Contents

• History of St. Andrew's Church, Keighley
• Rectors of St. Andrew's Church, Keighley
• Plan of Keighley Shared Church

History of St. Andrew's Church, Keighley

Keighley is recorded in the Domesday Book (1086) as "Chichelai". Until recently it was the smaller neighbour of Haworth and Steeton. It became a market town in 1305, but at the poll tax of Richard II 70 years later the population was only 115. Miles Gale (Rector 1680-1721) records that in his day, Keighley had 100 houses and 600 inhabitants. The opening of the Leeds - Liverpool Canal in 1773 put Keighley on the map, followed by the railways in 1847: in 1801 the population numbered 5,745; in 1851 it was 18,258, and by 1901, 41,564. It now numbers over 60,000. The town was incorporated as a borough in 1882, and in 1974 became part of Bradford Metropolitan District.

The Domesday entry makes no mention of a Church. Our earliest record is when Richard, son of Ralph de Kighley, donated to Bolton Priory certain lands in Schipton (Skipton) and Fernhill (Farnhill), together with the patronage of the Church of Kighley (as it was spelt until the 19th Century). Shortly afterwards, in 1245, the Prior and Canons of Bolton Priory presented the first Rector, William le Vasavour (see list of Rectors). He was later appointed a "Justice of Trailbaston", to try hooligans in the reign of Edward I (unfortunately his successors have not been granted similar powers!).

Before 1805	Before 1846

The original medieval Church was demolished in 1805 with the aid of the amazing new technology of dynamite. In its foundations were discoverd two stones now preserved at the front of the south aisle: a tomb cover and a Celtic cross, possibly the preaching cross which preceded the building of the Church. Two other medieval monuments are also there, and the font dating from 1661. At one point the font was turned out and used as a blacksmith's slaking-trough before being restored to the Church in 1934. The pinnacled font cover was a gift of two members of the Marriner family when the present Church was built. Another monument from the original Church is the grave-slab of John Drake (died 1713), founder of the Grammar School and benefactor to the town, now at the front of the nave.

Its successor lasted only 40 years. The present building dates from 1848. It cost £7,000 raised from public subscriptions. The style is Victorian Gothic. The reredos in stone and alabaster portraying the Ascension dates from 1881. In 1900 a new entrance was made at the west end of the tower. (Previously the South door was the main entrance.) In 1903 the clock was given which chimes to the tune of S.S. Wesley's motet "Lead me, Lord, in thy righteousness". In 1931 the side galleries were removed, leaving only the West gallery. The area under the West Gallery was re-ordered in 1982 and the new room named after Canon Clifford Hamer (Rector 1950-71). The nave and chancel were re-ordered in 1985, with a nave altar (a dining table dated 1678), and chairs replacing pews.

In 1848	Today with Hall in foreground

The first mention of a Church Organ was in 1811, the next in 1857. The present organ was built by Brindley and Foster in 1877, and rebuilt in 1955. It consist of an enclosed Choir Organ on the north side of the chancel, with the Great, Swell and Pedal departments housed on the South side. The console is at the front of the North aisle, next to the choir stalls. The Bells were originally cast in 1761 as a ring of six. They were re-cast and re-hung as a ring of eight in 1914.

There are several fine examples of Victorian and 20th-Century stained glass: the West Window bears the arms of Queen Victoria, the Bishop of Ripon (Keighley was part of Ripon Diocese from its formation from York Diocese in 1836 until Bradford Diocese was founded in 1919), the Duke of Devonshire and Earl of Burlington (then Patron), Frederick Greenwood (benefactor) and Rev. William Busfield (then Rector). In the North Chancel wall are illustrated Christ the Light of the world, the Good Shepherd, and St. Peter and St. Andrew. On the South side are Samuel and Elijah, John the Baptist and St. Paul, and symbols of the four Evangelists. The East Window portrays the Te Deum, showing Christ in glory attended by angels, prophets, martyrs and representatives of ourselves, the Church on earth. In the North wall of the Nave is a modern window showing Christ calling the four fishermen, and in the South wall the Transfiguration, and Christ with children.

The Church Registers date back to 1562. In that year there were 25 baptisms, 14 marriages and 32 burials; in 1662: 39 baptisms, 13 marriages and 59 burials; in 1762: 116 baptisms, 24 marriages and 90 burials. The registers, with the churchwarden's accounts books from 1661 and other documents are now kept by the West Yorkshire Archive Service. We read that "Tho. Rownson was stocked and whipped Ap. 28 1642" (the stocks were by the West door). Special collections were made such as October 8th 1666 for "Ye poore of London who suffered from ye late fire ye sum of £1-17-10", October 19th 1678 for building St. Paul's Cathedral 14/2d, August 15th 1680 "Collected in ye Parish of Kighley towards ye redemption of captives by ye Turks ye sum of nineteen shillings and a penny", and April 16th 1682 "Collected in ye Parish of Kighley for reliefe of ye French distessed protestants the sum of eighteen shillings and sixpence".

Interior of Church

In 1974, Temple Street Methodist Church was diagnosed with dry rot, and the building was closed. The congregation moved in with St. Andrew's Parish Church. A formal Shared Building Agreement was signed in 1975. A new hall was built by the Methodists in the Churchyard in 1982. This suffered an arson attack in 2001, and was out of action for eight months while a new roof was built and the whole building refurbished after smoke and water damage. After 26 years of co-habitation, the two congregations signed up to a Local Ecumenical Partnership in 2000, with a view to closer integration of their life and mission.

Rectors of St. Andrew's Church, Keighley

Plan of Keighley Shared Church