George Lloyd 1861–1865 Reverend George Lloyd, (1820–1885) was Curate in Charge of Thurstonland under R. Collins, Vicar of Kirkburton, from 1861 to 1865, using the old dissenters' chapel room before the present building existed. From 1865 until at least the end of the 1870s he was curate of
Trimdon in County Durham,
Church Gresley in South Derbyshire and
Cramlington in Northumberland. He was the leading founding member of the Huddersfield Archaeological and Topographical Association, which was later to become the
Yorkshire Archaeological Society. The society was founded in 1863 for the purpose of funding and organising
excavations at
Slack Roman fort. These excavations were initially supervised and documented by Lloyd himself. His excavations were partially funded and supported by the
Earl of Dartmouth who later funded the building of St Thomas' Church. Thompson was the brother of Bennett Thompson (died 1896), a solicitor of Granite Hall,
Dún Laoghaire, Ireland, and he attended the big funeral there. On 24 April 1867 at St John's Church,
Upperthong, Thompson married Hannah Thewlis, eldest daughter of N. Thewlis of Lane House,
Holmfirth. Thompson was educated at
Queen's College, Birmingham, graduating in 1863. On 29 June 1865 he was ordained
deacon by the Bishop of Ripon in the chapel of the Episcopal Palace at
Ripon. He was ordained priest on Sunday 22 September 1867 by the Bishop in the same chapel. From 1865 to 1868 he was curate of
Longwood, West Yorkshire. appointed him curate of the chapel of ease at Thurstonland, in anticipation of his incumbency of the new parish of Thurstonland and its projected Church of St Thomas, which was to be completed in 1870. In June 1868 the Bishop of Ripon licensed him to the stipendiary curacy of Kirkburton, to officiate in Thurstonland. Thus Thompson was the first curate of Thurstonland to use the new church building. where he did "great work" In July 1877 until 1878 he was given the perpetual curacy of St Paul,
Shepley, West Yorkshire. In March 1878 the
Bishop of London,
John Jackson, instituted him to the curacy of
St James-the-Less, Bethnal Green where he served until 1882. While there he did "great work in the mission district of
Seven Dials, London, under the rector of
St Giles in the Fields. He [was] believed to be a thoroughly earnest man, a good visitor and preacher, and he [held]
evangelical views." In Pudsey he was involved in politics, being one of the assentors to the nomination of
Conservative candidate Surr William Duncan for
local elections, although
Briggs Priestley won for the
Liberals. In 1894
Brooke Foss Westcott, Bishop of Durham, presented him to the living of Rainton near
Fencehouses,
Durham. Rev. Thompson died on 10 August 1906 at Rainton rectory in his 67th year, and was interred at St Mary's Church, Rainton on 13 August.
David Harrison 1877–1882 David Harrison (1845–1882) was born in
Colne, Lancashire. He married Matilda (b.
Trawden, 1842) and they had a son Hartley (b. Colne, 1866). He graduated from St Aidan's Theological College,
Birkenhead, in 1871. He was made deacon in 1873, and priest in 1875 by the Bishop of Ripon. On Thursday 12 July 1877 there was a parishioners' meeting at the
national school at Linthwaite for a farewell presentation to Harrison and his wife. The
Huddersfield Chronicle said, "During his stay here his pulpit powers, his genial bearing towards all classes, and his assiduous labours, have endeared him to the whole
(sic) parishioners. Mrs Harrison, by her kindness towards all, and her unostentatious works of love, has also caused her name to be revered as a household word." Harrison and his wife were presented with an illuminated address expressing the "kind feelings of the congregation towards them." Harrison was given a clock, and his wife received a silver teapot and a photograph of her
Sunday school class. Harrison responded that they had been happy there, and the parishioners gave them three cheers. In August 1877, he was appointed vicar of St Thomas. The living was worth £205 per year, and the parish population was then 1001. He died in June 1882, aged 37. The funeral began at 8.30 am on 1 July with a procession following the coffin to the funeral service at St Thomas. This service was attended by seven clergymen: W.H. Girling of
Lockwood, John Collins of
Holmfirth, Richard Collins of
Kirkburton, Thomas Lewthwaite of
Newsome, H. Edwards of Linthwaite, John Prowde of
Netherthong and H. Johnson of Linthwaite. Revs Richard and John Collins took part of the
Burial Service (from the
Book of Common Prayer) and the choir and congregation sang hymns. The funeral cortège proceeded on foot to
Stocksmoor railway station. First came the seven clergy, followed by the coffin on a carriage or barrow, then the family mourners. Then came the churchwardens and a large number of parishioners from Thurstonland and Linthwaite, "to show their sympathy towards the family of one who had laboured so faithfully among them as curate." A number of the parishioners accompanied the coffin by train to
Colne via
Huddersfield, "to witness the interment of one who had laboured zealously in their midst for a period of five years, and who had succeeded in winning the respect and esteem of his parishioners, and of all with whom he came into contact." He was buried on the same day at Christ Church, Colne. On 19 July his effects, including household furniture, were sold by auction at Thurstonland Vicarage, by the executors of his will.
