St Michael's Church, Flixton

St Michael's Church, Flixton, is an Anglican parish church in Flixton, Greater Manchester dedicated to Michael the Archangel.[1] It lies in the parish of Flixton (which originally encompassed the parish of Urmston[2]), in the Anglican Diocese of Manchester (previously in the Diocese of Lichfield for 500 years).[3]

St Michael's Church, Flixton
The Parish Church of St Michael's, Flixton
St Michael's Church & Graveyard (2009)
53°26′31″N 2°22′55″W
OS grid referenceSJ7473093960
Location348 Church Road, Flixton, Trafford,
Greater Manchester
CountryEngland
DenominationChurch of England
Previous denominationRoman Catholic
ChurchmanshipAnglo-Catholicism
Websitehttp://www.stmichaelsflixton.co.uk
History
StatusParish Church
FoundedPre-1066
DedicationMichael (archangel)
Architecture
Functional statusActive
Heritage designationGrade II*
Architectural typeChurch
StyleGeorgian and Gothic Revival
Years builtat least 900
Specifications
Number of towers1
Bells8 (full circle)
Tenor bell weight13 long cwt 3 qr 1 lb (1,541 lb or 699 kg)
Administration
ParishFlixton, St Michael's
DioceseAnglican Diocese of Manchester
ProvinceProvince of York
Clergy
Vicar(s)The Rev Huw Thomas

History

Little is known of the origins of when this site was first used for worship, it is presumed that people have been worshipping here since before the Norman invasion of 1066, however there is little structural evidence of this,[4] however some believe the church to be actually founded in 1198.[5]

The Church of St Michael's is in the Parish of Flixton. Medieval Flixton was one of several parishes which existed in the Hundred of Salford. The parish encompassed the manors of Urmston and Flixton; the latter is first mentioned between 1189 and 1181 and was granted by the Mascy family of Dunham.[6][7] There is a place of worship for Wesleyans. Flixton has been recorded as Fluxton, Flaxtown, Flyxton, Flyxeton, and Flixtone, amongst other spellings. It has been suggested that Flixton derives its name from "Fleecetown" because of its 14th-century connection with the woolen industry. Flixton first appears in historical records in 1177 however, making that toponymy seem unlikely.[8] The name is more probably of Scandinavian origin, perhaps deriving from the Viking called Flikke or Flikkr who is credited with bringing Christianity to the area and constructing the original sanctuary end stone wall behind the altar,[8][2](however there are differing exact theories to this).

The Anglo-Saxon ton means dwelling place, hence Flikke's ton. The manor of Flixton's boundaries are unclear, although they were perhaps formed by a mixture of natural and man-made features including Carr Ditch, which divided Flixton and Urmston.[9] St Michael's Church is also first recorded at about the same time.[10] In keeping with a pattern found in northern and eastern Cheshire and south-eastern Lancashire, the parish comprised isolated farmsteads and a medieval manor house, rather than a village centre. As the population of Flixton grew throughout the 19th and 20th century, a new church St. John's was constructed in the mid 20th century to serve as a "mission-church".[11]

Population growth in Flixton (Ancient Parish/Civil Parish) from 1801 to 1951
Year 1801 1811 1821 1831 1841 1851 1861 1871 1881 1891 1901 1911 1921 1931 1951
Population 1,625 1,982 2,249 2,099 2,230 2,064 2,050 1,512 1,776 2,786 3,656 4,845 5,411 8,523 14,678
Source: A Vision of Britain through Time[12]

Flixton is in the Church of England Diocese of Manchester and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Salford.[13][14] Historically church life has centred around the Grade II* listed 12th-century church, built on raised land close to the centre of Flixton village.[15] For about 500 years the church was attached to Lichfield Cathedral.[16][17] Another Church of England place of worship, St John's Church, can be found on Irlam Road.[18] Flixton's Catholic Community worships at St Monica's Church on Woodsend Road South. The parish was founded in 1950 and the church built from 1968 to 1969.[19]

Church building

A view of the sanctuary end (chancel) of the church showing the Altar and sanctuary. (Credited Tom Jeffs)

The church is in a predominantly Georgian in its architectural-contextual style.[20] In 1888 the tower which now stands was completely rebuilt on the foundations of a previous 18th century one.[3]

Interior

'The present structure retains so little ancient work that little or nothing can be said of the development of the plan. Two fragments of what appear to be 12th-century stones with lozenge ornament are built into the east wall on the outside, but apart from these the oldest work in the building is contained in the chancel, which, in something of its present form, dates from the 15th century. It has been so much rebuilt, however, that little or nothing of the original work remains except in the reconstructed walling, the lower part of which appears to be old or entirely rebuilt of ancient masonry.[3]'-(Farrer and Brownbill, 1911)

St Michael's church tower is home to a ring of eight bells. The bells at St Michael's are still rung every week for church services and the bell ringers practise every Tuesday night. In 1808 the four bells were recast and four more added. They were recast again in 1938. The tenor bells weighs 13 long cwt 3 qr 1 lb (1,541 lb or 699 kg) and is tuned to F (706.0 Hz).[21] The bells are still rung today.[20] And there has been a robed choir in existence at St Michael's since the 1870s.[22]

Churchyard

The earliest stone dates from 1669, though there are records of burials before that. There are simple verses on many of the flat-stones, e.g. the Fiddler's grave near the vestry door. The verse on the Blacksmith's grave, William Oldfield, east of the vestry, is attributed to the Lancashire poet Tim Bobbin, who was baptised in this church.[20]

Vicar

The vicar incumbent of the parish is The Reverend Huw Thomas, who replaced the previous vicar, the Reverend Dr. Victoria Johnson (the current Residentiary Canon of Ely Cathedral [23]) in 2016.[24] There has been a resident curate/ rector in the parish since before the 16th century.[25]

