The church was built like a barn in 1823 so as not to attract attention during the repression of Catholicism in England. Photo: Alexander P Kapp (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:St_Mary's_Church_Aughton_geograph.org.uk_1575193.jpg), https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/legalcode
A ‘barn church’ built during the days of the Penal Laws in England provides a lesson in history
I had passed the church three times before recognising it. The voice on the satellite navigation guide kept insisting, “You have arrived at your destination”, but all I could see was a collection of farm buildings set in open fields. Then I noticed a cross on top of one of the constructions. That is how I finally came upon the church of the Catholic parish of St. Mary’s, near the Lancashire village of Aughton, England.
I was welcomed by the parish priest, Fr Des, and after opening pleasantries, explained the reason for my delayed arrival. “It is your church,” I said. “It looks like a barn!”
“It looks like a barn because it is supposed to look like a barn,” came the reply. “It was built that way.”
Over a hot cuppa, Fr Des explained the background. St Mary’s is unusual in that it was built during the era of the Penal Laws that deprived Catholics of their right to practise their faith. To avoid upsetting local sensibilities and not attract too much attention, the barn church was constructed away from the village. Set back from the road, trees shield it from sight and its design gives it the look of a farm shed. “Camouflaged, in other words.” The church itself was built in the style of a barn. “That is why it has no windows.” The presbytery looks like a farmhouse.
“There are a few of these barn churches around,” Fr Des continued. “Not all of them are Catholic. Some are Nonconformist chapels. The Dissenters had to be discreet in those days as well.”
I had come to St Mary’s as part of a Columban mission promotion and fundraising programme, and spent the weekend celebrating with the people. The parishioners are proud of their history and eager to give more detail. It became clear that what had happened in Aughton was a reflection of events that occurred throughout south Lancashire during the Reformation that swept through England in the 16th century.
In 1534, the Act of Supremacy declared Henry VIII head of the Church of England. Soon, Aughton’s beautiful old parish church of St Michael’s was following the Church of England rite, leaving Catholics with nowhere to celebrate Mass. In fact, it had become illegal to celebrate Mass.
Fortunately, much of the local gentry in south Lancashire kept to the old faith of their forebears. They protected fellow Catholics and often arranged for secret Masses. Geography was an important factor. Many villages, such as Aughton, were isolated from their surroundings by bogs and marshes, known locally as mosses.
Parish priest, Fr Des Seddon, outside his beloved St Mary's church. - Photo:St Columbans Mission Society
In Aughton’s case, the lords of the manor were members of the famous Stanley family (see postscript). Their home at Moor Hall became a Catholic haven and extensive renovation work carried out recently uncovered traces of a small chapel, where the sacraments had probably been celebrated in secret.
Nobility, isolation and some well-directed bribes kept the Stanleys free from arrest, although as popish recusants they were not immune from punishment. Local records indicate that in 1584, because his “family adhered to the old religion”, one of the Stanleys was “required to furnish the cost of a light horseman accoutred” for the war Elizabeth I was waging in Ireland, to the tune of £24. That was no mean sum at that time.
Eventually, fear of what was termed the “Catholic menace” began to abate and, by 1784, people considered celebrating the Eucharist out in the open on the site of the present church was worth the risk.
Finally, in 1823, a full six years before the passing of the Catholic Emancipation Act, the faithful felt sufficiently confident to build St Mary’s, even though it meant constructing the church in disguise and leaving the doors open so that passers-by could be sure that nothing untoward was happening during the liturgies.
Today, the parish community continues to thrive, despite St Mary’s isolated location. People come to worship from all over the rural area, inspired by the parish’s illustrious past. Not bad, for a church that looks like a barn.
The Stanley Family
The Stanley name is one of the best known in northwest England. Most notable of all was Thomas Stanley, first Earl of Derby. He famously tipped the scales against Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485 by changing sides at the last minute. Shakespeare has him finding the crown under a hawthorn bush and handing it to Henry Tudor, thus ending the Wars of the Roses. The new king rewarded Thomas and his younger brother William for their support. Thomas died a natural death in 1505 and is buried in the parish church of Ormskirk, just four miles down the road from Aughton. His brother William was less fortunate. He was executed by King Henry VII in 1495 for siding with a conspiracy against the king.
James Stanley, seventh Earl of Derby, also came to a sticky end. He served as a prominent commander of the defeated Royalist army during the English Civil War. He remained loyal to Charles I and, for his trouble, was executed by the Parliamentarians in 1651 at the nearby Lancashire town of Bolton. His father, another William Stanley (sixth Earl of Derby), lies at the centre of a long-standing controversy that contends William was the real author of many of Shakespeare’s works.
Peter Stanley fought with James during the Civil War. He must have feared he would suffer a similar fate after capture by Cromwell’s Roundheads. However, he escaped with a spell in prison and recovered his estates after the Restoration of Charles II in 1660.
Columban Fr John Boles spent over 25 years in South America. He now lives and works in England.
Listen to "It looks like a barn!"
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