The Roman Catholic Parish of
St Mary’s Carlton and Selby
Priest:
Fr Anthony Wilson
Tel:
01757 703345
E-Mail:
office.stmary.selby@dioceseofleeds.org.uk
© Church of St Mary’s Carlton and Selby 2022
History
St Mary’s Catholic Church, Selby
St Mary’s Catholic Church, Carlton
The history of St Mary's goes back to the time before Catholic Emancipation (1829) and the Restoration of the Hierarchy (1850). The first
Catholic chapel in Selby was provided by Lord Petre. It was a large upper room in the house of his steward in Ousegate and served as the
only Catholic place of worship in Selby for almost fifty years.
From 1783 Father Edward Leadbitter O.P. came from Stourton to Selby on alternate Sundays to offer Mass. In 1785 he was appointed to
take charge of Selby which he did until his death in 1788. Father Leadbitter was buried by his patron, Lord Petre, in Selby Abbey. He was
succeeded by Rev. Charles Forestier who settled in this country as a refugee of the French Revolution and as the chaplain to the Petres.
He too is buried in Selby Abbey.
Mr. Forestier came as chaplain to the Petres, but his successor, the Reverend George Best, was appointed to the mission at Selby by the
Vicar Apostolic of the Northern District (there were no dioceses or parishes until the restoration of the Hierarchy in 1850). His is the first
of the brass tablets in the church recording the names of the parish priests of Selby: the memorials to his two predecessors are in the
Abbey where they were buried, there being at the time of their deaths neither a parish nor a permanent church.
Canon Best (he became a canon of the new diocese of Beverley in 1850) was rector of the Mission for over 30 years, during which the first
church was built by the honourable E. R. Petre. This handsome little church stood at the corner of Gowthorpe and Brook Street. A few
years later there began the terrible famine in Ireland, and immigrants poured into the north of England. They overcrowded the houses of
this little country town, which had neither water supply nor sanitation. An epidemic of cholera soon broke out, of which many died, while
many fled to other towns and lands. But the numbers remaining even after the epidemic overcrowded the little church on Gowthorpe. A
new church had to be built.
The present St Mary's and St Germain (1856) was designed by Dunn and Hansom of London and is built in the early decorated Gothic style.
Notable features include the East Window consisting of five lights. The centre one is of Our Lady, the principal patron of the church, and
St Germain and St Lawrence are on one side with St William of York and St Edward the Confessor on the other. The arms of the Petre
Family appear in the side windows.
Near the Sacred Heart chapel are the tablets commemorating members of the congregation who died in the two World Wars. In 1919 a
sculptured pulpit was erected to the memory of those who died in the Great War and this now forms the ambo.
In 1931 the Lourdes Grotto was added to the church, with a replica of the altar that was then in the Grotto at Lourdes. Towards the end of
the 1970s and early 1980s the sanctuary was re-ordered in line with the liturgical requirements of Vatican Council ll.
In 2000 major repair work was carried out on St Mary's, principally on the roof and the tower and steeple. The Parish Centre (designed by
Martin Stancliffe, Architects of York) was added to the church in 2004 and was blessed and opened on 19 November of that year.
Moves to build St Mary's Roman Catholic church in Carlton juxta Snaith appear to have begun in 1829 when Catherine Stapleton, Lady
Throckmorton, sister to Miles Thomas, the 8th Baron Beaumont, subscribed £1000 towards the final cost of around £4,300. Until then the
local community had attended Mass in the private chapel in Carlton Hall; this building was later extended and became Carlton Towers.
The church, presbytery and a school opened on the 31st August 1842. In 1876 a small convent behind the church was established for the
nunsof the Order of the Sisters of Mercy. A walled footpath called Convent Walk, known locally as Nun's Trod, linked the three buildings.
The church is built in the Gothic style, with white brick and stone dressings. The stained glass window above the altar is in three sections,
with the Blessed Virigin Mary in the centre, flanked by St Augustine and St Gregory.
The village of Carlton has a particular claim to fame as the birthplace, in 1865, of Arthur Hinsley who later became Cardinal Hinsley.
He made a memorable return to Carlton in January 1936 after an absence of 40 years, shortly after becoming Archbishop of Westminster.
Catholicism in the Selby Area
The
history
of
Catholicism
in
Selby
goes
back
to
the
eleventh
century.
In
1069,
the
first
Benedictine
Monastery
was
founded
in
Selby,
following
the
legendary
vision
of
St
Germanus
by
the
French
Monk
Benedict.
Benedict
was
the
first
of
33
Abbots
who
ruled
the
monastery
until
King
Henry
VIII’s
time
when
monasteries
were
dissolved,
around
1537.
It
is
not
thought
that
there
were
any
Catholics
remaining
in
Selby after this for a while.
Catholics
began
to
come
back
to
the
area
slowly,
with
some
prominent
Catholic
families
moving
here.
The
Stapleton
family
moved
to
Carlton
in
the
fourteenth
century,
and
maintained
a
Chapel
in
Carlton
Hall
from
about
1380.
