The Roman Catholic Church of the Sacred Heart and St Edward, Darwen in the County of -- Lancashire --

Sacred Heart and St Edward

A school at the northerly end of the town, in the township of Lower Darwen, built in 1872, was converted into a mission room on January 20th 1878. This school-church was dedicated to St Edward. From 1878 to 1882 Fr. Lathouwers said Mass in a damp and leaky building, quite unsuited for a chapel. This was how the church of St Edward's began. A new edifice was erected in 1882-3 on an adjacent plot of land and named the Church of the Sacred Heart. It seated 400 people and cost £2000. The consecration ceremony was performed by Bishop Vaughan on April 11th 1883.

In June 1886 Fr. Rudolf Claase, one of the devoted young priests from Holland who came to help Bishop Vaughan, was appointed Priest in Charge and Fr. Lathouwers moved to Rishton. Until July 1928 the parish was under the benevolent and apostolic rule of Fr. Claase. When he took charge he found that his mission had a church, a piece of barren land, and some 600 people. He added a presbytery, schools, a convent, a girls' hostel, and an addition to the land.

Baptism and Marriage Registers are held in the Lancashire Archives.