There
is a long history of Catholicism in Euxton stretching back to pre-Reformation
days, with two of Lancashire's oldest Catholic families - the Andertons and the
Molyneuxs - having had significant links with Euxton over the best part of the
last 650 years.
In
describing the history of Euxton, Dr Keurden (1622-1700) a noted historian of
the time records that "About the year
1360, Sir William Molyneux became Lord of the Manor by marrying.... so the
manor of Euxton came to the inheritance of the Molyneux family....".
It is worth noting that the Molyneux family were historically the Earls of
Sefton, and that for a period in the medieval times Euxton was known as
"Euxton by Sefton" (with a variety of spellings!). The manorial
estate was later sold to William Ince Anderton whose family seat had been at
Euxton Hall since the reign of Henry VIII, and the ties between two of
Lancashire's foremost Catholic families of the time (the Anderton and Molyneux
families) were further strengthened by the marriage of William Anderton to Mary,
daughter of Viscount Molyneux in 1738. The
Molyneux family maintained its Catholic tradition until 1768, when Charles
Molyneux (at that time a minor and the heir to the Molynuex title, and who had
received a Protestant education) publicly conformed to the Established Church.
Among the
noteworthy members of Anderton family was Blessed Robert Anderton who was
martyred for the faith in 1586 (see
below) - and who is commemorated with a stained-glass
window in the church, and also by the naming of the Blessed Robert Anderton
Chapel adjoining the church.
Euxton's
Catholic history can be traced back to the 14th century, when it housed a
Catholic "chapel of ease" to Leyland Parish Church. The then-Catholic
chapel at Euxton (now the Church of England parish church) is believed to have
been rebuilt by the Molyneux family in the 16th century. The “Historical
Notices of the Diocese of Chester” record that “In the 15th
(year) of Henry VIII (ie 1524) James Anderton of Euxton founded a Chantry in the
Chapel of Euxton for a Priest to pray for the souls of himself and Agnes, his
wife” – the first mention of the Anderton family in relation to the
Chapel. The chapel remained "in Catholic hands" long after the
Reformation, as the ownership was vested in the Molyneux family rather than the
Catholic Church, although few services took place there and it gradually fell
into disrepair, before the ownership was transferred to the Church of England
around the turn of the 18th century, by which time the Molyneux family were
firmly committed to the Established Church. In 1687, however, as the
restrictions on
the practice of the Faith were temporarily eased under James II, the Vicar
Apostolic, Bishop Leyburn, undertook a nationwide Confirmation tour and it is
notable that 1,138 Catholics of the Leyland Hundred were Confirmed at the
Catholic Chapel in Euxton, although this brief respite from the earlier
persecution was followed by a further period of persecution.
From
the earliest days of the persecution in Elizabethan times up until 1865 the
Catholics of Euxton practiced their faith at Euxton Hall, the manor house of the
Anderton family. Throughout this time Catholics
were still buried in the “Parish Church” graveyard (details
here) - the “Historical Notices of the Diocese of Chester” (1725)
record that “The remnant of a stone Cross, of some antiquity, formerly in
the Chapel, lies neglected outside the gate of the Chapel-yard, ans id used by
the Roman Catholics at their funerals as a station”. The
Catholic Chapel at Euxton Hall was originally a single small room in the Hall,
to enable concealment of the celebration of the holy mass and sacraments. From
the Reformation until 1735 there is no regular record of priests officiating at
Euxton, although records suggest that the Rev. Thomas Towneley was the priest
around 1725 and that the 7th Viscount Molyneux (William), a Jesuit priest who
was the brother-in-law of the then squire lived and officiated at Euxton Hall
around 1730. Some historical records date the foundation of the Catholic Mission
in Euxton as 1718, but the accepted date of the establishment of the permanent
mission Euxton is 1735, this date being formally recognised by the Archdiocese.
