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The Church - In outline Penistone church is central to our town, both as a landmark and a community point of focus. When an event is important, the church will often take a central part in the proceedings. Weddings, baptisms and funerals are commonplace but the church has also been central to national and local events of importance such as the annual Remembrance Day ceremonies, and one special example would be the Royal Proclamation upon King Charles acceding to the throne.
Less happily, if you visit the History Timeline for 22nd October 2014, you will find an entry concerning the murder of two little boys by their deranged and spiteful father. The church was central to that story too. It says: 'The boys' funeral occurred on the rainy morning of Friday 14th November at Penistone Church with a human chain formed by the public around the church.'
The church's historical significance cannot be denied. It also was the centre of all education before proper schools were set up. The church has seen so much happiness, joy and sorrow, and all in one place. Consider also the hundreds buried there before people could afford gravestones (the earliest dates on the stones here were from the 18th century). The church clock did not have a Westminster Chime until the new bells came into operation in 1925, something that we now take for granted.
The Church
Penistone Parish Church is a Grade 1 Listed Building (23rd June 1965), dedicated to St. John the Baptist and has long stood as the most important local landmark for our town (see C of E Church Heritage Record 635260 and some photographs). The founder appears to have been Sweyn of Hoylandswaine, who lived in the twelfth century, but there are clues that the site had been in use by Christians well before then.
A piece of Anglo-Saxon cross-shaft was re-used by Norman builders in the construction of an internal pillar near the pulpit and the church is built upon the foundations of an earlier church from around 900 AD. The herringbone pattern of the masonry would have been plastered over but, along with other clues, it helps to date the oldest parts of the church at around a thousand years old. There are still people with the name of 'Swaine' in the area.
There is a story that, before Penistone Church was built, there had been an attempt to build the parish church at Snowden Hill. Work began on a suitable site but was spirited away to Penistone by night, through some invisible agency. The result was that the Snowden Hill church was never built. According to an on-line document (the Wheat Collection - txt), it explains the name of 'Church Yard Field' at Snowden Hill.
Some parts of the church are dated around 1200. Penistone Church was recorded in the Archbishop of York's 1232 records as dedicated to St John the Baptist. Priests belonging to a church in Penistone are referred to in documents dating from around 1200 (see the list below). Most of the present building was erected in the 1300s and added to over the years, as with most churches in this country. The first vicar of Penistone Church was appointed in 1413 as, up until then, the rectors had been local landowners.
During a period of relative prosperity around 1500, the square Norman tower on the West side was added. It was built in 'the Perpendicular style of Gothic architecture.' It is 80 ft high and had eight pinnacles although two of these were laid in the churchyard during restoration work in 1904. Our tower is similar in style to the tower at Silkstone church, which was completed in 1495. The porch was built using old stones from the mediæval ruin of St John's Chapel (see below) in Chapel Lane and its date stone shows 1702. The porch seats are old grave covers taken from the same place. It is likely that St John's Chapel had been regarded as a chantry and suffered as a result of King Edward VI's 'Dissolution of the Chantries' act in 1547. The Vestry was added in 1826.
In 1862, a Bazaar was held to raise church restoration funds from Tuesday 28th May to Thursday 30th May. It was held at Mr Unwin's Large Room close to the (old) railway station, not far from the present-day St Mary's Street roundabout in the direction of Julie's cafe. Given Mr Unwin's connection with the gas industry, these rooms might have been the gas showroom which was later used as a public hall for entertainment. The notice suggested that between £1,000 and £2,000 would be required. It lamented that the church had lost influence with its diminishing congregation by a great wrong being committed by all of the church seats becoming appropriated (most likely by the leading families). The toffs had monopolised the available seats.
This had deprived especially the working classes of the power or, to a greater degree, the will to attend church. It had now become necessary to make provision for more people to attend. Interestingly, as regards this event, 'Special railway facilities are afforded to enable all who wish to be present on the days of the sale.' They were also looking for contributions of money, materials, work and saleable articles of all description, useful and ornamental. Eminent names associated with this effort were: Lady Augusta Wentworth, Lady Elizabeth Spencer Stanhope, Lady Wharnecliffe, The Honourable Mrs Monkton Milnes, Mr Spencer Stanhope of Cannon Hall, Mrs De Wend of Underbank Hall, and Mrs Chapman of Hill End, Mottram. As these were the toffs, it seems that they had been trying to make amends and were being more inclusive. It would be interesting to discover who was behind this drive and whether or not the toffs were being dragged kicking and screaming to the right conclusion.
In 1930, £1,500 was raised to repair damage done by death-watch beetles and this was completed in 1932. The organ was a gift from Salem United Reformed Church of Bradford and installed in 1975. The lychgate (shown above) was built in 1959 as a memorial to Rev. Canon William Turnbull, who was vicar at the church 1855-1915 and was responsible for some major restorations during the Victorian era.
Also in 1975 a local pensioner (whose name needs to be found) made a stainless steel fish weathervane for the tower and this was fitted to the approval of all concerned. The fish (Icthus in Greek) was a secret sign of the early Christians and, being made of steel, it refers to the local industry of the day.
For more details and dates, please visit the Archeological Data Service where you can download a 'Watching Brief' (pdf). See also the Vicars page.
Historic Notes
John Ness Dransfield's History of the Parish of Penistone of 1906 has much to contribute to the history of the church as a trustworthy source.
On page 120, we find this useful background:
'No mention is made of a church at Pangestone in " Domesday," yet the remains of some herring-bone masonry at the east end of the north aisle, and three stout pillars with square abaci on the north side of the nave evidently belonged to an early Norman building. The fabric shows so many traces of considerable changes and vicissitudes through the latter Norman, Early English, and Perpendicular periods up to the hideous alterations made in more modern days that it is difficult to interpret their meaning and date correctly.
'To-day the church consists of chancel, nave, north and south transepts, partly merged in north and south aisles, south porch, and a lofty tower at the west end, with a modern mean vestry at the east end. It appears to have been once a cruciform Early English church. The pillars of the nave with the exception of the three already named are Early English with the proper bases. The chancel has two, if not three, Early English windows, the two first are in the south wall, which itself is no doubt original, as it has a string course shewing its former height. One of these windows is a shoulder-headed arch with two-foiled lights, the other is a pointed window with intersecting bar tracery. Both have the curve-and-slant mould, supported by corbel heads of women in wimples.
