A history of the church

St. Mary and St. Laurence, Cauldon (Staffordshire)


The Parish Church of St. Mary and St. Laurence, Cauldon is situated in the centre of the village of Cauldon and of its widespread parish which includes Cauldon Lowe and part of Waterhouses. There has been a church on the site since the 12th Century, although the present building dates from 1786 whilst incorporating some earlier remains. The building material is local stone from the quarry at Caldon Low.

The church consists of a nave, chancel and north aisle with square piers (rebuilt in 1926) incorporating a Lady Chapel. There is a vestry adjoining the tower to the north and a porch was added in 1885.

The most notable feature of the church is an altar made of stone blocks taken from different quarries in the parish.

Nearby Caldon Low has been extensively quarried, but has been immortalised in a poem by Mary Howitt (nee Botham), 1799-1888, who was brought up in Uttoxeter. Her other works include "˜Popular History of the United States' (1859) and translations of works by Fredrika Bremer and Hans Andersen and successful children's books, along with many joint collaborations with her husband William. Mary left the Society of Friends in 1847 and turned to spiritualism before becoming a Roman Catholic in 1882.



The Fairies of the Caldon-Low

Then take me on your knee, mother,
And listen, mother of mine:
A hundred fairies danced last night,
And the harpers they were nine.

And the harp-strings rang so merrily
To their dancing feet so small;
But, oh! the sound of their talking
Was merrier far than all!

And with that I could not help but laugh,
And I laughed out loud and free;
And then on the top of Caldon-Low
There was no one left but me.

Mary Howitt


Incumbents

Occurs in 1533 Thomas Hode
Occurs 1593-1600 Roger Fynney
Occurs in 1620 Richard Tetlowe
Occurs in 1651 John Ravensdall
Occurs in 1666 Robert Thompson
Occurs 1684-1688 Thomas Malbon
1689-1709 William Heald
1710-1757 Thomas Prince
1757-1780 John Townsend
1780-1788 John Harvey
1788-1796 Humphrey Maysmoor
1820-1848 Richard Ward
1849-1850 R. H. Goodacre
1850-1851 G. Harry Penny
1851-1852 John Sutcliffe
1852-1853 Thomas Fenton
1854-1860 J. W. Kewley
1860-1863 Rowland Henniker
1863-1866 W. C. Ward
1866-1873 W. Jackson
1873-1881 P. Pym Sarjent
1881-1884 Henry Brown
1884-1888 William M. Heather
1888-1908 Cecil Booth Tyrwhitt
1908-1912 Robert G. Wilkins
1913-1916 John N. Knottesford-Fortescue
1916-1924 Henry L. Firmstone
1924-1927 Lionel Edward P. Frith
1927-1947 James Beresford Smith
1948-1956 Evert Ronald Grant
1956 Hugh St. John P. Warren
1957-1978 John J. Coulter
1980-1983 Wilfred R. D. Alexander
1983-1988 Lawrence R. Price
1989-1996 John R. Tye
1996-2000 Peter W. Davey
<div> 2001-2008 Andrew J. Burton                                                                                                                                                                      2009-2012 Paul Skillings                                                                                                                                                                             2013-2017 Arthur Hack                                                                                                                                                                              2018-          Alan Beahan</div>