The Rev. Thomas Anderton, uncle to the then squire William Anderton and priest
at Towneley for 36 years, made his will in 1735 and bequeathed most of his
property "for the support of the Chapel which I have established at Euxton
Hall" - the Rev Anderton (who had been born in Euxton in 1675) died in
1740 and it is from
this time that a permanent clergy was appointed and the Parish
Registers commence.
Prior
to the restoration of the Catholic Hierarchy in 1850, local clergy depended
entirely on the support of benefactors to enable them to live and provide
religious services. Given that early clergy tended to be from the “gentrified
classes” some of this support came from their families (and, indeed some
priests were relatively wealthy in their own right) but the main support tended
to come from the local gentry – in Euxton the prime (but not sole) benefactors
were the Anderton family. More information on the early benefactors of the
“Euxton Mission” may be found here.
As
tolerance towards the public practice of the Catholic faith increased (although
still before the Act of Emancipation in 1829), a separate chapel was built at
Euxton Hall in 1817, funded by public subscription. The list of Subscribers was
opened in 1816 and around 100 individual subscribers contributed £345 – the
following text was used to make the appeal:
“The old Chapel
at Euxton Hall being considerably too small for the present congregation,
William Anderton Esq has agreed to give a Building near to the old chapel,
which is intended to be enlarged and make other alterations necessary to be
done by subscription of the congregation which being very poor the assistance
of the charitably disposed is most humbly requested”.
The
expenditure on the Chapel was £535 which left a debt of around £200 – it
isn’t known exactly how and when the debt was repaid, but it is known that the
Anderton family bought the chapel back from the Church in order to provide the
funds to commence the building of a new church, so it is likely that the debt
was cleared at that time – in any event, the balance in this “Church
Building Fund” was £661 in 1853. By this time the Catholic congregation was
beginning to outgrow the “1817 chapel” and the newly-established Diocese
wanted to erect its own Church Buildings. The process of agreeing the site,
design and financing of the new Church buildings (including the Church itself,
Priest’s house, School, Schoolteacher’s house, and Cemetery) took some years
to complete – far longer, indeed, than the actual building activity! The
Anderton family had provided the village with Chapel, priest’s accommodation
and a Catholic School up to this time and were clearly very committed to the
maintenance and growth of the Faith – as the local Squire, however, it is
equally clear that Mr Anderton had become accustomed to the rights and
privileges that existed though his ownership and sole benefaction of these
facilities. Following the Restoration of the Catholic Hierarchy in 1850, it is
certain that the Bishop sought to establish and exercise his primacy in these
matters, but, of course, he did not want to alienate his major benefactor whilst
doing this!
From
the surviving Parish Records it can be seen that the Church set out to buy (non-Anderton)
property and land adjoining the existing Priest’s house in Euxton in 1859
using the “Church Building Fund” to secure the land required for the new
Church buildings. This land was actually bought by Mr Anderton (who presumably
outbid the Church!) and the following 4 years saw a series of meetings /
proposals / counter-proposals between Mr Anderton and Fr Worthy / Bishop Goss
regarding the financing and siting of the new Church. Matters seemed to come to
a head in December 1863 when Mr Anderton formally offered land at Primrose Hill
for the planned Church and Cemetery – by this time Mr Anderton had more or
less accepted that the new Church would be a “public Church” rather than his
own “private Church” (whilst being open to the public!). The correspondence
suggests that Mr Anderton would have been willing to completely fund the
building of a Church close to Euxton Hall provided that it would continue to be
his private property, and although it is clear that he was unwilling to permit a
public cemetery to be opened near the Hall he intended to open a private burial
plot for the Family close to the Chapel near the Hall. Fr Worthy was opposed to
Mr Anderton’s proposals on practical grounds, Primrose Hill being too far away
from the congregation and the School; there were also concerns about Mr
Anderton’s continuing wish to retain a degree of control over the running of
the Mission. Fr Worthy identified a number of potential sites in Euxton for the