'The east window is another interesting window, and is of a size and breadth very unusual in the 13th century, but it has the same hood mould as the Early English windows, and what makes it look more genuine this hood mould is finished with the " mask " ornament, which is peculiar to Early English. I feel convinced that the church was cruciform in Early English times, because the string course on the old south wall of the chancel still marks the slope of the former transept roof, and we may venture to accept the one intersecting window in the east wall of this transept as original. Bar tracery was not seen in the north of England before 1250, and we may, therefore, ascribe the chancel and transept to the close of the Early English period, the latter half of the thirteenth century.
'In the Decorated period, which Rickman approximates 1277 to 1377, the aisles of the church were so much widened that the cruciform plan was very nearly obliterated ; the south doorway belongs to this alteration, also the priest's doorway in the chancel, both of which have the sunk quarter-round in their mouldings. The buttresses, which are of the same pattern all round the church, may possibly belong to the same period, though their well-preserved condition would seem to hint at some modern restoration.
'When the aisles were widened, the west walls of the transept were taken down, as part of a wooden arch which remains at the east end of the north aisle has a very fine carved female head in a wimple, and some delicate mouldings of the early Decorated period. This north transept probably contained the chantry of Our Lady, the earliest mention of which is in the 14th year of Edward the Third - 1340. This piece of ancient wood carving is really good and characteristic of the period, and I would earnestly plead for its better preservation and inclusion in the scheme now under consideration.' (it continues with notes about the tower, shown in the section below. Then ...)
'When the old tower was gone, the chancel was enlarged by taking in the space under the tower, and a new chancel arch of Perpendicular design inserted fronting the nave. New Perpendicular arches and responds were also given to the openings into the former transepts, which were once chantries.
'It is thought that the south transept was the chantry of St. Erasmus, an inscription formerly on a wooden seat stated that this transept was turned into a chapel (or chantry) in 1530. All the windows, except those already described, are of the Perpendicular period, and those of the north aisle and the chief windows of each transept are late Perpendicular, having round sub-arches. The walls of the nave were raised, and the fine range of clerestory windows were added at the same epoch, also the panelled oak roof with brackets and bosses elaborately carved.
'With regard to the roofs of the transepts and chancel, I am inclined to think that beyond some slight repairs they were left unaltered, and from the latter end of Elizabeth's reign to about the middle of Charles the Second's reign these portions of the church were much neglected and allowed to fall into decay, a condition of things which was arrested in a somewhat summary fashion at the end of the seventeenth century. In the closing years of the Stuart period there was growing up a contempt for Gothic architecture, and in the straightened circumstances of the time beauty and learning were sacrificed to the sturdy farmers and wool mercers' ideas of utility, who raised the walls of the chancel to their present height, and put on them a roof utterly out of harmony with the fine east window, and subjected the transepts to a like indignity.
'Some quaint old corbels of the ancient roof are preserved in the wall of the chancel at the top of the east end. These alterations and repairs also included the demolition of the old chapel in Hermit field, the stones being used in repairing the churchyard wall and in the construction of the south porch.
(Page 122)
'This porch is a most debased piece of work, and ought to be replaced by one more in keeping with the architectural features of the nave, and in taking down the old porch every stone ought to be carefully examined, as the slabs on the benches are tombstones of the 13th century, with incised crosses fleury, and probably came from the old chapel. The little arches near the floor evidently belonged to some former piscinae, and possibly the stones of an interesting cross of ancient workmanship may be found as the porch appears to be built of odds and ends.
'The vestry and " churchwarden " windows are probably contemporary, dating from the Georgian era, and vividly portray the poverty of the eighteenth century intellectually and spiritually. Respecting " piscina:," I may explain that in its origin this was simply a drain put through the wall as a sanitary convenience for the priest, who, in ancient times, had to spend long hours in his devotions in the chancel. The refinement of the passing centuries afterwards limited its use to the rinsing of the chalice, when art stepped in and transformed it into an architectural feature, and thus obscured its original purpose, so much so that an insensate craving after completeness on mediaeval lines has betrayed some clergymen into committing the absurdity of putting up sham piscinae in restored Protestant churches. (etc.)'
The Interior
Referring to the numbered diagram below from one of the church guides, here are key features of Penistone Church. The notes here are mostly derived from a church leaflet. Features are also listed in great, if baffling, detail in the Penistone Church section on the English Heritage website, from N. Pevsner, The Buildings of England, 1967. This interior view is undated.
Various sources refer to there having been two chantry chapels in the church, with the north one devoted to St Erasmus and the south one to Our Lady. It looks as though the north became the vestry. Some of the stained glass is seventeenth century. One of the windows celebrates the marriage of Godfrey Bosville (pronounced 'Boswell') of Gunthwaite and Bridget Hotham in 1681. The Bosvilles were the most influential family in the Tudor and Stuart period. In recent times the windows had to be protected by sheets of perspex to minimise damage from the attentions of vacuous youths who have no idea what they are destroying. Perhaps in later life they begin to realise the importance of their crimes.
Prof. David Hey's 'A History of Penistone and District' refers to the glass mostly dating from the long ministry of Canon W S Turnbull, who was vicar from 1855 to his death in 1913. From the same book: In 1542 Richard Wattes, the vicar, had bequeathed 'a pare of organs to the Churche of Penniston' and 'a plainage book for the organs'. The first organ was fitted in the Northern chantry. A better organ was purchased by public subscription in 1768.
From another book by David Hey: 'Several South Yorkshire churches... (list includes Penistone) ... have nave arcades that date from a transitional period about the year 1200.' - the transition being the Norman style, giving way to early English Gothic. It was extended about two hundred years later and the 80 ft high tower was built around 1500.
The warm-coloured gritstone of the church is likely to have been quarried from Harden Clough near Dunford Bridge, about five miles away. An in-depth study of the church features can be found in the booklet and a book by local historian Prof. David Hey. The old picture above shows the church interior before the alteration of the altar choir stalls during the time of Rev. Baxter.
