Hi Norman, Sorry I can not help with your Holt family though it is a familiar name in this area. The Ashworth Chapel notes are from my local history files (Heywood). I try to collect any information prior to 1840 that I come across. There are so very few surviving documents available for our district, possibly because nothing of particular interest happened here but as a genealogist every little helps. The oldest note I have on HOLT is a reference to an apprenticeship indenture.19 November 1675 James Holt age 12 of Bury son of James apprenticed to Thomas Gibbs rector of Bury. There was also a notable HOLT family recorded at Gristlehurst Hall Birtle, Bury Archives will have more details. Good Luck Sylvia. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Norman Archibald" <normanarch@yahoo.com.au> To: <ENG-LAN-MIDDLETON-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Tuesday, August 02, 2005 10:42 AM Subject: Re: [ENG-LAN-MIDDLETON-L] Ashworth church and registers > Sylvia, do you have HOLT connections, in particular, HOLT`s from the Bury > area.? > My wife`s people were HOLT`s from Bury, hence my interest. > Norman A. > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Sylvia Walch" <sylvias@sylvia80.freeserve.co.uk> > To: <ENG-LAN-MIDDLETON-L@rootsweb.com> > Sent: Tuesday, August 02, 2005 7:42 AM > Subject: Re: [ENG-LAN-MIDDLETON-L] Ashworth church and registers > > > > St. James's Church > > ASHWORTH - Near Heywood > > ASHWORTH Church is dedicated to St. James, but when that dedication took > place is not known. Its distance from Ashworth Hall, the ancestral home of > a branch of the Holt family, would preclude the idea of its having > originally been a private domestic chapel. According to the Ecclesiastical > Year Book it was in existence in 1514 and was probably built during the > reign of Henry VIII by the Holts for the use of their tenants. Amongst the > Holt family records of 1522 occurs more than once the name of '' Sir Thomas > Holt, Capellanus," and it may be assumed that he officiated at Ashworth. > The Inventory of Church Goods taken by the order of Edward VI. in 1552 gives > details of "one vestment, chalice and paten as belonging to a chapel called > Assheworthe in the parish of Middleton." It remained in the parish of > Middleton until 1867. In 1559 Robert Holt of Ashworth left " 6s. 8d. to the > sustentation of Ashworth Chapel to be paid when the church reeves require > it. " > > > > > > > > For the next fifty years little is known of the history of the chapel, but > from 1614, when John Ashworth became Vicar, there is an almost complete list > of curates. In 1626 Hugh Brooks is described in a contemporary deed as Vicar > of Ashworth, and claimed land in Healey as belonging to the living. During > the Civil War and when Oliver Cromwell was Protector, the Nonconformists > held great power. Ashworth then became a Presbyterian Conventicle, at least > from 1647 to 1652. Henry Pendlebury, 1648-1650, was a noted theologian. In > 1650 the Commonwealth Survey shows that there was then no maintenance and > for the time being no ministers. The Commissioners recommended that the > chapel should be made into a parish church and gave a list of certain houses > in Ashworth, Birtle, Bamford and Rochdale, which they thought ought to be > included in the Parish. > > > > In 1671 Richard Whitehead of Pilsworth created a rent charge of £6 a year > on a house called Wallbank, near Whitworth, half of which was to be paid to > the curate of Ashworth Chapel. The last Holt of Ashworth Hall died without > issue, and the estate was sold in 1700 to Samuel Hallows of Grays Inn. Not > long alter he purchased the estate he made a claim to the chapel as a > domestic chapel. This claim was apparently relinquished, as in 1737 the > claimant gave a sum of £200 to meet a similar sum for Queen Ann's Bounty. > Notwithstanding this gift, the donor does not appear to have been a popular > patron if we accept the evidence of a contemporary who writes, " 1740 > January 21st. This day died Mr. Sam Hallows of Ashworth, to the great joy of > all his neighbours." Bishop Gaskell reports that the Holt family had always > allowed £4 a year to the chapel, which was increased to £20 or £30 by a > grant from " the Vicarage " (Middleton Rectory?) £400 had thus been given > for an endowment