Unlike most colonial parishes that were formed by the Society for the Gospel in Foreign Parts, Saint Thomas in Taunton was founded through the efforts of lay people living in the community.

But the history of the parish goes back to an earlier date and to a layman, Thomas Coram, an English sea captain who erected a shipyard in 1698 on the Taunton River in what is now Dighton.

When efforts proved unsuccessful in obtaining the services of a clergyman, the lay people took matters into their own hands, pledged themselves to pay a salary of twenty pounds and elected John Lyon whom they sent to England to be ordained.

In October 1766 he baptized Cloa and London, son and daughter of Cambridge and Peg, two bondservants; Peter Walker, Hellen, his wife, and Abigail Andrews being sponsors.

Cobb, Esquire and William A. Crocker and led eventually to the selling of the Glebe (August 6, 1828), purchasing a lot on High Street on which was built a new church costing $7,500 and calling the Rev.

The church, now located nearer to the center of town, grew rapidly, leading to the enlargement of the building and adding twenty pews by December, 1840 so that the vestry was able to report to the parish at the Annual Meeting in April, 1841, "our church has become fully established, that it has surmounted most of the obstacles which have heretofore checked its progress, that the prejudices so generously existing against it in this section are rapidly passing away, and that no contingency can happen with a continuance of God's blessing to inflict upon her any permanent or serious injury."

The second church was moved across the street and the present stone structure was consecrated by Bishop Manton Eastburn on March 3, 1859, the cornerstone having been laid on June 15, 1857.