History of Seaham - Stories and remarkable and memorable events in the history of Seaham The Churches of Seaham A review of "A History of the Churches at Seaham"
A review of Fred Cooper's book "A History of the Churches at Seaham"
by Chris Cordner of the Sunderland Echo
A local author has just completed extensive research into the history of Seaham and produced a thought provoking and interesting book chronicling the history of the twenty-four churches and chapels built in Seaham. Fred Cooper who lives on Sutherland Grange, New Herrington but was born and bred in Seaham has just completed book number seven in his series of books about Seaham. He regularly visits his home town two or three times each week to carry out research. After spending his whole career in financial management Fred retired from his job as Finance Director at the University of Sunderland in 2003. Fred commented “Retirement offered me the opportunity to spend my time researching and writing local history - an interest that I have had from being a young boy - and as I get older I find more and more incredible and interesting stories about the history of Seaham.”
Fred’s book “A History of the Churches at Seaham” begins in Saxon and Norman times when the area we know as Seaham was served by the two churches of St Mary’s and St Andrews in the two parishes of (Old) Seaham and Dalton-Le-Dale. Seaham was then a farming community and the population was scattered sparsely around the district and varied little over the centuries.
The opening of a harbour at Dalden Ness in 1831 and the building of railways from Rainton and then South Hetton to carry coals to the new harbour brought a rapid increase in population and consequential increase in local commerce and industry to serve the needs of the harbour, railways and the townsfolk. The book reveals that as the town flourished and grew over the next century particularly with the sinking of Seaton, Seaham, Dawdon and Vane Tempest collieries the demand for housing continued to push the periphery of the town outwards into the countryside. Eventually the older housing stock that was built around the harbour in the early and mid-19th century and also the colliery village houses built in the mid-19th century became unfit for purpose. New housing estates replaced the older housing stock which was demolished from the 1930’s onwards by the Slum Clearance Programme. Over time whole communities disappeared or moved as new houses were built. Eventually each new community sought facilities that were found in the established areas of town such as shops, post offices, banks, transport and of course, for many who looked for spiritual comfort and guidance they needed churches.
Fred’s research reveals that the Ecclesiastical Commissioners of the Anglican Church, in general, accepted the recommendations of the local clergy and influential landowners who recognised the changing and shifting nature of the population in the town. New parishes were created to spread the episcopal duties more fairly and at the same time satisfying the needs of the local people to have a church in their community. Twenty four places of worship were built in the town of Seaham and, with the exception of St Mary’s and St Andrews, they were all built in the 19th and 20th century.
In the book Fred uncovers some interesting social issues about how the power and authority of the landowning aristocracy even extended to, and influenced, ecclesiastical matters. He says “In medieval times churches were often built by the manorial lord who were the patrons of the church and were the possessors of the advowson i.e. the right to appoint the Rector.” At Seaham his research shows that the advowsons of some of the churches were held by the Londonderry family. The combination of the Londonderry family as possessor of the advowson and the major landowner in the area as well as wealthy and aristocratic contacts and affiliations was a powerful force. The Londonderry family were able to exercise power and influence on almost all industrial and commercial ventures and decisions in the town and this influence even extended to church matters. This manifested itself in the grants and leases of land for churches by the Londonderry family, donations of money and materials to building funds, annual contributions to the stipends of the clergy and the presentation of gifts, fonts, altars, and other adornments in churches. Fred points out “In many churches in England it was not unusual for major landowners to be patrons of the church. Many of the actions of patrons who contributed to the building, maintenance or refurbishment of churches were charitable and well-intentioned actions by pious people. However, it could be argued, in a few cases in the history of churches in Seaham the power and influence of the benefactors was misused”. Fred points to two instances in his book where this happened. Lady Frances Anne, 3rd Marchioness of Londonderry, threw herself into the planning and building of Christ Church at New Seaham after the death of her husband the 3rd Marquis of Londonderry but Fred questions whether this pious act was motivated by Christian benevolence or a burning desire to build a permanent monument to the memory of her husband. Five years later in 1860 the Roman Catholic population in the town requested land on which to build a church and for more than ten years they experienced insurmountable opposition from Lady Frances Anne. On her death in 1865 her son, Earl Vane who inherited the estates, granted land in Londonderry Road and so began the raising of the first Catholic Church in the town.
