Tracing details of the clergy who have served St. Margaret’s Church in Denton over the years is not as easy as might be thought. It is known that by 1847 Denton was a joint living divided between the rectors of Whiston and Yardley Hastings who alternated yearly in the post.

 

Exactly how long this arrangement went back in time is uncertain but there is evidence that boys from Denton went for schooling at the rectory at Whiston before the school in Denton was built in 1829.

 

In 1801 the well-connected Hon. Frederick Irby, 2^nd Lord of Boston took an interest in the parish lands at Whiston with a view to finding a living for one of his several sons. In 1805 his son, the Hon William Augustus Irby, was appointed rector at Whiston but he died two years later at the very young age of 26. A stop gap rector was appointed but only until 1807 when younger brother Paul Anthony Irby reached the required minimum age of 23 to hold such a post at which time he was appointed in his late brother’s place.

 

From 1814 Rev Irby doubled up as rector of Cottesbrooke and he lived there– not the easiest thing to do in days of horse transport - so the small number of Whiston’s churchgoers probably saw him infrequently.

 

By 1847 Rev Irby was alternating with Rev George Rooke (pictured below right) from Yardley Hastings as the sharing arrangement for Denton was by then in place. George Rooke had become curate at Yardley Hastings in 1800

and then became rector there in 1805. He was to remain as rector until his death in 1856.

 

Meanwhile in 1851 Rev. Paul Irby was replaced at Whiston by another member of the Irby family, the Hon. Llewellyn Charles Robert Irby, who was the fourth son of the 3^rd Lord Boston. Unlike his predecessor he actually lived at Whiston, in a fine house built for him in 1852.

It is said however that he only rarely took a service himself and fully used the curate that was provided to do these duties. This was partly justified by the fact he was responsible for Denton services as well and the congregation there would have been much larger than at Whiston. It did however mean the Irby family retained the connection with the Whiston land they owned.

 

Some time between before 1841 a curate had appointed as yet another member of the Irby family, a Rev T. W. Irby is recorded as curate on the 1841 book of Common Prayer in Denton church. Exactly when he came is unknown as is his date of departure. However by 1861 Rev Francis John Cockett was the curate and he lived in the last cottage in Main Street before Church Farm. This was variously called the clergyman's house (1861), Parsonage House (1871) and The Parsonage (1881). This cottage was later to become known as the Reading Room. Fr. Cockett lived with wife, Jane and they were childless. He was curate for both the rectors at Whiston and Yardley. He continued until sometime between 1881 and 1890 and eventually died in 17^th June 1892, aged 73 and was buried in Denton Cemetery, to be followed in 1898 by his wife.

 

Meanwhile all this time Rev Irby was alternating with other rectors from Yardley to serve Denton in conjunction with the curate. George Rooke was replaced in 1856 at Yardley by Rev. Daniel Baxter Langley,  D.C.L.who is pictured left,  and in 1881 he, in turn, was replaced by Rev. George Henry Rigby (below right) who was to remain at Yardley until 1893.

 

Around the same time the Denton based curate Rev. Cockett was replaced

by Rev. George Leighton who lived at Whiston and he took on the curate’s duties for both vicars. He stayed for only a few years as by 1890 another curate was living at Whiston named Rev. George Rawlinson.

 

However the whole era of splitting the Denton living between the rectors of Whiston and Yardley, aided by a curate, was to come to an end soon after as on 18^th August 1892 Denton was created a separate benefice.

 

This is when, for the first time that century, Denton had a full-time vicar of its own and he was Rev Thomas Amys (photo below), born in Alverthorpe, Yorkshire and educated at Trinity College, Dublin.

 

Where he, and his family, lived on appointment in 1892 is unknown as the ‘Vicarage’ at the top of Vicarage Lane was not built until 1893. As explained elsewhere - (see Buildings - under vicarages and rectories)

this building was intended to be occupied by a son of the 2^nd Marquis of Northampton who was the Bishop of Ely, but this never happened and certainly by 1901 the Amys household were in residence there, the family unit comprising 44 year old Thomas, his 37 years old wife Olivia, and young daughters Olivia, 4 and Constance aged just 1.

In addition, at the census date in 1901, there was a house visitor recorded, a Mary Mott together with Charlotte and Sarah Barker who were the young housemaid and cook respectively.

 

Thomas Amys was long serving, spending 42 years at Denton, until his death on 3^rd March 1935 at age 79. There is a plaque in the church dedicated to ‘the esteemed Vicar of Denton’ although from some stories of his time it seems he was not the easiest or most universally liked priest.

 

The man who followed was Hilton Clayton Robinson Eltoft who came in 1936. He had been born in Chorlton, Manchester in May 1900 and was a well educated and learned man having an M.A from Wadham College, Oxford, M.A. from Owen’s College, Manchester and B.D from London

University.

 

He moved into the Vicarage and was to remain there for the next 28 years. He was single man when he came to Denton but married quite laate in life in 1945. His wife was formerly Irene Harding. They had no children.  Irene Eltoft had a business at the top of York Road in Northampton which sold and repaired typewriters and also sold stationery. Rev. Eltoft was a popular and active figure in the community. He took the children to swimming lessons and was an ardent supporter of the successful Denton Football Club hardly ever missing one of their matches home or away. Perhaps, as a result, his Sunday morning service was particularly well attended by the younger people in the village. He also was the official 'handicapper' when it came to any village sporting events where such a service was required. However his interests spread far and wide as he was also keen on classical music and associated with the Birmingham Symphony Orchestra.

 

In the war years he took on the role of Head Warden in the A.R.P and both he and, later, his wife were active in their support of the school and many other local clubs and organisations. He was also the vicar at the time the mural scheme (See -History on the walls - the protracted story of the mural scheme) was first mooted by the Parochial Church Council and he enthusiastically supported the idea from the outset although its eventual completion was to be long after his retirement and subsequent death.

 

Rev. Eltoft was the last vicar to occupy ‘The Vicarage’ in Vicarage Lane as after he left Denton in 1962 the building was sold by the church into private hands.(See section on The Vicarage/Compton House in Buildings). Rev Eltoft moved on in the early 1960s and spent his last working years at Collingtree where he stayed until 1966. He died a few years later in 1969 at the age of 69 and was living at Northampton at the time of his death.

 

Rev. Eltoft and Rev. Amys had between them spent around 70 years at Denton but things were about to change. Denton was to share it’s vicar with Yardley and the first person  in this dual role was Rev Harry Bamber (pictured right) who took over from Hilton Eltoft in 1964 but only stayed for a further 2 years before he left for Australia.in 1966 with his wife and two children. He died some years ago. 

 

He, in turn, was replaced by Rev. Colin Symes who stayed for just a couple of years before making way for Rev. James Charles Davies in December 1968.

 

Jim Davies (left ) was a popular and down to earth vicar, an ex-RAF padre with a relaxed and friendly style of ministry which went down well with young and old alike. He presided over the era when the mural scheme was at last implemented and would take every opportunity to explain the history of the project to a congregation especially at a christening or wedding where he could educate a different set of folk to the regular churchgoers.

 

 

The next incumbent, now with the added parishes to look after was Rev

 Rev. Ryall (shown be;ow) stayed for 13 years seeing in the Millennium

before leaving for pastures new in 2001. He is still working (as at 2009) as Non-stipendary Minister (priest-in-charge) at Mayland in Essex. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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