Parish
Introduction, Foundation of the parish, The church, The presbytery, The clergy, Parish, Congregation, Spiritual, Education, Social and economic, Some notable events, Acknowledgements
In all of modern times the parish boundaries have been as shown on the map on as the southern boundary being the River Tees between Wycliffe Woods and High Coniscliffe. However, in early days this must have cut south from the river, since in his report of 1868 Fr Rodgers specifically mentions Aldbrough, which is on the Yorkshire side of the river.
The problem in dealing with the history of the parish is that, apart from the registers of Baptisms, Confirmations, Marriages and Deaths, the only written evidence available consists of a few random documents in the parish and diocesan archives, the Sunday Mass notice books started by Fr Knuckey in 1901, a diocesan summary from 1917 onwards of the annual parish returns, and a diary kept by Fr Stanley.
The notice books contain primarily the Services and Mass Intentions for the week, the names of the sick and lately dead, and banns where applicable. With a few exceptions, any other points the priest might wish to make are at best covered by brief headings.
Also until the late thirties the diocesan statistical summaries lump in with St Osmund’s the occupant’s of St Peter’s Home, which is not part of this history. However, to put its position in respect to St Osmund’s into context, a few words on it are called for.
The Diocese established St Peter’s in 1900 under the Poor Law Act to look after male orphans and other boys in need of care and protection. It was licensed by the Home Office in 1901 to accommodate 120 boys, and by January 1902 was already full, with a suggestion in a report to the Diocesan Council of Administration that, ‘enlargement must already be thought of’. The Sisters of Charity ran the home, and the Parish Priest of St Osmund’s acted as chaplain to them and the home in general.
As the need for this kind of establishment diminished, its function started to change. During the Spanish Civil War it housed some Basque refugees. By 1938 negotiations were in hand with the Home Office to turn it into an Approved School, and in that year its own chaplain (who would also be a teacher at the school) was appointed – Fr Wilfred Blenkin, until then on the teaching staff at St Mary’s Grammar School, Darlington. However, the war intervened. The Sisters of Charity and Fr Blenkin left in 1940 and for some time it was used for evacuees. The Sisters of Mercy arrived in 1943 to re-open it in its previously planned role as an Approved School (later called a Community Home) and in 1944 Fr Duffy was appointed as chaplain and teacher. With Fr Stanley’s death and Fr Duffy’s appointment as his replacement the chaplaincy of St Peter’s once again became the responsibility of the Parish Priest of St Osmund’s.
With a change in government policy regarding the housing of this type of boy, the numbers started to diminish. The nuns departed in 1974, leaving the Home under lay management. Finally in 1984 the Home was closed and the property sold by the Diocese for re-development.
Mention must also be made in this preamble of the Edlestons. In Fr Rodger’s obituary it is commented that he received into the Church the wife and daughter of the Vicar of Gainford, who was Dr Edleston. No history of St Osmund’s would be complete without reference to the Edleston family, and particularly the daughter, Miss Alice. The family was well connected and reasonably affluent, and took a keen interest in the welfare of the village. After the death of her parents Miss Edleston was a great benefactress of the village in general and of St Osmund’s in particular. Among other things, she donated the cost of the new altar installed in 1898. On her death in 1956 at the age of 91 she left as an endowment to the church some property she owned in the area and also half her estate, to be administered by the Diocesan Trustees for the benefit of St Osmund’s. The settling up of the estate was very protracted – in 1965 Fr Stanley noted in his diary that no money had yet been forthcoming. However, settled it was in due course and it is out of the accumulated income from the endowment that the costs of the recent refurbishment of the church and alterations to the presbytery have been met.
Now to continue with the history. Because of the fragmentary nature of the documentary information, this will have to be of a ‘snapshot’ form.