John Leech 1882–1906 John Leech's father was Isaac Leech, the rich owner of
Cleator Mills. John Leech (1856–1932) was born in Cumberland, and his wife Emma Maude Preston (1855–1920) was born in
Manchester. She was the second daughter of Major Francis Preston who in 1882 lived at Netherfield House, Kirkburton. They were married by Rev. Richard Collins at Huddersfield Parish Church on 14 August 1882. They had two sons (of whom one died) and two daughters, all born in Thurstonland. One of the daughters married a later vicar of Thurstonland, M. Gerber. By the time of the 1911 Census, Emma Maude and her daughter Florence were visiting at
Southport alone. John Leech's brother was
Joseph Leech, Conservative MP for
Newcastle upon Tyne West. His living was worth £180 and a house, with a parish population of 997. On Wednesday 10 August 1887 he preached a sermon promoting evangelicalism at St Andrew's Church, Huddersfield, as part of the celebrations on the 17th anniversary of the consecration of the church. In June 1889 he preached the evening sermon at the
Meltham Church Sunday School Anniversary, that is, sermons to raise collections on behalf of the Sunday schools. There was choral music, a crowded church and a collection of £42 14s 10d. On the evening of Monday 20 January 1890, John Leech chaired a debate in which "good temper and kindly feeling prevailed" at the National School,
New Mill, on the question, "Is the union between Church and State beneficial?" There was much discussion, but the result was affirmative. In July 1906 Leech was appointed vicar of the Church of St John the Evangelist,
Golcar, Huddersfield, with a living of £300 per year and a house; he remained in this position until 1931.
Arnold Escombe Jerram 1906–1910 Arnold Escombe Jerram (1868–1934) was born in Clapham,
Surrey. He was the youngest son of Edward Jenner Jerram (1811–1885), a merchant working between Cape of Good Hope and Brazil, and his wife Priscilla (1829–1909). The family must have been mobile in the early days, as his eldest sister was born in the
Cape of Good Hope, although their mother was born in St Ann's, Soho and their father in St Matthew's, London. In 1881 at age 13 he was living with his family and five servants at 4 Atherton Terrace,
Kensington. By 1891 at age 23 he was living with his siblings and widowed mother at Palace Road, Kingston upon Thames. He was living on his own means, as was his mother, although his brother Herbert was a stocks and shares dealer. They had seven children, of whom one died at the Vicarage, Bradley, on 26 November 1895. Three days later on 29 November, Jerram had his overcoat stolen from a chapel during a choral rehearsal. By 1911 they were living at the Vicarage,
Langford,
Lechlade, Gloucestershire, in the Langford Berkshire parish. They had four of their children living with them, alongside a governess and two domestic servants. On 22 September 1914 he lost his son, Midshipman Harry E.R. Jerram, RN, aged 17, when
HMS Hogue was torpedoed. He was educated at
Trinity College, Cambridge and received a third class B.A. degree in theology in 1891, and an MA in 1895. He trained at
Leeds Clergy School, graduating in 1891. He was ordained
deacon to St John the Evangelist,
Wortley, Leeds; his first curacy, On 17 September 1893 he was ordained priest, again by
Carpenter. His MA degree was conferred at Cambridge on 17 January 1895. He was a Canon from 1929. He then became curate of St John the Baptist Church, Coley near
Halifax, West Yorkshire. By 1901 at age 33 he was curate or vicar in the parish of
St. Thomas's Church, Huddersfield. In July 1906 Arnold Escombe Jerram M.A. was instituted as vicar of Thurstonland, and he stayed until 1910. The Thurstonland living was worth £250 and a house, with a parish population of 867. He was Secretary of the
Diocesan Board of Finance 1918–1930. He was Surrogate from 1932. He left £2,888 (net £2,830).
