Famous Ormes

Orme of Darlaston / Orme le Guidon (UK) 11th/12th centuries.

Orme's father, Richard the Forester, was the forester in charge of all of the new forest - which would have made him a very wealthy and powerful man. During (or near to) 1086, Orme was married to Alice - the daughter of Hervens, a Norman nobleman - and was given four caracutes of land in Lancashire and neighbouring counties. One caracute is the amount of land that one pair of oxen can plough in one year, four caracutes would make him a very important person.

He is the Orme responsible for the building of the church at Ormskirk and undoubtedly others too. When he joined the Crusades against the Saracens he became the standard bearer (le Guidon), and legends tell that he returned home with Saracen stone-masons who were involved in building the church of St. Chad in Stafford. Orm's home was at Darlaston, near Wolverhampton, the 'de Darlaston' family remained lords of the manor there until the 15th century.

Church History

The first recorded reference to a church at Darlaston is in the 12th century when the first lord of the manor, William de Darlaston, is believed to have founded the church.
The earliest reference to the fabric of the church occurs in 1606, when the wooden tower was declared to be unsafe and was rebuilt in stone. The whole church was destroyed by fire later in the century and was rebuilt with salvaged material. In 1721 it was enlarged with a new north side built of brick, and in 1807 it was again rebuilt in brick with plain windows in cast iron frames. The noted local historian, Frederick Hackwood, described the building thus: 'In the stern puritanical lines the onlooked would fail at first to recognise that it was a church, except that the tower at the west end, surmounted by a spire, would not occur at the end of a factory'
The present church, on the corner of Church Street and New Street, was largely rebuilt in 1872, and is a building of stone, consisting of a chancel, nave, aisles, west porch, and an embattled western tower, built in 1606, with pinnacles and a lofty spire added at a much later date, containing a clock and eight bells. The tower was restored, the spire rebuilt, and a clock provided in 1905-7.
In the chancel is a memorial window to Archibald Paull Brevitt. A church hall, used as the choir vestry, was erected at the west end of the church in 1931. At the west end is a rich mural painting in oil reprecenting the Crucifixion.
The living is a rectory, in the gift of the Simeon Trustees.

ChurchWardens of St Lawrence

Churchwardens of Darlaston St Lawrence

A Listing of the Churchwardens of St Lawrence Church, Darlaston from 1615 to 1886.

Extracted from 'A History of Darlaston'
by Frederick Hackwood
Published 1887, by Horton Bros, Wednesbury.

Note: This listing was compiled from parish registers and other parish documents and minutes and is incomplete.

1615 - William Baylye, Robert Granger
1616 - Thomas Moseley, Edmond Smith
1617 - Thomas Baylye, Thomas Blackmoore
1618 - Richard Longmore, Thomas Nash
1635 - Willia Bayly, Walter Waroll
1636 - Thomas Harper, John Whitehouse
1637 - William Bayli, Walter Wilkes
1638 - Thomas Pye, Thomas Blakemore
1639 - Thomas Duffield, William Green
1640 - John Foster, William Frosbrooke
1641 - William Eckersoll, William White
1660 - Thomas D_____, Richard Tranter
1661 - William Bailies, William Smyth
1662 - John Moore, Roberte Holland
1664 - Walter Wilkes, Edward Blakmore
1665 - Walter Favoll, Will. Frosbrooke
1666 - John Wilkes, Walter Blakmoore
1670 - John Wilkes, Edward Moreton
1672 - William Jeavon, Edward Wilkes
1675 - George Baylies, William Hough
1679 - Ffrancis Mason, William Howper
1681 - Tho. Baylies, Joseph Foster
1689 - Thomas Bayley, Francis Mason
1700 - Thomas Baylies, Tho. Leyton
1711 - Thomas Hale, John Foster, John Rowley
1739 - Josiah Foster, Thomas Hall, John Rowley, Samuel Smith (churchwardens & overseers)
1741 - William Low, Samuel Spink
1805 - Samuel Smith
1806/7 - S. Smith, T. Cooper
1809/14 - Thomas Fletcher, Thomas Cooper
1815 - Richard Bills
1839 - John Wilks, Ephraim Humpage
1843 - John Ryley, Ephraim Humpage
1853 - John Ryley, Samuel Mills
1858 - Samuel Mills
1862/5 - Edwin Bruerton, Samuel Mills
1865/9 - Edwin Bruerton, James Slater
1869/73 - Edwin Bruerton, Simeon Partridge
1873/84 - Edwin Bruerton, Richard Mills
1884 - Edwin Bruerton, George Partridge
1885 - Charles Bishop, George Partridge
1886 - Charles Bishop, Samuel Partridge

Church Records

Church of England Registers
The register of the parish church of St Lawrence commences in 1539. The original registers for the period 1539-1971 (Bapts), 1539-1987 (Mar) & 1539-1854 (Bur), and Banns for the period 1754-1866 are deposited at Staffordshire Record Office.
Bishops Transcripts, 1660-1852 (with many gaps) are deposited at Lichfield Record Office.
A transcript of the St Lawrence register for the period 1544-1692 has been published by the Birmingham & Midland SGH.