rel 14 St. Peter’s Church Stoke marriages 1703-1752.

St Thomas Church, Penkhull

Marriage Register 1845 -1891 Excel format spreadsheet

Within the traditions of the Anglican Church attention was made to the provision of small churches, frequently built of corrugated tin and run by local Lay Readers especially for the poorer areas of a parish.
In the case of All Saints Mission it was a brick building, a large chapel with raised platform and a room for meetings etc at the side. It was opened in a former joiner’s workshop in 1894 and run by Church Army Captains until the First World War when all Church Army Captains went to serve their country leaving no one in charge so it closed the following year. It remained closed until 1919 when Mr Arnold A. Wain, a licensed preacher was asked to re-open the Mission and take charge.
The building was by then dilapidated with no congregation, so Mr. Wain walked with streets and back-allies of Boothen even standing on a wooden box preaching the gospel to hopefully encourage his future congregation. Following Mr. Wain the duty was taken over by Mr. Sam Calligan of Foden Street until it finally closed in October 1967. During his tenure the building went through a period of change, such as electric lighting, new floors, platform and heating even started a youth club in the adjacent room in 1949 continuing until 1958.
The Mission was always well attended where people found common support in difficult times of unemployment, illness, and poor inadequate housing. In those days Churches and Mission had large Sunday Schools, and the familiar site of the Annual Anniversary walks around that part of Stoke brought with it a welcomed admiration of the work of the Mission. Mr. Wain was always invited to preach on Anniversary Sundays. In his time, he was known as one of N. Staffs outstanding orators and preached with authority and conviction.
This is a good story of social interest of the period and shows that despite many poor areas of Stoke had a ministry adapted to their needs.
Two pages

This fact points to the situation of Church as being a site for early Pagan worship and chosen clearly for its direct location adjacent to a ford across the River Trent. It is from this period that this short account commences which include notes re the first Saxon Church, its dates, history, description followed by the Norman Church which hand in 1876 the two Norman arches re-erected from their remains were found in the water flow to the Rectory Mills.
It continues to describe the churchyard and its history of important graves, the ancient parish registers and Stoke Hall the first rectory with a moat around it and loads more. Nine Pages A4 with lots of photographs.