In researching the Methodist movement Fred had to unearth the very early sparks of each Methodist church. Methodism emerged from the beginning of the 19th century and was principally influenced by preachers from established Methodist Connexions outside of the area. In all cases separate movements of Wesleyan, Primitive, Wesleyan Association, United Methodist Free Church and Independent Methodists began with small groups of followers meeting together for prayer often in miners’ cottages until the group became large enough to consider the erection of their own chapel. Surprisingly and ironically Fred comments that “in the old town area, a number of these early gatherings began in the upstairs room of the Lord Seaham or the disused blacksmith shop and warehouse in Back North Terrace.”
Fred points out one common characteristic of all of the churches. The extensive and varied educational and social activities within each religious community reached out to the rest of the town. These ranged from sport clubs to knitting clubs, Sunday school outings to church orchestras, concert groups to Boys Brigades and Band of Hope to Christian Endeavour groups.
Fred also researched the impact that the churches had on social and political matters of the time. The religious association of the church and chapel remained central to the identity of many trade union and political leaders who were willing to speak up for the poverty and struggle of working men and women. In particular those that had come under the influence of the humble “Ranters”, the Primitive Methodist preachers so called because of their passionate preaching, were later to become involved in Co-operative and Friendly Societies, Trade Unionism and the Labour Party. During the 1926 miners’ strike nine out of eleven of the senior miner’s representatives in the Durham Miners Association were Methodists of some form. Fred declared “Perhaps it was the opportunities for those men to practice and perfect their public speaking in church and at the pulpit that made it easier for them to hold offices of responsibility representing their workmates in the unions.” He discovered that generalisations were made that Wesleyan Methodists came from private houses and were shopkeepers, overmen, deputies and clerks whereas Primitive Methodists generally came from colliery houses and were working men.
Each and every church that Fred has researched has needed to raise funding regularly for repairs, renovations, new fixtures and fittings and for special events that could not be financed from recurrent church income. In every case he found that the response was to appeal to the wealthier parishioners for subscriptions or donations. Then, as the Rev Cust of St John’s Church in 1869 commented, “There is a little word at the sight of which many people, and clergymen in particular, feel inclined to shudder and that word is the Bazaar”. In addition to sales of work the bazaar was the principal source of income for all urgent and special events and was a regular feature in the calendar of every church. Without all of the hard work of parishioners who organised sales of work and bazaars many churches would not have been able to continue.
In summing up his latest book Fred says “The twenty four churches, past and present, in Seaham are of different denomination, sizes, and architectural styles. Each church has a unique and intriguing story to tell. However, the one common feature of all of these churches is that they were built by people who had determination, passion and a firm commitment to their particular religious group. To tell the full story of each church in Seaham from Anglo-Saxon times to modern times would take many years to write. In writing this book I have had to simplify a very complex story that I hope readers will enjoy.”
The book “A History of the Churches at Seaham” is available as an eBook and in paperback from Amazon, iBook’s and eBay and as a paperback from East Durham Heritage & Lifeboat Centre at Seaham Marina, Seaham Family History Group and Creams of Seaham. The book can be viewed on Amazon.co.uk at this link .... https://www.amazon.co.uk/History-Churches-Seaham-Everything-churches-ebook/dp/B06XVV4WWB/ref=sr_1_11?crid=1EZ4AF5NT23ZP&keywords=fred+cooper&qid=1653281028&sprefix=fred+cooper%2Caps%2C68&sr=8-11
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