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Thirty or more years ago a Mr. Stokes gave the Incumbent of Willenhall
500 pounds to be applied in his absolute discretion for the benefit of
St. Giles's School. The interest until recently was applied by him for
that purpose. The principal has recently been spent in purchase of an
extended playground for the new Infant Schools, and in the part purchase
of a site for a new Mixed Department, adjacent thereto.
A few years after the passing of Sir Robert Peel's Act of 1847, advantage
was taken of it to split the populous area of the ancient chapelry into
new district parishes; and by 1855 the said chapelry was divided into
three nearly equal parts, the new parishes of St. Stephen and Holy
Trinity, leaving to St. Giles's Church Bentley and the remaining portion
of the Willenhall township. The fourth daughter parish, St. Anne's, came
a few years later.
St Stephen's Church, in Wolverhampton Street, was erected mainly through
the exertions of its first vicar, the Rev. T. W. Fletcher, M.A., and
opened in 1854, seven years after its ecclesiastical district had been
formed. Mr. Fletcher died in 1890, and the living is now held by the
Rev. Herbert Percy Stevens, M.A. This parish maintains a Parochial Hall
and Mission at Portobello.
St. Anne's Church, Spring Bank, was built largely as a memorial to his
wife by Mr. H. Jeavon. It was consecrated in 1861.
Holy Trinity Church (Short Heath) Vicarage and Schools were all built by
the Rev. Dr. Rosedale, the first vicar of the parish, and father of the
present vicar of St. Giles's. His labours commenced in a Mission Room at
the Brown Jug Inn, Sandbeds, and he trained several very earnest men for
the ministry, including the Rev. John Bailey, first vicar of the Pleck
Church, Walsall, and the Rev. -- Pritchard, vicar of Blakenall Church,
Bloxwich. The jubilee of the building of the church was held about 1905.
The Rev. -- Wood was the second vicar, the Rev. G. W. Johnson the third,
and the present vicar is the Rev. G. C. W. Pimbury.
A Mission Room at New Invention completes the list of Anglican
Establishments in Willenhall.
In connection with St. Giles's a Men's and a Junior Men's Club have
recently been established; and among other projects for further
developments in the parochial machinery is a Mission Room at Shepwell
Green. This movement was initiated some years ago when the Rev. H.
Edwards was acting as Curate during the illness of the Rev
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