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St Stephen's Church, Astley
The third St Stephen's Church
53°30′04″N 2°27′22″W / 53.501°N 2.456°W / 53.501; -2.456
Location	Astley, Greater Manchester.
Country	England
Denomination	Anglican
Website	St Stephen - Astley
History
Founded	1631 (1631)
Consecrated	1968
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Specifications
Materials	Brick

St Stephen's Church is a parish church located in Astley, Greater Manchester, England. It is an active Anglican church built in 1968, and it is part of the Leigh deanery in the archdeaconry of Salford diocese of Manchester. Along with St George's Church, Tyldesley, and St John's Church, Mosley Common St Stephen's forms part of the united benefice of Astley, Tyldesley and Mosley Common.

The origins of St Stephen's Church date back to Astley Chapel, a chapel of ease of Leigh Parish Church built in 1631 and its successor which was burned in an arson attack in 1961.

History

The first chapel, built and paid for by Adam Mort, a wealthy owner of Damhouse, who died in early 1631. The chapel was consecrated on August 3 of that same year by the Bishop of Chester. It was the first chapel of ease of the mother church of Leigh, and dedicated to St Stephen, the first Christian martyr. The chapel was built of local brick on part of the common. Reverend Thomas Crompton, appointed by Thomas Mort, became the first minister in 1632.

The original chapel, constructed from local brick on part of the common, served the community for nearly 130 years until it was rebuilt after becoming dilapidated. In 1760, the first chapel was replaced by a slightly larger structure built on the same site. Thomas Froggatt of Damhouse contributed to the cost of the new construction. This second chapel, made from handmade brick, measured 54 ft 6 in (16.61 m) in length and 36 ft (11 m) in width. It could hold 170 people and had a nave with four side and two end windows, and a small chancel and had an embattled western tower containing a single bell. The chapel was enlarged in 1834, 1842, and 1847.

The second chapel was destroyed by an arson attack on June 18, 1961. Rather than reconstructing on the same site, it was decided to relocate the church to a new site on Manchester Road. The third iteration of St Stephen's Church was consecrated on October 26, 1968.

Clergy

The first minister was the son of William Crompton of Bedford and his successor was from Shakerley. They were both educated at Brasenose College, Oxford.

1632 Thomas Crompton, B.A. (ejected for nonconformity).
1683 John Battersby
1702 Roger Seddon, died 1716
1716 James Marsh, died 1728
1732 Thomas Mawdesley, died 1769
1769 Robert Barker
1822 Thomas Birkett
1838 John Wilkinson Edwards, B.A. died 1840
1840 Alfred Hewlett, D.D. died 1885
1885 James Alexander Maxwell Johnstone, M.A
1970s Jack Finney 1980s John Findon 2010 Jonathan Carmyllie (Team rector of the united benefice of Astley, Tyldesley and Mosley Common)

See also

• List of churches in Greater Manchester

References

Notes

1. St Stephen, Astley, St Stephen's Church, retrieved 23 May 2011
2. Lunn 1968, p. 24
3. St Stephens Astley, Lancashire Online Parish Clerks, retrieved 23 May 2011
4. "Astley", A History of the County of Lancaster: Volume 3, Victoria County History, British History Online, pp. 445–449, 1907, retrieved 28 July 2009
5. "St Stephen - Astley". St Stephen's Church. Retrieved 7 October 2013.

Bibliography

• Lunn, John (1968), A short history of the township of Astley, Lunn

• Church of England church buildings in Greater Manchester
• Anglican Diocese of Manchester
• Churches completed in 1968