapandefficienttransportandasaresultcoalminingintheareaexpandedrapidly.NewcollieriesweresunkatEtherleyandinthesurroundingareasandasaconsequencetherewasamarkedchangefromagriculturetocoalminingastheprincipalemployment.Thisinevitablyledtoaninfluxofnewcomersrequiringhomes–somenewpropertieswerebuiltbyprivateenterprise,butmoreoftenhouseswerebuiltbythecollierycompaniesinastylethattypifiedtheminingvillageofthetime.However,despiteEtherleyandToftHillbeinginaminingareathestyleandcharacteristicsofthepropertiesbeingbuiltcertainlydidnotsuggestthis.AreasongivenforthedistinctdifferencebetweenEtherleyandothercollieryvillageswasthatHenryStobart,ownerandheadofthelocalminingcompany,madehishomeinthevillageofEtherleyandthemajorityofthehousesinthevillagewerereservedforofficials,clericalstaffandothersworkingattheresidenceofMr.Stobartandweredistinctivelybetterindesignandquality.Mr.Stobarteventuallybecameknownasthesquireoftheneighbourhood.Coalminingcontinuedtodominatetheareaforthenext100yearsandminesweresunkandoperateduntiltheearlypartofthetwentiethcentury.TheGeorgePit,latterlyknownasOldEtherleyColliery,closedin1917andtheclosureofJanePitinApril1925causedthelossof255jobsandwasoneofmanyeconomicdisasterstobefallthearea.Sincetheclosureoflocalpitstheonlylinkwiththecoalindustryhasbeenasuccessionofsurfacemines.SouthfieldsurfaceminelocatedatBrusstletonistheonlyoperationalminewithintheParishandnearingcompletion.
6. ReligioninToftHillandEtherleyAroundthemidnineteenthcenturyseveralimportantdevelopmentstookplacewithintheParish.Duetothedevelopmentoftherailwaysandthecontinuedexpansionofcoalminingtherewasasteadyincreaseinthepopulationandasaconsequenceprovisionofadditionalhousingandplacesofworshipwasmade.ThegrowthofMethodisminthearearesultedintheToftHillWesleyanMethodistChapelbeingbuiltatQuarryHeads.Thisopenedin1829costing£240andseated150people.ThebuildingwaseventuallyreplacedbyMethodistChapellocatedonSouthRoadwhichopenedin1861.In1832St.Cuthbert’sAnglicanchurchwasbuiltcostingameagre£700andwaslaterrestoredin1867and1901.EvidenceoftheimportanceandsupportoftheStobartfamily,theprincipallandownersandcollieryownersatthetime,canbefoundinthechurchintheformofastainedglasswindowplacedinmemoryofJohnHenryStobartandthechurchclockpresentedinmemoryofWilliamCulleyStobart.Afurtherplaceofworship–thePrimitiveMethodistChurch–alsoexistedatToftHill.Thisbuildingwasrecentlydemolishedandtwodwellingsnowstandinitsplace.In1864TheEtherleyLiteracyInstitutewasbuiltcosting£500–thisbuildingconsistedofalargelectureroom,readingroom,
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recreationrooms,libraryandbathroom.Thelibraryheld400volumesofhighclassliteratureandforasmallmembershipcostofoneshillingperquarter,residentshadaccesstothesebooks–quiteaprivilegeinthosedays.