The Pictures
Looking at this batch of clickable pictures, the first shows a Saxon stone built into a pillar by the pulpit. This pre-dates the building of Penistone church and is said to have been used in approximately the same location as the focal point of local Christian worship, long before the Normal Conquest and church being built. It is shown here the right way up but is actually inlaid into the stonework on its side. The fourth picture is the view from the pulpit in 2005, shortly before the pews were controversially removed. Many people grumbled about the pews being taken out but it also opened up the church for wider community use, including brass band and choral concerts, and the annual Beer Festivals. The last picture on the right is of Carol Bradbury, the Penistone Mayor of 2011 taking part in the old Flour Ceremony at Easter that year. See the Customs page concerning the Easter Flour Ceremony.
The Chapel of St John the Baptist
Long-demolished, the mediæval St John's Chapel of Chapel Lane is described in a section of JN Dransfield's History of the Parish of Penistone (pages 16-17) with notes taken from the earlier Hunter's Directory:
This chapel occurs in a charter s. d. of John, son of William de Peniston. It had its particular custos, as appears by certain charters of the year 1430, respecting lands at Gunthwaite, where one of the parties is John del Rodes, custos capellac sancti Joh'is apud Peniston. It appears to have been accounted part of the rectory, since in the lease to Burdet and Hawksworth it was stipulated on the part of the college of Saint Stephen, that the tenants should repair the late chapel of St. John the Baptist of Peniston, and all houses, barns, and tenements belonging to the same.Hunter's was printed 1831, so the old building being demolished 'about sixty years ago' would put that time around 1771. Stones from the chapel for the church and church wall repairs and to make the porch. There is also in folklore that stone slabs used as seats in the south door porch are old gravestones from the site.
The site of this chapel was a little distant from the town. It was doubtless originally the seat of some solitary religious, a species of devotee of whom Saint John the Baptist was the universal patron. There is, moreover, a little piece of ground, called the Hermit-yard, adjoining to the site of the chapel. It belongs to the grammar-school of Peniston, and in a rental of the school lands made in 6 Charles I is thus described, 'The Hermit-yard, containing three roods on the south side the highway leading up from the chapel, and abutteth on the site of the said chapel called St. John's chapel towards the east, and the lands late of Nicholas Ijamfurth called Levy-lands on the south, and the lands of John Bamfurth called Calf-close towards the west, and is worth by year 6s. 8d. ; and now demised at 3s. by sir Francis Wortley's officers, and hath been detained from the school by the space of twelve years last past.' The remains of this chapel were demolished by the tenant, Jonathan Michel, about sixty years ago; but the site is still called the Old Chapel.
The Tower and Clock
The Penistone tower is usually said to have been built around 1500, around the same time as Silkstone church which is similar in design and vintage. John Ness Dransfield's A History of the Parish of Penistone (p. 121) is an authoritive source but suggests a later date, after the 1550s:
'The central tower of the cruciform church, which was probably crowned by a dwarf spire, either fell or was removed in the latter half of the sixteenth century, and the present lofty tower built at the west end in the late Perpendicular style. The west door has two deep cavettos, decorated with stars, roses, and heads' - the 'heads' here might refer to the gargoyles.
There has long been a clock on the West face of the church tower but an old 'scratch sundial' can also be found on a church wall. The Penistone Almanac of 1925 refers to the clock being repaired in 1698 at a cost of £3, 4s 0d, which clearly pre-dates another new clock installed on Easter Sunday, 10th April 1817, at a cost of £87.
Just over a century later, the clock was becoming worn out. The Parochial Church Council met Wednesday, 28th May 1924 and made the decision to replace the clock, as the existing clock was becoming unreliable after a century of use. This was to be at the same time that the bells would be increased from six to eight (see below). The clock order was placed with Potts and Sons Ltd of Leeds and the old bells and clock would be removed mid-June 1924.
The public generously responded to an appeal for funds. Mr GAB Lockley of Cubley Hall chose to pay for Westminster Chimes to be added as a new feature. Messrs Taylor and Sons would install the bells and Westminster Chimes and Messrs Potts of Leeds would fit the new clock. The total estimated cost was £1,162. On Saturday, 20th December 1924, the new clock and bells were dedicated in a ceremony by the Venerable Archdeacon Harvey of Huddersfield. The total cost of the new clock and bells had come to £1,217 (see the 1924 bells section below). The clock nameplate gives the manufacturing date as 1923. It Potts made a beautiful piece of engineering. Lots of shining brass gears, as you can see in the pictures here from the 2006 open day.
Until the winding mechanism was fitted with an electric motor in the late 2000s, the driving weight had to be wound to the top by hand about three times a week. The Westminster Chime mechanism can be disconnected from the bells during bell-ringing and the Remembrance Ceremony, leaving only the hour chime for the Act of Remembrance at 11am.
The second clock face was added to overlook the then newly-adopted Shrewsbury Road (of 1913), a road which had become increasingly important from the arrival of the Carnegie Library, the Town Hall, the Masonic hall and Council rooms, 1913-14. Previously the main road had been Church Street. The second clock face would be driven via a right-angled gear from the clock mechanism.
The clock numbers and hands are coated in gold leaf and the background is painted black. It needs to be re-done from time to time as the paint fades away. This falls to Penistone Town Council which has a duty to the upkeep of the church clock. The new Westminster Chime would make good use of the new bells and people could now hear the striking of the bells to mark the hours and quarter-hours. That is something we now take for granted but was a novelty in the Penistone of 1925 when the new bells would come into service. It is easy to think that the slats visible from outside are some kind of volume control but they are in fact fixed in place.
The (old) Bells
1924 would be a big year for Penistone. A new War memorial was built into the graveyard wall, as shown here, but the church also gained a whole new sound in its carillon of bells. Until 1924, the church tower had just six bells. These would be re-cast in 1924 by Taylor and Sons into eight bells and much more could be done with their sound.
It is likely that church's original six bells had been installed when the tower was built around 1500 and, until about 1860, they would be rung each day to a regular schedule. On foggy days they would guide travellers traversing the moors, lanes and dirt tracks, like a foghorn near to dangerous coastal rocks. The ringing schedule was:
Examples from the 18th century are also listed in Story 10 of the Stones:
We usually associate church bells with weddings and funerals but they were also rung for special occasions such as Royal events, on orders from the Government and in the olden times on foggy days. The Pancake Bell is another old tradition which was revived in modern times.
Compulsory Bells for the Gunpowder Plot.
