From time to time local residents have written small booklets about the history of the churches in our three parishes. By their very nature relatively few copies of these booklets may have survived and they are not easily accessible. The texts of some of them are therefore made available here as downloads, free of charge, for the purposes of private study and research only.
By downloading and saving a file on your computer, you can open it using your word processor, print out a copy, and read it at your leisure.
COPYRIGHT - Some of the material available here may still be covered by copyright, regardless of whether it originally carried any copyright notice. Anyone wishing to reproduce any of these documents in any form, either directly or indirectly, for any commercial purpose should establish whether the relevant document is covered by copyright and, if it is, obtain the necessary permission before publication.
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The download files are all Rich Text Format (*.rtf) which most word processors can open. To download any of the files offered on this page, right click on the relevant link and select the option to save it to disk (typically using the 'Save As' or 'Save target as' option).
The Churches - Old and New - of Birch, and Layer Breton
by T B Millatt (1963)
In the course of history no less than five churches have been built in the parishes of Birch and Layer Breton. One was demolished in the 19th century, another was demolished in the 20th century, one is a roofless ruin, and one is redundant. Only one, Layer Breton 'New' Church, remains in use. Tom Millatt, sometime Headmaster of Birch School, had a keen interest in local history and wrote this interesting history which covers all five churches.
The file is approx 66KB and prints out to about 11 pages of A4. Right click on the link to download tmillatt.rtf and save to disk.
The Story of Layer-de-la-Haye
by Mary Hopkirk
Published privately in 1934, this is the most detailed history of Layer de la Haye which has been written. It traces the history of the village, secular and ecclesiastical, from the 11th century up to the 1930s. Mary Hopkirk was the wife of the Revd Frank Stuart Hopkirk, MA, who was Vicar of Layer de la Haye from 1932 to 1936.
The file is approx 91KB and prints out to about 18 pages of A4. Right click on the link to download mhopkirk.rtf and save to disk.
A History of the Parish Church of St John the Baptist, Layer de la Haye
by Canon James Allen
The first edition was probably written in about 1965. This download is the text of the second edition published in 1972. Canon Allen was Vicar of Layer de la Haye when he wrote his history which draws heavily on Mary Hopkirk's booklet for the history up to 1934, but adds history about the church from the mid-1930s.
The file is approx 61KB and prints out to about 12 pages of A4. Right click on the link to download canallen.rtf and save to disk.
Memories of a Village Chapel
by M J Hayhoe
Recollections of the Methodist Chapel at Layer de la Haye which was built in 1864. The Chapel no longer exists, having been demolished in 1970.
The file is approx 21KB and prints out to just over 3 pages of A4. Right click on the link to download mchapel.rtf and save to disk.
If you would like to know more about the history of the villages in our parishes we recommend a visit to the history section of another local website www.bretonheath.me.uk/history.
Page updated: 30 Apr 2021 at 13:59