Whitefield All Saints Stand, Lancashire Genealogy

England Lancashire   Lancashire Parishes

Chapel History
STAND, an ecclesiastical district, in the parish of Prestwich, hundred of Salford, S. division of Lancashire, 6 miles (N. by W.) from Manchester, on the road to Bury; containing about 6000 inhabitants. This district is co-extensive with the hamlet of Whitefield, in the township of Pilkington. An old Hall of the Pilkington family, generally known as Stand Hall, whence the place derived its name, existed so recently as 1845, when it was taken down: on the foundation stone was the date 1518. This structure was erected by the Earl of Derby, to whom the manor of Pilkington had been granted by Henry VII. after the battle of BosworthField; and the building is traditionally reported to have been five stories high, but reduced many years ago to its late elevation of three stories, the highest of the three being elaborately ornamented by the crests of the earls of Derby, the eagle and child, and the legs of Man. It probably owed its erection to the extensive views its site commanded, and the facilities it therefore afforded for observing the approach of an enemy, as well as the sports in the surrounding park. In consequence of the great increase of population in the township of Pilkington, a grant was made by the Parliamentary Commissioners for a church at this place, the site for which was given by the Earl of Derby. The first stone was laid by the Earl of Wilton in August 1822, and the edifice was consecrated in September 1826. It is dedicated to All Saints, and is an elegant building, consisting of a nave and aisles, with spacious galleries round three of its sides: at the west end is a noble arcade with arched entrances, from which a lofty tower, enriched with turrets and pinnacles, rises to the height of 186 feet from the ground, forming a beautiful and conspicuous feature in the views of the country for many miles round. The eastern window is of rich stained glass by Evans, of Shrewsbury; and there are several mural marble monuments by Chantrey, Sievier, and others, to benefactors of the church. The cost of erection was £12,000. The living was in 1848 made a rectory, and endowed with £100 per annum from the tithes of the parish of Prestwich; total net income, £270, with a neat house; patron, the Earl of Wilton. The Independents, Wesleyans, Primitive Methodists, Unitarians, and Swedenborgians have places of worship. A school, founded about 1688, has an endowment of £38 per annum, arising from lands in the vicinity left by Henry Siddal, and from bequests by other individuals. There are two other excellent schools, in connexion with the church.

From: A Topographical Dictionary of England by Samuel Lewis (1848), pp. 180-183. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=51296 Date accessed: 21 July 2010.

Civil Registration
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Church records
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Census records
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Probate records
Records of wills, administrations, inventories, indexes, etc. were filed by the court with jurisdiction over this parish. Go to Lancashire Probate Records to find the name of the court having primary jurisdiction. Scroll down in the article to the section Court Jurisdictions by Parish.

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