The thwarting of the Gunpowder Plot was commemorated for many years after 1605 by special sermons, and the mandatory ringing of church bells. The lighting of fires (Bone Fires = Bonfires) also became the custom which evolved into the still-popular 'Bonfire Night' or 'Guy Fawkes Night' of today, now complete with fireworks, although the poorly-educated of modern times might slovenly advertise the communal bonfire as 'Fireworks Night,' thereby disregarding its history and 'Losing the Plot' completely (Local Customs).
The Gunpowder Plot certainly rattled the authorities for many years and the church service and bell-ringing to remind people of the treachery was written into law. As the go-to reference for all church services, the Book of Common Prayer of 1662 (pdf) contains a long section for the Gunpowder Plot. The bell ropes would wear out over time and, in 1696, 4s 6d was paid for 'A bel-rop and 2d for bringing it home.' Penistone bell-ringers for 5th November 1696 were paid eight shillings to ring the bells for Bonfire Night.
The Pre-1924 Bell Inscriptions.
The original six bells of Penistone Church Tower had Heraldic Arms and inscriptions as follows:
In 1755, the second bell 'Venite Exultimus Domino' was taken to Joseph Ludlam, Bell Founders of Rotherham for re-casting. The company appears to have been in business from 1750 to 1761 (Ludlum at the Bell Founder's Database) and to have also been locksmiths. The six bells appear to have been re-hung in 1807. An expenditure of £62 18s 5d for the bells had been entered in the Accounts of that year. The belfry louvres were there to let the sound out but to try to prevent birds from coming into the tower, then as now.
A nasty accident happened at a bell-ringing event in 1822 (see Stories of the Stones No. 10). The Tenor bell overturned and raised Robert Bramall five or six yards from the floor as he struggled to hol and was buried in the churchyard. Another bell-ringing accident occurred in 1835 when the Sexton was killed by being pulled to the roof as a stay broke whilst he was ringing a bell.
Campanology can be a dangerous pastime. Also a nuisance to those who come to live in a town or village which has an active church but expect the church to be silent, see the Synod's Advice on Church Bells (pdf). That reaction is just plain unreasonable, but selfishness or politics might sometimes come into play. Some people settle in a rural environment and be surprised to find farmyard smells. You can't please everyone.
The New Bells of 1924
On Wednesday, 6th February 1924, a public meeting was held to consider a report from John Taylor and Sons, bell-founders of Loughborough, about the condition of the church bells. The result was a decision to have the six bells re-cast and re-hung. Subsequently, it was resolved to add two smaller bells to complete the octave with a carillon of eight bells, for a 'full-circle ring.' The bells would be removed over three days, 16th to 18th June 1924 for re-casting and taken by lorry to Loughborough on 26th June 1924.
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The cast iron frame was also made at Taylor's in 1924. The first Peal of the eight new bells was heard on Saturday 3rd January 1925. The bell sequence was described (Almanac) as: Kent Treble Bob Major, with 5,184 changes. The new bells were paid for by those shown in the table below, in memory of various people. They are inscribed by the names of their donors. Nominal Frequencies in Hertz.
| Bell | Diameter | Weight | Note, Freq | In Memory of: |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 25" | 3 - 2 - 15 | F# - 1472 | Given in memory of Benjamin and Elizabeth Carnelly (paid for) by their daughter Miss M Carnelly of Water Hall. |
| 2 | 25.5" | 3 - 2 - 8 | E# - 1389 | Given in memory of William Stephenson Turnbull, Penistone vicar from 1855 to 1913 by the parishioners and members of Wharnecliffe Masonic Lodge. |
| 3 | 27.5" | 4 - 0 - 15 | D# - 1236 | Re-cast in memory of Thomas Willis Stones and Mary Eleanor Stones by their daughters Mrs P Johnson and Mrs TW Greaves. |
| 4 | 29.5" | 5 - 0 - 0 | C# - 1104 | Re-cast in memory of Louisa Hawley by her husband Mr Walter Hawley of Rotherwood, Penistone. |
| 5 | 32" | 6 - 0 - 10 | B - 984 | Re-casting paid for by Joe Whitely and family of Netherfield. |
| 6 | 34" | 7 - 1 - 12 | A# - 926.5 | Re-casting paid for Hugh Skelton Tomasson of Plumpton House. |
| 7 | 37.5" | 9 - 2 - 0 | G# - 826 | Re-cast in memory of Harry Champion, Charles Edward Swift and all Penistone bell-ringers. |
| 8 | 42.5" | 14 - 1 - 12 | F# - 735 | Re-cast by parishioner and members of the De Wend Fenton family. |
The names of Mick Walsh and Paul Taylor are also 'inscribed' from a later date, but not permanently. The two names can be found chalked in various places and are both visible in the centre picture above. It took something like forty years for their mild form of vandalism to come back to haunt them.
The carillon has a very good tone which can be heard all over Penistone during practice sessions from 7.30pm on Thursday evenings, also at weddings and special occasions. A toll was rung in May 2015, for a commemorative service in the church marking the 70th anniversary of the end of war in Europe, known as VE70 Day. There is a custom to ring a toll once for every year of someone's life and it is likely that the VE70 toll counted to 70. Other special occasions have been for the passing of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022 and for the new king, Charles III, in 2023. Also for the Tour de Yorkshire international bicycle race. The campanologists (bell-ringers shown below) have describe the bells as '14-1-12 in F Sharp.'
Wedding bells are assured to attract a gathering of visitors clinging to the church walls. On-looking ladies are inquisitive about the style of wedding dress, the beauty or otherwise of the participants and will be trying to work out who belongs to whom, or possibly who doesn't. Or comparing the bride with the bride's mother as a glimpse into the future. Or old gentlemen muttering "Like lambs to the slaughter" under their breath.
Sources and links
Church Organ
An organ from Salem United Reform Church of Bradford was given to our church in 1975 and was found to be a good fit to go into the West end of the building. The installation was conducted by the organ builders, Wood Wordsworth Ltd. of Leeds who also provided an organ console which could be relocated as needed. Choir stalls were transplanted from the chancel to the rear of the nave. The new organ was employed by several notable organists.
Since then, the organ keyboard was moved to an area which is now used as a cafe, possibly to make more room near the large East Door. With modifications to create a kitchen, it moved agin to a position opposite. A further improvement (perhaps in the 1970s) was to the air pump in the tower. A weighted air reservoir was added or replaced, to provide a continuous supply of air for those moments of greatest excitement in the chamber below.
