Interior of St Bartholomew's Church, in the pretty village of Marsden
A Brief History of the Church....

First Chapel

A chapel of ease was built sometime between 1433 and 1455 because of the difficulty of travelling to Huddersfield to worship; it accommodated 311 people and was dedicated to Our Lady.

It fell into decay within a few years. The people appealed to the King (Edward IV) who gave a small endowment to help upkeep the chapel. There is very little information for some 300 years – although there is a note of a rushbearing service at Marsden on St Bartholomew’s Day 1691 – 24 August. Whether the dedication of the original chapel had changed to St Bartholomew by that time, or that the service was simply held on that day, which was a widely celebrated festival at that time, is unclear.

Location: Marsden

Photographer: Rina Devine