Burnley, St. Augustine's RC Church Baptisms 1896-1924 (Download)

Members of the Irish Branch of Manchester & Lancashire FHS have by kind permission of the Salford Diocese, transcribed details of the 394 baptisms recorded in the registers.

The transcript provides full details as contained in the register and is accompanied by an index to the 1,753 names of children, parents and godparents which appear in the register entries.

Also included are images of the original baptism registers.

About this church

The parish of St. Augustine's was made out of St. John's, Padiham, in October 1896. Fr. Peter Notterdam was the first parish priest. He lived at 10 Kidrow Lane, after having lived for a time with Fr. Goetgeluck at Padiham. From September 1897, Holy Mass was said in "The Cottage House", like the Stable at Bethlehem - bare boards the only ornament. The parish was called St. Vincent's.

In December 1897 ground was bought and the present school chapel was opened in May 1898 by Bishop Bilsborrow. It was dedicated to St. Augustine. St. John's, Padiham, was always a good friend to this little parish, along with Colonel Starkie.

Lady O'Hagan gave the Altar a chalice and a ciborium. The ciborium is still at St. Augustine's. She also gave the present statue of Our Lady. The population of the parish was 109. Fr. Peter Notterdam was parish priest for eight years and was appointed to Haslingden on September 29, 1904. Fr. Michael Cahill came in 1904. He found the place too poor and the parish was closed and made a Chapel-of-Ease to St. Mary Magdalene's, Gannow. Fr. Joyner took charge in 1904 until in 1908 the parish was closed again. The chalice was sent to St. Mary's, Burnley. The buildings were put up for sale on two occasions. In 1908 Fr. Herman Bruning became parish priest. He had been a missionary in one of the Leper Islands. He organised a Great Bazaar and made over £1,000. He remained until 1914 - when the war broke out he was taken from here, for he was a German. He left for America, where he was made a Monsignor by His Holiness the Pope, at the request of his American Bishop. He died in America. His brother was a German Chancellor.

In 1915 Fr. John Hardman was made parish priest. He built the present presbytery in 1922. In 1932 he celebrated the Golden Jubilee of his Priesthood. In 1938 he retired and died in 1939 (Saturday, January 14) aged 80. Fr. Patrick Veale buried bis body at Radcliffe.

Fr. Patrick Veale was appointed parish priest on August 12, 1938. Whilst he was parish priest he paid off all the debt and put all the property in good repair, and all the vestments and furnish­ings of the church were renewed. A new Chalice was presented by the crew of No. 1 Gun, Howitzer Brigade, comrades of Joseph Stanley, killed in action, March 23, 1918, in France.

Fr. John Sheahan was parish priest in 1946, followed by Fr. Joseph Houston in 1948.

A new baptismal font was given to the parish by Father P. Veale in October 1947

The above description is based on information published in "Salford Diocese and its Catholic past", a survey by Charles A. Bolton, a Priest of the above Diocese. Published 1950 on the First Centenary for the Diocese of Salford.