Yours truly has asked whether regular organ concerts could be held in the church as fund-raisers, and to delight the audience. Apparently, the organ is not of good enough quality and would not perform as well as it ought for organ concerts. In the modern age, church services do not require an organist and the instrument is really only employed for wedding and other major events.
An LP Record
Around 1979, the church choristers, backed by the new organ, made an LP record for sale called: 'Christmas Celebration - The Choristers of Penistone Parish Church.' Strange that in the modern age we have to explain that 'LP' means a long-playing vinyl disc running clockwise at 33⅓ revolutions per minute, with a microgroove track on each side.
According to a photo of the cover on Facebook, most of the choir had been young boys accompanied by perhaps eight adults to aid the bass notes. The picture showed the choir in the central aisle with the old wooden pews on each side and organ pipes visible above and behind.
Choristers: Fred Proud, Fred Crossland, Cyril Latimer, Andrew Baxter, James Sykes, Andrew Sykes, Mark Baxter, Jeremy Hallas (Head Chorister), Nicholas Shore, David Bacon, David Senior, Michael Senior, James Hoyland, Peter Webster, Mark Pearson, Peter West, Stewart Casswell, Alastair Mclntyre, Andrew Barnett, Ian Crossland, Craig Finlay, Christopher Senior, Mark Slack, Adrian Mountain, Matthew Sykes, Simon Hallas, Gary Welford, Rory Welford, Arfon Fowler, Steven Hallam, Lee Wainwright, Shaun Dimelow, Neil White and Ronald Jepson.
Organists: David Baxter, Martin Beaumont,
Conductor: David Baxter (Parish Priest),
Recording: Made and produced by: Bruce Carlin (Assistant Priest).
2007 Changes
As part of a drive to make Penistone Church more relevent to the community, various new facilities have been installed and Open Doors events introduced. The new facilities include toilets with wheelchair access and a kitchen area. The font was moved from the vestibule into the main part of the church and a large block of pews were removed to make a dining area. Chairs are available to accommodate large services. In 2013 and 2014, Penistone Church was the venue for Beer Festivals organised by Denby Dale Lions Club. Please see the Church Tour page.
Church Records and Burials
According to 'Diocesi Eboracensi', Penistone church register books start from 1644, with some defective marriage entries for 1750 - 1745 and 1786 - 1812. These old records can be found at the West Yorkshire Archive Service, Wakefield and their coverage is: Baptisms: 1644 - 1944, Marriages: 1644 - 1974 and Burials: 1644 - 1977. Transcripts of various Penistone Church marriage registers (list) can be purchased from Barnsley Family History Society.
With the increased population during the Industrial Revolution, churchyards became too full. In fact, they had long been too full. So many bodies had been buried in churchyards over the centuries that ancient bones were often stored in ossaries to allow more space. Peasants could not afford coffins and memorial stones were only for the wealthy, in Penistone are not obvious from before the 18th century. The Quakers (Lumbroyd, High Flatts, etc.) had their own ideas about graveyards and, at first, did not mark graves. Later they would add a small neat stone with the date and initials of the deceased.
The Burial Act (of Parliament) 1832 allowed cemetaries to be set up by local authorities to allow for more capacity than the typical churchyard could stand. The increasing popularity of the Methodists also helped matters with some having their own burial grounds, such as Netherfield Chapel.
Cremation had been common in Roman times but was not common in the UK until well into the 20th century. Cremation had been illegal in the UK until 1884 when it was pronounced legal 'provided no nuisance was caused in the process to other people.' A Bill was introduced to the House of Commons that year to provide for the regulation of cremation and other means of disposal of the dead. Over time, municipal crematoria were set up and operating soon after. A 1902 Act formalised the process.
The Wordsworths
In March 2024, Richard Galliford posted the following on Facebook (Penistone Archive Group):
'Chancel Grave Stones. St John's. William and Mary, the poet’s great-great-great-grandparents, are recorded as being buried at St John’s and only recently did we find their gravestone hidden beneath the carpet in the chancel. We have also discovered that there are graves which appear to be those of their children including Priscilla and Jonathan as well as another 25 Wordsworths found. Thanks to Steve Lavender for is research on the Wordsworths.'
The inscriptions on the Wordsworth stone in the floor of the chancel are in two vertical columns, presumably with both sides engraved at the same time in very ornate script:
On the left side:
Here lyeth Intered the Body of William Wordsworth of snodnel who departed this life the 29th Day of March in the the year of our Lord God 1694
And on the other side:
Here lyeth Intered the Body of Mary the wife of William Wordsworth who departed this life In the 4th day of June in the year of our Lord God 1690
The Burial Board of the Ecclesiastic Parish of Penistone was formed in May 1870 (1889 Penistone Almanack). After Stottercliff Cemetery was opened in 1880, all further burials in the Penistone area took place there and no further burials were permitted in the churchyard. Burial records for Stottercliff Cemetery can be found at Ardsley Crematorium, Barnsley, which covers the whole Barnsley borough.
Genealogists can consult the larger branches of 'The Church of the Latter Day Saints' (Mormons) such as in Huddersfield, to study their church records on microfische. The peculiar advantage of the Mormons is that they claim to be able to convert ancestors retrospectively and this has led them to collect vast repositories of church records from all over the world. Genealogy researchers might also like to visit Free Genealogy UK (including the FreeBMD project), which aims to put records of Births, Marriages and Deaths in the public domain, free of charge.
For War Memorials, Barnsley and District War Memorials has some interesting information. A 'Blogspot' from the same people has references to individual graves, such as that for Albert Webster in 2015, although it is not clear how to search it.
Graves Links
There are other sites devoted to such as those lost in war.
Rectors and Vicars
A much more detailed list including Curates and later incumbents is on the Penistone Vicars page.
The list below is the shorter list from Mr John Ness Dransfield's great tome of 1906, 'A History of the Parish of Penistone' and other sources in Penistone Library. This is Mr Dransfield's briefer list:
Penistone Rectors
Penistone Vicars
Up until the first vicar of Penistone Church was appointed in 1413, rectors had been local landowners.