fund and ! > > by other contributions this was increased to £600, which was laid out in > an estate. In 1751 the chapel produced £50 per annum ; about £30 from the > land and £20 from the pews. When Samuel Hallows died he left the estate, > with which went the patronage of the living-, to his nephew John Hatfield of > Hatfield, who in 1751 sold it to Thomas Ferrand of Rochdale. He in turn sold > it in 1767 to Samuel Egerton of Tatton, in whose family it remained until > 1942 > > > > The Church, with the exception of the chancel, was rebuilt and enlarged in > 1789. In 1837 the chancel, the only relic of the old building, was done away > with and the east end of the church made to assume its present shape. By > this alteration and others in the gallery, about 110 additional sittings > were added, and the whole of the gallery, with the exception of that portion > reserved for the singers, was understood to be appropriated '' henceforth > and forever " for the use of the Sunday Scholars. The whole building was > thoroughly repaired and wooden Gothic Mullions introduced into the windows. > The alterations cost £300, towards which subscriptions and the reopening > service collection amounted to £145, the balance being paid by the Patron. > During the alterations, which took three months, the church was closed and > services were held in a large room, used as a school, in the Hall Fold. > Ashworth school had been instituted in 1828; eight poor children being > instructed in considera! > > tion of £8 per annum subscribed by Mr. Wilbraham Egerton, who in 1838 > built a new school, which was in use as a day-school until the beginning of > the twentieth century, and is now used for church purposes, having been > recently purchased by the Parochial Church Council. In 1882 the church was > re-floored and new pews were installed. > > > > The nineteenth century was a time of great industrial expansion and the > rural countryside around Ashworth with its fast running streams, ideal for > turning waterwheels, was soon invaded by a multitude of small mills, serving > a variety of trades, including Fulling, Dyeing, Bleaching, Spinning and > Weaving. There was a corn mill and some coal mines and quarries in the > parish. These industries attracted many new inhabitants to the surrounding > districts, and made the extension of the chapel very necessary. It must be > borne in mind that at this time the nearest churches to Ashworth were > Rochdale (2), Heywood (1), Bury (2), and Edenfield, > > > > so Ashworth was the focal point of a very large area with a population > expanding at a tremendous rate. The Church Registers, which were in > existence in 1868, show this increase in population quite clearly. > Unfortunately the remaining registers only date back to 1813 in the case of > Burials and Baptisms, and 1824 for Marriages. The first recorded Baptism was > " Poggie Scofield was born April 21, 1741." in that year there were nine > baptisms and the number remained in the 'teens until late in the eighteenth > century. Thereafter it rose fairly constantly until in 1837 there were 132, > which is the highest recorded. The first recorded burial was in 1776 and was > the only one in that year. By 1837 the number had risen to 42. In 1858 the > Lord Bishop of Manchester held a confirmation at Ashworth at which one > hundred candidates were presented. Ashworth was constituted a parish in 1867 > and there were then 200 Sunday Scholars. During much of this time of > expansion the Vicar was David Rat! > > hbone 1832-1871. > > > > Until the Local Government Act of 1894, when the Parish of Ashworth was > included in Birtle-cum-Bamford, in the Rural District of Bury, the > ratepayers of the Township of Ashworth met annually in the Vestry to appoint > Overseers of the Poor and a Surveyor of the Highways, and to nominate a > Guardian of the Poor and four Constables. All these were local men, the > surveyor for many years being a farmer. At the same time a rate was levied > for repairs to the Church and other necessary purposes connected therewith. > The Sexton was usually the Landlord of the adjacent Egerton Arms and > collections were taken in his hostelry as well as in church. > > > > With the advent of steam the mills gradually closed in the country > districts, and industry concentrated in the towns, where