The Parish Church of
St Mary Magdalene, Clitheroe

History

A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE CHURCH

The eye of visitors to Clitheroe is at once caught by the two hills dominating the town and the two buildings on them; the ancient Clitheroe Castle built by Roger de Poictou soon after the Norman Conquest, and the Parish Church of St Mary Magdalene built on the same site as an earlier church which is known to have been here in 1122.

Early History

Not a stone now remains of the first Norman building, although when the church was rebuilt in 1828 the Chancel arch was taken down with the intention of making it into a new gateway to the church. Unfortunately this was never done, and the stones, though rumoured to have been preserved in the cellars of the Vicarage or the Almonds next door to it, can no longer be traced, except for a few built into the wall of Mr Aidan Cooper's garden on Church Brow.

It is interesting to note that there was also a chapel of St Michael at Clitheroe Castle, built soon after the Norman Conquest by Roger de Poictou, the first Lord of the Honour of Clitheroe. But whether the same Roger de Poictou also founded the church of St. Mary Magdalene is not known, likely as it may seem.

Hugh de Laval granted the chapel of St Michael, as well as the church of St Mary, to Pontefract Priory in 1122. He also granted them the church of Whalley, which at that time was part of the Earldom of Chester, and Clitheroe was administered from Whalley for hundreds of years.

The 15th Century Church

In the early 15th century, the Norman Church was pulled down, and a second church built to serve the parish which included Chatburn, Worston, Mearley and Pendleton. This church lasted for four centuries, and certain parts of it, notably the tower and the stonework of the East end, remain. It consisted of a short chance1 with a large, fine East window; the Norman chancel arch from the first church, a nave with bays and North and South aisles; a belfry tower with a good West window; a vestry; and a stone South porch.

The Present Church

The coming of the industrial age brought a big increase in population to Lancashire, which Clitheroe, though only on the northern edge of the industrial belt, began to share. By 1831 the former population of some 800 people had multiplied by six times to 5,000. The old church, which could seat less than 500, was not big enough, and in 1828, the building of a new church began.

Many alterations have since been made to the 1829 church. In 1846, the battlements were removed from the tower, a fourth chamber was added, and the spire erected on top, a prominent landmark in the Ribble Valley. The spire gradually developed a lean, until by 1969 it was 1 foot 4 inches out of true at the top and was declared unsafe. The top 18 feet were taken down and rebuilt at a cost of £1,950.

In 1898 restorations took place at a cost of £3,000. The present pews were installed in place of oldfashioned ones, and the whole building was made higher by introduction of clerestory windows and a vaulted roof in place of the former flat one. The vestry was moved from the West end to its present position at the North East. This temporary structure lasted till 1973 when the new Vestry was built.

In May 1979, there was a serious fire in church causing damage to the extent of nearly £300,000. The Children's Corner and the South Gallery above it were destroyed, together with the South Aisle roof. Heat and smoke affected most parts of the building, and the organ was badly damaged.

The church was re-hallowed by the Bishop of Blackburn on Easter Eve, April 18th, 1981. Work on the organ continued into 1982.

Work was carried out to renew the roof between October 2005 and April 2006 at a cost of approx £350, 000.

Further information is available in our "History and Guidebook of the Parish Church of St mary Magdalene, Clitheroe" by Canon J C Hudson, MA, BD. Revised 2006. Copies can be obtained from the Church or contact the Parish Office on 01200 422828.

East Window

THE fine framework of the window, preserved from the former church, is of the early third pointed period. The idea of filling it with armorial bearings, making a history of the church, the Honour of Clitheroe, and the Borough, was put forward by the Rev. J.T. Allen, incumbent when the church was rebuilt in 1828.

The top row of arms, from left to right, is of Whalley Abbey (of which Clitheroe was an ancient chapelry), the Archbishop of York, the Archbishop of Canterbury (who was granted the Rectory of Whalley by Edward VI), the Bishop of Chester (in which Diocese Clitheroe was in 1828: Manchester was carved out of Chester in 1847; and Blackburn out of Manchester in 1927); the Asshetons of Whalley (to whom Archbishop Whitgift let the Rectory of Whalley in 1584).

The middle row are the arms of the successive Lords of the Honour of Clitheroe, the great Henry de Lascy Earl of Lincoln (died 1311), the Earl of Lancaster, the Duke of Albemarle (rewarded with the Honour for promoting the Restoration of Charles II), the Duke of Montagu and the Duke of Buccleuch.

On the bottom row are the arms of families who have represented the Borough in Parliament, Clitheroe having been made a Parliamentary Borough with two members in 1558. The Borough arms are in the centre, on the left Lord Ribblesdale’s and Earl Brownlow’s, and on the right Viscount Curzon’s and Earl Howe’s.

The arms are repeated on the fifteen shields on the galleries painted by Mr. J. Newton Bell in 1972 and used in the Festival of Flowers held in connection with the 850th Anniversary.

The Bells

THERE were three bells in the 17th century, five at its end, six in 1762, increased in the 19th century to eight. These were cast in 1844 by Mears of Whitechapel, the gift of Rev. J.H. Anderton, James Garstang (Surgeon), Mr. & Mrs. Stewart, Messrs. Garnett and Horsfall, Walter Cockshott (Ironmonger), and the Misses Aspinall. The bells were hung in wooden frames.

In 1928, during the incumbency of Canon Wrigley, the bells were re-cast and hung in new frames by Gillett & Johnston of Croydon, the cost being borne by Samuel Green, Esq.., as a thank-offering for his restoration to health.

The bells were dedicated by Percy Mark Herbert, first Bishop of Blackburn, on August 21st. Their weights are:-

	Diam (ins)	cwts	qtrs	lbs
1	27.5	4	3	0
2	28.25	5	0	22
3	31	6	0	16
4	33	6	3	10
5	36	8	1	8
6	38	10	0	7
7	42	13	2	14
8	47	18	0	11
		73	0	4

Parish Records

Parish Registers

Most of our ancient registers for Marriages, Baptisms etc were sent off to the Lancashire Record Office at Bow Lane in Preston back in 1983. If you wish to search them for family history please contact them by telephone on +44 (0)1772 533039 or use the link below.

Click HERE for the Lancashire Record Office web site.

We do hold a copy of Volume 144 of the Lancashire Parish Register Society covering the Registers of Clitheroe 1570 - 1680 available in the Parish Office.

In addition there is a local branch in the Ribble Valley of the Lancashire Family History and Heraldry Society, who may be able help you with your search.

Please click HERE for the Lancashire Family History and Heraldry Society web site.

The Churchyard

THE last century’s increase in population also necessitated extensions in the old burial ground. So the free Grammar School of Clitheroe, founded in 1554, and which since the Armada had stood in the South-West corner of the churchyard was removed stone by stone in 1834 to its new site in York Street, and ther schoolcroft at the west end of thje church, formerly the boys’ playground, was purchased to provide extra space for burials.

But by the middle of the nineteenth century, when the population had increased to 7,000 this was insufficient, and in 1861 the new Cemetery in Waddington Road was consecrated. This church cemetery was taken over by the Corporation in 1956.

At St Mary's we now have a closed churchyard, i.e. it has been closed to any further burials (excluding interment of cremated remains) and the responsibility for the upkeep has been taken on by the local council. Therefore many of the tombstones have been removed for safety reasons.

However, we do have a record of monumental inscriptions transcribed and indexed for us in 1991 by the Ribble Valley branch of the Lancashire Family History and Heraldry Society which is held in the Parish Office.

The Parish Church of St Mary Magdalene, Clitheroe