Around the time of Henry Swyft, an Act of Conformity (19th May 1662) came into force which prescribed the form of public prayers, administration of sacraments and other rites of the Established Church of England, following all the rites and ceremonies and doctrines prescribed in the Book of Common Prayer. The edition of the Book of Common Prayer prescribed by the Act was so new that most people had never seen a copy.
Although Henry Swyft was popular with the inhabitants, he did not conform as strictly as he was supposed to and came into conflict with the law on several occasions. This led to some visits to jail. Also at that time, it became unclear who had a legitimate right to present the next vicar of Penistone. The default position was for the king and queen to present the next incumbent, who was chosen as Edmund Haigh in May 1690. The lapse in the right of presentation was resolved in 1717, by inquest, in favour of William Godfrey of Gunthwaite. Local historian John Ness Dransfield held the opinion that Godfrey did not have the best claim in this matter.
'Churching'
This word had been a puzzle for quite a time, as it sometimes appears in old church records without explanation, as though none was needed. It was all to do with childbirth. In the Jewish faith of biblical times, a woman who had just given birth was regarded as 'unclean' and would be kept apart for a week or more, as in Leviticus 12:2, King James Bible (pdf). Churching would later refer to a time of recuperation after birth.
As surviving childbirth and the beginning of a new life were both worth celebrating, the 'Churching of Women' in England would be included in a church service as a ritual blessing and thanks-giving to God. At a time when most people were expected to attend church, 'Churching' also involved a period of rest and recuperation from the birth, which might have been a week or longer. The words below say that she shall attend the service '... at the usual time after her delivery .. ' oh, and properly dressed. So it might be that she would attend church after her recuperation rather than before. It might also give the new baby time to settle in.
The text below is from the Book of Common Prayer of 1662 (pdf) in a section about 'The Churching of Women.' In the writing fashion of the seventeenth century, it uses the 'long S' depicted here as the character 'ſ' as an approximation. The long 'S' was much used in old books and on old Penistone gravestones up to around the start of the nineteenth century. The text is slightly unusual in not using the capitalised 'He' and 'Him' which would have been the standard right up to the present time.
The Thanksgiving of Women after Child-birthServices were quite long-winded in those days. The above explanation of 'churching' was discovered by chance in a book from a charity shop, titled:
Commonly called The Churching of Women
The Woman, at the usual time after her delivery, shall come into the Church decently apparelled, and there shall kneel down in some convenient place, as hath been accuſtomed, or as the Ordinary shall direct: And then the Prieſt shall say unto her,
"FORASMUCH as it hath pleased Almighty God of his goodness to give you safe deliverance, and hath preserved you in the great danger of Child-birth; you shall therefore give hearty thanks unto God, and say:
Then shall the Prieſt say, Psalm 116. Dilexi quoniam.
"I Am well pleased: that the Lord hath heard the voice of my prayer;
That he hath inclined his ear unto me: therefore will I call upon him as long as I live.
The ſnares of death compaſſed me round about: and the pains of hell gat hold upon me.
I found trouble and heavineſs, and I called upon the Name of the Lord: O Lord, I beſeech thee, deliver my ſoul.
Gracious is the Lord, and righteous: yea, our God is merciful.
The Lord preſerveth the ſimple: I was in miſery, and he helped me.
Turn again then unto thy reſt, O my ſoul: for the Lord hath rewarded thee.
And why? thou haſt delivered my ſoul from death: mine eyes from tears, and my feet from falling.
I will walk before the Lord: in the land of the living.
I believed, and therefore will I ſpeak; but I was ſore troubled: I ſaid in my haſte, All men are liars.
What reward shall I give unto the Lord: for all the benefits that he hath done unto me?
I will receive the cup of ſalvation: and call upon the Name of the Lord.
I will pay my vows now in the preſence of all his people: in the courts of the Lord’s houſe, even in the midſt of thee, O Jeruſalem. Praiſe the Lord.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son: and to the Holy Ghoſt;
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever ſhall be: world without end. Amen."
(The Service continues and includes Psalm 127, The Lord's Prayer and more. It concludes with ...)
"O Almighty God, we give thee humble thanks for that thou haſt vouchſafed to deliver this woman thy ſervant from the great pain and peril of Child-birth; Grant, we beſeech thee, moſt merciful Father, that ſhe through thy help may both faithfully live and walk according to thy will in this life preſent, and also may be partaker of everlaſting glory in the life to come; through Jeſus Chriſt our Lord. Amen."
Denby's Chapel of Easement
Denby had been a Danish settlement dating back to the ninth century, and is mentioned in the Domesday Book. It was in the Parish of Penistone whose church was built around 1200. There was no other place of worship and, by compulsion or habit, the few villagers would walk or travel in carts to Penistone as best they could. The journey was perilous in winter, over muddy paths, high ground and rough lanes. They would have to cross the often swollen streams as best they could. In 1626, thirteen parishioners drowned while trying to cross the waters of Scout Dike and this led the Denby parish to apply for a licence from Tobias Matthew (1546-1628), Archbishop of York, to build their own chapel.
Tha application was successful and a 'Chapel of Easement' was built but could not be authorised to perform such as weddings, baptisms or burials. This would come later after the later church was built. The current church of St John the Evangelist church was built 1842 - 1845 by local builder John Ellis of High Flatts at a cost of £1,170 and built on the site of the earlier 'Chapel of Easement.' The later church is still a place of worship but is also used as a community room for concerts, etc., under the name of Denby Hall. St John's Denby (Facebook).
The later church is still a place of worship but also used as a community room under the name of 'Denby Hall.' St John's Denby (Facebook). This section is abridged from a much more detailed section about Denby Chapel at the bottom of the Vicars page.
Midhopestones Chapel
Godfrey Bosville of Gunthwaite rebuit this tiny chapel of easement in 1705, on the northern border of the parish of Ecclesfield. St James's is close to Midhopestones village in a bleak and exposed setting with few other buildings nearby. This makes one wonder why it was built there at all. It is now a Grade II Listed Building.
There is quite a scenic view of the chapel and its surroundings atop the Penistone Archive page. Access from Chapel Lane is through a wooden gate. The building is of grey gritstone with a stone-slated roof and, in true Yorkshire style, built to last. It has a small spire with bell and has a long graveyard on the south side. There is a porch entrance to the building with Bosville's coat-of-arms carved above the door on the lintel. Inside the building are original box pews and it has a small gallery upstairs at one end. The bell was replaced in 1858 and replaced once more in 1929 at a cost of £6 8/- and continues to be usable in the 21st century.
