The
Lychgate Note
by Shirley Bayley
The Lychgate, the main pedestian entrance to the church grounds
from Huddersfield Road, gets its name from the Old English word
"lich" or "lych" meaning corpse and this
was the first resting place for a coffin on its way to burial.
Our lychgate
was constucted in 1904 as a gift to the church by Thomas Williamson
and his wife Mary in celebration of their golden wedding. It
was dedicated at a service on September 5 of that year - the
Sunday before their annivesary "having previously been
admired by the Bishop of Chester".,
At the time
it was described as the finest lychgate for many miles around
and "the upper structure is composed of richly moulded
English oak framed with heavy perforated tracery work enriched
in places by wrought iron work; this rests on a stone base with
pierpoint walling and York stone dressings. The roof is covered
in green north country slates and the finial and base surmounting
the whole structure are of wrought copper. The gates to Huddersfield
Road (which, unfortunately, were stolen
in 1999) are panelled, with open panels in the upper
portion, enriched with wrought iron cresting. There are inscriptions
in gold-finished relief on both sides of the arch and a green
granite panel inside the lychgate commemorating the anniversary."
It has changed somewhat since then, but is still an impressive
structure.
The front
of the arch facing Huddersfield Road is beautifully enriched
with carved spondrels and on the face of it, with raised letters,
is a ribbon bearing the inscrription "Everytone of us shall
give an account of himself to God". In a similar position
on the side facting the churchyard also cut upon the oak in
raised letter "Cast thy burdens upon the Lord and He shall
sustain thee". On the left hand side when entering the
Lych Gate is a panel in green granite containing the inscription
"To the Glory of God in thankful commemoration of the 50th
anniversary of their marriage" - that is the marriage of
Thomas and Mary Williamson. Thomas
Williamson came to Stalybridge from Rochdale in 1850 when he
was about 22 and set up as a watchmaker and jeweller in the
town where he met Mary Kershaw. She was the daughter of a tallow
chandler in Cocker Hill, and they were soon married. Mary had
a lifelong connection with St Paul's - it was said that she
was present as a child at the laying of the foundation stone
of the church as well as at similar ceremonies at New St George's
and St John's, Dukinfield.
For
the rest of their lives she and her husband were highly involved
with St Paul's where Thomas was twice a church warden and a
substantial benefactor, and Mary was "a devoted and loving
friend" of the church and its people.
Thomas moved
from the jewellery trade to establish a brass founding firm,
initially near the present Post Office and then on Cocker Hill
and finally in Tame Valley at the Atlas Works which became successful
and flourished. He was also a director of Albion Mills Co. Ltd.
when it was incorporated in 1883.
Thomas
and Mary lived at Brookfield Villa in the lower part of Mottram
Road. They planted and made themselves responsible for the upkeep
of the roadside trees in Mottram Road in addition to many other
good works for the town which Thomas had adopted. He was a councillor
in 1866-9 and again in 1879-85 and was a Justice of the Peace
from 1880 onwards. He retired at 62 and devoted the rest of
his life to philanthropic, public and religious work quietly
and unostetatiously. His chief religious interest was St Paul's
where he was "devotedly engrossed, and with money, advice
and labour did all he could to forward the good work of the
Church".
It seems
that Thomas and Mary loved and were devoted to God, Stalybridge,
St Paul's and each other, but remained childless. When Mary
died on Christmas Day 1909, aged 79, Thomas declared that he
would die at Christmas to - he passed away two years later on
December 13 aged 81.
The
architects for the lychgate were John Eaton Sons and Cantrell
of Ashton and the builders were Wiiiiam Storrs and Sons of Stalybridge,
while the ironwork was carried out by Wardy Works of Salford.
The hymns
chosen for the dedication service, taken by the then Vicar,
Rev T H Sheriff were:
When our heads are bowed with Woe
and On the Resurrection morn.
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