St John’s Church viewed looking east from the corner of Vicarage Drive and Old School Mews.
This Anglican church was built in 1838-41 and the architect was Edmund Sharpe (1809-1877) of Lancaster on behalf of the Church Commissioners. Edmund Sharpe was born at Knutsford, Cheshire, but in 1824 he moved with his mother and sister to live at Lancaster.
Edmund Sharpe.
The church is built of stone with a slate roof and it stands on the south side of High St in an elevated position at the top of a low hill.
It is listed Grade II, List Entry No. 1068017.
The churchyard of St John’s Church is the burial place of the 19th century reformer, the Revd Joseph Rayner Stephens who died at his home on Cheetham Hill Rd, Dukinfield, in 1879. He was born in Edinburgh and was trained in the Ministry. He came to Ashton-under-Lyne in 1832 where he became an influential member of the Chartist Movement and campaigned for factory reform and against the New Poor Law. This was introduced in 1834 and in 1929 it was notionally abolished but it was not until 1948 that the New Poor Law system was finally abolished. He was continually aware of social injustice and human suffering. Later, he moved to Stalybridge and in 1841 he founded a People’s School for adult education on Astley Street, Stalybridge. Subsequently, the building became the Holy Trinity Mission Hall.
The People's School, Astley St, Stalybridge.
In 1888 the Joseph Rayner Stephens Memorial was erected in Stamford Park, Stalybridge, and there is a blue plaque to him on the original frontage of Stalybridge Town Hall. He is also remembered by Rayner Stephens High School on Yew Tree Ln, Dukinfield.
The dedication to Joseph Rayner Stephens on his memorial:
AN EARNEST ADVOCATE OF THE TEN HOURS BILL, AN ABLE DEFENDER OF TRADE UNIONS AND DETERMINED OPPONENT OF THE NEW POOR LAW.
THE ONLY TRUE FOUNDATION OF SOCIETY IS THE SAFETY, THE SECURITY AND THE HAPPINESS OF THE POOR, FROM WHOM ALL OTHER ORDERS OF SOCIETY ARISE.
The Cotton Tree Inn
on the Whitnall St corner of Markham St, Newton, Hyde, was used by the Chartist Movement to hold meetings.
One such meeting was held there on the 28 Jul 1839 and as a consequence
the Revd Joseph Rayner Stephens and two associates, Dr Paul Murray McDouall
* and John Bradley, were arrested.
They were charged with attending an unlawful meeting, sedition and disturbing the peace and were convicted and sentenced to 18-months imprisonment in Chester Castle.
The Cotton Tree Inn opened in 1830 and it was so named because its opening coincided with the opening of cotton mills in the Newton area by Ashton Brothers. It closed in 2012.
In conclusion, there is also a historic connection between St John's Church, Dukinfield, and St Matthew's Church, Stalybridge.
The second St Matthew’s Church is named after the church that once stood on Lord St which was founded in 1911 and the opening congregation came from St John’s Church, Dukinfield. The first church closed in Dec 1990 and the congregation moved into a building on Dean St that was not built as a church.