St Cuthbert Church of England, Aldingham

The Church, dedicated to St. Cuthbert, is an ancient fabric, erected, no doubt, soon after the Conquest, though we find no mention of it in any document earlier than 1180, when the name of Daniel, parson of Aldingbam, occurs as a witness to a deed, in which William, son of Michael le Fleming, executes a change of land with the Abbot of Furness. In the valuation of benefices made by order of the Pope, in 1291, the living was returned as worth £53 6s. 8d., which would represent a very considerable sum of present money.The church appears to have been rebuilt early in the fifteenth century, but the semi-circular arches, characteristic of Norman architecture, between columns alternately octagonal and cylindrical, supporting the south aisle, are parts of the original structure. The church consists of nave, chancel, and two side aisles. The flat pointed arch, which separates the chancel from the nave, is probably of the reign of Henry VII. (1485-1509). The massive tower, which must be assigned to the same period, contains three bells. In a chancel window are emblazoned the arms of the Harringtons, and in the walls of the chancel and floor of the sacrarium are several sepulchral slabs to the memorv of recent rectors, but the remains of the late Rev. Canon Macaulay, brother to the historian, repose in the churchyard.During some alterations in the church a few years ago, a tombstone was discovered bearing an incised floriated cross, and the inscription Hic Jacet Goditha de Scales (Here lies Goditha of Scales).In the arch leading to the chancel is a small aperture, formed from one of the pews, for the purpose, as is supposed, of witnessing the elevation of the host in Catholic times.A side aisle was added to the edifice by the Rev. J. Stonard, D.D., the then rector, at a cost of £300, and the church is now capable of seating 350 persons. The benefice is a rectory in the gift of the Crown, by forfeiture in the attainder of Lady Jane Grey, and is worth £1,093 per annum, or about £985 net.It is now held by the Rev. Henry Hayman, D.D., ex-head master of Rugby School, late Fellow of St. John's College, Oxford, and some time assistant preacher at the Temple Church, London.The rectory house is a pleasant dwelling near the church, about six miles from Ulverston.Dr. Stonard, who held the living 35 years, and died at the age of 81, was the author of several learned works, and in the churchyard is a beautiful hexagonal monument to the memory of his family.

from Mannex's Directory of Furness & Cartmel, 1882

The Cumbria Record Office, Barrow hold:

• Baptisms 1601-1927
• Marriages 1601-1978
• Banns 1754-1812
• Burials 1601-1955

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