required developments, identifying a “site opposite the Protestant School”
as his favoured option. Mr
Anderton expressed his concern about the Church moving “into the Village”
– would it be accepted by the local population?…… an interesting question
given that the Act of Catholic Emancipation had been passed more than 30 years
earlier! Bishop
Goss suggested that Fr Worthy approach the owner of this land (Mr George
Garstang) to enquire whether this land might be for sale, and Mr Garstang gifted
the land to the Church to enable the development. The land in question (the
current site!) was transferred to the ownership of the Church in April 1864,
albeit that Mr Anderton continued to discuss the “ownership” question with
Bishop Goss. Mr Anderton was clearly unhappy at this turn of events and felt
that the Church was failing to recognise the Family’s position as
"ancient protectors of the Church in Euxton", but he acknowledged the
reality of the situation and eventually became reconciled to this, and, indeed,
made a donation of £1000 towards the cost of the building. Mr
Anderton was largely living in Brighton during this time, and a series of
letters between himself and Fr Worthy reveal his unhappiness with the design of
the side chapel as it emerged – covering not just the design, but also its
access and usability as a private chapel (the Church being “inconveniently
far” from the Hall) – he first requested curtains and then a screen around
the chapel – he argued the cost; but eventually came to terms
with it all, and the Anderton family continued as major benefactors to the
Parish throughout their lives. It is noteworthy that Wlliam
Ince Anderton and George Garstang are honoured as "the chiefly benefactors
of this Church" on the church foundation-stone. The foundation-stone was laid in a ceremony on 28th August 1864
and the new church building was opened on 29th October 1865.
The old Anderton family chapel at Euxton Hall was demolished, but was then
rebuilt in 1866, so perhaps the Anderton family were glad to get their privacy
back!
Edward Welby Pugin was the architect of the
Church, although it is clear that Rev John Worthy had a strong input to the
final design and subsequent ordering of the church building, fixtures and
fittings. The book "Old Country Churches and Chapels"
published in 1872 gives the Catholic population of the district as 500, with the
average attendance at the two Sunday morning services being 320, with 180
attending the afternoon service,
the congregation being “made up of agricultural people, factory workers, and
miners, and although some of them are rough-spun, all maintain great order
during the services…”
Since the time of its building, the church has undergone refurbishment and
re-ordering, but it would still be recognisable to the first worshippers from
1865.
The original altar, designed by the
Rev John Worthy, was replaced by the current altar in 1888. The altar is made
out of Italian marble and depicts the Lamb of God holding the flag of St George
and England. The altar stone contains the relics of St Benignus and St Serenus.
The original altar reredos was moved from
the old Anderton Family Chapel and was installed as a temporary measure. It was
replaced in 1887 by a reredos of ecclesiastical design covering the whole
of the back wall of the Sanctuary. Over the course of time this has, in turn,
been replaced by the current
reredos, depicting the Wedding Feast at Canaan and the Feeding of the Five
Thousand.
The stained glass windows throughout the church were installed
in 1925-26 to commemorate the Diamond Jubilee of the building of the church,
with various windows commemorating specific individuals and events.
The Sanctuary mural "The Murder of St
Thomas a' Becket" was painted in 1942 (according to the date on the
artist's sketches!).
The south transept of the church was originally designated as
the Anderton Chapel, for the use of the Anderton family. At the time of the
church's opening the Anderton Chapel was "open-plan" with the nave of
the church, but it was separated from the rest of the building by an ornamental gothic
screen shortly after the church was built. Beneath the Chapel is the Anderton
Vault, which contains the mortal remains of William Ince Anderton (d1884), his
wife Lady Emma (d1866) and their second son Sir Francis Robert (d1950). Sir
Francis Robert Ince Anderton was "the last Anderton" and the Vault was
sealed immediately following his burial. His death marked the end of the
Anderton family dynasty and in the following years the Anderton Chapel screen
was removed and the south transept was one again opened-up into the main body of the
church. The south transept was then used primarily by the altar servers
until it was reordered into a Lady Chapel in 2004.