According to the National Churches site, the foundations had been laid around 1360 by the Barnby family (of Cawthorne), the Lords of the Manor of Midhope (1354-1622). Puritans held it from 1662 until 1690 and a high Jacopean pulpit allowed the preacher to keep an eye on potential trouble outside in those troubled times. According to the Wiki, a small trapdoor was discovered between pulpit and altar by a joiner in 1967, suggesting a quick escape route.
In 1690, Godfrey Bosville paid £2,256 to buy the chapel and rebuild it, as it was in very poor condition. He added the porch with his coat-of-arms, a bell-tower, box pews and a minstrel's gallery. During 1978 renovations, an ancient stone altar was also found embedded in a wall. It was moved to St John's church, Penistone, to become the altar.
Religious Variations in the Area
According to Prof David Hey's book, 'A History of the South Yorkshire Countryside' only about 4% of the population were Dissenters in 1676. In later years, the industrialised areas of South Yorkshire became influenced by Methodism in its various forms. There was quite some hostility between Methodism and the Anglican church in the late 18th century, although Methodist membership was small until the 1830s. By 1851, from the only survey of religious attendance conducted by the state, more than half of the population did not attend any church or chapel. Of those that did, around half were nonconformists. Of those, the Wesleyan Methodists were strongest. The Penistone-Thurlstone area had been a notable centre of dissent. In 1851 there were two Anglican churches, the Quakers of High Flatts still going strong (although in decline) and the independent Bullhouse chapel. Also the newer Methodist chapels; Wesleyan, New Connexion, Particular Baptists and Primitive Methodists, which were all now well-established and respectable.
Quakerism was well established in the area and the Society of Friends continues in their meeting house at Quaker Bottom, High Flatts but another meeting place at Lumb Royd (Chapel Lane) was discontinued. There is a Quaker section on this website (link below) which takes a look at the Friends' Meeting Place of High Flatts and local Quaker burial grounds. Bullhouse Chapel is one of the very oldest nonconformist chapels in this country (link below), with a continuous history from 1692 to the present day. For such a small chapel, it is interesting that its congregation in 1715 was 200 people. See the sections on Quakers and Bullhouse Chapel (see also Genuki).
Methodist New Connexion Sunday School (Now Penistone Clinic) - Opened in 1901 at the bottom of Church Hill/Shrewsbury Road. It appears to have failed within a short space of time but is listed several decades after opening as a place of worship. Previous to the chapel being opened, Methodist New Connexion services were held in the Assembly Rooms (off St Mary's Street), which had not yet become a cinema and was probably still a Gas showroom. The chapel later became the Penistone Clinic with minimal regard to its religious style of architecture.
From the Penistone Express, Friday 15th Feb 1901: 'Foundation stone was laid 'Sunday Last' (10th Feb).' One side would be on the main road and the other on a side street to an as-yet unnamed road (Shrewsbury Road). This was the grand stone-laying ceremony for a new Sunday School building and the proceedings were opened by Thurlstone Brass Band. A Time Capsule was laid in a cavity covered by the principal stone. Advertised as 'Christ Church (Methodist New Connexion) Penistone' with 'Bright singing, solos and choruses' their Sunday evening services were well-attended and their main pastor, Rev F Townsend, was well-liked. He stayed in Penistone until 1903 before moving on. There is little evidence that the chapel had continued for long and it was not included as a place of worship in the 1914 Penistone Almanac. The building is now used as Penistone Clinic and much of its 'chapel' appearance has become obscured by unsightly extensions. Green Moor also had a New Connexion chapel.
(More detail on the 20th Century Timeline, 1901)
St Mary's Roman Catholic church was built in the 1950s on Talbot Road to support Penistone's increasing population. With the influx of Eastern Europeans in recent times, the UK's Roman Catholics now outnumber other religious groups for the first time in centuries. Anglicans come in second place. Methodism in all of its variations has always been strong in this area right from its early beginnings, with several chapels in the area.
The old St Paul's chapel next to the Library became badly infested with woodworm and was demolished, to be replaced by St Andrew's on the same site. This is a sketch of St Paul's chapel. It was unusual in having a grand organ, above which was a quote which, from the memory of Alun Griffiths (Archive Group's Facebook, Jan 2023), was: 'Oh worship the Lord in the Beauty of Holiness.' He also stated that: 'For big events, eg. Sunday School Anniversary, there were additional tiers of seating from Ground level up to the tiers at the side of the organ.' He suggests that the organist in a Facebook photograph might have been Horace Belcher.
When St Andrew's church took over, St Paul's congregation was combined with Netherfield Congregational Church (near Penistone Grammar School) which was then de-consecrated and turned into a dwelling. The Netherfield graveyard was partly built over for a car parking area and the remaining graveyard left to nature. It is overgrown by brambles. There is no longer any public access, although representatives of the Commonwealth Grave Commission can have access by arrangement. Netherfield chapel used to come within Thurlstone parish.
In Thurlstone, the Wesleyan chapel and the Primitive Methodists were very strong, although now the latter is the only one which continues. There has not been any significant import of other religions into our area. See also the St Leonard's Church, Wortley website and the Miscellaneous Religion page which repeats some of this item.
The Book of Martyrs
One of the most influential books to affect the protestant history of the Church of England was 'The Acts and Monuments' by John Foxe (see John Foxe wiki), commonly known as 'The Book of Martyrs.'
At a time when those punished for heresy by the church were generally considered as criminals, Foxe's book listed their supposed crimes and punishments in detail and impressed upon those who could read that the Catholic church of old was guilty of the most horrendous crimes against dissenters, and that those victims were martyrs, not criminals. Confessions would be forced out and other innocents incriminated, ultimately to suffer the same fate. Torture had been common but the end punishment was to be burnt at the stake with a leering crowd enjoying the spectacle. Shown in one wood-cut illustration was a woman giving birth whilst tied at the stake, her stomach cut wide open. The punishments were designed to deter others but those consigned to the flames might have been the more devout. They would often die with their hands together in prayer.
