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St George's Old Churchyard

Memorials	:	644
Location	:	Stalybridge, Metropolitan Borough of Tameside, England
Website	:	www.stg.org.uk/family-history/
Coordinate	:	53.4844700, -2.0538800
Description	:	There have been 3 churches at Cocker Hill, which although built on "good sandstone grit”, have had their foundations weakened by layers of shale and loose earth. St George was originally built as a chapel of ease, a building for those who could not easily reach the parish church in Ashton. The first Church was built on the site in 1776 and was consecrated as the “Chapel of St George in Staley Bridge within Ridgehill and the Lanes in the Parish of Ashton Underlyne”. The first cotton mill in the small village was built in the same year, bringing an influx... Read More	There have been 3 churches at Cocker Hill, which although built on "good sandstone grit”, have had their foundations weakened by layers of shale and loose earth. St George was originally built as a chapel of ease, a building for those who could not easily reach the parish church in Ashton. The first Church was built on the site in 1776 and was consecrated as the “Chapel of St George in Staley Bridge within Ridgehill and the Lanes in the Parish of Ashton Underlyne”. The first cotton mill in the small village was built in the same year, bringing an influx of workers. However, the first vicar James Wardleworth wrote :- ” My Chapel had ye Misfortune of Tumbling down on Friday 15th May, 1778 and it is uncertain when it will be rebuilt………” It would seem that the land slipped and that the back and side walls of the Chapel simply collapsed, but the rebuilding was completed fairly quickly and the second Church reopened in March 1780. In 1821 there were reported to be 450 people in regular attendance. The Reverend Isaac Newton France was appointed in 1822 and there followed a turbulent time for St. George’s. Rev France had previously been a curate in Ashton and was reported to have created divisions throughout the church there. His unpopularity with the congregation and his constant battle with the church wardens caused numbers in the church to decline, as reported in a petition sent to the House of Commons: “The Chapel at Cocker Hill under his incumbency was deserted to a great extent”. In 1835 Rev France persuaded the church’s patron that a new church was needed due to the unsafe condition of the old one, so by 1840 when it was built all the people were expected to transfer to the new building. They were reluctant to do so and petitioned the Bishop to allow them to keep the old church open. It was made safe and re-opened with a new vicar on the 29th September 1843. The congregation and the church’s income increased, and as it was making more money than the new church Rev France tried to return to claim his share of it. In July 1846 the doors of the church were locked against Rev France, and the terrible 4 years that followed witnessed battles between the Churchwardens and Rev France who were both guilty of regularly breaking into the church and changing the locks. These altercations attracted thousands of onlookers. By the time Rev France died in 1850 the church door was completely destroyed and many windows were smashed. But, once again the Cocker Hill Chapel was restored and re-opened on the 4th December, 1850. The old church’s troubles were not yet over as it suffered a further major landslip in 1877, which made the church so unsafe it was closed again in 1882. Services continued in the school until the church re-opened in 1888. The church was finally closed in 1967, due this time to falling attendances as well as general disrepair. Old St. George’s was demolished in 1968. The new church is close by and has a separate churchyard listing.A plaque commemorates the joining of the 2 parish churches

frequently asked questions (FAQ):

Where is St George's Old Churchyard?
St George's Old Churchyard is located at Cocker Hill Off Wakefield Road Stalybridge, Metropolitan Borough of Tameside ,Greater Manchester , SK15 1AAEngland.
St George's Old Churchyard cemetery's updated grave count on graveviews.com?
7 memorials
Where are the coordinates of the St George's Old Churchyard?
Latitude: 53.4844700
Longitude: -2.0538800

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Nearby Cemetories:

1. Bethel Chapel Chapelyard
Stalybridge, Metropolitan Borough of Tameside, England
Coordinate: 53.4820413, -2.0576195

2. St Georges Cemetery
Stalybridge, Metropolitan Borough of Tameside, England
Coordinate: 53.4873400, -2.0576800

3. St Paul Churchyard
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Coordinate: 53.4852000, -2.0440300

4. St John's Churchyard
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Coordinate: 53.4771000, -2.0726000

5. Dukinfield Cemetery and Crematorium
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Coordinate: 53.4800300, -2.0857150

6. St Mary's Churchyard
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Coordinate: 53.4652400, -2.0599700

7. Hurst Cemetery
Ashton-Under-Lyne, Metropolitan Borough of Tameside, England
Coordinate: 53.5011590, -2.0727370

8. St. John the Evangelist Churchyard
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Coordinate: 53.5001310, -2.0812490

9. Mossley Cemetery
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Coordinate: 53.5092100, -2.0332700

10. St. John The Baptist Churchyard
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Coordinate: 53.4548411, -2.0644712

11. St. Peter's Churchyard
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Coordinate: 53.4839340, -2.1054690

12. St. George Parish Churchyard
Mossley, Metropolitan Borough of Tameside, England
Coordinate: 53.5164000, -2.0486200

13. Saint Thomas The Apostle Churchyard
Hyde, Metropolitan Borough of Tameside, England
Coordinate: 53.4509000, -2.0707000

14. Saint Stephens Churchyard
Audenshaw, Metropolitan Borough of Tameside, England
Coordinate: 53.4753000, -2.1151700

15. Audenshaw Cemetery
Audenshaw, Metropolitan Borough of Tameside, England
Coordinate: 53.4653300, -2.1101560

16. St. Michael Churchyard
Mottram in Longdendale, Metropolitan Borough of Tameside, England
Coordinate: 53.4544040, -2.0101460

17. Mottram Cemetery
Mottram in Longdendale, Metropolitan Borough of Tameside, England
Coordinate: 53.4546420, -2.0086900

18. Hollingworth United Methodist Cemetery
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Coordinate: 53.4632891, -1.9958244

19. St George Churchyard
Hyde, Metropolitan Borough of Tameside, England
Coordinate: 53.4466540, -2.0789750

20. Hyde Cemetery
Hyde, Metropolitan Borough of Tameside, England
Coordinate: 53.4437910, -2.0684130

21. Holy Trinity Churchyard
Gee Cross, Metropolitan Borough of Tameside, England
Coordinate: 53.4393900, -2.0645500

22. St Lawrence Church
Denton, Metropolitan Borough of Tameside, England
Coordinate: 53.4520000, -2.1109000

23. Hyde Chapel Chapelyard
Gee Cross, Metropolitan Borough of Tameside, England
Coordinate: 53.4374900, -2.0728100

24. Christ Church Churchyard
Denton, Metropolitan Borough of Tameside, England
Coordinate: 53.4560270, -2.1218270

St George's Old Churchyard

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