The first chapel of the [Roman Catholic] mission was in Newark House, Vineyard, and was opened Easter Sunday, March 30, 1793. A colony of French exiles lived in the town and district of Richmond at this time, and the first entry in the baptismal register is that of Gastoii Francis Christopher Victor, infant son of Gaston Due de Levis, colonel in the French royal army. The sponsors were the Duke of Spinola, Genoese minister to England, and Rose d’Emry, relict of the governor-general of the French islands in America. Fr. Thos. Monk was priest of the mission at this time, but the before-mentioned baptismal ceremony was performed by Philip d Albignac, Bishop of Angouleme.
The present church, in the Classical style, was built in 1822 by Miss Elizabeth Doughty. Tradition says that builders and architects managed to spend the enormous sum of £24,000 on what was, till lately, a small and inconvenient building. It is also said that the Miss Doughty was so disgusted with the result of her outlay that she never entered the church again after her first inspection. It is but fair to state, however, that the foundations were discovered to be far more costly than at first anticipated. The opening by Bishop Poynter, V.A.L.D.**, took place July 6, 1824. The high altar was surmounted by a dark window in stained glass representing the Adoration of the Shepherds. During 1902-4 the church was greatly enlarged and the presbytery entirely rebuilt. from: Historical notes on English Catholic missions, Kelly, Bernard W. (Rev), 1907: **Vicar Apostolic for the London District (now the Archdioceses of Westminster and Southwark) The church of Ham St Thomas Aquinas was a Chapel of EaseA daughter church within an ecclesiastical Parish, or a chapel in an outlying area of the parish that is more convenient for parishioners to attend to St. Elizabeth's until 1985. Thre is no graveyard at St. Elizabeth's church. However older burials may have taken place at the (Anglican) Parish church - St. Mary Magdalene. There is also a graveyard attached to the Roman Catholic Church of St Mary Magdalene in Mortlake which dates from ca. 1852. There are around 2,700 names for Richmond in the Surrey Monumental Inscriptions Index. There are also around 1,300 names for Mortlake St. Mary Magdalene
Search for any references to your ancestor in the Surrey Index of Names:
https://www.wsfhs.co.uk/pages/sindex/siSearch.php (opens in new browser window) or use our contact form to find out which Monumental Inscription collections might be available: https://surreychurches.org.uk/contact West Surrey Family History Society CD10(The Surrey Burial Index) has burial records for Richmond St. Mary Magdalene from 1583 to 1865. WSFHS CD15((Surrey Baptisms Not in the IGI)) has christening records for:
See our sales page for more information (opens in a new page). Richmond is a town in the London Borough of Richmond
Unless otherwise stated the dates for the creation of parishes are taken from Youngs, Frederick. A. Guide to the Administrative Units of England; Royal Historical Society: London, 1979 volume 1 Southern England.
The Richmond Index will show you all the churches and cemeteries we know of in that part of the London Borough of Richmond which was in the Ancient County of Surreythe Ancient County means Surrey before the administrative counties were created in 1889. If we have missed any or you are looking for a church or graveyard that might no longer exist do please let us know using the email at the bottom of this page If you came to this page from our main index to churchyards If you came from the Richmond page use the button at the top of this page to close the page and go back to the Richmond index. |
LinksParish web siteTaking Stock Wikipedia GEN UKI Pages British History Online (Richmond, Sheen) British History Online (Richmond the Environs of London) contact us: https://surreychurches.org.uk/contact |