Philip Sydney Brown 1910–1923 psychiatric Hospital Philip Sydney Brown (1865–1938) was born at
Aston in Birmingham. He married Beatrice Emily Lowrance (born 1876) at
Barnsley in 1898 and had one daughter. He graduated from
Queen's College, Birmingham in 1886. He became deacon in 1888 and was ordained priest in 1889 by the bishop of Wakefield.
Maurice Gerber 1923–1939 Maurice Gerber (1878–1967) had no England-Wales birth certificate and does not appear in any
UK Census, so may have changed his name or was born abroad or at sea. In 1927 at
Huddersfield he married Clara Winifred Maude Leech (2 April 1889 – 1971), eldest daughter of John Leech who was a previous vicar of Thurstonland. In 1911 Gerber graduated from
Durham University, gaining a
Licentiate in Theology. In the same year he attended the
London College of Divinity and was ordained deacon. He was ordained priest in 1912 by the
Bishop of Carlisle. He was curate of
Cleator Moor from 1911 to 1914, and between 1914 and 1921 he was curate of Rashcliffe,
Huddersfield. He was curate of
Almondbury from 1921 to 1924. He received a preferment to the vicarage of Thurstonland in December 1923 and remained in the post until 1939. At Thurstonland he received £345 and a house, raised to £350 later. The parish population rose from 1132 in 1934 to 3458 in his time there. He was chaplain of Storthes Hall psychiatric hospital and in charge of pensions there between 1924 and 1939. Between 1939 and 1948 he was vicar of
Thurgoland, Sheffield, the living being worth £424 and a house, with a parish population of 1516. He was licensed to officiate in two local dioceses from 1950, while living at
Betws-y-Coed. He died in 1967 in Conwy, Wales, aged 89 years.
Arthur Dilworth 1939–1943 , where Dilworth was a missionary Arthur Dilworth (22 July 1899 – 1989) was a scholar of
Worcester College, Oxford, gaining a 2nd class classics and moderns qualification in 1921 with a BA in 1922, a 2nd class literature and humanities degree in 1923, and an MA in 1933. He was also at
Wycliffe Hall, Oxford in 1923. He was ordained deacon in 1924, and ordained priest in 1925 by
Rodney Eden,
Bishop of Wakefield.
Norman Gearey Hounsfield 1943–1949 His father was John George Hounsfield (born 1844), a steel agent born in
Tinsley, and his mother was Catherine Phoebe Harrison (born 1851). Norman Gearey Hounsfield (1883–1955) was born in
Rotherham. By the age of 7 in 1891 he was living with his aunt Eleanor Geary at
Watford, and by age 17 in 1901 he was still living in Watford, with his brother Francis Hounsfield. By age 27 in 1911 he was a clerk in holy orders, still living in Watford, but now with his widowed mother Catherine Hounsfield (born 1851). He married Edith Margaret Denholm (1888–1952) in
Durham in 1913. She was born in
Duns, Berwickshire, the eldest daughter of Scottish medical practitioner James Denholm (1859–1910. Before marriage she was a classical mistress in a secondary school. She died in Durham, leaving £8041 net. Their son Lieutenant Kenneth Denholm Hounsfield, aged 23 years, was killed in action in September 1944 during
World War II. He attended Guildhall Middle School at
Bury St Edmunds, and in 1899 received a prize for French: a book on astronomy,
Story of the Heavens by Robert Stawell Ball, 1886 He gained a
Licentiate in Theology at
Durham University in 1911, was ordained deacon in 1912, and ordained priest in 1913 by
Brooke Foss Westcott, Bishop of Durham. He was curate of St Hilda,
South Shields 1912–1915, and of
Kelvedon 1915–1919. He was curate of
Wanstead 1919–1920, then vicar of
Walker 1920–1927. He was rector of
High Hoyland with
Clayton West 1927–1943, and was assistant rural dean of Huddersfield 1942–1949. He was vicar of Thurstonland 1943–1949. In 1943 the living was £375 (£400 by 1949) and house, with a parish population of 4132. From 1949 to 1955 he was licensed to officiate in the diocese of Durham. He died aged 71 years at Durham in 1955.
