Treasures Revealed

ST MARY’S CHURCH TODMORDEN

Burnley Rd, TODMORDEN OL14 7AA
Contact: Revd Nancy White, Assistant Curate
Tel:  01706 812 007  Email:  nancy.white@3-c.coop

When the church first began it is hard to tell. Very few records were kept in the old days and important papers have a habit of being lost or destroyed, not always accidentally, so that we are not sure when St. Mary's was founded. But it would seem to have grown up between 1400 and 1476.

By the 1470's there would be the nucleus of the present church and our tower dates from then. The earliest reference to a priest in connection with Todmorden is in 1445 when, on September 4th, Thomas Marshall, "chaplain", became possessed of certain lands here.

But there is no other evidence that he was in charge of St. Mary's. In 1489 it is recorded that Sir Edmund Howarth was definitely "chaplain of Todmerdine". ("Sir" was a common mediaeval title for priests and does not mean that he was a knight of the realm.) From this date a full list of curates has been worked out. Most likely, until a priest's house was built near the church and regular services were established, a minister would travel the nine miles from Rochdale at certain times of the year.

There were a number galleries in the 18th century building. The parish records include a list of pew sitting in 1778 which states a total of 694 seats for "upgrown persons" with over 300 of them being in various "lofts".  With the opening of Christ Church in 1832, St. Mary's became redundant and the organ and pews were moved to the new church.

The old church was then used only for occasional funerals in the old graveyard (which was itself closed in 1857) and for storing equipment for the market.  By 1987 both churches needed extensive repairs and it was realized only one church could continue to be used.  A close vote lead to St Mary’s being renovated and the church has flourished since then.