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Staffordshire Historic Churches Trust

STAFFORDSHIRE HISTORIC CHURCHES TRUST

THE FIRST 50 YEARS

[A short history of the Staffordshire Historic Churches Trust complied, from the archives of the Trust, by Mr Peter Clarke, who has been Honorary Treasurer since 1979 and for part of the time was also its Honorary Secretary.]

The origins of the Trust go back to 1952. The first recorded entry of income is £10 on 3 June 1952. It can only be assumed that the first meeting took place sometime around that date.

The first recorded payment by the Trust was on 7 October 1952. It was for a grant of £100 to St. Michael and All Angels, Hamstall Ridware.

The Trust Deed, establishing "The Friends of Ancient Staffordshire Churches" as a registered charity, is dated 21 July 1953 and was signed by the Suffragan Bishop of Stafford, The Right Honourable Caryl Bagot and Major E J Hardy. The first President was The Right Honourable Baron Bagot.

The first accounts cover a period from 3 June 1952 until 31 December 1953 and show a total income of £2,012.7s.4d. The minimum annual subscription in the early years was 5 shillings (25 pence).

These together with other fund raising efforts, raised £1,728 in the years up to April 1956. When added to membership subscriptions, they helped to achieve an income of just under £5,000 in the first few years.

In 1962 an appeal on behalf of The Friends was made on the BBC radio programme "The Weeks' Good Cause" by the President of the Royal Academy, Sir Charles Wheeler, KCVC. The text of his appeal is in the archives. In a letter to the then Archdeacon of Stoke, Sir Charles comments that "...one contribution is of four 3d stamps and one is for 100 guineas...." The total raised by the appeal was £702.

In 1965 the Archdeacon of Stafford, the Venerable B. Stratton, presided over the AGM at Wightwick Manor at which it was reported that since its establishment The Friends had provided nearly £9,000 for restoration of churches in the County. The Secretary, Mr. John Roper, reported that support was generally good in the South of the County, but was not so strong in the North.

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