It
was
thought
that
they
harboured
Priests
at
Carlton Hall and at Quosquo Hall in Camblesforth.
Around
the
time
of
1600,
a
Catholic
family
called
the
Walmsleys
came
to
the
Selby
area.
In
1711
Catherine
Walmsley
married
Robert
James
the
7th
Lord
Petre.
In
1783,
a
Missionary
Priest,
called
Fr
Leadbitter,
began
to
say
Mass
in
Selby
on
alternate
Sundays.
This
was
originally
in the house of Lord Petre’s Steward in Ousegate, at the end of what is now the railway station’s platform 2.
It
was
10
th
Baron,
Edward
Robert
Petre,
who
was
born
in
1794,
who
instigated
the
building
of
the
first
Catholic
Church
in
Selby
and
after
Lord
Petre’s
death,
his
widow
built
the
present
Church
in
his
memory.
The
first
Church
was
at
the
corner
of
Gowthorpe
and
Brook
Street,
but
it
became
too
small
when
many
immigrants
came
to
Selby
from
Ireland
during
the
famine,
and
Mrs
Petre
instigated
the
building
of
a
bigger Church in 1856.
In
the
meantime
in
Carlton,
moves
to
build
St
Mary's
Carlton
appear
to
have
begun
in
1829
when
Catherine
Stapleton,
Lady
Throckmorton,
sister
to
Miles
Thomas,
the
8th
Baron
Beaumont,
subscribed
£1,000
towards
the
final
cost
of
around
£4,300.
Until
then
the
local
community
had continued to attend Mass in the private chapel in Carlton Hall; this building was later extended and became Carlton Towers.
The
church,
presbytery
and
a
school
in
Carlton
opened
on
31
August
1842.
In
1876
a
small
convent
behind
the
Church
was
established
for
the
nuns
of
the
Order
of
the
Sisters
of
Mercy.
A
walled
footpath
called
Convent
Walk,
known
locally
as
Nun's
Trod,
linked
the
three
buildings.
The
Carlton
Church
is
built
in
the
Gothic
style,
with
white
brick
and
stone
dressings.
The
stained
glass
window
above
the
altar
is
in
three
sections, with the Blessed Virgin Mary in the centre, flanked by St Augustine and St Gregory.
The
present
St
Mary's
and
St
Germain
in
Selby,
which
opened
in
1856,
was
designed
by
Dunn
and
Hansom
of
London
and
is
built
in
the
early
decorated
Gothic
style.
Notable
features
include
the
East
Window,
behind
the
Altar,
consisting
of
five
panels.
The
centre
one
is
of
Our
Lady,
the
principal
patron
of
the
church,
and
St
Germain
and
St
Lawrence
are
on
one
side,
with
St
William
of
York
and
St
Edward
the
Confessor on the other. The coat of arms of the Petre Family appear in the side windows.
Near
the
Sacred
Heart
Altar
are
the
tablets
commemorating
members
of
the
congregation
who
died
in
the
two
World
Wars.
In
1919
a
sculptured
pulpit
was
erected
to
the
memory
of
those
who
died
in
the
Great
War.
In
1931
the
Lourdes
Grotto
was
added
to
the
church
by
Mrs Ellen O’Neill, with a replica of the altar that was then in the Grotto at Lourdes.
In
1952,
Parish
Priest
Fr
Flynn
found
12
Consecration
Crosses
and
Brasses
in
the
Sacristy,
and
discovered
that
the
Church
had
not
been
consecrated,
so
it
was
consecrated
on
24
July
1952.
Towards
the
end
of
the
1970s
and
early
1980s,
the
sanctuary
was
re-ordered
in
line
with the liturgical requirements of Vatican Council ll. The new Altar was dedicated in 1982.
In February 1953, the Parishes of St Mary’s Selby and St Mary’s Carlton were united. The Parishes had separated again by 1967.
On
11
July
1956,
St
Patrick’s
Chapel
of
Ease
opened
in
Selby,
having
been
built
because
St
Mary’s
was
too
crowded
for
all
Masses,
and
also
to
serve
the
community
in
the
Abbot’s
Road
area
of
the
town.
The
cost
of
building
this
was
£6,500,
and
much
of
the
money
and
the
furnishings were donated by Parishioners. Sadly, St Patrick’s closed on 11 June 2006, exactly one month before its 50
th
birthday.
In
1956,
six
places
of
worship
were
served
by
the
Parish:
St
Mary’s
Selby,
St
Patrick’s
Selby,
St
Mary’s
Carlton,
a
Chapel
in
Cawood,
a
private
oratory at Carlton Towers (where weekday Mass was celebrated) and a Catholic Chapel in the prison camp in Pollington.
In
2000,
major
repair
work
was
carried
out
on
St
Mary's
Selby,
principally
on
the
roof
and
the
tower
and
steeple.
The
Parish
Centre
was
added to the church in Selby in 2004, and was blessed and opened on 19 November of that year.
In September 2008, the Parishes of St Mary’s Carlton and St Mary’s Selby merged once more, to become St Mary’s Carlton and Selby.
