furness family history society

THE PARISH CHURCH OF SAINT MARY, DALTON-IN-FURNESS

Photo by W. Bernard Bland

The present church of St Mary, Dalton-in-Furness was dedicated by the Rt. Rev. Harvey Goodwin, D.D.; Bishop of Carlisle, on 1st. June 1885. It is built on the same site as the earliest church which may well have been consecrated before Furness Abbey.

The present church, like many others in the area was designed by Austen & Paley.It is unfortunate that there are no names of the workmen who built this church but the builder in charge was Mr James Garden of Dalton. The pulpit was given by the Wadham family of Dalton and many of the other furnishings were also given separately in 1885.

The Lady Chapel was dedicated on 26th. November 1934 by the Lord Bishop of Barrow-in-Furness. It contains some important links with the past. Excavations at Furness Abbey had revealed some oak logs from the original foundations. These were well preserved and were used to repair the original alter from the old church and in the houselling benches used as communion rails.

The churchyard, now closed for burials, formerly contained some interesting tomb stones, the earliest bearing the date of 1660. The celebrated painted George Romney, who was born in Dalton and is buried in the graveyard in 1802.

Information taken from “Some historical notes on St Mary’s by Geoffrey Dent

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