[2][3][4] St Chad's was the mother church of the ancient parish of Rochdale and was founded before 1170, possibly on an Anglo-Saxon site.

A local legend relates that the site was chosen by spirits and fairies as on several occasions stone for the church building was moved from near the river to the hill on which St. Chad's stands.

St Chad's Church is a medieval foundation; however this is not apparent from its outside aspect.

In the 1850s, there was a restoration by Joseph Clarke; a rebuilding and lengthening of the chancel which included arcades with narrow bays was the work of J. S. Crowther in 1883–85.

[6] The most notable monument is the signed work of William Coleburne of London; it commemorates James Holte of Castleton (d. 1712) and Dorothea his wife (d. 1718) and is made of grey and white marble.