Whitechapel Church, Cleckheaton

It has supported Roman Catholic, Protestant, Puritan, Methodist and Anglican worship during its history.

Links with this site of worship have been made to the Romans, the Brontës, the Knights Hospitaller, a grave slab of one of the knights being in the entrance to the church, Celtic influences, and in recent times the graveyard contains war graves from the world wars.

A suggestion, which at present cannot be substantiated, is that Whitechapel church stands on a pack-horse route which followed the line of an old Roman road from York to Chester.

This theory originates from the discovery of a large hoard of Roman coins near the present site of Whitcliffe Mount School.

Whitechapel covered the hamlets of Scholes and Oakenshaw, and the townships of Wyke and Cleckheaton, 'that no man may die without baptism'.

A Chapel of Ease had the right of baptism and Sunday services, but it was still necessary to travel to Birstall for marriages and funerals until 1706, when Whitechapel was granted the right of burial.

Prior to 1534, the site was a Roman Catholic church and the Medieval Latin mass was celebrated here.

[4] In 1534, following the Act of Supremacy, the parish of Birstall including the chapels of ease at Whitechapel and Tong became Church of England.

Queen Elizabeth I was much more tolerant of religious persuasions, and both Catholic and Protestant worship was allowed.

The Book of Common Prayer is still in use at Whitechapel once a month for a mid week Communion service and Evensong.

Following the restoration of the Monarchy in 1660, it became illegal to worship God in any manner other than that provided by the Anglican Church.

The church fell into disrepair, and indeed it is recorded that sheep grazed in the churchyard and their lambs sheltered in the ruins.

Dr. Richard Richardson, Lord of the Manor at this time commissioned a new font, bearing his coat of arms.

[6] It is recorded that every parish should have a yew tree in its grounds for the purpose of providing bows to the people.

On 7 January 1839 a great storm caused the bell and part of the belfry to crash through the roof, destroying the organ.

During the First World War many young men of the parish lost their lives, including two sons of the then vicar, Rev.

Corkett, another long serving incumbent, the parish was combined with St. Lukes, Cleckheaton.