PARISH OF THE HOLY CROSS AND ST. HELEN ASHTON

 Brief History of St Ann’s Church

Three or four years before the restoration of the Catholic Hierarchy in 1850, the Catholic faithful of Ashton had been ministered to by Fr John Quealy who rented a stable in Wood Street (near the present day Lidl store). Many of these faithful were Irish immigrants and their homes centred around Hill Street, Charles Street and Cavendish Street.

In 1852, Fr Quealy opened a building which served as a school and chapel. In 1856 Fr Quealy was transferred to nearby St Mary’s.

He was succeeded by Fr J Ryan. Then shortly afterwards Fr William Crumbleholme was appointed as the first official Parish Priest. His first task was to build a church. The building plan was drawn up by Edward Welby Pugin, the son of the celebrated Augustus Pugin, the architect of the Houses of Parliament.

However, during the first years of his rectorship two tragic episodes confronted the parish, which meant the plans had to be modified. The American Civil War which affected the export of cotton to the mills of Lancashire resulted in dire poverty for the parish. In 1868, the pogrom of the ‘Murphy Riots’ came to Ashton. Both St Mary’s and St Ann’s were besieged by an angry anti-papist mob. St Mary’s Church was completely ransacked, and St Ann’s was severely damaged, and the windows smashed.

There being no compensation awarded by the courts in those days, Fr. Crumbleholme was faced with a crippling bill for repairs. This was a deciding factor in his resolve to go to America and Canada to beg for help for his parish. In 1871 with the permission of the bishop, he went on his missionary trip to America. His visit was so successful it prompted him to make a second trip a few years later.

Tragically, during this visit he was taken ill and died in Boston in 1884. Over the years Fr Crumbleholme has been succeeded by over 35 parish priests whose guiding influence has resulted in the expansion of the congregation and the schools in Ashton.

^Location of St. Ann’s Church