GENUKI: Stafford St Chad

Stafford St Chad

"St Chad's Church, the other ancient parish church of Stafford, is a small structure, in imitation of the earliest Norman plan, which assigned one half of the whole dimensions to the nave, one quarter to the tower, and the remainder to the chancel. About 120 years ago, it was cased with brick, but some portion of the old buttresses are still visible. The north side of the chancel exhibits the only fragment of Norman architecture now extant in this ancient borough. The tower is in the latest pointed style, and has two bells.
The perpetual curacy is in the patronage of the Dean and Chapter of Lichfield, and incumbency of the Rev S Gilson, MA, who is also master of the Grammar School."

[From History, Gazetteer and Directory of Staffordshire, William White, Sheffield, 1851]

Church History
Church Records

Church History

St Chad's is a small parish in the centre of the town. The church, the oldest ecclesiastical building in Stafford, is of stone, in mixed styles, and consists of a chancel, Norman style nave, aisles, transepts and an embattled central tower, which was rebuilt in 1873-4.
The original aisles were destroyed in 1622, the arcades built up, and the whole of the walls and ceilings of the portico that remained plastered over. The church was partially restored in 1855, and in the course of this work, a series of interlacing arches of Norman work was uncovered on each side of the chancel, and a sculptured Norman archway discovered between the nave and the tower.
In 1856 the chancel roof was replaced, in memory of Isaac Walton, and the nave was restored in 1874, in memory of Thomas Salt. The south aisle was rebuilt in 1874-5, and a north transept was added in 1886.

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Church Records

Church of England Registers
The register of St Chad, Stafford, commenced in 1636. The original registers for the period 1636-1938 (Bapts), 1636-1956 (Mar) & 1636-1859 (Bur) are deposited at Staffordshire Record Office.
Bishops Transcripts for the period 1636-1864 (with many gaps) are deposited at Lichfield Record Office.

A transcripts of the registers for the period 1636-1811 was published by the Staffordshire Parish Register Society in 1936 and has been reprinted by the Birmingham & Midland SGH.

Nonconformist Church Registers
Records of Nonconformist churches in Stafford can be found on the Stafford page.