7. TheChurch
By 1829 the population of Etherley had grown rapidly and the elders of the Established ChurchbegantofeeltheneedforaplaceofworshipinEtherley.TherewerealreadyAnglicanChurchesinthearea,St.AndrewsatSouthChurch,St.HelensatWestAucklandandSt. JamesatHamsterleybut in thosedays the roadswere verybadanddangerous,publictransportwasnon-existent,privatehorsetransportwasexpensiveandbeyondthepocketofmostpeople.PeopleslithereddownthehilltoWestAucklandandstruggledbackuptheagaintogotochurchatSt.Helens.EtherleyformedpartoftheChapelryofSt.HelensandapetitionwasmadetoBishopVanMildertatDurhamrequestingaChapelatEtherley:-ThehumblepetitionoftheParishionersandotherinhabitantsoftheChapelryofSt.HelensAucklandandtheParishofSt.AndrewAucklandintheCountyofDurhamandyourLordshipsdiocese……thatowingtothegreatandincreasingpopulationofthesaidChapelry,insufficienttocontainthenumberof persons willing to attend divine services therein that….. to remedy which, in part, a chapel beerectedandbuiltatEtherley,aTownshipwithintheChapelry….thesameintendedtoasandfortoease the said Chapel at St. Helens Auckland and complete with every necessary requisite for thecelebrationandperformanceofDivineServiceandCeremoniesoftheChurchofEnglandasnowbylawestablishedandalsoforthecelebrationofMarriages,BaptismsandBurials……
Onthe25thOctober1831SirRobertEden,ofWindlestone,whowasHisMajesty’sCommissionerfortheBuildingofNewChurches:-
Sir Robert Johnson Eden in the County of Durham, Baronet, in consideration of the sum of fiveshillingspaid,doherebygrant,conveyandrelease…thatfreeholdparcelofgroundatEtherleyintheCountyandDioceseofDurham…..buildingnowbeerectedandcalledEtherleyChapel.
In1831WilliamRamshaw,ajoinerandbuilderatBishopAucklanddesignedandbuilt,inconjunctionwithBishopVanMildertbuilttheChurchatEtherley.LittleisknownaboutWilliamRamshaworthedetailinthebuildingofthechurch.
OnMay20th1832thechurch,“affordingcomfortableaccommodationforabout350persons” wasopenedfordivineserviceandonJuly10thwaspresentedwithastonefontbyArchdeaconThorp.
Rev.GeorgeWatsonbecamethefirstRectorofEtherleyandonthe24thNovember1832thechurchandchurchyardwereconsecratedbyRev.Dr.GraytheBishopofBristol.
Itisworthyofnotethatin1847the“seeofManchester”wasformedwiththe“OrderofCouncilNo.1018andthegazetteofAugust5thresultingin:-
At the Court ofOsborneHouse… the appointment or exchange of ecclesiastical patronage amongArchbishops and Bishops the magnitude of their diocese when newly arranged shall afford anadequatequantityofpatronagetotheBishopsofthenewsees…
InTable III of theorder… to theBishopofManchesterandhis successors:Eaglescliffe,ElwickHall,Washington,Sadberge,Penshaw,Esh,Etherley.PerpetualCuracy.
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AsaconsequenceallpriestsappointedtotheParishofEtherleysincethattimehavebeenunderthepatronageoftheBishopofManchester.
8. TheChurchatEtherleyasweknowit
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9. Rectors
1832–1865 GeorgeWatson
1865–1876 WilliamB.Findlay
1876–1885 JamesMoore
1885–1886 IsaacW.Milner
1886–1888 WilliamE.Houldey
1888–1909 CharlesAtkinson
1909–1919 HaroldR.Hopwood
1919–1928 LionelS.Merrefield
1928–1954 LewisEvans
1955–1958 StephenF.Park
1958–1963 WilliamE.Ainley
1964–1970 GeorgeMaddison
1970–1977 RichardW.Bateman
1978-…….. DavidG.F.Hinge
10. ChurchWardens
11. Index1BriefDescription2WilliamVanMildert3LocalHistoryofEtherley4Etherleyinthe1880’s5TheMiningYears6ReligioninToftHillandEtherley7TheChurch8TheChurchatEtherleyasweknowIt9Rectors10ChurchWardens11Index12Acknowledgements
12. Acknowledgements12.1 DurhamCatheredralLibrary12.2 EtherleyParishChurchbyPeterKilmister12.3 Historical book by Brigadier-General Conyers Surtees in 1923.