The Baptistery is sited in the north transept of the church
and contains the original font - a fine font with a carved font cover. The
original plans of the church show the font sited at the back of the church, it
is not known whether the font was originally installed there. The Baptistery
stained glass windows depict St John the Baptist and St Thomas the Apostle and
also commemorate Canon John Worthy and Father Thomas Keeley respectively.
The original 1865 organ remains situated in the gallery and is
in fine working order thanks to a number of cleanings and restorations!
The present pews were installed in the 1960s as part of the
Centenary Celebrations, with the original Stations of the Cross also being
replaced by the present Stations in the 1960s.
The original internal layout of the church was determined by
Rev John Worthy, and followed tradition. This layout remained largely unchanged
until 1991 at which time the church underwent a major reordering, with the altar
being moved forward into the Sanctuary so that the priest could face the
congregation during the celebration of the Mass. The altar rails were also
removed and marble altar steps installed to provide a wide access to the
Sanctuary. The reredos was re-modelled with the central panel being aligned with
the side panels and with the paintings of the two miracle scenes being continued
into the central panel. The tabernacle and "triptych" doors were
decorated
to portray two Angels when closed and the Gateway to Heaven when open. At the same time as the reordering, the crucifixion rood and
sanctuary lamp were recovered from a Liverpool parish church that was undergoing
closure at the time and were installed at St Mary's. The modern lecturn was also installed at
the time of the reordering, replacing the previous pulpit of c1945. Together with a complete redecoration and
the installation of new lighting in both the nave and the sanctuary, the
reordering transformed the interior of the church, but still succeeded in
maintaining the ethos of the original traditional design.
The War Memorial Cross was erected in the church grounds
following the First World War to commemorate the 9 parishioners who gave their
lives in that conflict. An extension to the Memorial was added after World War
II to further commemorate the 7 parishioners who gave their lives in that
conflict, see Roll of Honour below. The Memorial remained free-standing in the church grounds until some
mindless vandals damaged the Cross, following which the Memorial was re-set and
built into the wall of the porch - the War Memorial was re-dedicated on 3rd
November 1996. A simple service of Remembrance takes place
each Remembrance Sunday at and after Mass, at which the sacrifice of our
parishioners, and that of all who have died in the service of our country, is
remembered.
The
exterior of
the Church, pictured about 1910, with the then Parish Priest Fr Thomas Keeley.
Views of the interior of
the Church, taken about 1910. Note that the windows overlooking the Sanctuary
are plain glass - the stained glass windows were installed in 1925-26 as part of
the Diamond Jubilee celebrations and commemorate the 9 parishioners killed in
the First World War. Note also
the altar reredos pre-dates the current reredos. The Anderton Chapel screen (now
removed) can be seen to the left of the altar.
External view of the
church, 2005. The War Memorial is seen to be set into the wall of the porch -
the memorial cross was originally erected as a free-standing monument to the
side of the porch, but was moved following some mindless vandalism.
View of the Grotto in the church grounds
Blessed
Robert Anderton
Robert Anderton was born in the Isle of Man and educated
at Rivington Grammar School, Lancashire before going to Brasenose College,
Oxford in 1578, where he met and made friends with William Marsden. Together
they went to Douai to study for the priesthood and entered the college at Rheims
on 10th July, 1580. He was ordained by the Cardinal of Guise in March,
1584. With William Marsden he set out by ship for England on 4th February 1586. In a
storm their ship sought shelter at Cowes, where they were betrayed when they
were heard praying for calm weather. They were sent from the Isle of Wight to
the assizes at Winchester and then committed to Marshalsea Prison in London on
10th March, 1586. Having been found guilty of Treason for returning to England
as priests, they were sent back to the Island for execution in order to warn the
people of the penalty for becoming a priest and for giving them assistance.
Robert Anderton was moderate in height and had a “manly
countenance”. He had proved to be a brilliant scholar and was particularly
proficient in Hebrew. After his Ordination he spent two years at Douai assisting
other students with their studies. He was a skilful debator and an excellent
preacher and was selected out of the whole college to give a sermon before a
“noble and learned assembly of churchmen”.
