St Bertoline's Church, Barthomley
| St Bertoline's Church, Barthomley | |
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St Bertoline's Church, Barthomley, from the south
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 St Bertoline's Church, Barthomley
Location in Cheshire
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| Coordinates: 53°04′06″N 2°20′54″W / 53.0682°N 2.3483°W | |
| OS grid reference | SJ 767 524 |
| Location | Barthomley, Cheshire |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Anglican |
| Website | St Bertoline, Barthomley |
| History | |
| Dedication | Saint Bertoline |
| Events | Massacre in the Civil War (1643) |
| Architecture | |
| Status | Parish church |
| Functional status | Active |
| Heritage designation | Grade I |
| Designated | 12 January 1967 |
| Architect(s) | Austin and Paley (chancel) |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Style |
Perpendicular, Gothic Revival |
| Groundbreaking | 15th century |
| Completed | 1926 |
| Specifications | |
| Materials | Red sandstone, lead roof |
| Administration | |
| Parish | Barthomley |
| Deanery | Congleton |
| Archdeaconry | Macclesfield |
| Diocese | Chester |
| Province | York |
| Clergy | |
| Priest(s) | Canon Darrel Speedy |
| Assistant priest(s) | Rev Angela Speedy |
| Laity | |
| Reader(s) | Mike Elkin |
| Director of music | Gill Thorley |
| Churchwarden(s) | Christine Bailey Lynne Evans |
| Parish administrator | Jackey Rockey |
St Bertoline's Church is in the village of Barthomley, Cheshire, England. The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I listed building. It is an active Anglican parish church in the diocese of Chester, the archdeaconry of Macclesfield and the deanery of Congleton.
The church stands in the centre of the village, in an elevated position on Barrow Hill, which was an ancient burial ground. It was the scene of a massacre in the Civil War. Richards considered it to be one of the most beautiful churches in the county, and believed it was the only one in England to be dedicated to Saint Bertoline. The church stands above the road and is reached by a flight of steps.
The nave and tower date from the late 15th century, and the Crewe chapel from about 1528. There was a restoration of the church between 1852 and 1854. The chancel, designed by Austin and Paley, was built in 1925–26 by the Marquess of Crewe as a memorial to family members.
On Christmas Eve 1643, during the civil war, the church was the scene of a massacre. About 20 Parliamentary supporters had taken refuge in the church when Royalist forces under the command of Lord Byron started a fire. The Parliamentarians surrendered but twelve of them were then killed.
Until 200 years ago it was the parish church of a vast area of southeast Cheshire, and the village was the centre of a very scattered community. Since then, many hamlets within the parish, Alsager, Crewe and Haslington, have blossomed and flourished into parishes of their own, leaving Barthomley at the centre as a parish of about 400 people. The Parochial Church Council has recently overseen the completion of the second stage of a major restoration. The Parochial Church Council is soon to oversee the final stage of restoration.
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Wikipedia