| Doc Ref No | D4800/2/13, D5547/1, D5851, D6716, D7161, D7356, D7499, D7511, D7642, D7874/18 |
| Administrative History | Originally there were North and South Staffordshire Congregational Unions (see annual reports for lists of churches before 1885). From 1885 these became the Northern and Southern Divisions of the Staffordshire Congregational Union, acting as the higher-level county organisation for the local churches. The Staffordshire Congregational Union Incorporated had charitable status. The charity was wound up in 2004 and its assets transferred to the United Reformed Church (West Midlands).
The Staffordshire District continued to operate at an intermediary level between the Province and the individual churches, with its own committees and officers, but has since been abolished and only the West Midlands Synod (or Province) now exists above the level of the individual churches (information correct in 2014).
The Synod is divided into districts which include Mid & North Staffordshire, and South Staffordshire & the Black Country.
Not all Congregational churches joined the United Reformed Church. The Congregational Federation remains the national body for continuing Congregational churches.
A list of c.1992 listed the following churches: Armitage, Burslem, Cannock, Chesterton, Clayton, Silverdale, Ruiton, Hednesford, Leek Trinity, Lichfield, Longton, Rugeley St Paul, Sedgley St Andrew, Stone St John, Tean, Tomkin [near Stanley], Tunstall, Uttoxeter, Walsall: Blakenhall, Hatherton, Rushall, Glebe Street; West Bromwich: Hardware Street, Salem, Newton Road; Wolstanton; Wolverhampton: St Columba, Lea Road, Old Fallings, Penn, Tettenhall Wood, St Andrew; Wombourne, Swindon, The Church at Perton, Stafford Trinity.
A list dated 2007 shows the following churches by area, in groupings or "clusters":
North Staffordshire area: Clayton and Burslem; Wolstanton, Chesterton and Tunstall; Longton, Uttoxeter and Tomkin; Leek and Tean (joint with Methodist).
Mid-Staffordshire area: Stone and Stafford; Rugeley and Hednesford (joint with Methodist); Lichfield (joint with Baptist) and Cannock.
Black Country area: Perton, Tettenhall Wood, Old Fallings [Wolverhampton] and Lea Road; Finchfield, Penn, Wombourne, Swindon and Wall Heath; Broadway [Walsall], Glebe Centre, Blakenhall, Hatherton [Walsall] and Newton Road; Sedgley (joint with Methodist); Dudley, Langley Green, Blackheath, Halesowen, Stourbridge and Lye (joint Methodist). |
| Description | Please note: accession D6716 is not yet catalogued. It includes minutes, accounts, financial and property papers, and annual minutes of the Fellowship of Youth, 20th cent. (1.5 box); accession D7161 is not yet catalogued. It consists of records of the North Staffordshire District Lay Preachers' Association 1957-2010, including two minute books of Quarterly Meetings, 1957-1982, 1982-2010; folder containing Quarterly Plans, year books for the Staffordshire District, etc., 1964-c.2006; general correspondence etc., 1970s-1980s; preaching availability returns, 2004-2006 (0.5 box).
Please ask for further information about uncatalogued accessions. |