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Church History...
Tamworth parish church, St Editha's date of erection is unknown, though it
is believed to be the work of one of the Marmions, soon after the Norman
Conquest. Some person of that family constituted it a collegiate church, and
placed in it a dean and six prebendaries. The seven incumbents enjoyed
pensions until 1553. In the reign of Elizabeth, the college and all its
prebends were granted to Edward Downing and Peter Ashton. For many years
afterwards, the church was only considered a curacy, but towards the close
of the last century, a decision of the House of Lords declared it to be a
vicarage. In 1809 the church was repewed and the whole edifice completely
repaired. It is now undergoing many repairs, and is in the decorated and
later styles of English architecture. The tower, which has a peal of six
bells, and a double spiral staircase, is very massive, and is surmounted by
lofty pinnacles. The nave, chancel, and aisles, are very spacious, and
contain many monuments, some of which have effigies of the Ferrers and
Frevilles. Amongst the modern mural tablets is one erected in memory of six
servants who were burned to death when the Castle Inn was destroyed by fire,
on November 2nd, 1838. The vicarage is in the patronage of Rear-Admiral à
Court Repington, and the Rev Edward Harston, MA, is the incumbent, and also
rural dean.
Fazeley formed a chapelry to Tamworth parish and details of the church can
be found on the Fazeley page.
Other chapels of ease, or district churches later built in the parish were:
Wigginton chapel was rebuilt in 1777, and enlarged in 1830. It is now a
district church (St Leonard) and the perpetual curacy is in the patronage of
the Vicar of Tamworth, and incumbency of the Rev Rt W Lloyd, MA, of
Wilnecote.
Hopwas chapel (St John), stands near the canal and the River Tame, a little
SE of Hopwas Hay. It was built in 1836, and a chancel added in 1839. The
curacy is annexed to the vicarage of Tamworth.
Wilnecote church, Holy Trinity, was rebuilt in 1821. It is a small building,
with a low tower, and the living is a perpetual curacy in the patronage of
the Vicar of Tamworth, and incumbency of the Rev Rt W Lloyd, MA.
The ancient and ruinous chapel at Amington was rebuilt about 15 years ago,
and a chancel was added about 8 years ago. It is a curacy annexed to
Tamworth vicarage.
The Roman Catholic Chapel, near Aldergate Street, is dedicated to St John,
and was erected in 1829. It is a handsome brick edifice, cemented in
imitation of stone. The Rev James Kelly is the present pastor.
Here are also five dissenting chapels. The Presbyterian Chapel, at Colehill,
belongs to the Unitarians, and was built in 1724. The Rev William Parkinson
is its fourth and present minister. The Wesleyan Chapel, in Bolebridge
Street, was built in 1816, and the Independent Chapel, in Aldergate Street,
in 1827. The Rev Robert Johnson is minister of the latter.
In Lichfield Street is an old Friends Meeting House, and in Peel Street is a
Baptist Chapel, of which the Rev Joseph Massey is pastor."
(From History, Gazetteer and Directory of Staffordshire, William White,
Sheffield, 1851]
Church Records...
Church of England Registers
The register of the parish church of St Editha commences in 1558. The
original registers for the period 1558-1943 (Bapts), 1558-1949 (Mar) &
1558-1919 (Bur) are deposited at Staffordshire Record Office.
Bishops Transcripts, 1664-1868 (with many gaps) are deposited at Lichfield
Record Office.
A transcript of the registers of St Editha, 1558-1614 was published by the
Staffordshire Parish Register Society in 1917 and has been reprinted by the
Birmingham & Midland SGH.
The register of the church of St Leonard, Wigginton commences in 1837. The
original registers for the period 1837-1962 (Bapts), 1851-1965 (Mar) &
1837-1944 (Bur) are deposited at Staffordshire Record Office.
The register of the church of Holy Trinity, Wilnecote commences in 1763. The
original registers for the period 1763-1783 & 1837-1861 (Bapts) & 1851-1899
(Mar) are deposited at Staffordshire Record Office. Holy Trinity baptisms
1784-1837 are included in the St Editha registers.
Nonconformist Registers...
The following nonconformist registers are deposited at Staffordshire Record
Office (SRO), Lichfield Joint Record Office (LJRO) or the Public Record
Office (PRO):
Tamworth & Lichfield Wesleyan Methodist Circuit, 1869-1913 (Bapts) (LJRO)
Tamworth, Methodist, 1800-1825 (Births & Bapts) (PRO)
Tamworth, Methodist, 1800-1869 (Bapts) (SRO)
Tamworth, Aldergate Street Congregational, 1827-1836 (Births & Bapts) (PRO)
Tamworth, Aldergate United Methodist, 1929-73 (Bapts) (LJRO)
Tamworth, Bole Street Wesleyan Methodist, 1800-1836 (Births & Bapts) (PRO)
Tamworth, Victoria Road Wesleyan Methodist, 1914-72 (Bapts), 1925-71 (Mar) (LJRO)
The original registers of St John the Baptist Catholic Church, Tamworth for
the period 1826-1907 (Bapts) & 1838-1907 (Mar) are deposited at Birmingham
Diocesan Archives. Registers for 1901-date remain with the parish priest.
Description and Travel...
Chris Gibson's Tamworth Past and Present pages with descriptions of the
present day town and its history.
Historical Geography...
From the time of the original formation of counties in England, Tamworth was
situated in the two counties of Staffordshire and Warwickshire, the county
boundary running through the middle of the town along Holloway, Silver
Street, Church Street and Lower and Upper Gungate.
When the 1888 Local Government Act created the administrative County
Councils it decreed that any urban area, such as Tamworth, which was
situated in more than one county, should transfer wholly into the county
containing the greater portion of the population at the 1881 census.
In 1881 the Staffordshire part of Tamworth Borough contained 2,589 people
and the Warwickshire part, 2,032. Tamworth thus became a wholly
Staffordshire borough from the 1st April 1889.
The Parliamentary constituency boundaries, however, were not transferred
wholly into Staffordshire until 1918.
Poorhouses, Poor Law etc...
The parish gave name to, and became part of Tamworth Union following the
Poor Law Amendment Act of 1834.
Tamworth Union comprised the 24 parishes and townships of Amington &
Stonydelph, Austrey, Bolehall & Glascote, Chilcote, Clifton-Campville,
Croxall, Canwell, Drayton-Bassett, Edingale, Fazeley, Harlaston, Hints,
Kingsbury, Middleton, Newton Regis, Statfold, Sierscote, Shuttington,
Seckington, Tamworth, Tamworth-Castle, Thorpe-Constantine, Wigginton, and
Wilnecote. The Union comprised an area of 29 square miles, and had 12,904
inhabitants in 1841, of whom 5924 were in Staffordshire, 6638 in
Warwickshire, and 342 in Derbyshire.
The Union Workhouse, situated at Ladybridge Bank, comprised two buildings,
one built in 1837-8, and the other was the old parish workhouse, which was
built in 1750, by Thomas, Lord Viscount Weymouth, and Francis, Lord
Middleton. The two buildings accommodated about 120 people.
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