Before the Third Church

THE FIRST CHURCH

In the years of the reign of Edward VI, that is some years after what is commonly known as the English Reformation, we have the following inventory of church property belonging to Mitton Chapel:
One chalice of silver with a paten.
One pair of vestments of silver, which were old.
One cope of motley colours, not silk.
Two bells.

About this time the chapelry of Mitton consisted of twenty-three families.

The next mention of the chapel of St Michael at Mitton is the inscription on a tablet now on the wall in the narthex of the present building. "This chapel with the yard was consecrated and made a burial by the Reverend Father in God, John Lord Bish of Wygorn, November the 6th, by means of John Yarrenon and John Wilks, Churchwardens, with the inhabitants of Lykhill and Lower Mitton, Ano. 1625."

We know then that a church of St Michael has stood on or near the site of the church for several centuries, but we have no knowledge of what the earlier building was like.

The Second Church.

James Brindley (1716-1772), sponsored by the Duke of Bridgwater, built the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal. This led to the building of the inland port and modern Stourport was born. The old church soon became inadequate.

It was proposed in a Brief of George III dated 30th July 1781 to raise money to take it down and rebuild it, when it was described as "a very ancient structure and greatly decayed in the foundation walls and roof, and notwithstanding the inhabitants have from time to time laid out several considerable sums of money in repairing it, yet the same by length of time is become so very ruinous and decayed in every part that it cannot any longer be supported but must be wholly taken down and rebuilt; and the Chapelry being lately increased in buildings and inhabitants by the addition of many houses and families at Stourport."

On February 27th, 1785, notice was given that a public vestry meeting of the inhabitants and paymasters of the chapelry of Mitton would be held to make application to the Bishop of the diocese for a licence or faculty to take down the old building and erect a new one on the same site, or as near to it as possible, using the old material as far as it would go. In the petition to the Bishop, signed at the meeting by thirty-four parishioners, the church was described as "old and ruinous and too small to contain decently and commodious all the inhabitants of the chapelry to hear divine service". The population had rapidly increased owing to the construction of the canal "which forms a junction with the river Severn at a place called Stourport, situate in the said chapelry of Mitton" which chapelry is now described as "a large and populous place".

The Bishop of Worcester replied promptly to the petition, and cited all who were interested to appear in the following April to show cause, if they thought fit, why such a faculty should not be granted. There were only five objectors and eventually a faculty was granted, dated March 25th, 1788.

The demolition of the old building and the erection of the new one was now undertaken, and the whole of the work was fully completed by 1792. This new building resembled Wolverley church.

In 1833 the question of the enlargement of the church was discussed, the accommodation being manifestly inadequate. The population of the hamlet was estimated at 3,000 and the chapel only contained 450 kneelings. The cost of the plan submitted was £1 ,3 10.

The scheme was to add 560 more kneelings, 364 of which were to be free. This extension consisted in taking down the east wall and chancel, and rebuilding the chancel and a transept. The transept was 62 feet across and 27 feet 6 inches broad, the length of the church being thereby increased from 52 feet to 79 feet 6 inches. The new chancel was of just the same dimensions as the former one.

The desirability of separating the chapelry of Lower Mitton from the parish of Kidderminster had often been discussed, and on the death of the Rev. James Turner, Vicar of Kidderminster, a memorial was sent to the Bishop of Worcester, calling his attention to the ecclesiastical state of the hamlet of Lower Mitton, then better known as Stourport.

The hamlet had its own parochial officers, maintained its own poor, was separately assessed for all county purposes and had no connection whatever with Kidderminster except ecclesiastically. The curate was appointed by the Vicar of Kidderminster, there was no residence for him, and they were given to understand that it was optional whether he were resident or not.

These ecclesiastical arrangements had probably been made in the time of Queen Elizabeth, when, according to a census then taken, the hamlet contained only 22 families or about 90 inhabitants. With regard to Upper Mitton, where there were 223 inhabitants and about 320 acres of land, the tithes belonged to the Rector of Hartlebury, but otherwise they had no connection with Hartlebury. Most of the respectable inhabitants had pews in Mitton church, and being two miles from Hartlebury nearly the whole of the inhabitants attended divine service there.

It was therefore suggested that Upper and Lower Mitton be united, and form a separate parish for ecclesiastical purposes. The Bishop of Worcester fully approved the plan of uniting the hamlets. The new parish of Stourport was accordingly formed on 19th June 1844, the Rev. Charles Wharton (a native of Stourport) being the first incumbent.

Following the consecration of the Third Church in October 1910 the church of 1792 stood unused until after the first World War, when, having suffered vandalism, it was pulled down. It's foundations can still be found in the church yard by the entrance from Church Avenue.

History researched by Canon Reginald Chesshire, Vicar, 1920.
Revised by Canon Patrick Fedden, Vicar, 1982.
Edited for the Web Site, 2002.

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