Together
with Fr. William Marsden he was hung, drawn and quartered on 25th April, 1586 on
the Island; the exact spot remaining a mystery, although the likely place of
execution was either Cowes, where they were caught, or Newport, being the
principal town.
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Roll
of Honour
The parishioners
commemorated on the War Memorial are as follows:
1914 - 1918
Mary
Louise Clitheroe Queen Mary's Army Auxiliary Corps
daughter of John and Mary Clitheroe
died 19th February 1919 at Wimbledon, aged 26
buried in St Mary's Cemetery
Alexander
Taylor Private,
6th Bn. Loyal North Lancashire Regiment
died 21st April 1916 in Mesopotamia, aged 22
buried in the Amara War Cemetery, Iraq
Joseph
Beardsworth Private, 61st Coy. Machine Gun
Corps
died 19th February 1917 in the Battle of the Somme, aged 24
Missing in action, commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial
William
Parkinson Private,
6th Bn. Kings Own (Royal Lancaster Regiment)
died 30th April 1918 in Mesopotamia, aged 29
Missing in action, commemorated on the Basra Memorial, Iraq
Thomas
Robinson
Private, 249th Coy. Machine Gun Corps
son of William and Mary Robinson
died 22nd August 1917 in the Battle of Ypres, aged 19
Missing in action, commemorated on the Tyne Cot Memorial, Zonnebeke, Belgium
Frank
A Cornwell
Corporal, Royal Engineers
son of John and Emma Cornwell
died 2nd September 1917 in the Battle of Ypres, aged 24
buried in the Reninghelst Military Cemetery, Poperinge, Belgium
Peter
Roscoe
Private, 1st Bn. Scots Guards
son of John and Margaret Roscoe
died of wounds 2nd November 1914 in Boulogne, aged 31
buried in the Boulogne Eastern Cemetery
William
Cornwell
Ordinary Seaman, Royal Navy, H.M.S. Victory
died 16th February 1916, aged 19
buried in St Mary's Cemetery
Robert
Wallbank
Private, 9th Bn. Loyal North Lancashire Regiment
died 21st October 1916 in the Battle of the Somme
buried in the Stump Road Cemetery, Grandcourt, France
1939 - 1945
Peter
Parkinson
Able Seaman, Royal Navy, H.M. Submarine Traveller
son of Edward and Mary Parkinson, his brother Francis also died on active
service
died 12th December 1942, aged 25
Lost at Sea, commemorated on the Plymouth Naval Memorial
Walter
Allen
Fusilier, 1st Bn. Royal Irish Fusiliers
died 29th November 1943, aged 20
buried in the Sangro River War Cemetery, Torino di Sangro, Italy
Robert
Harris
Able Seaman, Royal Navy, H.M.S. Niger
son of Robert and Catherine Harris
died 6th July 1942, aged 18
Lost at Sea, commemorated on the Plymouth Naval Memorial
John
Briers
Private, 1/5th Bn. Welch Regiment
died 11th April 1945, aged 19
buried in the Becklingen War Cemetery, Soltau, Germany
Wilfrid
Jackman
Private, 7th Bn. Manchester Regiment
son of William and Martha Ellen Jackman
died 22nd October 1944, aged 41
buried in the Kruishoutem Communal Cemetery, Belgium
Robert
Gornall
Fusilier, 2/5th Bn. Lancashire Fusiliers
son of John and Annie Gornall, husband of Mary Alice
died 17th July 1944, aged 27
buried in the Fontenay-le-Pesnel War Cemetery, Tessel, Normandy
Francis
Parkinson Private,
1st Bn. South Wales Borderers
son of Edward and Mary Parkinson, his brother Peter also died on active service
died 9th June 1943, aged 28
buried in St Mary's Cemetery
(details of Service, etc
are taken from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website)
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