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| The Church |
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 There appears to have been a Church or a Chapel of Ease in Thornton-Le-Moor from early times. This early building ceased to be used for public worship early in the 19th Century, the last person said to have been baptised in it dying in 1872 aged 73. That building was later used as a school and part of it converted into cottages before being demolished in 1867 to make way for the new Church of St. Barnabas. It was built in 1868 on the same site and consecrated on 19th October that year by Archbishop Thompson.
The cost of the new Church, which was defrayed by subscription, was between £1100 and £1200. The architects were Messrs Atkinson of York and the builder was Mr Wright of Sowerby.
St. Barnabas Church
St. Barnabas Church was not to last for anything like the same length of time as the original Church. Unusually the building had a stone outer wall and a brick inner wall, a feature that made a marked impression when you first entered the church. However the builder had filled the wall's cavity with rubble and over the years the weather, particular wet and freezing conditions, caused gradual and significant movement in the walls.
In August 1986 the East wall partially collapsed and the church was demolished in April 1987 after it became obvious that the money to rebuild it could not be raised. Permission to demolish the Church required the holding of a rare Consistory Court in the village school one Saturday in early 1987. This is one of the oldest courts in the land. AQC appointed by the Lord Chancellor took evidence for closure and listened to objections before making a decision. The churchyard remains as consecrated ground and continues as the village burial ground. |
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