many new churches > were built in the latter half of the nineteenth century. St. James thus > served a constantly decreasing area until now the parish is a purely rural > one!, large in acreage, but with a small population. In 1949 it was found > necessary to unite the benefice with St. Paul's, Norden, but the parish > still maintains its own entity and services. Perched on its hill it is a > place of loving pilgrimage for many whose forebears worshipped here in years > gone by, and for those country lovers who like to worship in an ancient > church situated in a wonderful position. > > > > > > > > Interior > > > > The East window was, erected by Mrs. Hartley in memory of her father the > Rev. David Rathbone, who was incumbent for 38 years until his death in 1871, > her mother and brother; other windows were given by their relatives in > memory of Richard and Sarah Ashworth, Oscar Baron, N. F. Davison, W. Looker > and J. C. Waldie. > > > > The Oak Altar was presented in 1909 by Canon Rathbone Hartley, the Eagle > Lectern in 1906 by D. Leech, Esq., the Reading Desk in 1927 by the > Parishioners in memory of W. L. Pickup, for many years churchwarden, and the > pulpit in 1937 by Miss Edith Baron. > > > > On organ was purchased in 1840 and placed in the gallery. It replaced the > instrumental music, which up to that time had been provided by Violin, > Clarinet, etc. About 1900 a new organ was built in it's present position. > > > > The Font is made of stone from Mount Tabor, near Halifax, and was a gift > of Wilbraham Egerton, Esq., in 1852. > > > > The bell was given by Samuel Egerton, Esq., in 1774 and did duly until > 1895, when it was replaced by a peal of eight tubular bells. These have > since had to be taken down as the bell chamber was unsafe. When this has > been rectified they can be re-hung. > > > > The poetical description on the west wall of the lamentable end in Birtle > of a harmless old man and his faithful wife, neglects to state that the > murderer was hanged at Lancaster in 1826. > > > > The church plate consists of a silver Chalice and Paten, on which are > engraved the Egerton Arms and the date 1808, and a Silver Chalice and Paten > given by Mrs. Adams whose husband Rev. C. Adams was Vicar, 1932-194:5. > > > > The Churchyard > > > > > > The Churchyard is entered by a Memorial Gateway, erected in memory of > those who fell in the 1914 -18 war. > > > > It has been enlarged on several occasions; four of them being between 1832 > and 1871, when the land was given by the Egerton family, who also paid for > the erection of the walls. The latest addition was in 1949 the land then > being' given by Messrs. Walker and Homfrays Ltd. There are many interesting > and some original epitaphs on the old flat stones. In 1867 the Vicar forbade > any inscription being placed on a tombstone without his permission except > the name, age, date and abode, as " several unfitting, inappropriate and > unscriptural verses appear." > > > > > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > From: "Edward Reid-Smith" <Edward.Reid-Smith@bigpond.com> > > To: <ENG-LAN-MIDDLETON-L@rootsweb.com> > > Sent: Monday, August 01, 2005 5:31 AM > > Subject: [ENG-LAN-MIDDLETON-L] Ashworth church and registers > > > > > > > I wonder if anyone knows whether the registers of Ashworth have been > printed > > > or are otherwise widely available? When was the chapel opened (and when > did > > > the registers start)? I understand that it was originally a > chapel-of-ease > > > to Bury or Middleton. Thanks, Edward > > > > > > > > > ==== ENG-LAN-MIDDLETON Mailing List ==== > > > >==== ENG-LAN-MIDDLETON Mailing List ==== > > > To search the archives of this list go to: > > > > http://searches.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/listsearch.pl?surname=ENG-LAN-MIDDLETON -L-request@rootsweb.com > > > > > > > > > > > > ==== ENG-LAN-MIDDLETON Mailing List ==== > > Create your own home page with Web Dwarf, a FREE HTML Editor > http://www.vmims.com/dwarf.htm > > > > > > Send instant messages to your online friends http://au.messenger.yahoo.com > > > ==== ENG-LAN-MIDDLETON Mailing List ==== > http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~emmaw/ for free Web Editor software. > Web space. ANY amount. ANY subject. > RootsWeb's Freepages put you in touch with millions. > >