List of curates and rectors of the Church of St Michael, Flixton (until 1906)[3]
oc. 1541 Nicholas Smith (fn. 27)
oc. 1547 Ralph Birch (fn. 28)
oc. 1552–4 Edward Smith (fn. 29)
oc. 1563 Robert Radcliffe (fn. 30)
1565 Richard Smith (fn. 31)
oc. 1588 Nicholas Higson (fn. 32)
oc. 1604 William Hodgkinson (fn. 33)
c. 1610 — Jones (fn. 34)
oc. 1613 George Byrom (fn. 35)
oc. 1622 Edward Woolmer, (fn. 36) B.A. (Oriel College, and All Souls, Oxford)
1660 Thomas Ellison (fn. 37)
oc. 1663 — Barrett (fn. 38)
oc. 1664, 1691 John Isherwood, B.A. (fn. 39)
oc. 1709 Edward Sedgwick (fn. 40)
1723 John Jones, M.A. (fn. 41)
1752 Samuel Bardsley, B.A. (fn. 42)
1756 Humphrey Owen, B.A. (fn. 43) (St. John's College, Oxford)
1764 Timothy Lowten, M.A. (fn. 44) (St. John's College, Cambridge)
1771 Thomas Beeley (fn. 45)
1807 Samuel Stephenson, M.A. (Trinity College, Cambridge)
1816 Henry Burdett Worthington, (fn. 46) M.A.
1823 William Asteley Cave Brown Cave, (fn. 47) M.A. (Brasenose College, Oxford) (fn. 48)
1842 Arthur Thomas Gregory, (fn. 49) B.A. (Lincoln College, Oxford)
Rectors
1863 Charles Barton, (fn. 50) B.A. (Dublin)
1873 Richard Marsden Reece, (fn. 51) B.A. (St. John's College, Cambridge)
1906 Arthur William Smith

Parish groups

The parish runs numerous groups for the community to participate in:[22]

  • Bell ringers
  • The Choir
  • The Churchyard gardening team
  • Mother's union

Restoration and Development Trust

There is a paying restoration and development trust at the church, it describes itself as having "... two main purposes. Firstly it is dedicated to maintaining and developing the fabric of the church both inside and out. This remit extends to Church Croft, a property adjacent to St Michaels, purchased by the Parochial Church Council, and where most Parish activities take place. Secondly the Trust contributes to the spiritual growth of the St. Michael."[20]

See also

References

  1. "Saint Michael's Church". Saint Michael's Church. Retrieved 2019-04-05.
  2. Billington, Michael (2018-08-08). The Story of Urmston, Flixton and Davyhulme: A New History of the Three Townships. History Press. ISBN 9780750988629.
  3. "The parish of Flixton | British History Online". www.british-history.ac.uk. Retrieved 2019-04-05.
  4. "Welcome to St Michael's Church, Flixton". www.stmichaelsflixton.co.uk. Retrieved 2019-04-04.
  5. GENUKI. "Genuki: St Michael, Flixton, Church of England, Lancashire". www.genuki.org.uk. Retrieved 2019-04-04.
  6. "Hamon de Mascy, 1st Baron of Dunham Massey". geni_family_tree. Retrieved 2019-04-05.
  7. "Townships: Urmston | British History Online". www.british-history.ac.uk. Retrieved 2019-04-05.
  8. "Flixton, Lancashire Genealogy Genealogy – FamilySearch Wiki". www.familysearch.org. Retrieved 2019-04-05.
  9. Nevell 1997, p. 37
  10. Nevell 1997, pp. 28–29, 32
  11. "St Johns – Flixton | St John's Flixton – our story". www.stjohnsflixton.org.uk. Retrieved 2019-04-04.
  12. Great Britain Historical GIS Project (2004), "Flixton AP/CP through time. Population Statistics. Total Population", A vision of Britain through time, University of Portsmouth, retrieved 6 September 2011
  13. The Church of England Diocese of Manchester, manchester.anglican.org, retrieved 11 March 2012
  14. Catholic Diocese of Salford, dioceseofsalford.org.uk, archived from the original on 3 August 2012, retrieved 11 March 2012
  15. Historic England, "Church of St Michael (1067876)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 14 March 2012
  16. History, Restoration, Conservation, stmichaelsflixton.co.uk, retrieved 11 March 2012
  17. Lawson 1898, p. 6
  18. Welcome to St John's Church, Flixton, stjohnsflixton.org.uk, retrieved 12 March 2012
  19. A Brief History of St Monica's Parish (Flixton), stmonicasflixton.webs.com, retrieved 11 March 2012
  20. "History, Restoration, Conservation". www.stmichaelsflixton.co.uk. Retrieved 2019-04-04.
  21. "Flixton S Michael". Dove's Guide for Church Bell Ringers. Retrieved 2019-04-05.
  22. "Groups". www.stmichaelsflixton.co.uk. Retrieved 2019-04-05.
  23. "Ely Cathedral – News: Cathedral welcomes first female Residentiary Canon". www.elycathedral.org. Retrieved 2019-04-04.
  24. "Meet Our Vicar | St Michael's". Retrieved 2019-04-04.
  25. "The parish of Flixton | British History Online". www.british-history.ac.uk. Retrieved 2019-04-05.

Bibliography

Photographic Credits-

As appreciated to :

  • Dave Newton- St. Michaels Church and graveyard - geograph.org.uk - 1345486.jpg
  • Dave Smethurst - St Michaels Flixton Manchester.jpg
  • Photos Via: Tom Jeffs @ Parrot of Doom- Rest of Images
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