Ernest Parry 1950–1953 where Parry was a missionary to the Chinese Ernest Parry graduated from
St Aidan's College of the
University of Durham in 1913. At Durham he obtained his
Bachelor of Divinity in 1930. At the
University of Leeds he gained another Bachelor of Divinity in 1940, and a Master of Arts in 1943. He was ordained deacon in 1914 by the
Bishop of Richmond for Ripon, and was ordained priest in 1915 by the
Bishop of Knaresborough for Ripon. He was curate of St Alban the Martyr,
Leeds, 1914–1917, and of
St Chad's Church, Far Headingley, 1917–1921. Back in the UK he was curate of
Bramley, Leeds, including the curacy of Holy Trinity Hough End, 1930–1931. He was vicar of St Augustine's,
Halifax, West Yorkshire, and chaplain for Halifax
Poor Law Institute 1931–1938. He was vicar of Coley,
West Yorkshire, 1938–1947, and of Marton 1947–1950. He was vicar of Thurstonland 1950–1953. In 1950 the Thurstonland living was £450 and a house, with a parish population of 4132. He died in harness on Wednesday 26 August 1953. His funeral on 28 August at Thurstonland Church was attended by the
Bishop of Pontefract who paid tribute to his life and ministry, the vicar of
Farnley Tyas, the rector of
Kirkheaton, Rev. A.T. Dangerfield of
Holmfirth, Rev. A.T. Wellesley Greeves of
Hepworth, Rev. H.E.S. Meanley of
Cawthorne and Rev. C.T.D. Ellam of
Lepton, besides his two married daughters. Parry was the author of several books:
How to Read the New Testament (1925);
From Jerusalem to the Far East (1925);
Borneo Essays (1925);
Sermon Psychology (1930);
Brief Sermons (1938). He was also editor of the following books:
A Historical Survey of Christian Missions (1927);
Holy Union (1930). He married Ida M. Latimer in
Ilkeston, Derbyshire in 1951. He graduated from
Keble College, Oxford with a 3rd class theology degree in 1942. At Oxford he received his BA in 1943, and his MA in 1946. He graduated from
Queen's College, Birmingham in 1946. He was ordained deacon in 1948, and priest in 1949 by the
Bishop of Derby. He was curate of
Ilkeston 1948–1951, and curate of
Holmfirth 1951–1953. He then became vicar of
New Mill, West Yorkshire in 1953, and became concurrently vicar of Thurstonland in 1953. He stayed until 1969, living at New Mill Vicarage, Huddersfield. Following this he was vicar of
Ainstable with
Armathwaite in Cumbria 1969 to 1974. From 1974 to 1979 he was vicar of
Flimby, then vicar of
Allithwaite 1979–1985. He retired to Morecambe in 1985 and died in
Lancaster in 1993 in his 73rd year.
Edward Harold Forshaw 1969–1973 , demolished in 2014 Edward Harold Forshaw (1908–1980) was born at
Birkenhead. He was the third child of barge
waterman James Forshaw (born 1872
Butts Bridge; died 1909
Liverpool) and his wife Emma Forshaw nee Caffrey (born 1875). He married Doris Lowe at
Kidderminster in 1945. He graduated from Worcester Ordinary College in 1955. He was made deacon in 1956, and ordained priest in 1957 by the
Bishop of Worcester. He was curate of St George,
Redditch, 1956–1960, and of St Andrew's,
Netherton, West Midlands from 1960 to 1963. He was vicar of
Stanley, West Yorkshire, 1963–1969. He was vicar of
New Mill including Thurstonland from 1969 to 1973.
Raymond Laycock Wainwright 1974–1989 Raymond Laycock Wainwright (1925 - 25 April 2008) was born in Wakefield. He married Kathleen A. Tye in
Loughborough in 1967. He later married Ann Marsh.
John Sean Robertshaw, from 1996 Rev. Canon John Sean Robertshaw was born in Huddersfield in 1966. On 26 June 2012 he was appointed a director of Wakefield Diocesan Board of Education. In November 2012 he gained a postgraduate degree in theology and ministry at
York St John University. ==Services and parochial activity==