In the early 1700s the population of Douglas was approximately 800 people, and at this time the first St Matthew's Church served as the centre of worship for the population. However with the rise in population attributed to the Isle of Man's smuggling trade (known on the Island as the Running Trade) the prosperity of the town began to increase dramatically.
By the mid part of the 18th Century the population of the town had swelled to over 3,000 which in turn led to calls for a new church in order to meet demand, St Matthew's proving to be inadequate for purpose.
Constructionedit
Initial constructionedit
Land was sourced on the outskirts of the town, high on a hill overlooking Douglas Harbour, which at the time was situated in the Parish of Braddan. The town's gentry (some of whom had profited from the running trade) met the initial cost, raising the necessary money by public subscription. By 1761 the amount raised totalled £712 (£117,000 in 2024), but after four years money had run out and worked subsequently stopped.[1]
Completion and consecrationedit
Nothing more happened until 1776, when with further money raised work recommenced. An additional sum of £800 (£115,000 in 2024) had been raised enabling work to be completed with the church being consecrated on 29 September 1781. In order to pay off the further debts a charge of 25 guineas was made for a first-class pew and 15 guineas for a second-class pew.
The completed church could accommodate 1,300 worshipers. Donations of fine embellishments from various benefactors including a silver communion service, made by a London silversmith which was donated by John Murray, 4th Duke of Atholl, with a later addition of a stained glass window funded by Henry Noble.
Numerous people of local society were buried in the churchyard, including Sir William Hillary and Nelly Brennan. The top side of the churchyard is an open grassed area, marked with a solitary cross, used for the mass burial of cholera victims during 1832 and 1833.
Organedit
St George's church organ was the first to be installed in any church on the Isle of Man. Made in 1741 by Harris & Byfield,[2] it was acquired from the Dublin Assembly Hall in 1778 by one of the St George's Trustees for the sum of £100 (£14,000 in 2024).[2]
One of the first people to play the organ was Charles Barrow, grandfather of Charles Dickens. The organ was refurbished in 1950 by Jardine's of Manchester at a cost of £3,985 (£145,000 in 2024).[2]
^Kewley, Jonathan (2023). Pevsner Architectural Guides: Isle of Man. Newhaven CT: Yale University Press. ISBN978-0-300-22502-0.
^ abcdMona's Herald, Tuesday, 14 November 1950; Page: 3
Isle of Man Building Control Districts showing parish boundaries
April 08, 2024
george, church, isle, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sources, news, newspapers, books, scholar, jstor, 2020,. This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources St George s Church Isle of Man news newspapers books scholar JSTOR May 2020 Learn how and when to remove this template message St George s Church is an Anglican church in Douglas Isle of Man and falls within the Diocese of Sodor and Man It was formerly one of two worship centres in association with All Saints Church Douglas St George s ChurchSt George s Church Douglas Isle of ManSt George s Church54 08 58 N 4 29 01 W 54 149384 N 4 483710 W 54 149384 4 483710LocationUpper Church Street Douglas Isle of Man CountryIsle of ManDenominationChurch of EnglandTraditionConservative evangelicalWebsiteChurch websiteHistoryStatusParish churchFounded1761DedicationSaint GeorgeConsecrated29 September 1781ArchitectureFunctional statusActiveStyleGothic RevivalGroundbreaking1761Completed1781Construction costApproximately 1 500SpecificationsCapacity1 300AdministrationDioceseDiocese of Sodor and ManParishSt George and All SaintsClergyVicar s Rev Andrew Brown Contents 1 History 1 1 Construction 1 1 1 Initial construction 1 1 2 Completion and consecration 2 Organ 3 Notable gravesites 4 Gallery 5 See also 6 ReferencesHistory editIn the early 1700s the population of Douglas was approximately 800 people and at this time the first St Matthew s Church served as the centre of worship for the population However with the rise in population attributed to the Isle of Man s smuggling trade known on the Island as the Running Trade the prosperity of the town began to increase dramatically By the mid part of the 18th Century the population of the town had swelled to over 3 000 which in turn led to calls for a new church in order to meet demand St Matthew s proving to be inadequate for purpose Construction edit Initial construction edit Land was sourced on the outskirts of the town high on a hill overlooking Douglas Harbour which at the time was situated in the Parish of Braddan The town s gentry some of whom had profited from the running trade met the initial cost raising the necessary money by public subscription By 1761 the amount raised totalled 712 117 000 in 2024 but after four years money had run out and worked subsequently stopped 1 Completion and consecration edit Nothing more happened until 1776 when with further money raised work recommenced An additional sum of 800 115 000 in 2024 had been raised enabling work to be completed with the church being consecrated on 29 September 1781 In order to pay off the further debts a charge of 25 guineas was made for a first class pew and 15 guineas for a second class pew The completed church could accommodate 1 300 worshipers Donations of fine embellishments from various benefactors including a silver communion service made by a London silversmith which was donated by John Murray 4th Duke of Atholl with a later addition of a stained glass window funded by Henry Noble Numerous people of local society were buried in the churchyard including Sir William Hillary and Nelly Brennan The top side of the churchyard is an open grassed area marked with a solitary cross used for the mass burial of cholera victims during 1832 and 1833 Organ editSt George s church organ was the first to be installed in any church on the Isle of Man Made in 1741 by Harris amp Byfield 2 it was acquired from the Dublin Assembly Hall in 1778 by one of the St George s Trustees for the sum of 100 14 000 in 2024 2 It is the organ on which George Frideric Handel conducted the first performance of the messiah which took place in Dublin in 1742 2 One of the first people to play the organ was Charles Barrow grandfather of Charles Dickens The organ was refurbished in 1950 by Jardine s of Manchester at a cost of 3 985 145 000 in 2024 2 Notable gravesites editSir William Hillary philanthropist and founder of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution Nelly Brennan heroine of cholera outbreaks Gallery edit nbsp Mass grave of victims of the cholera outbreaks in 1832 amp 1833 nbsp Information on the activities at St George s Church nbsp The grave of Sir William HillarySee also editDiocese of Sodor and Man Bishop of Sodor and ManReferences edit Kewley Jonathan 2023 Pevsner Architectural Guides Isle of Man Newhaven CT Yale University Press ISBN 978 0 300 22502 0 a b c d Mona s Herald Tuesday 14 November 1950 Page 3 Isle of Man Building Control Districts showing parish boundaries Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title St George 27s Church Isle of Man amp oldid 1183818866, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
