Holy Trinity
Thurgoland, Yorkshire
The present church is the third built in the village. An old ruined chapel, thought to have been sited near Pule Hill, was recorded in 1650.
There are records indicating that there was a chapel in Wortley in the reign of Henry III (1216-1272). There is evidence showing the definite existence of a church in 1318, but the church in its present form seems to date from around 1753 with further alterations made in the Victorian period. They included a new tower, a pulpit (made from the oak timbers from the old tower) and a vault inside the church where the Earl of Wharncliffe and his daughter were buried. There are many monuments in the church to members of the Wharncliffe/Wortley family who continue to this day to be patrons of the church.
There are a number of items of interest in the church. Some interesting memorials include one to Margaret Mackenzie wife of the Honorable James Stuart Mackenzie. This shows a seated figure, a fine example of the work of John Flaxman RA(1755-1826).
The doors of the church were made and fitted by Robert Thompson of Kilburn near York, popularly known as ‘the Mouse Man’. The pulpit made from timber recovered from the alterations to the tower when the bells were installed paid for by Sydney Greenwood, curate 1877-1897. There are eight bells, said by some to be the sweetest peals in South Yorkshire. They were installed in 1893 and made by John Warner and Sons of London.