The opening page has a detailed wood-cut illustration, with trumpets abounding. Bottom-left depicts the Protestant church with its congregation in rapt attention of a sermon, awash in holy light emanating from the name Jehovah (in Hebrew). Bottom-right depicts the papish church with its cermonies, parades, rosaries and disinterested onlookers with what might be a gallows in the distance. Lower-mid-left shows martyrs being burnt at their stakes, blowing trumpets to heaven. Lower-mid-right shows the papish church with kneeling clergy blowing trumpets amid much ceremonial activity. Upper left shows the crowned martyrs blowing trumpets to heaven above. Upper-right shows a demonic scene of the fat and bloated papish worshippers in a tormented afterlife. The scene across the top depicts holy trumpeters in the Kingdom of Heaven. Heaven must be a noisy place; with just too many trumpets. A central box has the title and these words:
ACTS AND MONUMENTS
Of matters most speciall and memorable, happening in the Church, with an universall HISTORY of the same.
Wherein is set forth at large, the whole Race and Course of the Church, from the Primitive age to these later rimes of ours, with the bloody times, horrible troubles, and great Persecutions against the true
MARTYRS
Of Christ, fought and wrought as well by heathen Emperors, as now lately practised by Romish Prelates, especially in this Realme of England and Scotland.
Now againe, as it was recognised, perused,and recommended to the studious Reader, by the Author, Mr. John Fox, the eight time newly Imprinted.
Whereunto are annexed certaine Additions of like Persecutions, which have happened in these latter times.
London, Printed for the Company of Stationers, (1641)
A Kalendar follows on, ascribing a martyr to each day of the year, with the dates of their murders, although the Gothic writing is not always easy to decipher. There are pages in Latin but more usual is the turgid, florid or verbose English with some Latin thrown in.
The original text has many oddities and 'divers spellyngs' but, once attuned to the mediæval quirks of English, reading is not too difficult. Words often overflow on to the next line, cut irregularly with a hyphen. A dash over a vowel puts an enn after it. The long 'S' is everywhere, looking much like an eff without its peg. The aitch is very Gothic and looks like an emm. Also, 'ye' is common and pronounced 'the' or 'thee' as expected. A rather strange 'r' looks more like a hand-written zed. You soon get the hang of it.
The book helped consolidate anger and fear against papism, which would increase the persecution of Roman Catholics. It strongly symbolised their practises, ceremonials and excesses as devilish work. For those whose ability to read was limited, the intricate wood-carved illustrations added extra weight to the substance of the book. The now protestant church had these books printed in quantity and sent to as many churches as possible.
JN Dransfield's 'History of the Parish of Penistone' (p.15) shows that a copy of the Book of Martyrs was donated to Penistone church to be kept in perpetuity. It would appear that the church already had a volume, as it referred to a second copy. The book was given by John Shaw the ejected vicar of Rotherham who also presented volumes to Bradfield and Stannington churches:
"This second volume of the Book of Martyrs was given by John Shaw, of Rotherham, clerke. May 19, 1666, unto the parish church of Peniston, there to be constantly kept, to be read by any of the inhabitants of that parish, or others that desire there to read therein. And the good Lord give a gracious blessing to all the readers and hearers of it there read. So heartily prays the donour hereof, John Shaw."
The book of 'Acts and Monuments' went to several reprints and through different reigns. It can be downloaded in eight large volumes from Archive.org as PDF and other formats. The text may also be found on the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (CCEL).
Guide Booklet
There have been several versions of the Church Guide. A well illustrated booklet has been produced in the noughties containing the history of churches of Penistone Team Ministry, which includes: Penistone Parish Church, Thurlstone St Saviour's, Carlecotes St. Anne's, Midhopestones St. James' and Oxspring St. Aidan's. The picture above shows the cover. Local graphics designer Adele Tolladay had worked her usual creative magic ('Gablelake') to make it a pleasant object for the bookshelf. It can be purchased form Penistone church, which is usually open Saturday mornings and Market Days for tea and biscuits or light lunches.
A much older booklet 'The Parish Church of St John the Baptist, Penistone - A brief history and guide' was available for many years from the church, written by Penistone Rector David Turnbull, c. 1986. It is long out of print but well worth finding as it contains such a wealth of detail about the church. There are some even older publications, such as the 'History of the Parish Church' dated 1904 which goes into great depth and includes the Churwarden's Accounts shown above.
People can donate to the church via 'Give a Little.' See also Heritage Inspired for Penistone Church. Penistone and Thurlstone Team Ministry, Facebook.
And What's More ...
Penistone continues to have a range of ancient charities. They would typically have been funded by rents from properties but covenants and other details might become lost over time, with rents drying up. The sources are all listed in old documents and such as Mr Dransfield's 'History of the Parish of Penistone' and some of those sources lie outside our district. Comparing the Trustees of each charity in modern times, they are mostly the same people. Nothing unseemly about that but the mists of time have drawn a veil over the exact selection details of some charities. Penistone Town Council appoints members to most of them. The Charity Commission carries details of all UK-registered charities, with trustee names and accounts.
Of particular interest in connection with the church is the is the Easter Flour ceremony, which continues to this day on Good Friday each year (See the Customs page for more details). The bequests behind it are described on a large wooden panel viewable in the Church. Another custom which disappeared was for cake and ale given to all-comers. The ale was diluted but even more so for the children. Before anyone reels away shocked at the thought of ale given to children, we must remember that watered-down ale made water fit to drink at a time when sources could be highly suspect and disease was rife. Local sanitation did not improve until the end of the 19th century and that was in stages.
Getting back to local charities, to comply with a requirement of the Samuel Wordsworth Trust, a sermon must be delivered in the Church every Sunday and always on 24th June every year, the Festival of St John the Baptist, the saint to which the church is dedicated. The John Wordsworth Trust and William Rich Trust both augment the Samuel Wordsworth trust in support of the poor of the ancient parish of Peniston.
The Penistone Relief in Sickness charity gives support to people who are sick, convalescent, disabled, handicapped or infirm in the urban district of Penistone and the parish of Oxspring, although its kitty of £50 was emptied in 2016, never to recover. The Joseph Yeardley Carnelly for Poor charity is also for the poor of the urban district of Penistone. It spends as much as it gains each year but does not declare which poor people benefit from it. There are also some other local charities, such as the Penistone School Trust which can award scholarships and make grants.
Albert Einstein:
'Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted.'
